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new fax on telex

services, installation, november 2006, COMMENTS

These have been interesting times at Shuttlesound, the UK subsidiary of Telex and distributor of its clutch of prestige brands. Itself regarded within the pro-audio industry as a major player, a Big Company, Telex was recently acquired by the multi-national behemoth that is Bosch and so Shuttlesound is now part of a conglomerate which is very much more than a mere blip on the world's commercial radar.

Timely then to take an hour aside from the PLASA show and to talk to Paul Baretta (pictured back row, centre right) about developments and prospects. At a time when some global players have scaled back their presence at shows like PLASA, sending a signal that, perhaps, they regard this event as being less an international one, but more of a provincial affair, Telex mounted a strong presence, almost a show-within-a-show. If nothing else, this exudes confidence, and this feeling is supported by one of the industry's strongest product portfolios. Despite this diversity, there is no doubting that the Shuttlesound/Telex/Bosch lead brand is ElectroVoice. One of the longest standing and most respected names in pro-audio, EV has moved ever closer to the point where it can offer viable solutions at every link in the audio chain. This begins with microphones, which EV have been manufacturing for more than half a century. As such, they are one of the few companies who can mount a 'Retro' exercise. I first saw the EV blast-from-the-past models at the Frankfurt Messe and boy, are they photogenic. With thoroughly modern innards, they ought to sound as good as they look, too. EV also have a strong shout in the world of wireless mics, from a sturdy hand-held virtually noise-free body which will accept both its own and Shure capsules, Phoenix, to a product which, as far as I am aware, is unique; a wireless podium mic. This is both simple and clever. It features rapid scan to establish a 'clean' channel and, essentially incorporates what would normally be the belt pack into the base of its stand. Add a choice of capture modes from wide angle to hyper cardioid and you have a spin-doctor's unplugged dream. The EV RE410's have also become the mics of choice for musicians as diverse as the London Community Gospel Choir and Courtney Pine.

There is a sense of irony in leading off with microphones because one of the first changes wrought in the wake of the recent inter-group commercial shake-up was to switch the distribution of the Dynacord brand in the UK to another microphone manufacturer, Beyer Dynamic. Baretta was positive in his comments about this, saying that "Each brand (EV and Dynacord) can now benefit from the fully-focussed attentions of its distributor, and that can only be a good thing." He has a point. Dynacord has always been something of a Cinderella presence at the UK ball, despite having a world-leading position in powered mixers, a strong range of advanced yet rugged amplification and a very chnuky range of purpose-designed club and dancefloor speaker systems. Shuttlesound can concentrate their efforts around their array systems, boosted by the strong EV arena systems presence at the recent World Cup. Array competition is at least as strong in the German market as it is here and so, for EV to win so many of the stadium refurb contracts was something of a coup, providing them as it did with several prestige reference sites. Footy apart, the other area of focus for EV at present comes in the shape of Iris and Netmax. Together, this advanced computer management and reporting package for EV amps and speakers makes the brand a powerful contender, especially for installs, from which it can even send a contractor alerts to his mobile phone should any mishap or instability occur within the system, crucially, with precise data on the fault or problem. This is an unprecedented level of interactivity and control.

Paul is also looking forward to longer term benefits from the Bosch takeover. "Bosch invests double figure sums annually in R & D, which is several times the level that Telex could afford, and EV will be a part of that and a major beneficiary. It will certainly help us to maintain a position at the forefront of technology." I would guess that much of this money may be directed into advanced driver development, a field in which EV have been traditionally strong (their 18" bass units have an unrivalled international reputation and have been incorporated into many leading designs) and in which they may also wish to re-assert themselves. Another cross-group and inter-brand benefit will be the sharing of R & D protocols with other family members, like Klark Teknik and involvement with innovations like Show Command. With major-league users like Britannia Row, a growing list of club and venue installs and big corporate backing, the future looks pretty rosy for Shuttlesound. As it advances ever further towards a fully networkable, valid and viable audio solution, it looks fairly strong for EV too. Not that it wasn't ever thus. Baretta again; "According to what you hear and read, almost half the industry had a piece of Live8. They didn't. It was all EV. Throughout." Attaboy.

Words: Walter Mirauer

From: November 2006 Issue

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