Lucky 688 users (Dugan automix!)

[Prahlad Strickland]

Paging Zaxcom.  Paging zaxcom.  As a nomad user I'm very jealous and hoping glen will try port this as well.  It works much better than Zax auto mix. 

[Miles Anderson]

Think Cantar will try to jump on board with this? 

I must admit, now I may get a 688... But still waiting to see if they'll make a higher end 7esque series machine...

me too.

[old school]

I used the Dugan auto mix feature last week w 3 ad liber's in a van. Worked well though it wasn't the greatest test. Today I have 6 talent all adlibing and I'm very impressed with the results.   Loving modern life as mixer.

CrewC

[afewmoreyears]

I use the Dugan/688 a LOT!!    I love it... It makes the sometimes quick changing dialog in our commercial world a dream come true in most situations...  just love it...  GREAT ADDITION!!

With 6 adlibing, it's the only way to go...  the mix track is really nice.... so much better than without it by 100 times...

[old school]

1 minute ago, afewmoreyears said:

I use the Dugan/688 a LOT!!    I love it... It makes the sometimes quick changing dialog in our commercial world a dream come true in most situations...  just love it...  GREAT ADDITION!!

Agree.... You may even want to mix a few more years with tools like this.;~)

CrewC

[Jim Feeley]

I'm not casting aspersions on anyone, but this is interesting.

Dan Dugan clarifies use of Dugan name by other manufacturers

Dan Dugan, the inventor of automatic microphone mixing technology, has issued a statement reminding manufacturers of the correct usage of the Dugan name by other companies.

Licensed versions of the Dugan algorithms – the Dugan Speech System, Dugan Music System and Dugan Gain Limiting – are tightly regulated by Dan Dugan Sound Design. Currently, Protech Audio, Sound Devices, Waves and Yamaha are licensed to use Dugan algorithms. Dugan plug-in cards are also available for selected Yamaha and Avid consoles.

These companies are the only ones who have been authorised to use the Dugan name on their products and marketing materials, yet Dugan has seemingly become aware of manufacturers promoting their wares in a similar way, but without authorisation.

“As most people in the industry are aware, my patent for the algorithm used in the Dugan Speech System expired some time ago. This expiration enabled other companies to develop their own versions, generically described as ‘gain sharing.’ These versions by other manufacturers, while employing similar concepts, are not Dugan automixing systems and may not be described as such," stated Dugan.

"While I am sincerely flattered by the ‘honourable imitators’ of Dugan automixing technology, I must remind all manufacturers that the usage of the Dugan name is strictly prohibited unless a manufacturer has been licensed by Dan Dugan Sound Design to do so. This includes the terms ‘Dugan automixing’ or even ‘Dugan style’, as recently described by Behringer in a product notice. The Dugan name is trademarked, and no one may use my name for a process that has not been thoroughly tested by my lab to ensure its conformance with strict Dugan performance standards.”

http://www.audiomediainternational.com/business/dan-dugan-clarifies-use-of-dugan-name-by-other-manufacturers/05882

 

 

And a promotional editorial article with quotes and a touch of background on Dan Dugan's system

A Perfect Mix: Sound Devices and Dan Dugan

The name Dugan has long been known as the authority in automatic mixing, a technology that intelligently turns microphones on and off. Dan Dugan, the man behind the famous Dugan Speech System, recently partnered with the audio experts at Sound Devices to implement his automixing technology into the Sound Devices 688 mixer/recorder. This is the first time a field production mixer has included the Dugan system, and that’s a pretty big deal. Even though automixing has been around for nearly half a century, many location mixers are unfamiliar with it. So we talked with Dan Dugan and Jon Tatooles, Sound Devices’ co-founder and chief business development officer, to find out more about this collaboration and what it means for the pros in the field.

Rest of the article. Looks like a ten-minute read

http://soundandpicture.com/2016/09/a-perfect-mix-sound-devices-and-dan-dugan/

[Philip Perkins]

Not very surprising that Behringer would reverse-engineer Dan's technology and then try to sell their gear using his name.  I guess that when I use my own brain and hands to do a fast mix of a lot of channels live I could call myself "Dugan-style" in that case, right?  I hope Dan is lawyered up.

 

[Jim Feeley]

Apparently this has been going on for about (or at least) two years. Behringer... sheesh. From Pro Sound News Europe May 2015:

In a letter dated December 15 2014 to Uli Behringer, CEO of Music Group, Dan Dugan wrote: “I am pleased to license my algorithm to manufacturers, but in your case I can’t find a file for licensing to Behringer […] Please let me know if you want to become a Dugan licensee, which includes patents, trademarks, and know-how.

“If you intend to realise gain sharing using the principles revealed in my expired patents, I will be flattered by your imitation, but in that case you may not use my trademarked name in association with your products,” said the letter.

The engineer says he received a reply the same day from Music Group’s legal counsel, stating that the company had conducted an internal review and investigation of his concerns including a legal analysis, and determined that Music Group was not in violation of any of Dugan’s IP rights.

As a result of the exchange, Dugan told PSNEurope he will now register his name and logo at the first opportunity. “I was a sole proprietorship for 45 years. I had always relied for protection on implicit trademarks and my reputation in the industry,” he says. “Now I’ve incorporated and begun to seek global markets, I have to move up from that naïve position.”

Rest of the not-long article:

http://www.psneurope.com/dugan-disputes-use-dugan-name-behringer/

[Philip Perkins]

No Behringer anything, ever.  Crooks who make shit.

[Jim Feeley]

Ya, I'm not a Behringer customer for ethical reasons. And while their stuff isn't super well built, I think part of the problem is that at least some of their stuff is good enough and so so damn cheap. Like edit suites with Truth monitors, or people using X32 mixers....

But so many lawsuits from companies with apparently legit beefs. Some wag way back when talked about how he wouldn't buy pirated software, so why would he buy pirated hardware.

[Marc Wielage]

14 hours ago, Philip Perkins said:

No Behringer anything, ever.  Crooks who make shit.

I won't touch anything made by Behringer, going back to their dispute with Mackie back in 1997. I think what the company did was morally wrong -- even though they got off without a fine -- and I think the way Behringer is run is very squirrelly. And a lot of their gear really is shitty, but not all of it is. I won't use it if I have an alternative. 

[Jim Feeley]

And in addition to Mackie... Aphex, Line 6, Roland, Peavey (!!?!)...geez, probably other lawsuits, too.

Behringer R&D = Sam Ash account + photocopier

But enough about that. Cool to see Dan Dugan's work made available in modern equipment.