ST. HELENA, CA — The professional audio community was saddened to hear that Mark Herman, a respected figure in the live sound world, passed away unexpectedly on December 17, 2016. The preliminary determination of the cause was a massive stroke — a complication that occurred after he underwent heart bypass surgery. He was 60.
Born June 22, 1956, Herman was a longtime resident of Northern California, living mainly in San Francisco, Marin County and in the Napa Valley region. The latter (and most recent) proved most convenient, as he had a trained palette to spot a great Cabernet or Merlot — but aside from a devotion to his family, his true passion was sound reinforcement.
He attended the University of California’s Davis campus (a top-rated college just south of the state capital in Sacramento) and in 1980, dove headfirst into the audio industry, working at Jim Gamble Associates (www.gambleboards.com), a manufacturer of high-performance live consoles. Here, Herman learned the ins and outs of the biz — quite literally, as he began by doing the meticulous job of soldering and hand-wiring TT patchbays, later advancing to modules and console assembly. He worked with Gamble on and off for seven years, and even invested in the company, helping fund the acclaimed EX-56 console project.
Throughout his career, Herman was always the type to become involved with numerous audio-related projects simultaneously. In 1983, he founded Hi-Tech Audio Systems (www.hi-techaudio.com), a live sound console rental company that began with a single console. Herman sold his stake in 1995 and High-Tech has since grown — now the largest live-sound console specialty company in the world, carrying mixers from SSL, DiGiCo, Yamaha, Avid and Midas, as well as sales of both new and pre-owned boards.
Around this time, Herman began focusing on audio journalism, typically writing articles that focused on industry trends, along with profiles of successful sound companies, first working with then-Mix magazine editor George Petersen. “Mark’s friendly attitude and knowledge of the biz made him a natural,” Petersen recalls, “and this gave him an inside edge on developing business issues.” Herman’s writings led to bylines in other magazines, including Recording Engineer/Producer and Live Sound International, and he eventually became the publisher of the latter.
Herman stayed on with his publishing activities until 2008. Asked at the time what was his reasoning behind this, he replied, “Time. I desperately want to be around to watch my young daughter grow up. Have a relaxed lunch date with my fabulous wife. Hang out with friends outside of business. Trim the roses. Go skiing. That kind of time.”
However, this self-imposed retirement didn’t last. Herman launched a new company — the AVL Factor — offering video-based instructional materials for vertical markets focused on technical entertainment technologies. He also conceptualized the Big Buzz Network, a website that was designed to offer audio product and industry news using a fun approach that would incorporate text-to-video (among other techniques) to deliver otherwise droll info from a more creative approach, mixed with the occasional The Onion-styled pieces. And Herman’s sharp sense of humor truly comes to light in this comic demo reel he produced, on the topic of using cheese as speaker enclosures — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ln61RDH000.
We at FRONT of HOUSE are saddened by the too-soon departure of Mark Herman, the sound reinforcement industry’s sage, bon vivant and social butterfly. He will be missed by his many friends, and all who knew him.
Note: At press time, no memorial or funeral arrangements had been announced.
