How to resolve AdBlock issue? New Sound Devices Hires for Wireless Audio
L-R: Andy 'Baggy' Robinson, Leslie Lello, Cody Heimann
When Sound Devices acquired storied British wireless microphone manufacturer Audio Limited in 2017, the first product released together was the excellent-sounding A10 digital transmitter and receiver – the first Sound Devices wireless. Since then, the collaboration has engineered and produced the groundbreaking and award-winning Sound Devices Astral series of transmitters and receivers. Now Sound Devices has expanded with additional, highly technical RF experts: Andy “Baggy” Robinson, Gary Trenda, Cody Heimann, and Leslie Lello. These new experts join existing RF leads Matt Anderson, Paul Isaacs, Kishore Patel, and Lee Stone in their constant pursuit of the best wireless in the industry.
Baggy brings with him a wealth of pro-sound experience and an extensive background in live sound mixing. He has had the opportunity to work as a Front of House and Monitor Engineer with many of the biggest names in entertainment, including George Michael for 16 years and Jessie J for over 11. Baggy also runs all audio aspects of large events like the Capital Radio’s Summertime Ball and Jingle Bell Ball.?Having worked as a consultant with Sound Devices for more than a year, helping with product development and beta testing, Baggy has now moved into a new position at Sound Devices as the Vice President of Sales.
“Baggy is first and foremost highly technical – a proper geek. This, combined with his excellent interpersonal and organizational skills, along with experience working on large and small tours and many other audio applications, makes him perfect for this role,” says Sound Devices CEO Matt Anderson. “His vision for our Sales team, as well as our distributors and resellers, is based on his own experience. He’s been in our end users’ shoes and knows what they need.”
Baggy joins an established Sales team that includes Sales Manager Brad Baker and Senior Sales Manager Kiah Hassall. Both are well versed in mixer-recorders as well as wireless and are well traveled, as they attend events and tradeshows and give special product demos around the world every year. This has included bringing wireless audio equipment to regions for the first time ever.
Leslie Lello has also taken on the role of Sales Manager. Leslie began his career as a Recording and Sound Mixer in Italy and South Africa, while also producing music and DJing both nationally and internationally. His diverse background has given him a deep understanding of both the technical and creative aspects of audio production. Over the past decade, Leslie worked in the industry, involved in the design and execution of RF solutions, and worked on large-scale installations that included reality shows, live venues, and broadcasting studios. He has also done freelance work as an RF Tech and RF Coordinator. A polyglot who has lived and worked around the world, Leslie will be a true asset to Sound Devices’ global partners and customers.
The Sales team is complemented by Sound Devices’ RF Engineering team. They work closely together to support wireless audio end users and customers, through product demonstrations, expert consultations, and by recognizing gaps in technology that require new products.
Gary Trenda, an RF Engineer at Sound Devices for three years, works as an Audio and RF Engineer on the annual Super Bowl Halftime Show and Latin Billboard Awards, among many other events. He is considered to be one of the preeminent experts in RF and its deployments in large scale applications. He is now joined by Cody Heimann in Sound Devices’ RF Engineering department. Cody has an extensive live sound resume, having worked in various roles from a Patch Engineer to a Monitor Engineer, Front of House Engineer, Monitor Tech, and Production Manager. After experiencing bad RF on a gig, Cody changed his focus, becoming an RF Coordinator and RF Tech, leading to work on big-name events like Coachella, New Years Eve in Times Square, CMT Music Awards, and Notre Dame College Football.
Gary and Cody have applied this firsthand knowledge when developing and testing Astral wireless audio solutions. As they’ve encountered the same challenges and pain points, become familiar with the workflows, and dealt with the rigors of working in live-sound settings, they have been able to help develop products that address those specific needs.
The experience that Matt, Paul, Kishore, and Lee have from decades of serving the location sound market through Audio Ltd and Sound Devices, combined with the RF background of Baggy, Cody, Gary, and Leslie, will help in the design and support of top-level RF systems in both live sound and location sound. Together they’ve contributed to the success over the last year as Sound Devices launched major feature upgrades via firmware releases to its workhorse MixPre II Series mixer-recorders and trusted 8-Series recorders, and unveiled new additions to the Astral wireless family, including the 16- to 32-channel A20-SuperNexus receiver, A20-Opto-HMA expansion box, and A20-Outpost-NL antenna extender. This powerhouse team of experts can be expected to move the needle once again with groundbreaking product launches in the coming months.
“It’s a very exciting time to be at Sound Devices,” says Matt. “The level of talent we have across departments that is propelling our wireless technology into the future is incredible. The industry should expect Sound Devices to continue its leadership in both location sound and RF in the years to come.”