PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE

“When working together with another person, it is essential to understand the other person’s point of view”

A conversation with Mario Arozarena
Mario Arozarena

Mario works with different programming languages to develop the software for the AIP and ZSM ranges. Every day he has to solve a wide range of technical problems, so he always tries to offer solutions that require originality and efficiency.

Mario recommends…

  • A book: I have a very good memory of the book entitled “Chess is my life … and something more”. It is the autobiography of chess legend Viktor Korchnoi. Nicknamed Viktor the Terrible, in it the chess genius tells us about his life and adventures in no uncertain terms. It begins with his beginnings in the Soviet Union and his rise to the world chess elite, continues with his exile and devotes a few pages to his two world championship matches against Karpov. It is undoubtedly an exotic biography full of anecdotes that will keep the reader’s attention and make him feel inspired by such an interesting character.
    A film:
    A few months ago a film about the plane crash in the Andes was released called The Society of the Snow. Directed by the Spaniard Juan Antonio Bayona, it shows the dramatic experience of the passengers of the Uruguayan air force flight 571 to Chile, who were forced to survive for weeks in subhuman conditions in a lost place in the Andes. These experiences are conveyed in a rigorous and raw way and during the film there is not a single moment of boredom or distraction. It is no coincidence that the film has been awarded twelve Goyas and an Oscar – and in my opinion it deserved more than that. It is a great film.
  • A song: I have to admit that I have been thinking about this answer for several days and I can’t make up my mind. I like Joaquín Sabina‘s music a lot but it’s difficult to decide on one, I could name ten of his songs off the top of my head, but if I had to choose just three of them (it’s impossible for me to choose just one) they would be: “Y nos dieron las 10”, “19 días y 500 noches” and “Nos sobran los motivos”.
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Hi Mario, tell us something about yourself… What do you do at Fonestar?

My job at Fonestar is as a programmer. I work on the necessary developments in the software of the AIP-GO, ZSM-GO and AIP-GATE. We make use of different programming languages that are adapted to the needs of the moment. It is sometimes a bit arduous work but in general it is rewarding because you collaborate in the operation of an exciting system such as the AIP and ZSM ranges.

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What do you like most about your job?

What I like most about my job is that every day you face a different problem. As each development focuses on a different part of the application, every day you encounter different pieces of code and different bugs that mean that each solution has to be adapted to a specific situation. This way you never get bored and the work always requires some originality.

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Can you tell us about your experience in implementing and testing audio over IP solutions and how this technology has transformed the sound industry?

When it comes to implementing and testing solutions, good communication with the rest of the team is key. Both when defining the development path and during the course of development, it is crucial to be clear about the objective to be pursued, in order to offer a solution as quickly as possible that is durable and reliable. There is no point in working hard on something that does not completely fix the bug. That is why it is vitally important to understand the customer’s needs as well as the vision that the rest of the team has of the solution to be provided.

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Audio over IP solutions are becoming increasingly popular. What are the most common challenges you encounter in your day to day work?

It is difficult to establish a clear pattern of the different issues we face. Sometimes the problems are caused by a misunderstanding of the system on the part of the customer, sometimes the customer detects a fault that was previously unknown to us, in which case the most important thing is to gather the necessary information to reproduce the error in our test lab, understand its origin and develop a solution. But as I said at the beginning, the day-to-day challenges are very different in nature and it is difficult to group them into a category or a series of categories.

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How do you work with other professionals and technical teams?

When working with other professionals, it is very important to emphasise proper communication. When working together with another person, it is essential to understand the other professional’s point of view, be it a colleague or a client, and to make an effort to propose a solution as clearly as possible. This is the only way to get everyone involved in a development to give their best and to bring the work at hand to a successful conclusion.

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Customer service is key in any technical role. How do you make sure you understand your customers’ needs in terms of audio over IP and how do you translate their requirements into specific tests to ensure customer satisfaction?

Normally, communication with the client takes place by telephone. After a call to the company a person from our department helps them with the problem at hand. In most cases the problem is solved at the end of the call, but in other cases, when it is something more fundamental, the development team studies the case and a solution is taken forward so that this error does not happen again to the customer who has called or to any other customer in the future.

“You need to be passionate about your particular field and strive every day to know a little bit more and to know better the tools you have at your disposal”

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Can you share an example of a complex technical problem you have solved in a product using audio over IP technology, and how you addressed it?

I remember when I had to get the AIP-GATE to recognise the AIP-IO sensors. Both devices are developed by the R&D department. Despite this, shortly after joining Fonestar, the AIP-GATE was not able to process the information that the AIP-IO sent every time a sensor underwent a change in its status. The challenge was important because until that moment I had never worked with a code that worked inside our equipment, consequently, to the complexity of the software of the device I had to add the fact that I had to familiarise myself with the usual use of the terminal of the equipment and the operating system that it houses. Although it was not an easy task, I remember that this development gave me a lot of learning as well as the satisfaction of being able to carry it out successfully.

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Technology is constantly changing. How do you keep up to date with the latest trends and developments in the field of audio over IP solutions and how do you apply that knowledge in your daily work?

The pace of innovation in technology today is dizzying. Very often new products come to market that can quickly change the way we do things. Keeping abreast of news in the latest technologies – most especially in artificial intelligence – is crucial. I am fortunate to be surrounded by colleagues with technological concerns, which allows me to get a more complete view of these advances than can be obtained by consulting news on the internet. Fonestar is also committed to training its employees and frequently offers courses and talks with experts in various fields that provide you with valuable information on new developments that have just come onto the market.

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Finally, can you share some advice for those who are interested in working in the field of audio over IP solutions, based on your personal experience and success?

The best advice that can be given is that of perseverance and hard work. Working with audio over IP solutions can be approached from different points, such as hardware design or the development of the embedded software that runs on the equipment, therefore each professional must know many aspects of their technical side, for this it is necessary to be passionate about your particular field and strive every day to know a little more and know a little better the tools you have at your disposal.