OK, What was MISSING from the Paris AES 2006?

[Jules]

I will start..

GS moderator George Necola & Michael Wagener
GS moderators Chris L & Labs from the GS dinner (you are banned for 5 mins!)
Focusrite Liquid Mix
The ability to hear audio pass through the Portico stuff
SSL (a large stand)
Buzz Audio
People from the UK who could have got one of those cheap deal Eurostar offers (£35) from the newspapers (cheaper than traveling from London to Manchester!)
Lynn Fuston

However - having said all that, it was a valiant bunch of Yanks that made the trip over. It was a quiet show, but didn't quite have the commercial gloom of last years Barcelona show. Shared stands with local distributors seemed to be the way to go for many US manufacturers. and jammed together so tightly, it seemed to make the show all the more jolly.. (for the most part )

Personally, I was disappointed there wasn't a big Brit invasion. All the major UK gear dealer players made it, at least for a day trip.. There must be some really stingy company bosses in the UK who didn't send over their staff... and very few UK producer / engineers bothered to 'hop on the tube' over... a real shame IMHO..

On a cheery note - the show seemed to get the 'best AES food ever' thumbs up from everybody (simple things like a sandwich tasted amazing to us non French.. 'its the bread!, its the bread!' was a mantra heard often...) and the coffee was great

[Paul Frindle]

Originally Posted by Jules

I will start..

GS moderator George Necola & Michael Wagener
GS moderators Chris L & Labs from the GS dinner (you are banned for 5 mins!)
Focusrite Liquid Mix
The ability to hear audio pass through the Portico stuff
SSL (a large stand)
Buzz Audio
People from the UK who could have got one of those cheap deal Eurostar offers (£35) from the newspapers (cheaper than traveling from London to Manchester!)
Lynn Fuston

And regrettably me too - I was missing :-(

You hit a sensitive nerve with this post, but you are absolutely right. Last night I looked through the pics of you guys in the Gearslutz area and at the dinner, with a large degree of regret. Paris is a beautiful city, I lived there in the 70's and I would have dearly loved to catch up with you guys and meet people with whom I have been in contact for years - but (embarrassingly) have still never actually met in person..

For many of us in the E.U. who find traveling to the U.S. both arduous and prohibitively expensive these days, the E.U. AES is our only annual opportunity to meet those of you who gallantly make the trip from the U.S.

My new personal status as 'house husband' and continuing woes of illness and malaise seem rather empty excuses right now :-(

You make a good point..

[Thermionic]

Good to see you back on the board Paul. Sorry to hear about the health issues. It's always a pleasure to read your posts, and I wish you a speedy recovery.

As for gay Paris... I have no excuses... It looks like you lot had a hoot, and I convey gratitude to the members here for posting pictures and keeping the lazy ones such as myself in the picture.

Cheers,
Justin

[Dave Martin]

I was missing, too. Ah, well...

[Paul Frindle]

Originally Posted by Thermionic

Good to see you back on the board Paul. Sorry to hear about the health issues. It's always a pleasure to read your posts, and I wish you a speedy recovery.

Thanks for the encouragement :-)

I haven't ever really left the board and the extra spare time means I've been able to do a good few posts over the last few weeks.

Debilitating though they seem, my ailments appear to be mostly of a psychological nature (yes, how apt - another crazy audio looney burn out victim!) so there will be more of my 'ramblings' in future.

Cheers

Paul

[George Necola]

hm.. I missed a big party..

well, next year, I will be there 99% (and the 1% uncertainty is most times money or evil girlfriends... )

thanx a lot for all the pics!

cheers George

[Samc]

What was missing?

I was actually dissapointed with the turn out at the Paris show, a lot of prominent manufacturers were missing, and most notably from the live sound side of the fence. I also had the feeling sometimes that I was at a big frat party, I had never seen so much open drinking on the floor of an AES show before. There were even a couple of booths that seemed to have a bigger bar than their display area.

What's up with all those digital consoles by the way?

[Ribbonmicguy]

We're missing the crowds!
T-shirt sales from Gearslutz (easier for me to buy at the show)
tshirts by manufacturers - Dave Hill was kind enough to hand me one, when he knew I own Cranesong gears.

[Paul Frindle]

Originally Posted by Samc

What was missing?

I was actually dissapointed with the turn out at the Paris show, a lot of prominent manufacturers were missing, and most notably from the live sound side of the fence. I also had the feeling sometimes that I was at a big frat party, I had never seen so much open drinking on the floor of an AES show before. There were even a couple of booths that seemed to have a bigger bar than their display area.

What's up with all those digital consoles by the way?

"Frat party atmosphere", hmm...

I have wondered for some while how the AES might have lost relevancy in the new world of DAWs and increasingly strained budgets in our sector of the market these days?

Having frequented (and contributed to) the AES over several decades it seems to me that in the days of up to $million investments in studio installations (with budgets to match) a convention on the scale of the AES was a relevant and worthwhile effort for manus of such expensive gear having market life cycles of 5 to 10 years.

However at this moment of change, when many people are professionally employed using gear costing less than a few% of what used to be a reasonable console/tape machine set-up, which has an obsolescence rate threatening to accelerate to months rather than years, - how relevant is the AES to these people right now?

Also, the 'academic' content of the AES has caused me much concern over recent years, as it has often appeared to represent the promotion of consumer marketing interests and commercial pressures, rather than acting as a beacon of integrity and reason in support of members of the professional community - who's livelyhoods are (still) at stake?

[Samc]

Everything Paul said plus..........I understand that cost was also a big factor in some people not showing up, and also why some were squatting booth space with local distributers. What with booth space going for 300€/Sq meter, and Paris being so expensive and all.

Plus having Frankfurt, Paris and San Francisco happening only months appart you're bound to have casualities.

[Paul Frindle]

Originally Posted by Samc

Everything Paul said plus..........I understand that cost was also a big factor in some people not showing up, and also why some were squatting booth space with local distributers. What with booth space going for 300€/Sq meter, and Paris being so expensive and all.

Plus having Frankfurt, Paris and San Francisco happening only months appart you're bound to have casualities.

It does have to be said that for the 'travelling classes' within companies, the yearly show/expo calendar could justify an almost continuous cycle of travel costs, hotel bills and absence... Not necessarily the best way of assuring the greatest possible value for the end user?

In an increasingly hyped and competative market one must consider all these costs in order to weigh up the overall benefit to the customer who buys your stuff and ultimately ends paying for all this one way or another.. I think it's fair for manus to make up their own minds about this delicate balance and target the shows that obtain the greatest benefit to everyone overall?

[Tim Farrant]

I'm sorry we were not at AES, it would have be great to meet our European friends, but these trade shows are damn expensive!

Last year in NYC, we got charged US$1200 to get our crate shipped from JFK airport to the AES convention centre and back again. Apparently this cost was due to "security" issues! I worked out we could have hired a shuttle and done the round trip 13 times for this price.

It cost about the same to get the crate air freighted from New Zealand to NYC and back again!

The whole trip cost us around NZ$18,000. We gotta sell 45 MA2.2 preamps to recover that cost. But, aiming to be at AES Europe next year - so do us a favour and go and buy one each!



Cheers
Tim.

[EveAnna Manley]

I'll tell ya what was NOT missing was the incredible comraderie.
Gil, Dave, Fletch, Jules, Aspen, Jonathan, Wade, Erica, Paul, John J., Kevin, etc etc etc. You guys are frigging awesome and I don't give a shite what we sold or not, I just loved hangin' out with you guys all weekend!

[Paul Frindle]

Originally Posted by EveAnna Manley

I'll tell ya what was NOT missing was the incredible comraderie.
Gil, Dave, Fletch, Jules, Aspen, Jonathan, Wade, Erica, Paul, John J., Kevin, etc etc etc. You guys are frigging awesome and I don't give a shite what we sold or not, I just loved hangin' out with you guys all weekend!

Y'know this is a great sentiment and it warms the heart :-) What I can say from (increasingly remote) experience is that despite all the trials, tribulations and deep differences the world is suffering right now and the sometimes awful pressures our increasingly annexed industry faces (not to mention some of the 'behaviour' displayed by some people under these pressures), you guys in love with audio, sound and the art continue to display amazing mutual respect and comraderie - regardless of where people hail from :-)

I will not forget that afternoon a few years back when I ventured onto your stand at an AES and spent most of the afternoon with yourself and Hutch totally locked in enthusiastic conversation about sound, swigging coke and scribbling diagrams on the back of hand out sheets. I have no idea how many aspects and nuances of audio we touched on in this manic frenzy of enthusiasm - But I had to physically drag myself away, because I could have gone on for the duration of the whole convention (and my protracted presence there was 'being noticed')!

All I can say is, long may it last :-)

[littlelabs]

I'll tell ya what was NOT missing was the incredible comraderie.
Gil, Dave, Fletch, Jules, Aspen, Jonathan, Wade, Erica, Paul, John J., Kevin, etc etc etc. You guys are frigging awesome and I don't give a shite what we sold or not, I just loved hangin' out with you guys all weekend!

Eveanna is right on with this ! The trade show circuit or the travelling trade show circus , I have had so much fun with you guys wherever we end up, and usually, but not always, the cost is made up for in post show sales. >I LOVE YOU MAN<. I gotta say though Paris with the dollar so weak is mighty pricey! Oh and Wade thanks for dinner, glad you are doing well selling Geraniums ....hey when did you get in the flower business anyway?
!!!!!>>>>SEE YOU AT TAPE OP<<<<<<!!!!

[Jules]

Yep the hanging out was of a high standard this year! Nothing missing there!