With a cosmic range of world class products, at rock-bottom prices, this segment has never had it better

Over the last couple of years, the pro audio market has evolved and sales have been good. The buyer is demanding higher technology and quality and the manufacturers are responding. New products are being introduced bringing in more functions, features, reliability and performance.

Amplifiers continue to dominate the market with a 65 percent share. Microphones contribute to 25 percent of the market, balance being constituted by speakers, headphones & headsets, mixers, consoles, converters, digital recorders, intelligent solutions, and conference systems.

The Indian market growing at a CAGR of 15-20 per cent is really spoilt for choice. Vast array of products in every segment are available at competitive prices and quality is at par with international standards. This is backed by amazing technical expertise.

In India, it is dominated by a handful of companies including Aditya Infotech, Audio Plus, Daxco Digital, and Hi-Tech Audio Systems. A strong presence is also perceived for Cinecita, Yamaha, Sennheiser, Ahuja Radios, and Sun Infonet. Manufacturers with some presence in this segment include Cineom, Electro Dynamics, MRH Digital Systems, Rivera International, Setron, and Soundcraft. Most of these companies only represent foreign brands, and the indigenous element is almost absent.

An emerging trend is the integration of audio and video services.

Another element that is driving this segment is Green thinking. In general, big hifi components are not too environmentally-friendly, often gobbling loads of current, even when idle. Certainly the Cass D technology used in many high end amplifiers today are an attempt to address this, as they generally run cool, and consume relatively less energy. Companies have come to the forefront, producing components with small footprints that are efficient, and even have one foot in older, classic technologies
Pro audio equipment is one of the industries where the buyer is passionate about his purchase. Be it a studio, a production house, a live broadcast, a multiplex, a channel or a broadcasting station, the end quality of sound is of prime importance. The buyer is not prepared to compromise with one member of his equipment, which would become the Achilles' heel in the ultimate reproduction.

This segment supports a parallel repair industry, which is by itself an independent segment. Take the case of microphones. A very common problem is when a microphone capsule becomes moisture 
sensitive.

A microphone capsule retains a small static charge much like a balloon and attracts dust and other particles that are in the air. These particles adhere themselves to the sticky gold sputtered mylar that the diaphragm is made from. After a period of time there is a sufficient amount of dust and other particles stuck on the diaphragm and around the ring that holds the diaphragm to the back plate. There is a very small gap in between the gold sputtered mylar and the back plate which allows the diaphragm to move with the vibrations of sound. When one sings or speaks into a large diaphragm condenser microphone the diaphragm gets fogged just like a window does when you breathe on it on a cold day.

Water is a conductor and when these particles get wet they can short out the diaphragm to the back plate through the screws that hold the diaphragm ring in place causing the microphone to cut out and on some occasions it will cause the microphone to die all together. 

If this high end microphone is sent back to the manufacturer for repair and the capsule is replaced, the cost is tremendous. And, the original capsule may be far superior than the new mass- produced ones. 99 percent of the time the original capsule can be repaired.

The grey market continues to thrive as import duties of these products in neighboring countries are much lower. This segment too is not isolated from the general business woes as price cutting, intense competition, differential tax structure etc.

With the FM phase III licenses expected to be finalized soon, and cinemas, multiplex theatres, live broadcasts gaining popularity, pro audio equipment industry certainly has reasons to be optimistic.

ADITYA INFOTECH LIMITED

Aditya represents Adam, Apogee, Audix, Crest Audio, EAW, Euphonix, Mackie, Yamaha, Tapco by Mackie, Rode, and M-Audio.

Adam Audio products are state-of-the-art no compromise speakers intended for audio engineers who are interested in the truest possible reproduction of their recordings. Loudspeakers from Adam MMX Studios were the home for the recording of the opening ceremony music at the 2010 World Cup held on the June 11, 2010. They worked with co-executive producer and composer Lebo M, (also known for his work on the score for The Lion King, Congo, Tears of the Sun and many more), arranger Themba Mkhize and orchestrator Peter McLea.

Apogee Digital manufactures digital audio hardware systems and related accessories for audio professionals. Ensemble from Apogee is the first and only multi-channel audio interface that is fully integrated into Logic Pro. Maestro is an innovative software interface between OS X applications (OS 10.4 and above) and Apogee hardware. Introducing Ensemble Mobile, a DC powered version of Apogee's popular Ensemble Firewire audio interface. Power Trio - Apogee, Apple and Euphonix have been working together to provide a range of powerful integrated music creation tools that take the process of composing, recording, editing, and mixing to a whole new level.

Audix is a wholly owned American Corporation, recognized for its microphones in the industry, consistently raising the bar in the pro audio world with innovative, award-winning products. At a time when most companies are tending to outsource their labor and manufacturing, Audix built a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with an emphasis on R&D, automation, and CNC machining equipment. Its popular products are the OM-Series, D-Series, Micros, i-5 and SCX25A.

Legendary for their power, sound quality, and rock-solid construction, Crest Audio amplifiers set the standard by which others are judged. Complex commercial audio installations often require hundreds of loudspeaker zones with a variety of loudspeaker loads. Crest Audio industrial amplifiers provide efficient, cost-effective solutions for a wide variety of multi-zone installations with strong, reliable workhorse design and construction. Crest Audio offers a full range of hardware and software solutions for control of in-amplifier signal processing. Crest Audio's two-way network control solutions provide cost-effective and feature-rich options to installers working at every level of sophistication. Crest Audio consoles are known for their superior audio quality, intelligent feature-sets, and robust physical construction. Every Crest Audio console series is application engineered to deliver maximum performance and flexibility to the professional user. All Crest Audio consoles provide exceptional sound and features for their price.

EAW offers the deepest line of loudspeakers in professional audio in addition to a growing resource of total sound system products featuring the same legendary performance capabilities. Wide ranges of commercial tools include ceiling and surface-mount loudspeakers as well as paging horns. The company offers amplifiers which are flexible, rugged audio power solutions for distributed, low- impedance and dynamic sound reinforcement applications. Its digital products include loudspeaker and system processors, as well as matrix mixers and consoles, all offering exceptional versatility. It also offers custom products, unique loudspeaker designs to overcome even the most challenging aspects of any system project.

Euphonix MC Control brings the unparalleled speed, resolution and DAW integration of Euphonix's high-end pro consoles to the personal studio in a revolutionary ergonomic, slim-line design. MC Control fits perfectly between keyboard and screen, and can be connected to additional MC Mix units to create a larger mixing control surface. While the Euphonix MC Mix brings the unparalleled audio mixing speed, resolution and DAW integration of Euphonix's high-end professional consoles to the personal studio, the faders and rotary encoders enable fast access to pan, EQ and plug-ins with clear metering and info displays.

Mackie provides digital recordings, loudspeakers, mixers, and studio monitoring. Tapco, a subsidiary of Mackie, offers (1) Series 69, TAPCO J 2500, they are juice series 2-channel power amplifiers, (2) thump series active loudspeakers and (3) Ultra-compact and compact mixers.

Rode offers studio condenser microphones.

M-Audio provides controller surfaces, digidesign pro tools, earphones/headphones, guitar products, handheld portable recording devices, keyboards, microphones, MIDI interfaces, PCI cards, reference monitors, synchroscience (DJ gear), and USB interfaces.

Yamaha manufactures digital I/O cards, digital mixer, effect proccessor, mixer, and monitor speaker.

AUDIO PLUS

The company brings a range of world class products suited for the Indian market. Backed by Ahuja Group, it has a widespread dealer's network stretching across the farther corners of the country. The brands it offers are Studiomaster Professional, RFC, Wharfedale Pro, Marshall, KORG, dB Technologies, and RENKUS-HEINZ.

DAXCO DIGITAL

The company provides consultation, equipment, design and system integration. Projects undertaken range from acoustic design and turnkey system integration of broadcast and recording studios to multimedia studios, film mix stages, FM stations, TV shooting floors and sound reinforcement projects. It represents some of the top names in the audio and broadcast industry from around the globe and has offices in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Chennai (India). Brands under the umbrella are KS, MANLEY, Quantec, Logitek, Apogee Electronics, M&M, and SAN Solutions.

The company represents Euphonix too. Universal Sports used the Euphonix audio mixing system at the debut of Universal Sports at Vancouver Games for delivering five hours of live daily news and information, as well as continuous news and results, throughout the 2010 Olympic winter games and a high-performance digital router to give its Westlake Village Studios in California, as well as remote production sets in Vancouver and Whistler, the best solution for its broadcasting needs.

Minkler and Lamberti were nominated for best achievement in sound mixing for Inglorious Bastards that was dubbed on a dual-operator Euphonix System 5 digital audio mixing system at Todd-AO Hollywood's newly upgraded Stage 1. Zimmer was nominated for Best Achievement in music written for Motion Pictures, for his original score of the film Sherlock Holmes. A longtime Euphonix client, Zimmer creates his world-class music using his two Euphonix System 5 digital mixing systems installed at his Santa Monica-based studio, Remote Control Productions. Inglorious Bastards marks the eleventh Oscar nomination for Minkler, who has previously won three times for Black Hawk Down and Dreamgirls, which were also mixed on the Euphonix mixing systems, and Chicago. Mixing teams on movies dubbed with Euphonix consoles have been nominated for sound mixing Oscar's every year since 2001 and have won the coveted award six times, including last year's breakout hit Slumdog Millionaire mixed at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom.

HI-TECH AUDIO SYSTEMS

The company is a leading system integrator, dealer, and distributor of professional audio video system in India. They are now the exclusive distributors for Harman Pro and Neutrik in India.

Hi-Tech with its core strength as technical expertise has bagged the works of Sound Reinforcement System for eleven Commonwealth 2010 Games stadiums : SPM swimming stadium, Talaktora indoor stadium, JNS weightlifting stadium, Indra Gandhi wrestling stadium, Karni Singh shooting range, Delhi University rugby stadium, Thyagaraja indoor stadium (Lawn Tennis), Major Dhyanchand national hockey outdoor stadium Indira Gandhi indoor arena(gymnastics), DDA Yamuna sports complex training venue, and DDA Siri Fort sports complex training venue.

Professional audio products under the brand Harman Pro Group include BSS Audio (digital loudspeaker managment systems), AKG (professional microphone and headphone), JBL Professional (JBL loudspeakers), Crown (Professional Amplifiers), Soundcraft (Mixing Console), Dbx professional products (signal processor), Lexicon (sound effect processor), DOD (Analog signal Processors), and STUDER (Hi-end digital studio mixing desks). Neutrik offers professional audio and video connectors.

SENNHEISER

Sennheiser's professional audio products include wireless microphone systems, wired microphones, conference systems, tour guide systems, aviation headsets, audiology solutions, and professional headphones and headsets. Sennheiser is the official sponsor of the tour guide system of the German Pavilion Expo 2010 Shanghai. Being a sponsor of the German Pavilion, Sennheiser provided audio equipment for the pavilion's press conference held on March 25, 2010. This was a significant contributor to the conference's success. Following this, Sennheiser was the official tour guide system sponsor in the German Pavilion during the World Expo 2010 Shanghai. Sennheiser gave its full support to the tour German Pavilion's guide system by providing SK 2020-D, HSP 2, EZL 2020-D and HDE 2020-D. Audio systems in the VIP room comprised KR 100S and ew 135 G3 as well as wireless systems in different areas of the venue consisting of ew 100 G3, ew 300 G3, 2000 series and MD 421.

SUN INFONET PVT. LTD.

The company represents Shure in India since June 2003; it is a world-renowned manufacturer of industry-standard microphones and audio electronics. Shure offers wired microphones, wireless systems, personal monitor systems, and mixers and DSP.

Shure took center stage at 2010 CMA music festival, CMT music awards. Shure endorser Brad Paisley sang "American Saturday Night" through UR2/SM58 wireless while another Shure endorser, LeAnn Rimes, chose a pair of Super 55 wired microphones for an up tempo version of John Anderson's "Swingin". Several other artistes who performed used Shure wireless systems with a variety of different microphones in addition to the SM58, including KSM9 and Beta 58 handheld transmitters. The house band for the show performed using wired SM58s on all vocals except for newcomer Easton Corbin, who opted for his own wired KSM9. Rounding out the full complement of Shure gear, a standard assortment of Shure drum microphones were employed for most of the drum kits, including the Beta 52 on many of the kick drums and the Beta 98s on almost all of the toms.

Shure introduces new KSM42 and KSM44A studio microphones defining new standards in audio performance. The pinnacle of Shure advancements in microphone development, KSM microphones deliver world-class sound reproduction from exquisite electro-acoustical design and technology.

Nexo is among Europe's top three sound reinforcement loudspeaker manufacturers.

CAMCO develops, manufacturers and markets high-end power amplifiers, DSP- and network products for the global pro audio market. CAMCO is a fully independent company and is represented in more than 60 countries around the globe.

Quest is an Australian audio company with an international flavor. With a background firmly set in live audio hire and production dating back to the 70's, the Australian owners of Quest Engineering has clearly been part of the evolution of the modern audio industry we have today.

Allen and Health provides world class club and DJ mixers.

CINECITA

The company represents Crown for amplifiers, Euphonix for mixing consoles, and JBL for speaker systems. Major clients of Cinecita are post production studios.

YAMAHA MUSIC INDIA PVT. LTD.

The company was established in March 2008, Yamaha Music India Ltd is part of the Yamaha Corporation worldwide group of companies. It began its operations in October 2008 with its headquarters at Gurgaon. Its products include mixers, processors, power amplifiers, speakers, and interfaces.