Focusrite PLC is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

music and audio products group based in

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, south-southeast of Ayl ...

, England (with its history in Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd.). The Focusrite Group trades under eight brands: Focusrite, Focusrite Pro, Martin Audio,

ADAM Audio Advanced Dynamic Audio Monitors (ADAM) Audio was founded in March 1999 in Berlin, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after ...

Novation Novation, in contract law and business law, is the act of – # replacing an obligation to perform with another obligation; or # adding an obligation to perform; or # replacing a party to an agreement with a new party. In international law, no ...

, Ampify Music, Optimal Audio and

Sequential In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is called th ...

. Focusrite designs and markets audio interfaces, microphone preamps, consoles, analogue equalizers (EQ) and

channel strip A ''channel strip'' is a device that allows the output of an audio device to be amplified to a line level and integrated into some other system. An audio channel strip may be a stand-alone unit or one of many units built into a mixing desk. It ...

s, and

digital audio processing Audio signal processing is a subfield of signal processing that is concerned with the electronic manipulation of audio signals. Audio signals are electronic representations of sound waves—longitudinal waves which travel through air, consisting ...

hardware and software for professional and home studios. Focusrite has been the recipient of four Queen's Awards for Enterprise, two for International Trade and two for Technology. Focusrite Console

History

Founded in 1985 by

Rupert Neve Arthur Rupert Neve (31 July 1926 – 12 February 2021) was a British-American electronics engineer and entrepreneur, who was a pioneering designer of professional audio recording equipment. He designed analog recording and audio mixing equipment ...

, Focusrite's first contracts included a commission from

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the B ...

to build extensions to

AIR Studios Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...

' custom Neve consoles, initially the vintage recording console in Martin's

AIR Montserrat Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...

studio in the Caribbean – specifically a microphone preamplifier and equaliser. Audio industry entrepreneur and co-founder of Soundcraft Electronics Ltd,

Phil Dudderidge Phil Dudderidge (born 6 February 1949 in Radlett, England) is a British sound engineering entrepreneur. He is a notable figure in the professional audio industry, having worked as Led Zeppelin's concert sound mixer, and later co-founding Soundcra ...

purchased the company's assets in April 1989, establishing Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd and reissuing the original modules along with some new designs. The company also designed a new console, the Focusrite Studio Console, released in 1990. In August 2004, Focusrite acquired electronic instrument manufacturer

which became a subsidiary called Novation Digital Music Systems Ltd. On 12 December 2014, Focusrite was floated on the AIM market as Focusrite plc. In July 2019, Focusrite acquired monitor speaker manufacturer ADAM Audio, and in December 2019 acquired Martin Audio who manufacture loudspeaker systems for sound reinforcement. In April 2021, Focusrite acquired

, a designer of analogue synthesizers. In March 2022, Focusrite acquired the UK audio equipment maker Linea Research Holdings for £12.6 million.

References

{{reflist

External links

The official Focusrite website
Audio mixing console manufacturers Audio equipment manufacturers of the United Kingdom British brands Manufacturing companies established in 1985 Electronics companies established in 1985 British companies established in 1985 1989 mergers and acquisitions 2004 mergers and acquisitions 2014 initial public offerings 2019 mergers and acquisitions 2021 mergers and acquisitions 2022 mergers and acquisitions