CAS Quarterly

66 S U M M E R 2 0 2 1 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y OUTSTANDING PRODUCT – PRODUCTION Sound Devices CL-16 Linear Fader Control Surface for 8-Series by MATT FOGLIA CAS Meet the Winners Sound Devices has been creating devices that resonate with the world of production sound for more than two decades. Many awards have been bestowed on the company for the impact its products have in our field. According to my records, this is the 10th CAS Award win for Sound Devices, garnering its first for the 744T back in 2007. Co-founder Jon Tatooles took some time to discuss the company's history, growth, and impact. When you founded Sound Devices in 1998 with Matt Anderson and Jim Koomar, what was your initial goal? We didn't have particularly lofty goals when starting Sound Devices. It was the right time for a few guys to take a blind leap. And as a startup, we had to do things a little differently than in our previous roles at Shure, a mature company we continue to admire and respect. The first thing we wanted to do was to directly engage and build strong relationships with the individuals who actually use and abuse production gear. We continue to build and nurture those relationships, which advise our product strategy. Another early, important goal was to simplify sales. In 1998 and 1999, the internet was predicted to revolutionize every aspect of business; it did in many ways. We offered our first few products directly from our website for the first few years. We didn't sell much, but it informed much of what we did later. What were some of your original products? The MP-1, a battery-powered single-channel microphone preamplifier is the origin product. It is still an active model and one of the few all-analog products the company offers. The (original) MixPre and MP-2 came shortly after that. The USBPre, the industry's first bus-powered microphone interface for computers, was previewed at AES in 2000. The 442 field mixer was first available in 2001. In 2004, the 7-Series began shipping. Do you recall a moment when you felt the company was really making traction in the industry? The first shipments of the 744T in 2004 were an important milestone for the company, and for production sound. The 744T The Sound Devices CL-16 development team. From left to right: Ed Judziewicz, Paul Isaacs, Jason McDonald, Jon Tatooles, Tanner Breisch, and Matt Anderson.

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