PROFILE
Donny Chow
By Andrew King
G
rowing up, Donny Chow had a curious fascination
with electronics – specifically, electronic musical
instruments and sound systems. It was that ever-
growing interest that eventually led him to leave
his longtime home of Hong Kong, where he was
born and raised, and travel to Canada to continue
his secondary and then post-secondary studies.
After high school, Chow enrolled in the electronic engineering
program at the University of Western Ontario in London, ON. During
and following the completion of his studies, he witnessed first-hand
the analog-to-digital domain revolution of the late ‘80s and ‘90s and
kept pace with the non-stop technological innovations it spawned.
Having earned his degree at Western, Chow stayed in Canada
and landed his first full-time job with Adamson Systems Engineering
in Port Perry, ON. “That was my first taste of the pro audio industry,”
recalls Chow. “I was a member of Adamson’s engineering team, pio-
neering the development of the company’s first DSP loudspeaker
controller system.”
In 1993, Chow founded Arctic Design (the name being something
of a tribute to his very seasonal new country of residence) and went
into business for himself. Over the next decade, he and the company
completed several performance-critical custom design projects for
major award-winning Broadway productions like Show Boat and
Sunset Boulevard in addition to a host of other theatrical and live
event applications.
Then, drawing on his years of experience designing and develop-
ing new technologies, Chow founded Xilica Audio Design in 2002. He
and his team have since been producing high-end networked audio
DSP systems and control solutions for the pro audio and integration
markets. Earlier this year, the company celebrated its 15 th anniversary
of operations and also partnered with Contact Distribution to boost
the brand’s presence and profile in the Canadian market.
Currently, the team at Xilica is building on the success of its existing
XP, XD, and Neutrino series of DSP products with the next-generation
Solaro series. “We’ve bumped up the channel counts, improved the
Dante capabilities, and redesigned the modular cards methodology,”
explains the company’s director and chief engineer.
Another product currently in the works is the Universal Media
Controller, which enables users to easily configure and control AV
systems – audio, lighting, projection, and more – via an IP/serial/IR
interface. He excitedly adds that both new innovations feature com-
pletely redesigned touchscreens for user control.
Like many in the professional audio industry, Chow says his most
significant ongoing challenge is keeping up with the ever-changing
market and the technological innovations it spawns; however, com-
ing up with new solutions to help Xilica’s expanding customer base
makes it all worthwhile. “It’s