Designing the perfect sound systems - Simon Purse (Martin Audio)

Back in July we spoke to Si Purse, a dBs graduate, with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Production, and a distinction in Live Sound who landed a job at Martin Audio. We recently got back in touch to to find out what he has been up to in the past 6 months...

When we spoke to you last time you mentioned that you had already begun working on some interesting projects. Are there any other exciting projects you've been a part of?

"Yes, I have been involved with numerous design projects. The product support team and I had completed well over one hundred system design projects by the end of last year, from small pub installations to system designs for stadiums and festival sites. All of which come with their own specific requirements which must be addressed. This year is proving to be no different with projects and design requests coming in from all over the world. Recently I was part of the team involved with the MLA compact installation of the Scala venue in London and I was also onsite at the Heriott Watt University of Edinburgh along with my colleague Robin Dibble to commission their new MLA mini system.

"I have been lucky enough to travel to several locations in the UK and abroad visiting various venues including Cathedrals, clubs and outdoor festival sites. As my technical ability increases I am finding that I am out of the office on a much more frequent basis and my job role becomes ever more varied. This has given me a great deal of experience in finding system solutions to acoustically challenging venues and a much deeper understanding of the use and application of the Martin Audio product portfolio."

Do you have the opportunity to do any other events outside of MA or do they keep you pretty busy?

"To be honest I really don’t have the time at the moment for any external work. My week is very busy offering technical support, acoustic modelling, design consultancy and preparing and performing demonstrations. Living so close to London there is obviously a wealth of opportunity in sound engineering which I may well take advantage of in the future but for now I’m more than content with my current position."

What advice would you give to current students who are looking for work in the industry?

"Volunteer at every chance you can! I cannot overstate the advantage of experience. At dBs they offer so many opportunities to improve your practical skills in a supportive and challenging environment. Along with my degree I really think this gave me the confidence and ability to move forwards in the industry. I also think have a wide range of skills and interests can be very useful in this industry. One day a good understanding of Excel could help you calculate the amplifier channels required for a large system, whilst the next day you might be trouble shooting a networking issue over the phone." 

What has been the highlight of your time at Martin Audio so far?

"I really enjoyed our in house open day which we held in our Research and Development department in our headquarters in High Wycombe.  It took a few days to set the system up in its entirety but the results were great. We were able to demonstrate the abilities of a wide range of products from across our catalogue, including our new Coaxial XE monitor range and both our small and medium format Wavefront Precision optimised line array systems… which needless to say sounded awesome! It’s fantastic to be part of a team of industry leading professionals at the forefront of audio technology. I’m continuously learning and improving my knowledge and I’m excited about the future."

FIND OUT MORE
https://martin-audio.com/