Mark Herman – 1956-2016

WORLD: The global professional audio community is grieving at the loss of another greatly respected industry figure with the sudden passing away of Mark Herman on 17^th December 2016. The preliminary determination of the cause was a stroke following a complication that occurred following heart bypass surgery.

Born on 22^nd June 1956, Mr Herman was a long-time resident of Northern California, living in San Francisco, Marin County and in the Napa Valley region. In addition to knowing how to select a great wine, the family man always had a passion for sound reinforcement. The inception of Hi-Tech Audio Systems in 1983 as his live sound console rental company began with a single console. The entrepreneur grew the business before selling his stake in 1995, enabling Hi-Tech Audio to become the largest live-sound console specialty company in the world.

The founders of Blank Canvas Publishing knew and greatly respected Mr Herman for his audio journalism and in particular for publishing Live Sound International. Despite him selling his publishing activities in 2008, he continued to trail blaze new ideas and media formats including the AVL Factor, which provided video-based instructional materials for vertical markets focused on technical entertainment technologies. He also launched the Big Buzz Network website that provided audio product and industry news incorporating a unique text-to-video delivery.

Industry shows such as NAMM and InfoComm were always made complete with his radiant smile, can-do-attitude, detailed industry knowledge, positive energy and a profound sense of humour. His loss will be greatly felt to all those whose lives he touched.