d&b audiotechnik has announced the launch of a new Immersive Business Unit headed by newly appointed vice president Al McKinna, who is reporting directly to d&b Group CEO Amnon Harman.
McKinna is responsible for d&b’s global immersive strategy, developing the business roadmap, establishing strategic partnerships and driving innovation. The organization is split across three divisions: Product Management and Architectural Design, Software Development and Customer Enablement.
McKinna spent the last two decades in leadership roles in both live sound and commercial audio, dedicated to both hardware and software technologies. Based in London, most recently he held the position of head of product at Focusrite’s Optimal Audio after spending 15 years at Avid in senior product management and sales roles.
“d&b is breaking ground with its integrated immersive vision and I am excited to play a pivotal role in making it a reality,” McKinna says. “We see a huge opportunity to enhance an audience’s experience with d&b’s immersive technologies and I am honored to work with this exceptionally talented and experienced team to push the boundaries of what is creatively possible.”
Harman adds, ”Today’s announcement marks the beginning of an exciting chapter for d&b, not only because we gain Al’s expertise and talents but also because this marks the transition of all d&b immersive endeavors under one business unit. A truly immersive performance is not only an enveloping sound experience, but also the amalgamation with light and video, which puts d&b in a unique position. This new organization, established right at the core of d&b, allows us to build an immersive business roadmap from an integrated viewpoint, considering both our audiotechnik and solutions customers.“
d&b launched its Soundscape immersive audio platform in 2018 and then acquired UK-based White Light, developer of SmartStage xR technology for creating immersive video environments.
