Vitec has acquired Audix. If you are not familiar with Audix, they are a highly respected American audio brand that is focused on premium, professional vocal and instrument microphones, designed for studio, commercial and live applications.
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 that cover all growth segments of the $1 billion microphone market. Those three core brands are now Audix, Rycote, and JOBY.
So what is Vitec’s plan for these brands?
Audix
Under the global umbrella of Vitec Imaging Solutions, Vitec will add sales, marketing and e-commerce capabilities to develop the Audix brand worldwide. They also want to maintain its high level of 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 the whole audio portfolio to the benefit of all Vitec brands’ users.
Rycote
The Rycote brand is well known in the broadcast and production segment where it’s trusted by professionals for market-leading 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 Vitec to extend the range, further enhance product performance, and better serve the US market.
It may well be the case that Rycote’s new HC-15 and HC-22 shotguns microphones were being made by Audix, or at least with some of their input.
JOBY
The JOBY brand is Vitec’s largest volume offering, servicing the more than 40 million monetizing social media influencers. The JOBY microphone range is expanding later this month with new additions including professional on-camera mics and innovative 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.
Thoughts
This is an interesting move by Vitec as they don’t have a company under their umbrella that makes microphones, except for JOBY, which is aimed at a certain sector of the market.
It will be interesting to see if Audix starts making on-camera microphones, shotgun microphones, and wireless systems or whether they will be marketed under the Rycote brand. I’m hoping to see a range of products that are made for working professionals in the film and TV industry.
