In this user success story, we tell the story of how Schoeps, the industry-leading microphone design and manufacturing company, uses Peli cases to house their pioneering Desert Island Stereo set, and how that provides value for their customers as well as increases market penetration.
Schoeps is a German family-owned company founded in 1948 that engineers and manufactures small diaphragm condenser microphones. In its early years, Schoeps made its mark on the audio recording industry with its microphones for classical music, such as orchestral recordings for some of the world's most famous orchestras and classical singers of the time. Since then, Schoeps has branched out, producing audio recording equipment for location sound recording, concerts, broadcasting, film productions, studio recording, video conferences and podcasts, and live sports, among many other applications. They have become the de facto industry standard for high-quality audio recording, and their mission is to help recording engineers everywhere achieve the best sound possible.
In 1974, Schoeps introduced an innovative microphone series called the Colette series, a first-of-its-kind modular microphone series. Due to its modular nature, the Colette series offers many options for various use cases. The microphones from the Colette series consist of a microphone capsule that is screwed onto an amplification unit. Any capsule can be combined with any amplifier. Active accessories can be inserted between the capsule and the amplifier if desired.
"It's very compact, very versatile, very valuable," said Florian Gundert, Marketing Manager for Schoeps, in a recent interview with Peli Products. "The small microphone body and the capsule [allows the user to] interchange the capsule. That also means the possible applications are endless. Depending on the capsules, you could use these microphones as drum overheads, record a piano or voice. The same microphone is also used in high-end movie productions on a boom. Suffice it to say, it's very, very versatile."
With the Colette series, Schoeps decided to produce a unique set called the Desert Island Stereo Set. The product's name was born out of the idea that many audio engineers and technicians worldwide promote the idea of a limited set of equipment that they would take with them if they were stranded on a desert island and had only space for a limited amount of equipment. Often, this has included Schoeps microphones.
"If you look up on YouTube and search for something like 'desert island equipment' or 'desert island recording tools, ' there's a whole video sub-genre, especially of YouTubers in the music space, about what they would take with them on a desert island if they had to and could only take the most important tools, so that was the idea."
The Colette series microphones are usually housed and delivered in a wooden box. However, being stranded on a desert island with sand and water ingress is a potential hazard, and it would necessitate housing that could withstand such elements and impact resistance. Enter the Peli Micro Case series.
Due to Peli's reputation in the audio-visual industry as tough, water- and dust-proof cases and the size of the microphones included in the Desert Island Stereo Set, Peli's Micro Case series was a natural choice.
"We are aware that many of our customers use Peli cases in their day-to-day jobs, especially location sound engineers or people who make mobile recordings. Peli is a well-known brand, and many people use [the cases].
"Using the Peli case allows us to spotlight our newer, more modern smaller amplifiers in the Colette series," commented Gundert. "Everybody is aware of the brand, and our customers know that a Peli case is a high-quality product. Of course, we are absolutely a premium brand. Thus, our users would expect nothing less than a premium case."
Although the Desert Island Stereo set has only been on the market for a short time, there was quite a bit of interest in the product when Schoeps showcased it at the most recent NAMM Show in Los Angeles, California. The annual trade show in the United States is organized by the National Association of Music Merchants, and is described as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology communities."
Have a look at the video that Schoeps produced with the highlights from their participation in the event. The video features music production legends such as Alan Meyerson, Joe Chiccarelli, K.C. Porter, Fab Dupont, and many more. They tell their personal stories about SCHOEPS microphones at the show and thought we should share them with you. The video also features conversations with violinist and producer Laura Escudé, recording rockstar Lij Shaw, Chris Selim of Mixdown.Online, and many more customers and SCHOEPS fans. And of course, you can find a segment about the Desert Island Stereo set housed in a Peli Micro Case.
If you’d like to learn more about Schoeps and their industry-leading microphones and other audio accessories, visit Schoeps.de.
Additionally, if you are interested in learning more about Peli Products and how you and your business or product can benefit from the use of Peli cases, don’t hesitate to contact us or send an email to info@peli.com.