Founded in 1987, Outlook Communications has been a beacon of service to the Victorian arts and festival industry for over three decades. Originally incorporated as Outlook Audio, the company began its journey as a provider of quality audio systems for Theatre and events- where Italy’s leading loudspeaker manufacturer, RCF, began playing a pivotal role in the delivery of the superior sound for which Outlook have become well known.
Solutions from RCF were adopted in Outlook’s formative years, eventually leading them to acquire a fleet of RCF’s legendary ART 300 and ART 310 systems. First appearing in 1996, the ART 300 was one of the world’s first portable, composite material loudspeakers, becoming a touchstone upon which all other professional composite systems continue to be measured. With the release of RCF’s new ART 9 Series, Outlook Communications recently set out to upgrade their loudspeaker fleet, investing in twelve new ART 912-A systems to compliment a host of ART 3 speakers that are still in service two decades later.
Growing in time to encompass the full spectrum of live production requirements, Outlook Communications now offer professional broadcasting services, lighting solutions, production and logistics, and an expanding installation division. 2023 saw former owner Greg Ginger appoint long-term employee Jack Jones as owner and Managing Director. A specialist in Theatre sound, Jack’s lasting impression of the ART 3 Series helped him make an informed decision when acquiring his new ART 9 fleet:
“The fidelity is fantastic and the ART 9 Series really has that ‘corporate look’ with its more subtle branding. The extra handle compared with the ART 3 is a big help, and they are also noticeably lighter. We know from the way they’ve been constructed- still being handcrafted in Italy- and from the fact that our ART 3’s are still going strong, that these ART 9’s will survive anything we can throw at them.”
Jack gets out an ART 300 for us, revealing a box in remarkably good condition. “This one was purchased in 2003,” says Jack, “but we have some other ART 3 boxes here that are older. We have our own custom transport cases made for all of them, which helps us look after them properly. They have been used on everything from dry hire, to theatre, to community projects and festivals.” Operating out of their Preston warehouse, Outlook Communications have been an integral part of major events across Victoria, including the Australian Grand Prix, Commonwealth Games, City of Melbourne’s New Years Eve events, St Kilda Festival, Melbourne Moomba Festival, as well as countless Theatre and Education projects. Solutions from RCF are deployed throughout, as Jack explains:
“RCF systems really excel as a workhorse brand, and we’re excited to start rolling out the ART 912-A’s across a variety of projects. As with the ART 3’s, we often pair them with RCF’s SUB 702-AS II subwoofers, which are surprisingly punchy for their size. We’re also looking at RCF’s new M-Compact series to replace our aging in-fill speakers, so it looks like there’s going to be even more RCF in our warehouse. It’s a future we’re looking forward to.”
