Regarding EVO's potential impact on the Touring World...we have some thingsunder development at JBL that may offer some very cool new system tools, not just for large scale concert work but for the corporate A/V industrial scene, the Broadway show environment, and any place else where a number of enclosures must be linked on a 'network' to offer predictable performance, remote control, etc.

Alan H: How has the advent of the DSP affected the speaker design process? Where do you see the technology going (both in the digital processing AND in speaker designs/apps)?

David Scheirman: Answer to that is in the hands of industries larger and faster-moving than ours. Pro Audio must integrate the best of the newest technical developments in the PC and networking industry.

To attempt to "go it alone", without taking advantage of all that happens outside our industry, is a mistake, IMHO. That being said, I would say we can look forward to self-identifying, self-powered loudspeakers that "know" their place in the array, and set their DSP accordingly.

Also, perhaps, there is room for some good product development work on the system front end, integrating 'tedious chores' (repeatable tasks during setup), and "creative juice" (the real-time changes required for system operation).

New algorithms that link interactive software templates with lookup tables, and the "pre-sets" required to optimize a system (while taking info from datastreams coming from analysis tools like Smaart)...watch for some neat tricks along those lines.

Chris Kathman: What are your plans as far as shows you will personally mix this year?

David Scheirman: My plans for shows that I will personally mix...those things come up from time to time. With a fulltime "office job", it is hard to commit to things on a calendar, but I'm always up for interesting opportunities!

Tucci: This may be before your tenure, David, but why did JBL let Smaart slip out of its fingers?

David Scheirman: Re: Smaart...we took a close look at the cost to continue development and, to support it over time. Comparing that to the $$$ amount being sought by those who wished to sell it, it was a straightforward business decision. Rather than saying, "slip through the fingers", picture it more as a "hand-off"...JBL passed the torch on.

Smaart is such an excellent tool, and it deserves a strong focus, a real commitment to user feedback, and the new team of folks like Jamie Anderson are doing a great job of that, I think.