Show Control, Virtual Sound
System Core Audio Engine & Theatre Sound Design Software
"PERFORMANCE FOR THE LONG RUN"
WHERE TOP QUALITY MEETS THE BOTTOM LINE SINCE 1972
At Richmond Sound Design we're committed to providing you with
the finest and most capable performance tools. RSD products
interface with all control philosophies and propel the world's
most prestigious show events. RSD designers are at the
forefront of new ideas in audio, lighting, and show control, and
take a leading role in developing industry standards.
Forged by the demands of live performance, you'll find solutions
from Richmond Sound Design equal to the toughest presentation
tasks, whether in theatre, exhibits, theme parks, education, retail,
industrial, commercial, corporate staging, or concerts.
In this age of products designed primarily for appearance, Richmond
Sound Design still cares about flexibility, function, and power -
to give you solutions to
your
tough performance problems.
Mission Statement
We provide the most efficient and cost effective programmable
sound and show control solutions in the world.
We are respected and innovative industry leaders.
We care about our customers.
We fulfill dreams and aspirations by creating exceptionally
capable software and programming environments.
We enjoy knowing our customers personally and including them on
our team.
We are committed to integrity, social responsibility and the environment. We
have driven 100% electric vehicles since 2015 and use renewable
electricity to heat and cook.
A Short History
Richmond Sound Design (RSD)
was founded in 1972 by
 Charlie Richmond
(
Charles B. Richmond
, not
Col. Charles B. Richmond
, his father)
as a manufacturer of theatrical sound consoles.
Charlie began his lifelong love of theatre sound when he became the resident
Sound Designer
at the
Community Theatre of the Monterey Peninsula
, designing sound for their first production of 1965,
The Miracle Worker
and subsequently designed sound for every production until June 1967. His
pursuit of an engineering degree at the
University of California
, Berkeley, was
cut short when the
American Conservatory Theatre
, San Francisco, offered him
the position of Sound Designer, beginning January 1970. He continued in that
position for three more seasons as well as occupying the same position in many
other repertory theatres periodically through 1979, including
The Playhouse Theatre Company
(Vancouver),
Old Globe Theatre
(San Diego),
Neptune Theatre
(Halifax), and
Stratford Festival
(Ontario).
Since RSD's inception, we've originated many sound and theatre industry
advancements. For
example, the first
Model 816
consoles which began production in 1974 were matrix-equipped and included our
patented
AUTO-PAN™
programmable crossfaders - revolutionary features at the time. Our early mixers
can still be found on eBay - a testament to their reliability and functionality.
In 1977 the company introduced the
VCA-4
mixer module for dedicated audio control in complex routing applications.
Thousands of VCA-4's are still at work in paging systems at
convention centres, hotels, hospitals, airports, and industrial
installations worldwide.
In 1980 Charlie purchased
Mushroom Studios
in Vancouver and Richmond Sound Design built and installed a custom 48 channel
recording console with 40 channel monitoring panel to control two Studer A80
multrack recorders (24 track and 16 track, synchronised).
Mushroom
was the premier studio in Vancouver and was sold in 1999 to John Wozniak. In
2026, the
Museum of Vancouver
removed the neon sign featuring the studio logo, designed and installed in
1980 by Charlie, at the
entrance to the driveway of the facility, and added it to their historic neon
sign collection.
In 1982, the
United States Institute for Theatre Technology
(USITT) invited Charlie to be their first
Sound Design Commissioner
where he oversaw the rapid growth of that commission. He subsequently was a
member of
USITT's
Board of Directors
from 1989 through 1992.
In 1986 RSD created
COMMAND/CUE™
, the first computerised audio control system. At the same time a
router/switcher, automated virtual console, and panoramic sound controller,
The very first director to use this was
Stephen Sondheim
for the
Into the Woods
pre-broadway premiere at the
Old Globe Theatre
In 1986.
COMMAND/CUE CONCURRENT
, in the opinion of top sound designers, was for many years the world's most
capable live surround sound tool. This was first used in 1988 by
Lily Tomlin
for her
The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
tour and became the industry standard for innumerable live theme park
stunt shows around the world and in
Las Vegas
.
In 1990, Charlie was appointed the
Sound Design and Show Control Editor
of the USITT publication
Theatre Design & Technology
, and with the assistance of theatre lighting and sound
developers around the world,
he oversaw the creation of the
first international standard that was developed entirely virtually
using a North American network provided by universities that were associated
with USITT and the
Canadian Institute for Theatre Technology
(CITT).
This standard is called
MIDI Show Control
(MSC) and is still key in show control implementation around the world today.
The USITT ratified MSC in August 1990 after fewer than 6 months of online
meetings, requiring no physical meetings of the participants. MSC was presented
to the
MIDI Manufacturers Association
(MMA) in January 1991 at which time it was incorporated into the official
Musical Instrument Digital Interface
(MIDI) standard.
In 1991 the company unveiled
Stage Manager™
show control software for dramatic new presentation capabilities.
Stage Manager pioneered the use of MSC
to manage a variety of intelligent media controllers:
lighting, sound, lasers, staging and more. This became the show control
standard for Broadway, cruise ships and themed installations everywhere.
In 1993 Charlie became a
Fellow of the USITT
, joining the dozens of accomplished theatre pioneers and practioners who have
advanced theatre technology.
1994 saw the release of
MIDIShowCD™
, the
world's first software for synchronizing multiple CD drives.
MlDlShowCD provided multichannel audio and multi source
effects at a fraction of the cost of alternative systems,
using common and reliable CD's.
In 1997, the
AudioBox™ Theatre Sound Design & Show Control System
from HFI combined an onboard eight channel digital sound
source with a flexible 16 X 16 DSP matrix. After years of
research, almost any form of sound manipulation could finally
be done in real time, completely in the digital domain, with
one box. The AudioBox was presented
TCI Magazine
's prestigious
Sound Product of the Year Award
for 1998.
Software support on major platforms allowed multichannel audio to be
equalized, delayed, manipulated and distributed in ways previously
only dreamed of.
In 1998 we introduced Loren Wilton's
ShowMan™
software for Windows NT [and 2K/XP], providing the power and capability of
both Stage Manager and MIDIShowCD on an industry standard platform.
ShowMan signifies real compatibility and true live show interaction.
In 1999 we presented Joanne Dow's
E-Show™
Control Network.
E-Show was the most significant show control concept yet,
comprised of industry standard computing hardware and industrial
standard interface cards all networked using world standard
TCP/IP network protocols. Now any IT department can effectively
assemble and support the world's most powerful show control
systems.
E-Show was presented
Entertainment Design Magazine
's prestigious
1999 EDDY Award
in the Show Control category. The Award
states: "Charlie's done it again. The E-Show Network is based on
industry-standard Windows NT computers interconnected via a
TCP/IP-based network; normally ethernet, but essentially any
TCP/IP-compatible network, even the Internet, can be used. The
system features RSD's Virtual PLC Hardware, comprised of
industry-standard industrial PCI/ISA computer cards, and is
driven by ShowMan(TM) software. E-Show also supports direct
ethernet connection with ethernet-capable industrial control
devices, thereby eliminating the need for host computers at
remote terminals. 'This is a great step in the right direction,
putting show control on a standard ethernet network,' says one of
the judges. 'No more serial lines, MIDI lines, etc.'"
In 2000, we introduced HFI's
AudioBox
Model AB1616
including 16 digital audio playback channels onboard
with automatic input switching between live and playback on the
first eight channels. On September 16 in Los Angeles, the
Ride Vehicle version of the AudioBox was awarded the
prestigious
THEA Award 2000
for Outstanding Achievement in
the area of
Breakthrough Technology
by the
Themed Entertainment
Association
(TEA). The Award states "Having been judged to represent
the highest standards of excellence and creative achievement in
the arts and sciences of the Themed Entertainment Industry."
In 2000, a
USITT Distinguished Achievement Award
was given to Charlie
for his meritorious career record in the field of Sound Design.
In 2005, we started shipping HFI's AudioBox
Model AB64
with up to 64 digital audio playback and recording channels, 64x64 DSP
audio matrix, 64 analog and/or CobraNet audio inputs and outputs and, of
course, a
full function Show Controller onboard - all in a compact, modular format.
In 2007, we introduced Loren Wilton's amazing
SoundMan™-Server
Virtual Sound System (VSS) Audio Engine API software for ISVs
which essentially
makes every conventional commercial and professional sound system obsolete.
SoundMan-Server is the greenest audio solution because it reduces your sound
system carbon footprint by up to 95%. In August, RSD
became an
IBM Business Partner
and SoundMan-Server a certified
IBM Store
Integration Framework (SIF) Application Solution
In 2007, we were proud to release the first commercial product
incorporating SoundMan-Server,
SoundMan-Designer
, software which fully emulates and runs all AudioBox shows and
audio files at a fraction of the cost. Also in 2007, The
Universal
Studios Hollywood WaterWorld
show was the first to be upgraded to
SoundMan-Server, along with the latest versions of ShowMan and E-Show.
Since then, SoundMan-Server, often in combination with ShowMan and E-Show, has
won many contracts and has been incorporated into a vast number of significant
end user software applications created by
almost 40 third party developers who use its powerful audio engine for a vast
number of capabilities and processes, replacing and augmenting dedicated audio
hardware in hundreds of new network based audio applications.
In 2009,
SoundMan-Assistant
was introduced which replicates the
functionality of the AudioBox AB64 for a fraction of the price and works
perfectly with
ABShowMaker
and
SoundMan-Designer
software.
In 2012, many SoundMan-Server computers became available with a wide variety of
I/O options allowing up to 999 live audio inputs and outputs within a single
rack mount computer form factor.
In 2013 SoundMan-Server became the audio engine of choice for
Show Cue Systems
for its live and playback theatrical matrix and playback
cueing system.
In 2017, we started working with commercial manufacturers of themed ride
systems to develop industry standard software based media controllers.
In 2020, we passed the milestone of delivering more than 2.5 million fully
licensed virtual sound control channels and an untold number of free versions
being used all over the world.
In 2026 we signed an agreement with
IMAX
to
guarantee ongoing SoundMan-Server software development to provide them with
features and support for their multiple immersive audio and video cinema
requirements for well more than 20 years into the future since they have
standardised on our system for their needs indefinitely.
The first major film to utilise the extensive features of SoundMan-Server is
Christopher Nolan
's epic
The Odyssey
, which was released July 17 to 58+ IMAX cinemas, all of which have this
impressive audio upgrade, dramatically increasing the number of audio playback
channels for incredible realism and impact.
Also in 2026, the latest in hundreds of installations by Steve Barbar of
E-Coustic Systems division of LARES Associates
commissioned the acclaimed
Obama Center sound reinforcement system and presented it to the world. This, as
does dozens of
their prestigious installations around the world, bases its success on
SoundMan-Server.
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