New York, NY (January 8, 2024)—Supply chain issues have largely been resolved, the trickle of artificial intelligence flowing into audio products has become a flood, and the race continues for the ultimate headphone playback of immersive music. Meanwhile, you can still buy a 2-channel compressor for more than $20,000, if desired, or a custom 32-channel hand-made analog console. You gotta love this industry! Every year, we present our take on which companies you should keep an eye on in the coming 12 months, and here’s the 2024 edition of Companies To Watch—a comprehensive, four-part, alphabetical and analytical list of pro audio companies on the move, as determined by the co-editors of Mix.
ALLEN & HEATH
Compact, lightweight, power-efficient live sound control packages are increasingly a must-have, whether for touring, installation or corporate gigs—and that kind of rig is one of Allen & Heath’s fortes. The console manufacturer hit that big-capability/small-footprint sweet spot twice in 2023. First it launched its CQ Compact Digital Mixer Series with a trio of offerings, and then followed up in October with the debut of the Avantis Solo Mixer, a 12-fader, single-screen desk with the same 64-channel, 42 bus architecture as the original Avantis but nearly 50% less weight. Meanwhile, on the integration side, the company also unveiled the i DX88-P, a 96 kHz expander designed for fixed installations. With all those new offerings, and its larger dLive desks only growing in popularity, it is a safe bet Allen & Heath has more up its sleeve for 2024.
APOGEE DIGITAL
At the NAMM Show back in April 2023, Apogee released the jamX audio interface, aimed at guitarists and offering built-in compression developed in hand with legendary mix engineer Bob Clearmountain. It follows in line with previous releases such as Duet 3 and BOOM audio interfaces, and even the HypeMic podcast/vocal mic, in that the software control, preamps and pro-level converters are high-quality, affordable, versatile and simple to use. The entry-level products for musicians, podcasters and content creators are about the best bang for your buck you’ll find in any product category. In 2024, we’re looking forward to seeing what the company will do in immersive music, having signed a deal with Ginger Audio last November to incorporate the latter’s GroundControl Sphere software into a complete Dolby Atmos mix system based on Apogee’s flagship Symphony MkII interface. Look for a presentation near you in 2024; the company is taking its Dolby Atmos Music solution on the road.
APPLE
For a computer company, Apple sure has a huge influence on professional audio. From the hardware of its desktop and laptop computers, to updates in its MacOS and iOS, to the use of iPhones and iPads for remote control, to the deliverables it requires for playback on Apple Music, Apple Spatial and AppleTV+, if the company speaks, the audio industry listens. In early 2020, UMG and Dolby announced deals with Tidal, Amazon and other streamers to deliver music in Atmos, and it made the news. Six months later, the announcement of Atmos feeding Apple Spatial made a giant splash, and the music industry suddenly became more interested. Not to forget: Apple Logic Pro is still the best $199 you will ever spend in audio, and its 10.8 update last fall added 32-bit floating-point processing. So…Yeah. It always pays to keep an eye on Apple.
AUDIOMOVERS
The pandemic put Audiomovers on the map, but it was the software company’s audacious moves in 2023 that ensured no one will mistake it for a one-product outfit. Able to help audio pros work from home during the height of the COVID days with its Listento remote collaboration plug-in, Audiomovers became an industry standard virtually overnight. Abbey Road Studios acquired the company in 2021, and 2023 saw it bring a bevy of new offerings to market: Omnibus 2, designed to route audio between devices and applications; Inject, facilitating the introduction of sources into a DAW; and the Audiomovers Binaural Renderer for Apple Music Plug-In, allowing users to hear how immersive sessions will sound on Apple Music while still working in any DAW. With all that on its plate, plus a recent bundle collaboration with Avid, Audiomovers is moving at a fast pace—let’s see where it heads this year.
