Swedish professional audio equipment designer and manufacturer Lab.gruppen, based in Kungsbacka, Sweden, has 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. in San Francisco.
The technology currently referred to as “DLP technology” as used in the PLM Series will, in the future, be called “Lake technology or Lake Processing.” The Dolby Lake Controller (DLC) PLM Edition software will be forthwith known as “Lake Controller software” as new versions of the software are expected to be compatible with both the stand-alone DLPs as well as the PLM Series products.
Lake technology is used in several successful products including the original Lake products, Mesa Quad EQ and Contour; the Dolby Lake Processor from Dolby Laboratories and the PLM Series Powered Loudspeaker Management systems. Specifically, this agreement allows Lab.gruppen to further develop the Lake Controller software and firmware and to use 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.
“This is a significant step for our company,” states Tomas Lilja, managing director at Lab.gruppen. “Having the exclusive rights to the Lake technology in these markets allows Lab.gruppen to continue developing the Lake software and firmware for use in our own products and all the thousands of DLPs out there. We are sure the market will be happy to hear that.
“Lab.gruppen is extremely pleased to have acquired the very well respected Lake brand name,” continues Lilja. “We see this as very important to the future growth of Lab.gruppen. Although the Lake brand will be developed separately from Lab.gruppen, the technology will have its own life within our organization. Lake technology will form the backbone of all future iterations of our unique Powered Loudspeaker Management systems. We are also very aware of the demand for stand-alone processing and assessing this market is high on our agenda. We are hoping that, through our support of the existing DLP user base—with software updates and new features—and via the increasing number of PLM customers, we can swiftly research new product development possibilities.”
“Over the last few years Lab.gruppen has been a trusted partner of Dolby and we have recognized their commitment to supporting the live sound industry,” says John Carey, Dolby Laboratories’ vice president, Worldwide Sales, Products and Services. “As we pass the live sound torch to Lab.gruppen, we are confident that they will continue to innovate and evolve the technology and brand many have grown to love in this industry.”
For more information, visit www.labgruppen.com.
