inMusic is the brands beast that needs constant feeding (no they didn’t buy DJWORX as some theorised). After snapping up Stanton earlier this year, the hunger for DJ and MI industry domination appears to need satiating once more. And the delectable dish on the menu is Arkaos, another brand that has some history with inMusic.
INMUSIC ADDS ARKAOS TO ITS FAMILY OF PREMIER TECHNOLOGY, DJ AND MI COMPANIES
Industry leader in real-time visual software and hardware ArKaos joins inMusic.
Fort Lauderdale, FL USA (October 27, 2020) inMusic, the global leader in music technology hardware, software and consumer electronics, is proud to announce the acquisition of ArKaos.
Founded in 1996, ArKaos specializes in video processing technologies, including software and hardware for projects like architectural installations, LED applications, broadcast and live events. Started by developing dedicated video systems for the most innovative live shows and artists like Jean-Michelle Jarre, ArKaos is now focused on bringing state-of-the-art visual technology software to a much wider market. This includes a dedicated video solution for DJs/VJs, with software like Grand VJ, while MediaMaster leads the pro entertainment industry with powerful software and hardware. By joining inMusic’s other brands like SoundSwitch, ArKaos will help consumers provide a fully encompassing performance experience integrating audio and visuals.
inMusic is the parent company for a family of leading music technology and consumer electronic brands, including AIR Music Technology, Akai Professional, Alto Professional, Alesis, BFD, Denon DJ, Denon Professional, Engine DJ, HeadRush, ION Audio, M-Audio, Marantz Professional, MARQ Lighting, MixMeister, Numark, RANE, SONiVOX, SoundSwitch and Stanton. inMusic’s world-famous, state-of-the-art research and development team responds dynamically to its customers with advanced technology and software ecosystems. ArKaos and its entire engineering department will now become part of inMusic’s R&D family, bringing their specialized knowledge and expertise to be supported by the resources and IP of the entire inMusic group.
“inMusic continually redefines the landscape for Music, DJ and Visual Technology. With ArKaos joining the home of the world’s premier technology brands, inMusic’s ground-breaking advancements in engineering, design and technology guarantees to put ArKaos at the forefront of their industry, and closely integrating them with our other brands will provide consumers an all-encompassing experience.”
Jack O’Donnell, CEO inMusic
“We have successfully closed the acquisition of ArKaos. We are very excited and happy about this new chapter. The integration to inMusic Brands creates an amazing perspective for ArKaos to continue to develop and meet with our customers’ expectations .”
Agnes Wojewoda outgoing MD & Founder of ArKaos.
CAST YOUR MINDS BACK
Back in the period dubbed the ABC (another bloody controller) times, when one slightly different plastic box after another was churned out of the assorted DJ companies, Numark was experimenting with different ideas. One of these was to make a controller based around Arkaos software. The NuVJ was a reasonably priced video controller that wrangled videos inside the Arkaos software, but being MIDI could be mapped to other things.
There was also the Numark branded Arkaos GrandVJ software that… well I’m still trying to work out how that relationship worked. And frankly, now it doesn’t matter as inMusic owns both brands.
And under one roof, Arkaos software will doubtlessly be plumbed into the inMusic ecosystem of brands to deliver spangly AV stuff for DJs and VJs alike. Perhaps we’ll see some dedicated hardware come from inMusic brands now that it has the dedicated AV software to drive it properly. DJ gear is not the ideal platform for it, and the forcing of video into DJ workflows might be partly why it never took off — that and people stopping dancing to watch and killing bar sales too.
I JUST SPOTTED SOMETHING INTERESTING
Well, it is to me anyway. When I wrote about the new Denon DJ stuff a little while ago, I noticed that Engine OS had been given its own website. But I’ve also clocked that it’s also listed as a brand in its own right on the inMusic Brands website too, and is tagged as “the world’s premier DJ software suite”. Well, they have Engine Prime, which is a library manager, and Engine OS that drives the standalone players. Hardly a suite, unless the full-fat Engine software we’ve theorised about is on the horizon.
Make of that what you will. But to me, it sounds like a DJ roadmap that we’ve yet to see might be unrolling here.