Inter BEE, Miku, and Me: Audionamix in Japan

Dec 15, 2015ADX Technology, Blog, Lifestyle

Rick and I (and Billiam) recently traveled to the beautiful country of Japan to introduce ADX technology to the Asian market and attend Inter BEE, the International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition (disappointingly, there were no cartoon bees in attendance). But first there was the 12-hour flight that carried us across the Pacific and 17 hours into the future.

Billiam

Billiam on the train to Tokyo and next to his caramel frappuccino, which he INSISTED on getting.

When we first landed in Narita, we fueled up at our first Japanese buffet, which featured familiar foods (rice, beef, grilled chicken) as well as some…foreign…items like curry, tiny and strange desserts, fish, and special beans. Our spirits were bolstered after the long travel day(s) by several ornate Christmas displays already glowing at the hotel.

PicMonkey Collage

Iced-out Vixen and Blitzen and a serene view of the gardens

Next we headed into Tokyo, where we met up with our gracious hosts from Crypton Future Media, Shigeru Tanabu and Ryoko Maehana.

Crypton develops and distributes audio and music software, and is best known for their version of Vocaloid featuring Hatsune Miku. Miku is a computer-generated personality voiced by actress Saki Fujita, and is insanely popular! Billiam developed quite a crush during our time there.

Hatsune3

Hatsune Miku

Shigeru had set up many tours, visits, meetings, and interviews for us to share the story of Audionamix and our technology with some kick-ass studios, high-end retail locations, and other audio hot spots.

We visited Rock On, a pro audio store in Tokyo, where you can bring in your projects and listen to them on specific DAW and hardware combinations to find out which system you might like to purchase. We toured Red Bull Studios in Tokyo, polished and gleaming, where we gawked at the SSL board and outboard gear, and sampled Red Bull flavors.

Other stops included Onkio House, Victor Entertainment and an interview at Sound and Recording Magazine. We also got to see Pokémon corporate headquarters and do some posing with the characters.

We are so grateful to Crypton’s Shigeru for introducing us to so many of his connections, and for the many jobs he’s had over the years that led to them. Ryoko was indispensable, translating all of our conversations and presentations, navigating the Tokyo subway system, and offering comic relief in a way only a Japanese Martian could.

With the Crypton/Audionamix team fully assembled, it was on to Chiba and Makuhari Messe for Inter BEE!

IMG_4023 copy

View of the Inter BEE floor

Our products were given the royal treatment by the Crypton team at their booth. Takamichi Koizumi and Hirotaka Tsuji gave demos of TRAX Pro to hundreds of audio engineers, producers, and musicians. We were thrilled to meet so many fans of TRAX and VVC!

Rick and I (with Ryoko translating into Japanese) gave two presentations reviewing the history of Audionamix, our services work and projects, and the development of TRAX, TRAX Pro, and VVC.

We had interviews with PROSOUND Magazine, Proceed Magazine, and Eizo Shimbun, and look forward to seeing our products featured in these well-known audio publications! We are so grateful to Shigeru, Ryoko, Takamichi, Hirotaka, and the rest of the Crypton team for helping us to introduce the wonders of ADX technology to users in Japan.

An extra week in Japan allowed us to see ancient temples, a gigantic Buddha statue, and explore the lights of Yokohama.

We also paid a visit to ESP musical academy, a sister school of our dear alma mater, Musician’s Institute in Hollywood.

Mr. Ganji Irasawa gave us a fantastic tour of the school and facilities, including classrooms, performance spaces, and studios. We were fortunate enough to meet some of the future audio engineers, lighting specialists, and musicians who study there. Mr. Ganji allowed us to expand the minds of these students, as well as his teachers and engineers, by introducing them to ADX technology and all of the potential it holds.

ESP-1

Overall it was an incredible experience that led to many connections and possibilities for Audionamix and ADX technology in Japan.

Crypton will be at NAMM 2016, and Miku will visit North America in the spring! We (especially Billiam) look forward to seeing her in Los Angeles in May!