From Down Under to Peak Performance
Over 10 years ago Australians Bruce Jackson and David McGrath partnered to create a unique new way of processing sound for live concerts. The new venture received backing from Clair Brothers, one of the world’s leading touring sound providers.
Jackson is a veteran live sound mixer (for artists ranging from Elvis to Bruce Springsteen) and the founder of the pioneering digital audio company Apogee Electronics. McGrath, who co-founded Lake Technology with Brian Conolly in 1991, is known for his career as a mathematician and scientist as well as an innovative creator of DSP algorithms. He holds 19 audio patents.
In 2001, the live sound project was transferred from Clair Brothers to Lake Technology, and the launch of the Lake Contour speaker controller occurred shortly thereafter. In 2004 Lake became part of Dolby® Laboratories. The Dolby Lake Processor, introduced in 2006, added powerful audio networking to the distributed processing architecture.
On January 12 2009 Lab.gruppen announced its acquisition of the Lake trademarks and the exclusive rights for use of Dolby® Lake® Processor (DLP) technology for both Touring and Permanent Sound Reinforcement markets, from Dolby Laboratories, Inc. This agreement allows Lab.gruppen to further develop the Lake Controller software and firmware and to utilize the Lake brand name and allied technologies in Lab.gruppen-branded and stand-alone products for use in the Touring and Permanent Sound Reinforcement markets as demands dictate. Lab.gruppen has secured exclusive access to the source code and algorithms for these markets that are at the heart of the DLP and PLM and this will allow the company to create further generations of the programs for use with existing Dolby Lake Processors and with the company’s PLM™ Series of Powered Loudspeaker Management systems.
The latest iteration of the Lake brand is the new Lake LM 26 Digital Audio Loudspeaker Processor that went in to full production in March 2010. More Lake products will be announced soon.