Enlarged Recording and Production Zone to Welcome Top-Tier Brands at Prolight + Sound Shanghai 2017

The Recording and Production Zone at last year's Prolight + Sound Shanghai, running October 11 - 14, proved to be one of the fair's most popular areas, with its success matching the strong market development seen in the recording sector. The zone will subsequently return once again for this October's edition, occupying an enlarged space in Hall N1 of the Shanghai New International Expo Center. The expanded area will feature even more leading international brands, as well as an integrated fringe program that will highlight a range of cutting-edge expertise from across the entire recording industry.

Judy Cheung, deputy general manager of Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., underlined the reasons for the expansion: "Last year, we launched the Recording and Production Zone to enrich our product variety and to provide a gateway to the flourishing recording market in China. While we continue to uphold these objectives in the coming show, strengthening the recording sector will also be a priority. This will be achieved through enhancing the zone's product quality and innovative capacity."

The global recording sector is very supportive of the zone, as reflected in the high presence of industry heavyweights from Austria, Bulgaria, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, the UK, and the US. Numerous new brands, such as Antelope, Ferrofish, Genelec, Klang Technologies, Lewitt, and RME are looking to capitalize on the abundant opportunities in the market by exhibiting in the zone.

Meanwhile, returning brands this year include Ableton, Adam, AKG, Apogee, Audio-technica, Digitech, DPA, Focusrite, JBL, KRK, Novation, Rupert Neve, sE, Shure, Soundcraft, Superlux, Tascam, and Universal Audio. Together, they will unveil a variety of recording products and technologies for output equipment, recording and monitoring equipment, audio processing equipment, as well as external and functional equipment.

Former exhibitor Digital Media Technology Co Ltd (DMT) from Hong Kong, is eager to return to tap the lucrative recording market in China. Ken Chang, the company's marketing manager, explained: "The recording market is thriving and customers are looking for sophisticated products with more stringent requirements. As a distributor of professional audio and video systems for film production, music recording, and post-production, we believe the quality and variety of our products can serve current market needs. We are confident of the show's solid reputation, and that it will give us good exposure to business potential in Eastern China." The company will present the latest recording products from its numerous brands at the show, including DPA, Native Instruments, and Universal Audio.

RME, an audio device company from Germany, will debut at the zone with a series of high-end interface products. These include MADIface XT, the world's first USB 3 audio interface, as well as Fireface UFX II, an interface with USB and Thunderbolt technology which can transfer analog and digital audio data directly to a computer from practically any source.

Held concurrently at the Recording and Production Zone are a series of technical training sessions, networking opportunities, product demonstrations, and sound studios to boost development opportunities and promote collaboration. "By incorporating a high quality program of events related to both business and education, we aim to position the zone not only as an all-round sourcing platform, but also a breeding ground for ideas, talent, and innovation. This will ultimately pave the way for further technological advancements in the recording industry", said Cheung.

The fringe program at Prolight + Sound Shanghai 2017 includes:

National Music Mixing Contest Award & Launching Ceremony -- To help develop creative talent and cultivate exchanges in sound production, the National Music Mixing Contest Award & Launching Ceremony will be held at the Recording and Production Zone for the first time. Organized by the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy and China Association of Recording Engineers, this is one of the most influential mixing competitions in China which attracts around 2,000 participants annually. Outstanding compositions will be awarded during the event, and winners will get to demonstrate their sound-mixing-skills onsite. The launch ceremony for the next edition of the contest will also be held concurrently.

Sound @ PLSS Studio -- This interactive area will provide an opportunity for attendees to experience the latest sound technologies available in the market. The response so far has been overwhelming with many new brands having already secured their participation. These include AEA, AMS Neves, Audient, Avid, BAE, Charter Oak, Coleman Audio, Dynaudio, FLEA, GML, Great River, Heritage, Kemper, Latch Lake, MAAG, Melo, Midi Plus, NOS, Phoenix, Teqeler, and Wunder.

SKS Music China, a local distributor looking to capitalize on the strong recording market, has decided to join the studio for the first time. Jin Xin, general manager of the company, commented: "More and more Chinese musicians and producers now possess the professional knowledge to choose the best equipment for their mixing, recording, and post-production work. This presents ample opportunities to companies like us that predominantly focus on the recording market." In view of the growing market potential, SKS Music China plans to reveal its latest recording microphones from British brand Sontronics, as well as a variety of products for broadcasting and recording studios.

Returning exhibitor, Music King (Shanghai) Cultural Development Co. Ltd., is positive that the studio can help develop effective dialogues between Chinese audio manufacturers and other industry peers. Rui Lin, marketing manager of the company, explained: "This is an ideal platform for us to disseminate audio knowledge and gain an accurate picture of the market. The information will enable us to improve our products to cater to the needs of recording experts, producers, engineers, and end-users." Music King will demonstrate a new line of audio products under its Antelope, Bricasti, and Signex brands. This will add to the company's extensive catalog of analog control consoles, compressors, microphone amplifiers, and sound cards.

Recording Technology Forum -- Here, industry players will have the opportunity to engage with reputable sound producers, including Grammy Award winner Xiaoxing Lu, to exchange sound production techniques and technologies.

More updates on the show's program will be provided closer to the show.

Prolight + Sound Shanghai is organized by Messe Frankfurt and Shanghai INTEX, and is a brand event of the annual Prolight + Sound exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany. For more information about the Shanghai show, please visit the URL below.