As the first audio company to join ABTT's Industry Support Group, Orbital Sound are committed to actively contributing to this newly established group with the aim of informing the industry of the potential of sound in performance.

Orbital are specialists in the supply of sound systems and design solutions for all Theatre, offering realistic audio solutions that meet both the creative and budgetary requirements of any production from their premises in central London. By offering extensive warehouse, technical support teams along with inhouse sound design and production departments as well as a fully equipped ProTools editing suite, Orbital are dedicated to maintaining a consistently high standard.

Audio can form a pivotal role in the overall success of any production, whether a musical such as Chicago, a straight play such as An Inspector Calls or the eclectric mix of Edinburgh's Festival Fringe, and Orbital work closely with directors, designers, operators and the production team to create the best audio solutions.

As Orbital's Sound Designer and ISG spokesperson Simon Whitehorn explained: "The expansion of sound in theatre had previously been the province of the large West End musical. This, however, is no longer the case. Thanks to the innovation of Sound Designers such as Paul Arditti, John Leonard, Scott Myers and others, as well as hugh advances in samplers and automated desks, there has been a revolution in the way that sound for non-musical plays is done."

The industry is adapting and developing quickly that it is difficult for individuals and organisations to keep up with the changes in technology. Orbital has found that there is a shortage of new people coming into the industry with the range and depth of skills to take up an entry-level job.

Simon Whitehorn explained further: "There are plenty of good people out there with the right personal skills and knowledge of theatre practice, it is just that they have not been given a chance to learn the technical skills we need with the latest equipment. Whereas ten years ago the theatre sound industry was using equipment that was ten or twenty years old in its basic design, now we are using equipment that has only been around a few years or sometimes months. Yamaha 02Rs and 03Ds for instance, which are now a standard in theatre playback systems, have only been around for a few years and are a complete change of culture from desks that were around before."

Orbital's objective is to capitalise on the breadth of facilities offered at their Brixton headquarters and offer an intensive training course to help bridge this gap.

The training program, to be run in association with the Royal National Theatre's Sound Department, will be aimed at students thay have already received an element of sound and theatre training, and will focus on the most recent developments of sound technology. Subjects to be covered will include automated desk programming, samplers and hard disk recording, CAD drawing, radio microphones, and sound system design.