Vitec Imaging Solutions, a Division of The Vitec Group plc (“Vitec”), an international provider of premium branded hardware products and software solutions to the growing content creation market, announces it agreed to acquire Audix and its affiliates. The acquisition continues Vitec’s mission to marry great audio with great video for all types of creators.
Audix is a leading microphone brand for studio and live performance audio based in Portland, Oregon. The brand focuses on premium, professional vocal and instrument microphones, designed for studio, commercial and live applications, with cutting-edge audio technology designed and manufactured in the US.
As part of the Vitec family, the Audix team and facility in Oregon will become Vitec Imaging Solutions’ Audio R&D Centre of Excellence, enabling the acceleration of in-house microphone product design, development and manufacturing across all Vitec audio brands. With the acquisition of Audix, Vitec’s audio capture strategy is now structured around three core brands with a strategy to cover all growth segments of the $1 billion microphone market.
Audix: Microphones for Studio Recording and Installed Sound
Under the global umbrella of Vitec Imaging Solutions, Vitec will add sales, marketing and e-commerce capabilities to develop the US brand worldwide, while maintaining its innovation, with a primary focus on fast-growing wireless applications. “Audix will open its vertically integrated, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in the US to the rest of Vitec’s audio brands, ensuring the innovation is applied across our whole audio portfolio to the benefit of all Vitec brands’ users,” the release states.
Rycote: Microphones and Noise Cancellation Accessories for Professional Broadcasting and Filmmakers
The Rycote brand is dedicated to the broadcast and production segment producing windshields, shock mounts and handling protection systems. While Rycote windshields and mounts will continue to be made in the UK, “Rycote’s broadcast microphones will benefit from the additional manufacturing facilities in the US. This will enable us to extend the range, further enhance product performance and better serve the US market,” according to the announcement.
Joby: Mobile Microphones for Content CreatorsThe Joby brand is Vitec’s largest volume offering, servicing the 40 million monetizing social media influencers. The Joby microphone range is expanding later this month with new additions including professional on-camera mics and solutions for podcasters and gamers. Going forward, the development of Joby microphones will move to the US to accelerate the innovation process in the largest content creator market.
“Audix is the perfect addition to our existing audio range, in a high-tech, growing category,” says Marco Pezzana, Divisional CEO at Vitec Imaging Solutions. “The brand will significantly increase our total addressable market, advance our audio technology capabilities and, most importantly, bring great people with intimate knowledge of the audio industry, who will be a real asset to the company and enable us to accelerate the delivery of Vitec’s audio strategy and delight the content creator community with easy to use, high fidelity audio capture solutions.”
