Well 2012 is well underway!! We've already gained 8 new clients, recorded 3 albums and produced countless broadcasts, videos and other media projects!! Crazy times!!

There are two fantastic developments that I've read about today!! Firstly, Line 6's new digital mixer!! The thing hasn't even got any faders. It's simply an input/output box with a computer chip in it that is controlled by software run on an iPad!! There's something cool about being sat in the middle of an audience mixing a show that I like!! God bless Line 6!!

Also, it's great to see Apple's renewed commitment to education in the launch of ibooks 2!! It's designed around the possibility of releasing digital text books for students!! Steve Jobs may be no longer with us but his vision will live on long past him!!

Anyway, loads to do so see you at a recording soon!!

BEN MARSHALL (CEO)

As 2012 approaches, we want to know what extra services we could provide to make our Music and Media Production Services even more of a 'One Stop Shop'? Fire us an email and let us know would ya?

When we launched DRS nearly 10 years ago, we wanted to be the ultimate one stop shop and whilst we reckon we're pretty damn close, we know that there is ALWAYS room for development and improvement, hence us asking!!

We're also excited about working with a selection of new clients in early 2012, namely Snow Patrol and Land Rover. Two great names that we're honoured to have been chosen to work with!

So, as 2011 ends, thanks from us all for making us your choice in Media Production!! We don't take your custom for granted and know that there's loads of companies pitching for it, so thank you again!! We'll see you on the other side!!

Phew.... we've pretty much finished our pre-Christmas rush here in the office! It's been great to work on such a wide variety of projects in the last month. That's what makes what we do so enjoyable!! The variety!

One day we're at Belfast University with Ed Sheeran recording for the Beeb, the next we're with the amazing folk of Littleborough Brass Band carrying out their first ever recording! Whoever the client and whatever the ability, it's a real privellige that people trust us with their recording needs! We don't take it for granted and are grateful each time a client gives us a gig!

It's also been great to hook up with our old friend Chris Dobbins from the US. We first met Chris in Salt Lake City when we were providing technical direction for 'The International Trombone Festival' a few years ago. We've just finished working on a multimedia project with him and it's been great fun!

Also across the pond, we've had the honour of working on a project called 'Snow Angel' with the fantastic 'Natalie Twigg Music Foundation' who are based in Seattle, WA.

The internet makes the world of music a much smaller place and in our view, a better one!!

I remember as a Music Tech student reading about a thing called 'Rocket Network' which would allow musicians across the world to collaborate on projects together! It all seemed light years away but now, less than 10 years on, it's gone past that! Incredible!!

Final though; 'Progress Live'!! The Take That Live DVD came out yesterday!! It's awesome!! Toby Alington, the guy who teched and mixed it, we salute you! One of the best live stadium recordings we've ever heard!! A great example of what our industry can now achieve!!

Right, let's do some Christmas shopping!!

It's not very often that an individual changes an industry but I believe it can be done and there's no better an example of that than in Mr Steve Jobs.

As you know, Steve lost his battle with Pancreatic Cancer last week aged only 56. Tributes flooded Twitter, Facebook and the net in general from many people from many industries but the world of Music Production, like graphics is one that perhaps owes more to the great man than most do!

Visit any studio in the world and you'll see Apple Mac computers at the heart of the operation. I remember during the first two years of my degree course at Birmingham Conservatoire fighting the PC corner out of this resentment born when Apple acquired the 'Logic Audio' software brand! It meant I couldn't get future versions of the software for my PC. In my 3rd year I resigned myself to the 'If you can't beat them, join them' mentality and reluctantly purchased a Mac and the latest copy of Logic.

It changed my world! I'd never experienced such stability and quality software. It made the music industry a true level playing field. Anyone could now access industry standard software. It was down to the musician or producer to get the best out of it. Not having the 'gear' was no longer an excuse. I even had the privilege of 'roadtesting' the first version of Garageband. Again, this made music creation available to the masses!! No longer was I battling to make my music creation platform stable. Windows had gone and Apple had found it's place in my studio and more importantly my heart!

As time passed, more and more of our business became reliant on Apple products. Within two years of buying my first Mac, everything was on it! Our administration system, even our website server was running on a mac server. Their products were awesome!!

It was at this point I came across Steve Jobs in an article in the Guardian. This enigmatic character clearly didn't suffer fools, didn't care what others thought and was willing to try new things!! He was in short, every bit the business man I wanted to be! Not that I wanted to create products, but I wanted, and still do, to be known for excellence throughout every aspect of my business life and maybe even life in general!

I like thousands of others became an unofficial Apple Salesman, convincing mates to part with their hard earned cash and get 'Macced Up' which most did!! To my knowledge, none have ever gone back to Windows! Was it loyalty to Steve Jobs' brand, the man himself or ju st the sheer quality of his products? I don't know! I just know there was something about his stuff that was special, very special! It worked! Not like any other technological thing we'd ever known!

Next came the iPhone! It changed the way I did life! For the first time, I could truly run a media business from anywhere in the world! I didn't even need my macbook with me for many tasks!! I could listen to rough mixes, check out video edits all on the move using this amazing 'gadget' he'd created!

I read an interview with him shortly after the release of the 3G iPhone and he said "If Henry Ford had asked the people what they'd wanted, they'd had asked for a faster horse. Instead he gave them the iPhone." Profound!!

Add to that the iPad (I can mix a show from anywhere in an auditorium), Apple TV, new iMac and MacPro, Apple drives our business! The remarkable thing is, that my story is echoed across almost every music/media production company in the world! They, he changed an industry, without doubt for the better!!

He might not have been a 'Nice guy' by our common standards but he was a genius and I for one am thankful for the difference that he made to our business, our industry and indeed the world!

There's no great tribute than the fact that I learned of his death on a device he created!

RIP Steve

BEN MARSHALL