XAVIER PION

July 2008

"Passion is the driving force behind most people in this industry..."

Date & place of birth:
May 25 1968; Le Creusot (Burgundy), France — in the middle of the revolution!

Profession:
Sales & marketing director, InnovaSon.

Your first job after full-time education?
After studying marketing, I went to Germany as I wanted to learn German, so I took the first job I found, which was as a buyer for a company making metal components for car manufacturers. I stayed for 18 months and then I wanted to go back to France, so I went to Paris where I lived for almost 10 years.

How did you get into the world of sound?
I have always been attracted by this world (yes, I’m a guitarist, too!) but I’d not found my way in until I saw an ad on the internet — InnovaSon was looking for a sales director. I knew the head hunter who placed the ad, so I thought I’d give it a try and I joined in mid-2005. I think what made them think I would be able to do the job was the fact that I knew who David Gilmour is.

It took some time and energy to understand how things work in this business, but I didn’t take the job because I thought it would be easy. You get out what you put in, and I realised straight away that passion is the driving force behind most people in this industry, and that’s something to be respected. I am now participating in a process of creation and development, and that’s very exciting. I love my job.

The majority share of InnovaSon was recently acquired by Lawo — do you think that the industry tends to misinterpret such acquisitions?
There is a risk of misinterpretation, of course. That is why we have been in close contact with our distributors, clients, and all the sound engineers who love our consoles, to tell them that InnovaSon is not going to lose its soul. The situation a few months ago was much more at risk than it is today, and we now have many opportunities. Lawo chose to take majority shares in InnovaSon because they believe in what we do, so be prepared... the best of InnovaSon is yet to come.

What is your opinion on the current level and accessibility of practical training for young sound engineers?
In the digital world, training is quite simply indispensable. Digital consoles are all different from each other and they provide more features than analogue consoles. This means that a young sound engineer now has to be trained on several different systems. The young generation of engineers is now used to working in the digital domain; they have been using computers all their lives and the digital philosophy is natural to them. However, access to practical training is still vitally important, and it is our job — and in our interest — to make it as accessible as possible.

With modern consoles and networking, live audio is becoming progressively more digitised... at what stage do you predict it will be in 10 years’ time?
The process is accelerating and even if the world inventory of consoles is still largely analogue, the majority of live mixing consoles sold today are digital. There is no going back. In 10 years, I’m sure that digital desks will comprise more than 80% of the inventory. The analogue snake will be history and all audio systems will be digital, from the microphone through to amplification and recording, and they will all be connected on the same reliable digital network, using enormous amount of channels and unlimited feature possibilities. If we do our job correctly, the life of sound engineers will be easier and they will be able to concentrate on what counts — the mix.

What do you do in your free time?
I try to do as much with my family as I can. I do a little sport, I like to run and I go mountain biking with my son. I like reading and try to grab a guitar at least two or three times a week and I wish I had a drum set. I love very good wines and good food. I know this sounds very French, but… I am French.

Your ‘Desert Island Disc’?
Without hesitation, it’s Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon. An avant-garde, highly innovative production, and the most incredible emotional experience I have ever had while listening to a record. After listening 1,000 times, the emotion is still there.

What was the first gig you attended?
My first big one was Tears For Fears in New Haven, Connecticut. It was a huge experience, especially as I was trying to be a drummer at the time and I was a fan of Manu Katché, the French drummer who was was then touring with the band, but also played with some of the world’s most famous artists.

What would be your advice to a teenage Xavier Pion?
I tell my kids that if you get to have responsibilities when you are older, don’t forget that it is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice.