Prism Sound, manufacturer of premium-quality interfaces and converters for the recording and broadcast markets, has acquired the business and intellectual property rights of SADiE, formerly owned by Studio Audio and Video Ltd.
The acquisition marks a new chapter in the histories of both businesses. The SADiE brand has long been held in high regard by the pro audio and broadcast industries for the quality and performance of its PC-based digital audio workstation products. Prism Sound is best known by this market for its high end A/D and D/A converters for mastering, tracking and post production. The merging of the two businesses under the Prism Sound name creates a stronger and more potent player in the market for high-quality audio production tools.
Prism Sound directors Graham Boswell and Ian Dennis negotiated the deal after learning that SADiE Studio Audio & Video Ltd had gone into administration in February.
“Along with many people in the industry, we were very saddened to hear that SADiE had run into problems,” says Graham Boswell. “The company‘s reputation for innovation and creativity is truly remarkable and its digital audio workstations are rightly considered to be the best in the world. SADiE has always insisted on the highest standards of engineering and this is reflected in the quality of its product range and the tremendous loyalty of its customers.”
Prism Sound‘s decision to acquire SADiE was based on a number of commercial factors. Both Prism Sound and SADiE are known for the quality, fidelity and performance of their respective products; both companies have impressive R&D and engineering heritages and both have enviable brand recognition throughout the broadcast and pro audio industries.
“Prism Sound is financially secure and in an ideal position to take on the SADiE brand,” Boswell adds. “By combining two complementary product ranges with overlapping customer bases, we are confident that we can create a formidable and highly competitive business for the future.”
The SADiE brand name will be retained but now as part of the Prism Sound business.
Prism Sound‘s initial aim is to place the existing SADiE product range on a secure business and financial footing. Existing customers will have full access to product support as before using the same telephone numbers and email addresses as previously and new orders are now once again being accepted by Prism Sound‘s sales offices in Cambridge, UK and New Jersey, USA. Deliveries will resume almost immediately, although availability of certain products may be limited initially as a result of reduced stock levels during the period of administration.
Prism Sound CTO, Ian Dennis, says: “SADiE products will benefit from joint marketing initiatives and we will also be looking at ways in which SADiE and Prism Sound products can be packaged into attractive bundles. Looking further into the future, we have the financial and engineering resources to aggressively develop new products and ensure that they are effectively promoted to broadcast and pro audio customers. We will be consulting with SADiE users to develop new product strategies and to identify ways in which the existing range can be enhanced and made more accessible to a wider market. We will be keen to combine the Prism Sound “Sound” with the supreme reliability and ease of use of the SADiE editing and production software.”
Prism Sound‘s acquisition has been welcomed by Joe Bull, founder and managing director of SADiE‘s former owner, Studio Audio & Video Limited.
He says: “It was a very sad day when Studio Audio & Video Limited had to be put into administration but I‘m delighted that Prism Sound has stepped forward to continue supporting the brand and the customers. Prism Sound and SADiE have very similar philosophies - creating the very best products for their customers - and I am sure that under Graham and Ian‘s stewardship the SADiE brand can thrive once again. I wish them and our customers every success for the future.”
Over the next few months, Prism Sound will identify a new location that will allow it to combine both businesses in one premises. During this transitional period, the Prism Sound team will operate from SADiE‘s old headquarters in Stretham, Cambridge as well as the current HQ at Cowley Road. However, all enquiries relating to SADiE products should be directed to Prism Sound‘s head office at William James House, Cowley Road, Cambridge on +44 1223 424 988 or sales@prismsound.com.
-ends-
The SADiE Heritage
SADiE was founded in May, 1991, by Joe Bull and Mike Kemp, who with Gary Lucas had been the driving forces behind Spaceward Studios and Spaceward Microsystems. Their experience in audio and computing was derived from several years in music and audio-visual production, followed by pioneering developments in computer graphics systems. This gave an excellent grounding in the techniques and quality issues affecting audio production, and a wealth of experience in developing software products.
The company's first product was the XS digital audio processing card, which was launched in 1991. The product attracted a great deal of interest and many clients, including Lightworks, adopted the XS card as the basis of their audio engine.
Development work on the Studio Audio Disk Editor (SADiE) began in January 1992. It initially offered "stereo editing" capabilities on the XS platform, which later became known as the SADiE Classic. The first sale of this simple replacement for a two-track tape recorder was made in May 1992 and by the end of that year it was selling to numerous mastering, post-production and broadcasting facilities. Glenn Meadows, recognised as one of the top mastering engineers in Nashville, purchased the first unit to be imported into the USA, while in the UK, the BBC adopted SADiE as their de facto standard for all radio feature productions. There are now in excess of 1,000 SADiE users at the BBC, in addition to a similar number at other major radio stations world-wide. There are also thousands of SADiE systems in use across the world in wider applications ranging from the earliest "Classic" systems to the current advanced Series 5 workstation.
About Prism Sound
Founded in 1987, in Cambridge, UK, Prism Sound manufactures high-quality professional digital audio equipment for the International broadcast, film, music production, manufacturing and telecommunications sectors. The company's product range includes the Prism ADA-8XR precision 8-channel converter unit, which is regularly used for music recording and for film soundtrack projects by clients such as EMI Abbey Road, BBC, Sony and the Metropolis group. Prism Sound also manufacture a range of audio test and measurement products, including the DSA-1 handheld digital audio generator/analyzer and the dScope Series III audio analyzer system. These are used by many major consumer electronics brands in automotive, home entertainment, personal mobile, communications and other market sectors, as well as most of the world‘s leading broadcasters including the BBC.
For more information: www.prismsound.com
