Voices behind the development of Sonys DWZ Series Digital Wireless System

The stories behind the DWZ series digital wireless microphones with unique features for musicians

pected to open a new chapter in Sony's professional audio business.

premium DWX series of digital wireless microphone systems in 2010 for halls and broadcast studios encouraged us to make a true comeback to "audio for music" applications. In other words, Pro Audio equipment for audio productions. It has been 10 years since we've been active in this market, so it exciting to return! Our strategy was to focus primarily on the top-end professional market and then continue our focus to the MI (Music Instrument) market. When I first went to the NAMM show in 2010, however, I recognized that the MI market is flourishing. This realization made me determined to fill the shelves of Guitar Center and other retailers with Sony products. Similar to our senior managements views, I believe that it will take a collective effort in order to revitalize our audio business.

Sony's first "DWZ Series" of wireless microphones for musicians, the DWZ-B30GB and DWZ-M50, was introduced last October. As an embodiment of Sony's years of experience in broadcast microphones, the new product line achieves the features and sound clarity that musicians have long awaited. The new series marked Sony's re-entrance into the MI (Music Instrument) market for the first time in 10 years. These exclusive interviews with Shigeru Inoue (Geru) and Takashi Ohta (Taka) from Sonys Product Planning Department, CCS Business Division, tell the story behind the DWZ Series development. Fueled with a passion for music, the "DWZ Series" is ex-

Left: Inoue-san (Geru) Right: Ohta-san (Taka) Interview: We understand that the DWZ series marks a re-entrance into the MI market after quite a long absence. What exactly triggered the planning of this product line? Geru: For the past several years, our pro Audio activities were primarily focused on "Audio for video" applications, a category intended to support the audio work in video productions. However, the successful commercialization of our

Voices behind the development of Sonys DWZ Series Digital Wireless System
The secret to success in the MI market is threepronged: branding, cost and product quality. Because the Sony brand already stood out well in the MI market, the real challenge was to achieve affordable pricing Shigeru Inoue (Geru)
Taka: Since joining the Sony team, I have been exclusively working with audio products, which includes my time designing headphones and planning products. I have always had a keen interest in Pro Audio, which made the opportunity for me to relocate to Atsugi even more exciting. At Atsugi, I was assigned to oversee product planning for the DWZ series. My personal interest meant that I was already familiar with wireless systems. This allowed the process to run as efficiently as possible, as developing the DWZ coincided with my personal requests for better features and smoother operation in wireless microphone systems. It was thrilling and rewarding to know that I could utilize my personal experiences to help contribute to the development of the DWZ. Brand already stood out well in the MI market, the real challenge was to achieve affordable pricing. We performed ample cost simulations, and discovered that the most significant factor to reducing cost was the wireless device itself - the heart of the DWZ system. Since Sony already has a track record of commercializing wireless headphones and Bluetooth products that use the same 2.4GHz band as our system, we went to consult the experts of these products. As our investigations progressed, we eventually found that we could make the DWZ Series a reality. Taka: The DWZ is packed with unique features that are finetuned to user needs. For example, the connectors are arranged in an ideal way for placement alongside guitar effectors on the floor. The entire unit achieves a flat design with switches that dont project outward; thus, avoiding crushing them when stepped on. The antenna is built into the receiver so it does not protrude as much as typical products do, which also prevents breakage when inadvertently kicked. This antenna design inevitably degrades receiving sensitivity, but the design team put a lot of effort into minimizing the impact. Battery operation is also possible, which again, is unique to this product line. Moreover, we researched and experimented with different looks to raise the products presence and appeal for introduction to the MI market. Specifically, we settled on using a black color for the body and an eye-catching yellow around the control knobs. The design also contributes to increasing the visibility from an operational point of view. Another point our planning team was keen on was to offer both high functionality and simple operation by the use of a largesize color display and simple UI for the Vocal Set. To achieve an optimized function vs. cost balance, we kept our eyes focused on cost simulations, and I believe we've managed to offer our sales teams and dealers a sellable product by effectively including features that customers can get excited about. I'm happy that the engineers responded and made the extra efforts to achieve them.

So, the two of you planned this product line to satisfy your own critical requests as musicians. How did the actual product planning go? Geru: From a business planning perspective, we realized through our research that the secret to success in the music market is three-pronged: Branding, Cost, and Product Quality. Because the Sony

Geru
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Talking with the developers of the Sony DWZ Series wireless microphones

So you've integrated all features requested by the customer into this product. How did they react to this? Geru: We toured the musical instrument stores with a mockup and power point slides, but received extremely favorable comments about Sony's comeback to the MI market and feedback that the products reflect the ideas of guitarists with their wellthought-out designs. In certain stores, we even received orders because of the high expectations of Sony even before showing the final product. The Sony brand is highly admired by the MI industry and musicians, and I believe that products bearing the Sony logo have always been desired and demanded in this market. Taka: I toured Europe with a demo machine and my own guitar and played it to demo the sound quality. As the saying goes "Seeing is believing, and the sound spoke for itself way beyond my power point presentation. We put a lot of effort into the demo video, which allowed us to highlight to customers and people in the industry the beauty of these products that can't be explained simply by the technology. We expect these products to make a substantial contribution to our sales.

We understand that customer response was positive and the product planning process went very smoothly. What were the hurdles you had to jump on the way? Geru: It was two years ago in October when we collected customer feedback to determine the features and specifications, and only last year when we started demos using a mockup. The project schedule was so accelerated that we received customer comments that we're really in high gear compared to other Sony products. But in all honesty, it was the design teams that had to take most of the pressure to keep up with the fast-paced and vigorous activities of the product planning and marketing teams. Taka: Because there was no leeway in the design schedule, we knew beforehand there would be hurdles on the way to include extra features and verify the performance of the wireless transmission, but orders came in one after another. While I was seriously worried that we might not stick to our schedule, the tremendous cooperation from the engineers allowed us to deliver as promised.

The second batch of DWZ series products, the DWZM70 and DWZ-B70HL, was released on January 28, 2013. Were there any new features added compared to the first models released? Geru: A hot new feature of these products is the "intelligent feedback reducer" function that we incorporated. When we introduced the DWX series to the PA market, we came to realize that the prevention of microphone feedback has priority over sound quality, and since then, we requested the members of the R&D group to develop a feature to achieve this. By nature, the feature poses many technical difficulties because it involves automatic filtering in real time to eliminate feedback without changing the original sound quality. Through numerous trial and error processes, we managed to create an algorithm to achieve a balance. When I showed a demo video made by the engineers that introduces this feature, it was highly praised as a revolutionary function to the industry from all sales companies and dealers.

worldwide. I wish to accelerate sales of the DWZ further by taking advantage of this feature.

Taka

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Voices of developing the DWZ Series Digital Wireless System

Hearing your comments in this interview, it seems you've created a product you'd want to buy yourselves and had great fun in the process. In closing, please tell us about your ambitions ahead. Geru: I've been playing in a band since my high school days, and joined Sony because I wanted to be engaged in work that involves music. When I first started working at Sony, I wasn't assigned to a job that involves my passion for MI products. Fifteen years later and my wish has finally come true. As a teen, I was very inspired by the slick design of Sony audio products, and I hope to plan products that appeal to performers and creators of this generation. Sony needs to continue to maintain relationships with

the newer generation so when they come to be adults, they will be encouraged to buy Sony high-end products in both our professional and consumer business categories. Taka: I also played in a band during my high school days. When I first went into a studio for a recording session with my band, most of the equipment had Sony logos and convinced me of what a cool company Sony is. The DWZ series is tailored to the meet the budgets of a diverse range of users from high school and college amateurs to the general semiprofessional level. The young generation today may not have the impression that Sony is in the professional

audio business, but I hope to introduce them to other Sony products including this wireless system, headphones, PCM recorders, and more to connect this to future business opportunities. From my past experience, I have learned that the catch phrase "A product that builds on Sony professional technology" has a tremendous effect on consumer products. I am assured that the strength of Atsugi will produce a positive influence on our consumer products, and that is an important part of our mission.

For more information, visit www.sony.com/proaudio.

Taka and Geru

Voices behind the development of Sonys DWZ Series Digital Wireless System
The engineers behind the new DWZ series digital wireless microphones
Interview: We heard that the schedule was extremely tight to get the products ready for Christmas season. What was the actual lead-time to complete all the design work? Fukazawa-san (Model Project Leader): We were all very anxious to sell the first products for Christmas , but in reality, that gave us only 7 months from the design concept meeting to product release. In addition, we couldnt transmit sound using the 2.4 GHz frequency band in the beginning of our design work. Sugai-san (System Design): In the middle of our design work, we went to visit customers to explain the product features. The response was very positive and they wanted the products as soon as possible. At the time however, the 2.4 GHz transmission design wasn't progressing the way we wanted. During the latter stages of our work, our engineers were tied up evaluating their own design blocks, and there was no one available to evaluate the overall operation. There were even times when the managers hooked up their guitars and evaluated the products until 3 o'clock in the morning. Some of the team had to take up playing the guitar because it was critical to the evaluations, and by the time the design was completed, they learned how to play a song or two. Satou-san (Transmitter Electrical Design): Because the circuit board mounting was conducted at Sony Electronics Korea, a delivery lag of about 3 days would normally occur. To avoid this, we travelled to Korea upon completion of the mounting, checked it immediately on the spot, and brought the boards back to Kosai with the Korean engineers. We then finalized the design details and made every possible effort to shorten the schedule.

Sony's new "DWZ Series" of wireless microphones for musicians, the DWZ-B30GB and DWZ-M50, has drawn attention and praise from press and musicians. In a previous post, the product planning of these models that marked Sonys reentry to the MI (Music Instrument) market for the first time in over 10 years was detailed.
In this post, the focus will be on the collaboration with the Kosai Site engineers in achieving 2.4 GHz transmissions, the tight design schedule, and cost reduction measures.

Engineers Behind the New Sony DWZ Series Digital Wireless Systems

Voices behind the development of Sonys DWZ Series Digital Wireless System
I hope that the DWZ Series opens new doors for digital wireless systems Fukazawa-san, Model Project Leader
Abe-san (Software Design): From the onset, it was mandatory to submit the specifications without a single error. To meet the tight software design schedule, we spent time on face-to-face communications checking the operations using the actual products regarding specification details. This allowed us to deepen everyone's understanding of the products and finish them exactly as planned within the tight schedule. What other design points were you particularly concerned about? Hori-san (Microphone Design): For the microphone, we designed a brand new capsule. In the high-end DWX Series, we use a special metal, but for these products, we selected parts that are less expensive to obtain yet still maintain proper performance. Regarding the sound quality, it was tough to nail down the optimal point because the target output devices are wide ranging; including headphones, small table speakers, and large speakers for live sound. Abe-san (Software Design): Upon designing the Intelligent Feedback Reducer feature, we adopted the fundamental algorithm developed by the Applied Technology Department and fine-tuned this to meeting the actual applications. This algorithm had a trade-off between the sound quality and feedback reduction effect, and it was tough to decide how much feedback reduction should be applied. After numerous trial and error tests in various environments, we managed to find a point which did not degrade the sound while also providing a sufficient effect. Please tell us about your goals ahead. Fukazawa-san (Model Project Leader: I am hoping that the DWZ Series opens new doors for digital wireless systems. The high performance and moderate price of these models is the result of the collective efforts of the technical expertise of Atsugi and Kosai, and cooperation from production sites to reduce the costs. Sawanobori-san (Mechanical Design): In professional products, quality is always a top priority. The MI market is a new field to me and I hope to design costeffective products that can be used for more than 10 to 20 years without compromising sound quality. Hori-san (Microphone Design): As wireless has made its shift to digital, so has transmission sound quality improved a great extent. Eventually, it will become the microphone units that will make the difference. I would like to continue my efforts on bettering sound quality. Araya-san (Engineering Senior Manager): The only reason we could surmount the difficulties of 2.4 GHz transmission was because we all shared the same enthusiasm of delivering excellent sound quality to the market. I am thrilled that we achieved this excellent quality in our products. I would like to thank everyone for their cooperation. For more information, visit www.sony.com/proaudio.

Faces Behind the Making of the DWZ

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