CEO Matt Anderson tells the stories behind the products

“Sound Devices started as nothing but a crazy idea inside my head. I had grown up creating little businesses mowing lawns, fixing bikes, repairing electronics, motorcycles, cars and such. I was heavily into music, and started building speakers and audio circuits as a kid. I eventually went to college, got a formal Electrical Engineering degree, and then was hired by a fantastic pro audio company, where I worked for several years. As I was nearing 30 years old, I figured it was time to give it a go on my own, designing and manufacturing audio equipment. I enlisted fellow engineer and friend, Brad Lovett, and we started drawing up plans. We first hired a lawyer to make sure we were squeaky clean legally, and then started planning from my basement outside of Chicago. Brad and I realized that – while we could handle the ‘tech side’ of things – if we wanted to be truly successful, we’d need more than just engineering. I then convinced Jon Tatooles and Jim Koomar to join us on the journey. They became the heart of the Sales and Marketing team. We found a good angel investor, did more planning, and then we incorporated. The four of us set up shop in a small office in Park Ridge [Illinois] above a paint shop – this is where we found the infamous box labeled ‘Sound Devices’ — our name was set, and we were on our way. I started designing what was to become the MP-1…”