digital mixer

Soundman's Survival Kit (hey, we didn't name it)

It's great to wake up on a Friday morning to a little surprise. Here's today's one:

Presonus has put together the Soundman's Survival Kit and it come FREE for anyone who purchases a Presonus StudioLive between 19th Feb 2010 and  30th April 2010. Not only is this $120 worth of free stuff being chucked in, it's $120 worth of essential tools to make sure the gig goes smoooth as...

You can probably see from the pic what you get, but just in case:

• LED torch (ok, the Yanks call it a flashlight)
• Forged steel multi-tool (looks like a Leatherman to us, but we'll let you know when we've had a closer look)
• Mini-Sharpie & 1/2" track tape for marking up channels
• A rugged ballistic nylon StudioLive 16.4.2 mixer carry case with handles, padded shoulder strap, locking zippers and a side zipper storage compartment

So that's it... the Soundman's Survival Kit. No bottle opener, no stubby holder, no lighter, no extra large cigarette papers. Just real tools to help the gig, not distract from the job at hand. What you do after load out is completely up to you...

Behringer purchases Midas and Klark Teknik

Regular readers of this blog and viewers of Factory Sound TV will already know that our friend Uli Behringer is never one to sit back and relax for too long. So although this news may come as a surprise, it doesn't really amaze us. Just in case you don't already know, Behringer purchased both Midas and Klark Teknik yesterday. Rather than using his spare cash to buy a garage of slick cars (see what he drives in our video interview) and miniature horses, Uli has reinvested in his biggest passion, professional audio, by injecting some well-needed cash into the UK companies Klark & Midas.

This means that two of our favourite brands can keep building innovative and desirable products for professional touring and installation purposes. Heritage, Verona, Venice, DN360, Helix, the list is an honor roll of great sounding products that perform exactly as they should, and never fail to make their operators happy to turn a knob or push a fader. No doubt Behringer will take the opportunity to learn plenty along the way too!

Company acquisitions are not a new thing to pro audio. Harmon purchased Allen & Heath a while ago...then our favourite Cornish company bought themselves back. Italian speaker powerhouse RCF got a much-needed cash topup when American company Mackie acquired them...until RCF's management and workers pooled together and regained owenership. And what about Austrian microphone legends AKG, purchased by Harmon some time ago, and have since reinvigorated their product range to include great releases like C214, D5 and more. We can only imagine how exciting the future of Klark Teknik and Midas is going to be.

If you want the full version, press release from Behringer is here.