San Francisco, CA – Dan Dugan Sound Design is celebrating its 50 anniversary at NAB 2018. Company founder Dan Dugan, CEO of Dan Dugan Sound Design, Inc. will be on hand at booth C6706 to greet attendees and conduct his “killer demo” of legendary Dugan automatic microphone mixing technologies.
Dan Dugan Sound Design came into existence after the young Dan Dugan, a sound engineer in the US theater industry, became frustrated with trying to simultaneously manage several banks of microphone faders during live performances. His invention, the automatic microphone mixer, radically improved the quality of sound operation in broadcasting, installed sound, and conferences. No longer did audio mixers have to sweat fading up the next talker while keeping system gain under the feedback point; instead, they were free to focus on the quality of the mix. Dan Dugan became the theater industry’s first Sound Designer – a title that was coined for him.
An automixer controls a group of live microphones, turning up mics when someone is talking and turning down mics that aren’t being used. The real-time voice-activated process invented by Mr. Dugan maintains overall system gain and ensures everyone is being heard at the right time. The technologies invented by Dan Dugan are widely recognized for their “transparent” gain-sharing operation. Overall system gain is held at the level of one microphone, regardless of who is talking, how loudly (or softly) they are talking or how many people are trying to talk at once. Operation is simple: microphones are connected, system gain is set, and the automixer takes care of the rest. The result is clear, understandable audio without upcutting of microphones or shifts in noise.
Over the years, Dugan products have been updated to conform to changing industry standards. Modern analog technologies have been adopted, as well as current modes of I/O including ADAT, MADI and Dante®. Control of “Dugans” has also progressed with the years, with digital control via PC and an iPad app managing products along with a physical control surface option.
Dugan products are used in television, education, corporate, live theater, and government settings worldwide. In addition to manufacturing his own products, which connect to standard audio consoles via insert points, Dan Dugan licenses his algorithms to other manufacturers. Yamaha has now adopted Dugan technology in most of their mixing consoles, and Dugan automixing is available in products from Waves, Sound Devices, and Protech Audio. Dugan also manufactures a plug-in automixer card for selected Avid products.
When not in his lab in San Francisco CA, Dan Dugan is an avid recordist for the Nature Sounds Society, often capturing unique recordings in Yosemite National Park. He also has a lively interest in philosophy (particularly skepticism), the philosophy of science, and current controversies about scientific paradigms and alternative medicine. In the Professional Audio world, Mr. Dugan actively challenges fraudulent and overly extravagant claims relating to the high-end hi-fi business.For more information, visit www.dandugan.com.
