Gabriel Medrano, president/COO of Adam Hall Group North America Inc., has spent almost all of his 25 years in this industry at Adam Hall. “I love being at Adam Hall because its mission is about helping people develop their passion in music. At the end of the day, we work for a higher purpose.”
But what he most wants you to know about is the company’s professional audio systems for production houses, live event vendors, system integrators and concert tours — particularly the LD Systems line. Under the LD Systems banner is also a wireless mic system that can transmit precise sound on up to 1,680 channels. Then there’s the MAUI line of powered column P.A. systems, including a model that was designed with Porsche (yes, that Porsche). Adam Hall’s Gravity stands are catching the attention of content creators and event technicians. DEFENDER is its brand of made-in-Germany cable protectors, and the Palmer line offers versatile D.I. boxes and guitar audio tools for live or studio work. (There’s also a Cameo line for lighting for live events, but that’s for another magazine.)
“Our long-term goal is become a global provider for music equipment and pro audio products, and that includes North America,” he says.
Beginnings
Medrano grew up in Barcelona of dual nationality, as his father was Spanish and his mother French. His father was an electronic engineer; and if you were of a certain age during the 1980s — here’s where it would be okay to be jealous: “He made power supplies for different products, including arcade games,” Medrano explains. “After school I’d go to his factory and play them. It was my playground as a kid!” It wasn’t all fun and games, though, as he did get the chance to see how electronic equipment was built.
He graduated from the University of Barcelona in International Business, and later would pick up two Masters’ degrees. He went to work for a small audio equipment manufacturer in Spain, and while visiting one of the world’s largest MI and Pro Audio conventions, Music Messe in Frankfurt, he was inspired to seek work on a larger scale. He met the people at Adam Hall, who at the time were based in London, and in 1999, went to work with them there. Two years later, they moved him back to Spain to grow that and France’s market, and eventually his jurisdiction included all Southern Europe. “That was good because it was raining too much in London for my tastes,” he says with a laugh.
While the company’s products have thrived in Europe for decade, they weren’t as well-known in North America, where worked with a small distributor. In 2018, they merged with that distributor. Medrano was named COO of Adam Hall North America and moved his family to Riverdale, NJ, 45 minutes northwest of Manhattan. In 2020 he was also named President. “I like challenges, and I like starting business in a new market,” he says. “I saw a good opportunity.”
He and his team quickly built up their presence with an office, warehouse, and showroom where they can demo products. From there they also distribute Hofner, Maton Guitars, EBS Sweden and Mad Professor MI products. He does add that working for a company that is also dedicated to the environment is rewarding. Adam Hall is headquartered north of Frankfurt, and that campus features a photovoltaic system that supplies most of the energy needed to operate its 150,000 square-foot warehouse. The operation Medrano oversees in New Jersey has solar panels and is 100% sustainable. Worldwide, Adam Hall employs over 360 people, with 15 in North America, and just last year they added a total of 80 employees worldwide.
Challenges
About those challenges. “North America is a big market with a lot of competitors, and as of now, we are less well-known,” he says. “So, the first priority is to build brand awareness, which means investing, and that includes marketing. This is where Adam Hall is quite strong — we have an extremely good marketing team.” Yet he acknowledges marketing will only take them so far. “With a new brand, you must build up trust, and the only way to build up the trust is to be there in front of the people doing demos, making sure they understand how the product works and most importantly — how it sounds,” he says. “One of the advantages of LD Systems is the sound quality — but that’s not something you can show online, so we’re working to get it heard by more people.”
After an initial three years of focusing on the retail market with success, they are now turning up their attention on the pro audio market. “Over the years here, we’ve built up a strong sales network in every territory. We are visiting production houses and installers in their market so we can demo our products.”
And that list of products continues to grow. The company just launched some new products for this market including the MON G3 Series monitors, which he says has completed reimagined the 8”, 10”, 12” and 15” powered stage monitor. “These coaxial loudspeakers with 50-degree x 90-degree dispersion and a bass reflex port are excellent in many applications.” Also new is the DAVE G4X Series, which is a powerful and universal DJ/band system that features an integrated 6-channel mixer including reverb as well as enhanced connectivity options, such as Bluetooth and S/PDIF. These systems come in 10”, 12”, 15” and 18” versions. And the opposite of new is that Adam Halls also makes parts for tour and flight cases. “This is actually how the company began in 1975, and it’s still a core business. I believe we are the leader in Europe.”
Focusing on LD Systems
LD Systems was founded in 2001, and today it’s one of the top three best-selling and most-used systems in Europe. They continually surpass sales goals there, “so we’re very happy how the product is doing in Europe.” In addition to the sound quality, there are other major points that make their system competitive and “in many cases better than other products. Our patented technology is innovative, and consistently receives many awards,” Medrano says. “One of the reasons I’ve had such a long career here is that Adam Hall is an extremely innovative company.”
Secondly, in terms of the mechanics and the electronics, the design of the product is “also a big differentiator for our system’s appeal.” And finally, he says the products are especially user-friendly. “In the end, anybody can use these — and the easier equipment is to use, the better it is for the person running sound.” This last point is especially true of the MAUI G3 compact column P.A. systems, which now offer a cardioid column and subwoofer with an easy setup mode.
All of this comes out of Adam Hall’s R&D department, which Medrano is especially proud of. “Since we started, the department has grown a lot, and now we have around 40 people working on current and future products.” Within that group, there are different teams, with one specifically dedicated to the electronics, mechanics, acoustics and software. On the latter, “These days the app controls these systems, and so this is especially important.” LD also does extensive in-house testing, including with its advanced high-end anechoic chamber.
The list of artists using Adam Hall systems is long and growing, and he does name-drop one: “The Weeknd personally owns several MAUI columns.” Of course, he owns the MAUI P 900. “It’s really nice and comes with 50 speakers inside an aluminium enclosure and is a very high-class product. This is also popular with production companies attracting high-end clients.”
And if they haven’t gotten to you yet by January, see them at NAMM. “We will be there with our own demo room so come listen to our equipment in a good environment. And we’ll be launching some new products at show, too, so I invite everyone to come see us.”
For more info, visit: www.adamhall.com
