Sound Devices Investing in Wireless Audio with New HiresWhen Sound Devices acquired stories British wireless microphone manufacturer Audio Limited in 2017, the first product released together was the A10 digital transmitter and receiver - the first Sound Devices wireless. Since then, the collaboration has engineered and produced the award-winning Sound Devices Astral series of transmitters and receivers. Now Sound Devices has expanded with additional, highly technical RF experts: Andy "Baggy" Robinson, Gary Trenda, Cody Heimann, and Leslie Lello. These new experts join existing RF leads Matt Anderson, Paul Isaacs, Kishore Patel, and Lee Stone. Robinson has had the opportunity to work as a front-of-house and monitor engineer with many of the biggest names in entertainment, including George Michael for 16 years and Jessie J for over 11. He also runs all the audio aspects of large events like the Capital Radio's Summertime Ball and Jingle Bell Ball. Having worked as a consultant with Sound Devices for more than a year, helping with product development and beta testing, Robinson has now moved into a new position at Sound Devices as the vice president of sales. Robinson joins as established sales team that includes sales manager Brad Baker and senior sales manager Kiah Hassall. Lello has also taken on the role of sales manager. He began his career as a recording and sound mixer in Italy and South Africa, while also producing music and DJing both nationally and internationally. Over the past decade, Lello worked in the industry, involved in the design and execution of RF solutions, and worked on large-scale installation that included reality shows, live venues, and broadcasting studios. He has also done freelance work as an RF tech and RF coordinator. Trenda, an RF engineer at Sound Devices for three years, works as an audio and RF engineer on the annual Super Bowl Halftime show and Latin Billboard Awards, among many other events. He is now joined by Heimann in Sound Devices' RF engineering department. Heimann has worked in various roles in his career, from a patch engineer to a monitor engineer, front-of-house engineer, monitor tech, and production manager. After experiencing bad RF on a gig, Heimann changed his focus, becoming an RF coordinator and RF tech, leading to work on big-name events like Coachella, New Years Eve in Times Square, CMT Music Awards, and Notre Dame College Football. "Gary and Cody have applied this firsthand knowledge when developing and testing Astral wireless audio solutions. As they've encountered the same challenges and pain points, become familiar with the workflows, and dealt with the rigors of working in live-sound settings, they have been able to help develop products that address those specific needs. "The experience that Matt, Paul, Kishore, and Lee have from decades of serving the location sound market through Audio Ltd and Sound Devices, combined with the RF background of Baggy, Cody, Gary, and Leslie, will help in the design and support of top-level RF systems in both live sound and location sound. Together they've contributed to the success over the last year as Sound Devices launched major feature upgrades via firmware releases to its workhorse MixPre II Series mixer-recorders and trusted 8-Series recorders, and unveiled new additions to the Astral wireless family, including the 16- to 32-channel A20-SuperNexus receiver, A20-Opto-HMA expansion box, and A20-Outpost-NL antenna extender. This powerhouse team of experts can be expected to move the needle once again with groundbreaking product launches in the coming months," the company says. "It's a very exciting time to be at Sound Devices," says Anderson. "The level of talent we have across departments that is propelling our wireless technology into the future is incredible. The industry should expect Sound Devices to continue its leadership in both location sound and RF in the years to come."
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