DRYHIRE.EU LAUNCHES TO SUPPORT MIDAS XL8 AND OTHER HIRES IN PAN-EUROPEAN RENTAL MARKET
Axel Nagtegaal, managing director of distribution companies Midas Consoles Holland and Electric Audio, has formed Dryhire.eu, a new company set up to offer dry hire support to the international event and touring production industry. Among equipment purchased specifically for the new company are two entire Midas XL8 live performance systems, a Heritage 1000, two Veronas, two Sienas, a Heritage 1000 and a Legend, together with Klark Teknik Show Command systems including DN9331 RAPIDE graphic controllers and 9848E system controllers, DN370 graphic eqs, DN1248 Plus splitters and Square ONE Dynamics units. Midas Heritage 2000 and 3000 consoles are also available, as well as a wider range of Klark Teknik equipment.
Nagtegaal explains the philosophy behind the company: “Our role is exclusively to offer rental company support; we’re not in the business of renting equipment to end users or individuals,” he says. “Two important factors are at play – a return on investment and market demand. Midas large format analogue consoles are still making a return on investment years after purchase as they have been accepted as industry standards, but for many new products the lifespan nowadays is expected to be so much shorter that this financial model can’t be applied. Rental companies are wary of investing in high cost, niche market products which can’t be recouped before the technology becomes outdated. Meanwhile however, these products are being specified for high profile events.
“We aim to offer a small amount of defined niche products to a defined group of customers who can rent what they need from us. And we’re doing so from the position of being a neutral company, and not in direct competition with our clients. All potential renters will be subject to an intake interview so both parties know exactly who they’re doing business with, to protect mutual interests and create a defined group of rental companies with proven track records.”
In the case of XL8 rentals, Dryhire.eu will provide the whole system together with a factory-trained system technician to assist the mix engineer, as specified by Midas.
“We’re not restricting our service to Holland exclusively but will also be available to pre-selected companies across Europe, as well as US companies who need to hire equipment for European legs of their tours,” concludes Nagtegaal. “As a company we have specialist product knowledge of Midas mixing consoles, Klark Teknik signal processing, Electro-Voice loudspeaker systems and Telex wireless intercoms as well as other niche audio, lighting and trussing products. We can offer a highly flexible, professional service, providing trained XL8 system techs who can cater for hires of any size or length of time, no matter what equipment is required.”
ENDS
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Editors' information:
Midas live performance mixing consoles have been used by the world's most demanding sound engineers, performers and rental companies for three decades. The company strives to raise the standards of sonic quality through its programme of continual research and development, implementing new control functionality and user-friendly desk operation to anticipate and accommodate the ever-evolving needs of audio professionals who specify Midas consoles for their major tours, festivals, international events, broadcast projects and prestigious fixed installations.
Klark Teknik was founded in 1974 and in the years immediately following, their innovative approach to design and development allowed them to introduce some truly groundbreaking designs. Klark Teknik was responsible for the world’s first digital delay and digital reverb units, however it was their concepts for equalisation devices that really changed the world of professional audio resulting in the DN370 and the famous DN360. Today Klark Teknik continues to bring innovation in design and dedication to engineering and sonic quality in both the analogue and digital realm of signal processing.
