Dear Partner,

Today marks the third year since the sudden passing of Henk.
We’d like to take a moment to share a little glimpse behind the scenes at Interstate Audio.

Each year on this day, Interstate Audio is closed to give everyone space to reflect in their own way.
Tomorrow, we’ll celebrate life as a team, with a cruise through the canals of Amsterdam and finishing off with Henk’s favorite: spareribs at Castell.
We’ll be back, bright-eyed and ready, on Monday.

The past year

It’s been a remarkable, and let’s be honest, at times hectic year.
Every day, we’re grateful for the progress we’ve made in modernizing and professionalizing the path we set out three years ago.

Since January, we’ve been working with our new ERP system, Odoo.
After some teething problems (read: a fair share of hiccups), we’re finally getting a hang of things.

We welcomed a host of new products: Blaze amplifiers and speakers, new flightcase models, and even had our own booth at ISE Barcelona to present ACX and NewHank.
For a select group of visitors, we secretly revealed a sneak peek of the upcoming DSP platform from ACX.
More on that is to be expected in the year ahead.

NewHank had a strong showing at ISE with four new products:
The three-piece DCon series (2x XLR in, 2x XLR uit and a 2×2 Bluetooth model), and the T-Rack, a breath of fresh air for the installation market: finally, a sleek 19” touchscreen controller with 4K resolution and multi-touch input.
We’re already seeing stunning projects where these products are proving their worth. Hopefully, we’ll soon find time to share some inspiring case studies.

As if that wasn’t enough, we expanded the NewHank line with the Drivemate FX.
After saying goodbye to several analog mixers in recent years, this feels like a worthy successor. More info at the bottom of this newsletter!

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Welcome Esteban!

After almost three years of giving it our all with a lean team, and with Ralph’s departure around New Year, we knew it was time for reinforcements.
But not just anyone, we were looking for a skilled salesperson with a soft touch to be able to fit into our team.
We found just that in Esteban, who joined us in June.

Esteban brings a strong background in trade and lots of experience in import/export.
He wanted to return to his roots in the entertainment industry, and after a short-lived stint at a music (web)store, we were lucky to pick him up.

Esteban will be our new face on the road, visiting clients across the Netherlands and representing us at trade shows.
We’ll soon be planning meet-and-greets where needed, if you can’t wait, feel free to reach out!
You can contact Esteban directly at: esteban@interstateaudio.nl.

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The future

Last week, we finalized an agreement with an external partner to build a completely new website.
The project will roll out in the coming months, with a planned launch at the end of this year.

A new customer portal will be part of the site as well. So even when we’re sound asleep, you’ll be able to check order statuses, track repairs, view pricing and stock levels, and more.

This year, we’ll have to miss Esmé for a while, as she and her husband John are blessed with the pregnancy of their second child!

In January, we’ll be at CUE Rotterdam, in our usual spot: right-hand corner by the entrance.
After CUE, we’ll tidy up the warehouse and head south to Barcelona, where you’ll find us again in Hall 5 with ACX and NewHank.

Blaze Audio was recently acquired by Sonance, a respected US company with several beautiful brands and product lines under its wing.
We’ll continue to handle the professional Blaze product range for the Benelux and will also be the point of contact for other Sonance pro-audio lines in the future.

ProDJuser flightcases remain in active development and right now, we’re working on new designs for the latest Allen & Heath Qu-series.
Later this year, we expect to introduce a new line of slam-door tunnel cases.

And NewHank keeps us busy too: we’re currently developing clever Dante solutions.
They’re still in the prototype phase, so we can’t share much just yet, but who knows, maybe we’ll show something at a trade show later this year…

As you can see: we’re not standing still.
We’re incredibly grateful for Esteban’s arrival, it gives the rest of us some breathing room again. Room we intend to use to write the next chapter in the story of Interstate Audio after Henk.
And you are the most important part of that story.
Thank you for another year of trust, collaboration, and once again: business as usual.

Warm regards,
Esmé, Patrick, Esteban, Machiel, Picas & Hylke

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DRIVEMATE FX

The DRIVEMATE FX is a versatile 12-channel mixer designed for seamless integration into live sound, studio, and fixed installation environments. Its 19″ rack-mountable form factor ensures a space-efficient solution without compromising on functionality.
DRIVEMATE FX comes with advanced features like onboard FX processing, flexible routing options, and comprehensive input/output configurations, it is designed to handle diverse audio needs across commercial, educational, and entertainment applications.
Equipped with intuitive controls and rugged construction, it delivers reliable performance while integrating effortlessly into any professional AV setup. Perfect for users who demand quality, exibility, and precision. 
For more info and pricing, please reach out!