Applied Research and Technology, a division of Yorkville Sound, is proud to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2024. ART was founded in Rochester, New York by a team of engineers who first worked together at legendary pedal company MXR: Phil Betette, Tony Gambacurta, John Langlois, Richard Neutrour, and Terry Sherwood.
The company originally focused on the recording market, and the first ART products were digital reverbs. “We set out to produce good, solid, reliable products,” recalls Steve Hendee, Export Manager at Yorkville Sound and one of ART’s original employees. “No bells and whistles, just affordable, easy to use, and built to stand the test of time.”
This design philosophy is exemplified by the product for which ART may be best known, the Tube MP. The compact tube microphone preamp was nominated for a prestigious TEC Award in 1996 for “Outstanding Technical Achievement” in the Mic Preamplifier Technology category. It remains in production today and has earned the title of the world’s most popular external microphone preamp.
As with Hendee’s four-decade tenure, long relationships are a cornerstone of the brand. Yorkville Sound was an original distribution partner, and ART officially joined the Yorkville family in 1999. Manufacturing relationships have similar longevity: “We have been using the same manufacturer since the beginning,” he explains, “and treat each other as family.
On the importance of customer relationships, Hendee observes “ART users are almost like a secret society. Those who know, know. It’s a great global community, with two-way dialogue about the gear, hacks, what’s coming up, and what we should build next.”
Today, ART product development is headquartered in Yorkville Sound’s offices outside of Toronto, Canada, and the brand has grown to also serve the live sound and installed sound markets. At the 2024 Winter NAMM Show, ART announced the new Solo Series – a trio of all-analog 1U rackmount tube processors, priced to be accessible to any recording musician.
Jeff Cowling, Yorkville Sound’s vice president of Sales & Marketing, is proud of ART’s accomplishments: “One digital reverb concept out of Rochester in 1984 spawned a movement of recording enthusiasts. ART products can now be found in project and professional studios, and on stages around the world. For forty years, ART has inspired creativity and made music production more affordable and accessible.”
More releases are planned throughout the anniversary year, and ART is also looking forward to the 30th anniversary of the Tube MP in 2025.
For more information about ART visit artproaudio.com
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