Northant, United Kingdom (December 5, 2023)—Sonifex founder Paul Brooke has died after a short illness. The announcement was made by the company; initially founded in his living room, Sonifex has grown to become a mainstay manufacturer of audio products for AV, installed sound, broadcast radio and broadcast TV.
Showing an interest in electronics, radio and TV from an early age, Brooke built his first crystal radio set at the age of 10 and joined a local radio and TV club as a teenager, where radar screens were modified with RF circuitry to make an early form of television.
Brooke completed an apprenticeship at Marconi in Chelmsford, UK where he learned a broad range of engineering skills which set him up for a career in electronics, initially working at the AEI labs in Rugby and the Northampton-based mixing desk manufacturer Elcom/Plessey.
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Turning down a job at CERN in Switzerland, he instead decided to start his own company in his home in Wellingborough in 1969. Diving into mixing desks for the film and TV industry, he built Sonifex up steadily, employing more and more staff and relocating twice to purpose-built factories, as the company expanded. The company’s big break came in the 1980’s, when he created broadcast NAB cartridge machines which defined the company for many years.
Brooke retired in 1994, having developed Sonifex into a successful international broadcast manufacturer. Known for his a keen sense of humor, he leaves behind his wife Dorothy and sons Andrew and Marcus.
