The inside story of the mind behind the amp-modelling-focused gear specialists
Red Sound is a company we’re familiar with here at Mixdown, and as our loyal readers, you will be too.
Red Sound is a company founded and based in Italy who are making waves across the industry with their amp-modelling-focused range of products. While amp modellers are sounding better than ever, the direct signal, even when emulating a cabinet and speakers, doesn’t always feel like a driving tube head.
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Red Sound aims to fill this gap, and while it sounds like a specific niche, they’re creating products that really act as a canvas for you to create your tone upon. Red Sound’s range of full range, flat response (FRFR) speakers aim to amplify tones created in the digital realm, so you can feel the push and pull of a speaker cone with the practicality of a digital rig.
The Elis.8 is a FRFR 8” active monitor, one part of a range that offers more or less power as you need it, as well as bigger or smaller speakers and active or passive options. The Elis range features angled cabinets, while the MF range is squared off with big, well-constructed cabinets to ensure all that acoustic energy is being pushed out of the speaker.
Being a company adept at producing good-sounding speakers, they’ve branched out into the monitor speakers category with a range of either studio monitors or bookshelf-style speakers, with custom cabling available to connect it all up for minimum loss between Red Sound products.
What’s more, Red Sound are also breaking out into powered cabinets that look, feel, and sound like more conventional cabs in the LG12 series, available in active and passive configurations as well
So where does a company like Red Sound sit within the market? They’re clearly innovators, but while many companies try to push innovation in every branch of the musical instrument industry, Red Sound is focused with laser-like precision on a mission to create the best possible products for modern players using modern equipment. Gone are the days of carting around heads and cabs that offer a single sound, but there’s something familiar about the energy of sound waves being pushed out of a cabinet behind you, usually as volumes that have a venue’s sound person shaking their head!
Red Sound began in the garage of Mirko Cascio Gioia after he saw a hole in the market for products to complement the growing trend for digital guitar rigs. Not content with just creating the cabinets, he saw an opportunity for custom cabling to tie all the pieces together and keep musician’s stages tidy and quiet, free of hum from messes of cables.
Red Sound’s goal is simply to provide a great-sounding and tailored amplification solution for otherwise digital and fizzy-sounding amp modellers, allowing musicians to play, sound, and perform at their best.
We had a few questions for Mirko after reviewing the Elis.8 Active Monitor about Red Sound’s beginnings, the inspiration behind their current range, and where he sees Red Sound heading in the future.
How did you find your way to founding Red Sound?
Mirko: After seeing what the market for musical instruments and amplifiers offered, I felt there was a massive need to bring quality to the market. As is the case in business, there was a need and demand, it was only necessary to connect them. I thought I’d take it into my own hands!
Where did Red Sound begin?
From quite humble beginnings actually. It was in my room and my garage where I realised high quality cables for musicians aimed at the high-end market
Did you see a hole in the market? If so, what was it?
Oh absolutely! Simply put, digital systems for musicians were a massive hole that I felt needed filling. When we created the first cabinets for digital systems, nobody else had realised these products.
What’s one piece of gear you wish you’d invented?
An innovative digital system for musicians.
Where do you see Red Sound headed in the future? New products? Or more refinements of current products?
We have been the first to improve innovation in GRFR and FRFR systems cabs, and from this we’ll continue to improve our products in this market.
What direction do you see audio heading in?
For musicians, I believe that they will prefer mono and stereo configurations for many years yet. For other markets, I believe that immersive systems will be the direction that the market heads in. We’re already seeing it with increased use of Dolby Atmos, but it will be interesting to follow considering the reservations many have about its future. It will be especially interesting from a consumer perspective too.
What inspired Red Sound to create your current range of products?
A very big discussion and study session was pivotal with important Italian musicians Luca Galeano and Marco Fanton, finding out what they were after and how we could assist. The very difficult work with that, however, has been to transform their requirements and ideas into reality.
What is one thing that every good speaker has?
It’s so hard to narrow it down to just one thing, especially knowing the amount of work that goes into them, so I’ll give you a few: Reliability, efficiency, and only one point of emission.
What inspires you to develop new products?
To be able to provide better quality products to standard and professional musicians!
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