d&b audiotechnik has named Al McKinna as Vice President of its new Immersive Business Unit, created to be ‘a key enabler of d&b’s holistic immersive vision, spanning from audio, video, lighting and media up to extended Reality (xR)’.
Reporting directly to d&b Group CEO Amnon Harman, McKinna’s new role McKinna finds him responsible for the company’s global immersive strategy, developing the business roadmap, establishing strategic partnerships and driving future innovations. The organisation under his lead is split across three divisions: Product Management and Architectural Design, Software Development and Customer Enablement.
McKinna spent the past two decades in leadership roles in both live sound and commercial audio, involving both hardware and software technologies. Prior to joining d&b, he most recently held the position of Head of Product at Focusrite’s Optimal Audio after spending 15 years at Avid in senior product management and sales roles. He is based in London.
‘d&b is breaking ground with its integrated immersive vision and I am excited to play a pivotal role in making it a reality,’ McKinna says. ‘We see a huge opportunity to enhance an audience’s experience with d&b’s immersive technologies and I am honoured to work with this exceptionally talented and experienced team to push the boundaries of what is creatively possible.’
‘Today’s announcement marks the beginning of an exciting chapter for d&b, not only because we gain Al’s expertise and talents but also because this marks the transition of all d&b immersive endeavors under one business unit,’ adds Amnon Harman. ‘A truly immersive performance is not only an enveloping sound experience, but also the amalgamation with light and video, which puts d&b in a unique position. This new organisation, established at the core of d&b, allows us to build an immersive business roadmap from an integrated viewpoint, considering both our audiotechnik and solutions customers.’
Since its launch in 2018, d&b Soundscape has extended object-based mixing and emulated acoustic signatures to audiences worldwide. With the acquisition of UK-based White Light, d&b added the SmartStage xR technology to its portfolio – an immersive video environment that enables a presenter to interact with content in an intuitive way that is being used in education, corporate communications, broadcast and eSports applications.
More: www.dbaudio.com
