Alaska rental firm standardises on Allen & Heath for scalable live sound

Background and context

Table of Contents

Koch Sound, a production and sound rental company based in Kenai, Alaska, has spent the past decade consolidating its live sound operations around a single console ecosystem from Allen & Heath.

Owner Alex Koch first adopted the brand with a GLD-80 mixer nearly ten years ago. Since then, the company’s work has expanded from small community gatherings to regional festivals and touring shows, prompting a gradual refresh of its audio inventory while maintaining continuity in workflow and operation.

The decision offers a look at how smaller regional providers are approaching standardisation, training, and scalability in a market where digital mixing platforms continue to diversify.

Key announcement

Koch Sound now centres its day-to-day productions on two main Allen & Heath platforms: the Avantis digital console and the compact CQ-18T. This combination allows the company to scale from low‑channel‑count events to more complex productions while staying within the same control environment.

The CQ-18T is typically deployed on smaller shows where footprint and speed of setup are critical. Koch notes that the mixer’s size and tablet-based control reduce the need for a traditional front of house position and tent, which is often challenging in tight or outdoor spaces.

That approach was used during a recent EDM performance featuring DJ Buku, where Koch handled the show with a CQ-18T and a simple three-channel configuration. The compact rig was designed to deliver the required low-frequency impact while keeping the overall system lean.

For larger work, Koch relies on the Avantis, and has begun sharing that platform with other engineers in the region. At this year’s Homer HarborFest, Koch Sound supplied an Avantis to an Anchorage-based sound company providing the main PA. Although the visiting engineer had not previously used the console, Koch was able to provide on-site guidance based on training he had completed through Allen & Heath’s education programmes.

The same festival also hosted a dLive CTi1500 system brought in by the headline act, resulting in two Allen & Heath desks at front of house – one for the visiting tour and one for local system control.

More information on the manufacturer’s product range is available via the official Allen & Heath website.

Industry impact

The Koch Sound case illustrates how regional providers are using unified console ecosystems to streamline operations across varied event types:

Standardising on a single brand reduces training time for in-house staff and freelance engineers.
Shared workflows between compact and mid-format mixers allow smaller firms to move between club shows, civic events, and outdoor stages without relearning interfaces.
Compatibility with touring-level systems, such as dLive, can ease handovers when visiting productions arrive with their own front of house package.

For manufacturers, this type of long-term adoption highlights the role of training, certification, and on-site support in influencing purchasing decisions, especially for companies operating in geographically remote regions such as coastal Alaska.

Why this matters

For event technology professionals, Koch Sound’s experience underscores several practical trends. Smaller providers are increasingly looking for ecosystems that cover everything from entry-level mixers to touring consoles, rather than mixing and matching brands for different tiers of production.

This can have direct implications for show planning and crew deployment. Engineers familiar with one desk in a given ecosystem can move more easily onto another, lowering friction when sharing gear between companies or accommodating guest operators.

As more regional festivals and community events adopt digital workflows, examples like Homer HarborFest show how local and touring infrastructures can meet in the middle. For rental houses and production firms, investing in platforms that are already present on touring riders may help secure work with visiting acts while still serving local clients.

Ultimately, Koch Sound’s move to build around a single console ecosystem reflects a broader industry focus on consistency, training efficiency, and the ability to scale systems up or down without changing core operating practices.