Show Reports

When global economic difficulties bring hard times upon the pro audio industry, you could argue that trade exhibitions suffer particularly harsh consequences. Not only do the shows themselves have to sit by and watch their fortunes diminish, but they also find themselves thoroughly criticised at the same time. While the exhibitors who book space on the show floor can incur sympathy by pointing to the global financial crisis when explaining their own problems, show organisers having to justify falling attendance numbers are usually offered no such luxury.

It says a lot for InterBEE therefore that over the course of 2008 and 2009, when the show’s fortunes were fading and Japan’s fragile economy looked like it might permanently damage a long-term must-attend date in the exhibition calendar, the exhibitors who have stood by the show for decades decided to stay loyal. This year, InterBEE began the process of paying that loyalty back.

Not that the exhibition suddenly returned to former glories – that would be too much to expect. Inside hall four of the Makuhari Messe, the traditional pro audio wing of the show, the consensus was that the aisles were a little wider than in the past, and that the booths were on the whole a little smaller. The recent financial difficulties faced by this unique market has left many of its domestic distributors feeling understandably wary of spending too much, too fast. At the same time, pro audio exhibitors might have been forgiven for feeling that they were being gradually pushed into the far wall of the Messe by the more flamboyant and far larger video contingent – a regular feature of broadcast shows the world over.

Indeed, on the opening morning of the show, while rain drizzled outside, some worried faces could be seen, as a trickle rather than a flood of visitors greeted the first two hours. But over the course of the rest of the day the numbers steadily rose and exhibitors booths began to buzz with business being done.

Nor were those visitors at a loss for things to see, as the booths were filled with products new to the Japanese market. At the close of day one, a tentative consensus had already formed on the show floor that while the exhibition was still feeling the physical effects of Japan’s economic woes, a new confidence could be felt among visitors that suggested brighter times ahead.

Adding credence to that notion was the fact that not one but two major manufacturers felt enough confidence in InterBEE 2010 to use it as a vehicle for committing themselves to the Japanese market with substantial new distribution agreements.

Much had been made in the run-up to the show of the formation of Turbosound Japan, effectively marking an agreement between the UK-based loudspeaker company and longstanding regional distributor All Access to form a division catering solely for the British brand. The result was a steady flow of reportedly impressed visitors to a demonstration suite set off from the floor of the main show, where industry veteran turned Turbosound Japan managing director Cozy Hattori waited to demonstrate the Flex Array system.

Elsewhere, Tokyo-based distribution giant Hibino Intersound proudly displayed the latest addition to its roster of brands – Coda Audio. President Takahide Hosoya even declared that while ‘Japan has had a very difficult economy over the last two years, we think that now is the right time to take on a new challenge’. To prove the point, the distributor – in the company of Coda’s Mick Anderson – filled a corner of its vast booth with the Coda Airline LA8 system in both flown and ground-stacked configurations, alongside the SCP subwoofer and the manufacturer’s G series, D series and Q series monitors.

‘The first day had much higher numbers than I’ve seen for a couple of years, and they were all professional people,’ enthused Mr Anderson. ‘For us it’s a huge bonus. All companies are reacting to the general economic situation and we are no longer in a time of frivolous expenditure – everyone has to be a little bit careful. So the show stands are smaller but that’s had no impact on the professional level of people attending. It’s very exciting to see so many people here and there’s a real buoyancy in the industry.’

Elsewhere on the Hibino Intersound booth, visitors could see Digico’s SD9 console, DPA Microphones, and a wide range of products from Shure, whose Alison Cheuk was on hand. ‘The booth is very busy and they are targeted customers,’ she explained. ‘You can see a lot of people at a show but if they’re not targeted then it means nothing.’ Ms Cheuk explained that Shure’s main purpose at the show was to ‘showcase our new products like the PSM900 and the UHFR MW, which means More Waves. It’s new in the Japanese market and it’s only sold in Japan and Korea. We heard from the market that more channels were needed, which is why we developed it.’ Also new especially for Asia was the SVX system, which is aimed at the Karaoke market.

Situated nearby was Harman Pro senior director of sales for Asia Dave McKinney, who described the show as ‘really good. There are a lot of people here, a lot of customers. Right now in Japan the economy’s not super hot so it’s nice to see everyone coming out.’ Leading Harman’s product offering in Makuhari was the Soundcraft Vi Compact digital desk along with the Vi1, Crown ComTech amplifiers, and AKG’s Perception wireless system.

Rivalling the Hibini booth in size was the Otaritec stand, where Joe Tan of Riedel was meeting visitors, presenting a MediorNet system together with a RockNet audio distribution network. Also on the booth was the manufacturer’s new Artist 1100 Oled panel. ‘We’re displaying the new latest 1100 series panel and on this set up you can see two MediorNet systems running point to point,’ explained Mr Tan. He added his own thoughts about the size of the show. ‘This year has gotten smaller in size - for the past three years it has been shrinking due to the economy. But Otaritec is here to show the new products and it’s definitely worthwhile. Japan is a very big market.’

Also on the Otaritec booth was d&b audioteknik, a Lawo MC² broadcast console, and Genelec, whose Lars-Olof Janflod was presenting the manufacturer’s new 8260a monitors. ‘The first day was quiet in the morning but then it became really busy in the afternoon,’ he reasoned on the second day of the show. ‘Today it’s been very busy from early on and it looks good. We also have here what we call the Small Environment, or SE, system, which is a surround system built on the 8130s and the 7261 subwoofer.’

The show was also notable for several product launches, including Tamura’s new A-Type digital wireless microphone system, which has been developed specifically for the Japanese market. ‘InterBEE is the most important exhibition for us because it’s in our hometown,’ explained project leader Tetsuo Hisaka. ‘Whenever we develop and release new products, this is a great opportunity for us to release them.’ That also applied to the Japanese manufacturer’s new NT880 on-air broadcast console. ‘We developed this because of TBS, which is one of the key private broadcasting stations located in downtown Tokyo,’ explained Mr Hisaka. ‘They are one of the first customers to purchase an NT880. We’re also targeting overseas markets such as China, Taiwan and South Korea.’

Another on-air console making its Japanese debut was the On-Air 24 from Stagetec, whose David Chan was enthusiastic about InterBEE and the reaction the console – launched at IBC 2010 – had received. ‘This is its first time in Japan and I think there are a lot of people who are interested to know more. The reaction has been wonderful,’ he reported. ‘This year’s show has been a little bit better than last year. The crowd is here but most importantly there are really good leads. I wouldn’t say a lot, but a few good potentials. I’m sure next year will be better again.’

At the other end of the broadcast spectrum, UK-based manufacturer TSL was presenting its PAM2 and PAM13G audio monitors, alongside the MDU12-PAI power management rack. General manager Chris Exelby, who has attended the last three InterBEE exhibitions, offered his thoughts: ‘InterBEE is a slow burn show, like Japan is a slow burn country. You need to come here regularly time after time’. He added that the 2010 show was ‘busier, there’s much more footfall than last year. There are fewer stands but more people. It feels buoyant.’

Certainly feeling buoyant was Tascam, whose new four-channel HS4000 and two-channel HS2000 solid state recorders have recently been developed in cooperation with a major, as yet unnamed, domestic television broadcaster. ‘A few years ago they started to think about the next media they were going to use – they’d been using DAT as a standard media for many years. Finally, they’ve decided to go with something completely fresh, and we think we have the technology for this,’ explained GM Shoichiro Shiihara.

Among the companies particularly enjoying the increased attendance at the show was TW Audio, whose presence on the Graphica stand reflected its high-profile entry into the Japanese market earlier in 2010. Alongside its PA-SYS1 system, the manufacturer was demonstrating its M Series loudspeakers. ‘We only approached the market a couple of months ago and since then the feedback has been just amazing,’ smiled Bernhard Wüstner. ‘It’s a nice exhibition, a good size, and also our competitors are here so I think we’re at the right place at the right time.’

Among the live sound attendees was L-Acoustics, based on the substantial Bestec Audio booth, with Michel Brouard introducing the Kara system to the Asian market. ‘This is the first time that we’ve exhibited the Kara in Asia, but our distributor Bestec Audio has already made some demos for VIP customers. Like everywhere, we’ve had very good feedback,’ Mr Brouard explained. ‘I’ve been coming here for more than 10 years and video is pushing the audio into the wall! But it’s always a very important exhibition and you have to be here.’

Also on the Bestec Audio booth were Midas consoles including the Pro3 and Pro6, Klark Teknik and the MyMix personal mixing system, in the company of its creator Matthias von Heydekampf. ‘If you have an audio product then InterBEE is the show to exhibit,’ he explained.

Across the floor meanwhile was the Onkyo Tokki booth, and an impressive EAW display including the recently launched JF series, QX Series and KF740 boxes. In attendance was industry veteran and EAW co-founder Kenton Forsythe. ‘Right out of the gate it’s been one of the most successful product introductions we’ve ever done,’ he reported, adding however that ‘it’s hard to pick up the effect with a six cabinet line source and a small booth! It’s been a number of years since I’ve been to InterBEE – I’ve been coming since before Makuhari was built! The show has gone through ups and downs and I have seen shows that have been busier, but my impression is that the turn-out is very good and we’re getting good people here. It’s a very valuable show.’

While visitor traffic was well spread out across the show floor, much of it gravitated towards the back, where the Yamaha booth was constantly busy. On display for the first time in Japan were DSR series loudspeakers, alongside N Series surface mount loudspeakers, new software for the LS9 console and a PM5D demonstrating EtherSound connectivity.

The booth was also home to Nexo – with the N-12 line monitor plus the RS18 and NS-1 software – and the brand’s long-standing Japanese ambassador Hide Komine, who joined Yamaha in January 2010 following its purchase of the brand. ‘Hide is a walking sales machine!’ enthused Nexo’s Nicholas Kirsch. ‘He’s been troubleshooting the biggest Nexo projects in Japan.’ Mr Komine spent much of the exhibition running classes on the NS-1 software. ‘Transition is never easy, especially in Japan where people have a long-term relationship to respect,’ reasoned Mr Kirsch. ‘Hide is the one keeping the fire alive in Nexo users by enabling them to make the best of Nexo systems. He is probably the only one in Japan today who can educate people on this.’

Similarly aiming to educate visitors on new software – and attracting massed crowds to its booth as it did so – was Avid, whose Pro Tools 9 caused as much of an excited fluster in Makuhari as elsewhere in the world.

Also notable was a preview of the head-worn version of Sanken Microphone Co’s COS-11D mic, named the COS-11D HWM, while Australia’s Frank Hinton of Classic Audio Designs introduced the Grover Notting Principal Audio monitor range for the first time in the world. ‘The reaction has been tremendous,’ reported Mr Hinton, visiting his first InterBEE. ‘It’s a high performance, high price product so there’s a limited market, but a lot of distributors in Asia are looking for niche product.’

Elsewhere, the Schoeps SuperCMIT shotgun microphone took pride of place on the Imai & Company stand; Audio Technica presented an expanded eight-channel infra-red wireless system; Fostex introduced the FM1 single-channel mic preamp and PMO.4n monitors in five colour variations; Sennheiser showed its 5000 Series wireless system, and visitors listened carefully to the Adam Audio AX and SX Series monitors plus the Elysia Museq analogue stereo EQ, Empresser analogue compressor, and Alpha compressor on the Continental Far East booth. Also attracting crowds was Roland’s VR-5 internet-ready mixer and recorder, which was demonstrated with a broadcast presentation from the company’s impressive split booth.

Though InterBEE 2010 was undoubtedly a successful show with busy booths and high quality visitors, no one in Makuhari was heralding the exhibition as a return to the good old days. Nevertheless, it was a sign that business could be starting to move in the right direction, with a renewed confidence and vigour that will serve Japan well. This country is famous for its cautious, steady approach to business, but it nevertheless filled one of the final international shows of 2010 with such optimism that the prospect of 2011 suddenly seems much brighter.

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