Audient
Encyclopedia
Audient was founded in 1997 by David Dearden and Gareth Davies, previously of Soundcraft
. They had been founding partners of DDA - a company known for designing good value mixing consoles in the 1980s
and 1990s
.
The company carried on that philosophy, producing professional equipment at a mid-range price. Flagship designs include the ASP8024, a large inline mixing console with up to 80 inputs on the 36 channel version. Recent development has seen digital audio workstation
automation control implemented in the Zen and ASP2802, while still retaining the traditional analogue mixing console
interface.
The company is based in Herriard
(near Basingstoke
, Hampshire
, England
) but has employees in Bulgaria
, France
and Luxembourg
. A widespread distribution network is in place outside of the United Kingdom
, with Audient taking British distribution in-house as of July 2010.
Early products included the Aztec, a large console for live use, and the One loudspeaker processor. Since then the company has produced a range of new units, such as the ASP510 surround sound
controller and the ASP008 eight channel microphone preamplifier. Some of the company's most successful products are the Black Series signal processing units.
automation facilities - for use with Pro Tools
, Logic Pro
and other similar computer software. It has 16 channels with motorised faders, and is therefore designed to be the main desk of a project recording studio
. It has no equalisation or channel processing built in, but offers simple implementation of outboard equipment. There is a stereo bus compressor in the master section that has been reviewed particularly favourably.
control in a smaller 8 channel interface. It is designed to provide simple integration of analogue audio mixing
techniques in a computer-based studio environment.
units, such as the Black Series (compression, equalisation, word clock
generation and analogue to digital conversion
) and the ASP008 and MiCO microphone preamplifiers.
, Pete Townshend's
Eel Pie Studios
and House of Blues
, USA.
Imagine
album. Following the sessions, which were produced by Phil Spector
, David went on to design and build consoles for George Harrison
and Ringo Starr
.
Soundcraft
Soundcraft is a British manufacturer of mixing consoles and other professional audio equipment. It was founded by sound engineer Phil Dudderidge and electronics designer Graham Blyth in 1973.-History:...
. They had been founding partners of DDA - a company known for designing good value mixing consoles in the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
and 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
.
The company carried on that philosophy, producing professional equipment at a mid-range price. Flagship designs include the ASP8024, a large inline mixing console with up to 80 inputs on the 36 channel version. Recent development has seen digital audio workstation
Digital audio workstation
A digital audio workstation is an electronic system designed solely or primarily for recording, editing and playing back digital audio. DAWs were originally tape-less, microprocessor-based systems such as the Synclavier and Fairlight CMI...
automation control implemented in the Zen and ASP2802, while still retaining the traditional analogue mixing console
Mixing console
In professional audio, a mixing console, or audio mixer, also called a sound board, mixing desk, or mixer is an electronic device for combining , routing, and changing the level, timbre and/or dynamics of audio signals. A mixer can mix analog or digital signals, depending on the type of mixer...
interface.
The company is based in Herriard
Herriard
Herriard is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England, situated between Alton, and Basingstoke. At the 2001 census it had a population of 247...
(near Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) but has employees in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
. A widespread distribution network is in place outside of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, with Audient taking British distribution in-house as of July 2010.
Early products included the Aztec, a large console for live use, and the One loudspeaker processor. Since then the company has produced a range of new units, such as the ASP510 surround sound
Surround sound
Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
controller and the ASP008 eight channel microphone preamplifier. Some of the company's most successful products are the Black Series signal processing units.
ASP8024
Audient's flagship analogue console is the ASP8024. A version of this desk with an integrated control surface is known as the ACS8024. It has 80 inputs, with 36 channels and full 24-track routing. It also has 14 auxiliary buses and equalisation.Zen
2009 saw the release of the Audient Zen console. A more compact desk than the ASP8024, it was also the first to offer digital audio workstationDigital audio workstation
A digital audio workstation is an electronic system designed solely or primarily for recording, editing and playing back digital audio. DAWs were originally tape-less, microprocessor-based systems such as the Synclavier and Fairlight CMI...
automation facilities - for use with Pro Tools
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
, Logic Pro
Logic Pro
Logic Pro is a hybrid 32 / 64 bit digital audio workstation and MIDI sequencer software application for the Mac OS X platform. Originally created by German software developer Emagic, Logic Pro became an Apple product when Apple bought Emagic in 2002...
and other similar computer software. It has 16 channels with motorised faders, and is therefore designed to be the main desk of a project recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
. It has no equalisation or channel processing built in, but offers simple implementation of outboard equipment. There is a stereo bus compressor in the master section that has been reviewed particularly favourably.
ASP2802
The latest console is the ASP2802, which offers improved digital audio workstationDigital audio workstation
A digital audio workstation is an electronic system designed solely or primarily for recording, editing and playing back digital audio. DAWs were originally tape-less, microprocessor-based systems such as the Synclavier and Fairlight CMI...
control in a smaller 8 channel interface. It is designed to provide simple integration of analogue audio mixing
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
techniques in a computer-based studio environment.
Outboard Equipment
Audient also produces a number of microphone preamplifier and audio signal processingAudio signal processing
Audio signal processing, sometimes referred to as audio processing, is the intentional alteration of auditory signals, or sound. As audio signals may be electronically represented in either digital or analog format, signal processing may occur in either domain...
units, such as the Black Series (compression, equalisation, word clock
Word clock
A word clock or wordclock is a clock signal used to synchronise other devices, such as digital audio tape machines and compact disc players, which interconnect via digital audio. S/PDIF, AES/EBU, ADAT, and TDIF are some of the formats that use a word clock...
generation and analogue to digital conversion
Analog-to-digital converter
An analog-to-digital converter is a device that converts a continuous quantity to a discrete time digital representation. An ADC may also provide an isolated measurement...
) and the ASP008 and MiCO microphone preamplifiers.
Equipment Use
Audient equipment is in use at many major studios worldwide, such as Abbey Road StudiosAbbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
, Pete Townshend's
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
Eel Pie Studios
Eel Pie Studios
The Eel Pie Recording Studios, formerly Oceanic, are not actually located on the River Thames's Eel Pie Island but on the mainland in Ranelagh Drive by Twickenham Bridge. They were the venue for a number of notable rock and pop recordings. Eel Pie Studios' artists include Pete Townshend, Rachel...
and House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
, USA.
Previous Work
David Dearden famously worked on the console at Ascot Sound Studios during the recording of John Lennon'sJohn Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
Imagine
Imagine (album)
Imagine is the second album by John Lennon. Recorded and released in 1971, the album tended toward songs that were gentler, more commercial and less avant-garde than those on his critically acclaimed previous album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The album is considered the most popular of his works...
album. Following the sessions, which were produced by Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
, David went on to design and build consoles for George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
and Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
.
Related Links
- Mixing consoleMixing consoleIn professional audio, a mixing console, or audio mixer, also called a sound board, mixing desk, or mixer is an electronic device for combining , routing, and changing the level, timbre and/or dynamics of audio signals. A mixer can mix analog or digital signals, depending on the type of mixer...
- Recording studioRecording studioA recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
- SoundcraftSoundcraftSoundcraft is a British manufacturer of mixing consoles and other professional audio equipment. It was founded by sound engineer Phil Dudderidge and electronics designer Graham Blyth in 1973.-History:...
- HerriardHerriardHerriard is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England, situated between Alton, and Basingstoke. At the 2001 census it had a population of 247...
- Business in HampshireBusiness in HampshireHampshire's total economy is the largest economy in England outside London, providing almost 3% of total GDP for the UK as a whole.- Law & regulations :...