Originally created from the burgeoning success of DiGiCo, the British pioneers of digital mixing, Audiotonix is a professional solutions group that is becoming ever more powerful in all aspects of professional audio. Since the acquisition of Sound Devices in 2021, Audiotonix signaled a new expansion phase of the group in North America, now encompassing an even larger range of audio production tools.
With nearly half a century of experience in live sound combined with more than 30 years of designing and building in-ear monitors (IEMs), industry-renowned engineer and JH Audio founder, Jerry Harvey, is synonymous with custom-fit IEM moulds for many of the most demanding ears and artists in live touring.
Sound Devices is a premier audio equipment manufacturer that pioneered digital multitrack field recording for film and media production. Founded in 1998 by Matt Anderson, Jon Tatooles, Jim Koomar, and Brad Lovett, who previously worked for Shure, Sound Devices became part of Audiotonix in 2021, but its operations remain separate.
The company’s growing range of multitrack audio recorders and field production mixers has been complemented by Astral RF wireless products, which in turn resulted from the group's synergies and the earlier acquisition of Audio Limited, the UK manufacturer and developer of high-performance wireless microphone systems in 2018. To this day, the company continues to design, assemble, and support its products from its Reedsburg, Wisconsin headquarters, as well as Madison, Wisconsin, and Watford, UK offices.
Apart from the natural synergies in field production with the classic Sound Devices range of products, the Astral RF series is also meeting the growing needs for wireless in live event production, corporate AV, and houses of worship. And in January 2024, Sound Devices announced the launch of the Astral Wireless Guitar System, designed specifically for use by guitar and bass players. Gradually, it becomes increasingly obvious that this range of products will also expand to encompass wireless monitoring and IEM solutions.
"We couldn’t be more excited about bringing the JH Audio team into the Sound Devices fold. The timing is perfect as we continue to build on our Astral RF range of solutions that are rightly being recognized as the one true global RF wireless system for live events, touring, and location sound. Both teams' R&D aspirations and the close link between RF and IEMs align perfectly, and with a focus on innovation to deliver future synergies across our Astral family and other products is one that has me and the whole team here salivating, and one that should delight all our customers in the coming months," explains Sound Devices' CEO, Matt Anderson.
James Gordon, Audiotonix CEO, adds, “For anyone with a passion for technology and pro audio, then this partnership is one to really pay attention to. Jerry Harvey is the true pioneer of IEMs with over 30 years of in-ear innovation, the principles of which are incorporated in most IEM designs today. Being able to put the resource behind the JH Audio team to take IEMs to their next level alongside Sound Devices and some of our other live-focused Audiotonix brands should deliver something very special for our users and their clients."
Interestingly, JH Audio has been creating a range of electronics for its top IEM product for professionals, the JH Audio Pearl Tri Amp Micro Speaker Management System, which is a belt-pack solution with software-programable features that allow users to precisely control gain, phase, time, and equalization of low, mid, and high frequencies of an in-ear monitor. Adding these features directly into an IEM wireless is just another step, as JH Audio's founder and CEO Jerry Harvey explains.
“Over the years I have been fortunate to work closely with James (Gordon) at DiGiCo and then more recently with the Audiotonix group. It’s always been a relationship based on delivering new technologies for the benefit of engineers and artists in our industry, and our most recent collaboration on the Pearl IEM system gave the JHA crew a taste of the potential of working more closely with their team. By joining the Sound Devices family with Matt Anderson at the helm, we now have an incredible opportunity to not just evolve our next gen of IEM technologies but to gain access to like-minded partners and customers globally."
Jerry Harvey Audio, LLC is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, from where it assembles its products using proprietary drivers, crossover components, and custom earpieces, endorsed by top touring musicians, engineers, and enthusiasts.
www.jhaudio.com
www.audiotonix.com
www.sounddevices.com
