Betty Bennett, Founder of Apogee Electronics: Whenever you find your passion, it's not really work anymore.

How did you get started in this business? You were living in Kalamazoo, MI?

I was studying business and computer science in 1978; learning to program in BASIC. It was right after the Fortran and COBOL era, and I’m not even sure why I took to it – no one in my family had a background in technology. But I found it logical and intriguing. At the time, Michigan’s economy was struggling due to the gas crisis, high interest rates, and a tough real estate market, so I took a job offer from the chap who had started Systech [Systems & Technology in Music]. He had just started importing Soundcraft consoles into the U.S. Initially, I was the “all-purpose” office person. There were only five of us, so I managed phones, bookkeeping, customer service, shipping, and even learned to solder. The Soundcraft Series 1 consoles were shipped as kits to avoid import duties, so we had to assemble them in-house! We were located in an industrial building with the only other audio companies in Kalamazoo at the time: Gibson guitars and ProCo Sound. There was one professional studio in town called Cross Roads, and I remember being so impressed by the rather large MCI console and the analog tape machines. So, my start in the professional audio business was less than glamorous but I was hooked.

What came next?

I’d always dreamed of moving to California, and although I loved my job at Soundcraft I wanted to leave the Midwest and experience the West Coast. I made the decision and gave Soundcraft’s owners, Phil Dudderidge [Tape Op #121] and Graham Blyth, 90 days' notice. Soon after, they called me and said, “We don’t want to lose you, plus we’ve always wanted the company to be in either California or New York. Please take it with you.” So, at 22 years old, I closed the Michigan office on a Friday, drove cross-country with my cousin over the weekend, and opened the California office on Monday. No downtime. It felt like an adventure, and at that age, I didn’t think twice about it.

Did you finish school?

No, I’d planned to finish school in California, but when Soundcraft gave me the opportunity to run their U.S. division I went all in. I’d already found my passion and felt like I was getting an unparalleled education in real-time. I did enroll at UCLA for a while but never completed my degree. Looking back, I’m glad I followed my gut. Whenever you find your passion, it's not really work anymore. It's your life, and luckily it was in the music business. At that point, Soundcraft’s products focused on the live part of the industry, with touring bands, so it was exciting. I'd go out to shows, talk about gear, meet interesting people, and experience how our products were used. In addition, I was able to travel throughout the U.S. visiting dealers. I don’t think I could have dreamt of a better position.

How did you transition from Soundcraft to founding Apogee?

Soundcraft’s U.S. distribution hit a wall when Soundcraft Limited in London shifted to surface-mount technology. What wasn’t anticipated was how accurate the layout of the circuit board had to be, they started the production line up, and the leads from the components never made it into the holes in the circuit board. They had to halt production and re-layout every board This oversight caused a six-month production halt, and at the time I had 8 to 10 million dollars in back orders and a lot of unhappy customers. This, of course, caused a bit of a cash problem for Soundcraft. It was then that Phil and Graham asked me if I could sell the American division. I reached out to Harman, who had previously expressed interest in us building a mixer for them, and they were interested. The deal closed quickly. I remember signing papers late one Friday night and on Monday I had my first child. Soon after [December 1985], Apogee was founded with Bruce Jackson, an award-winning live sound engineer, and Christof Heidelberger, a brilliant engineer I had previously worked with at Soundcraft.

What were the initial goals for Apogee when you started?

CDs were being criticized for sounding "harsh" and "clinical.” Christof believed the problem lay with the anti-aliasing filters in digital multitracks, like Sony’s PCM-3324 and Mitsubishi’s X-850. Bruce and Christof spent months researching and prototyping. They went to mastering engineers like Bernie Grundman, Bob Ludwig [Tape Op #105], and Doug Sax, for their opinions and advice, and they participated in listening tests of each of our prototypes. Once satisfied, we then created pin-for-pin replacements for the Sony and Mitsubishi filters; our 944 series of filters. The sound difference was night and day, but convincing studios to buy them was tough since replacing the filters in the machines would void their warranties I pivoted and started marketing directly to artists; Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, and Dire Straits being some of the first, along with all the rental companies. The more popular artists had their own 3324s, so they could buy the filters and retrofit them, voiding their warranty, which was such a crazy thing now that I think about it. Those digital tape machines were $125,000 to $150,000 each, and they were letting us go in there with a soldering iron! But the sound was so drastically different and so audibly better that once they heard the difference they wouldn’t record on a machine without it being “Apogee enhanced.” It started this whole revolution. The Record Plant upgraded their digital multitracks, then the Power Station, and on it went.

It was two filters per channel? This was not a simple retrofit.

No, and it wasn't cheap either. They were $120 each so $5,760 for the Sony 3324 and $7,689. for the Mitsubishi and Otari multitrack machines. They paid an Apogee-qualified tech several hundred dollars to install them. We had a small group of techs that we authorized to do the installs; we couldn't just let anybody in there with a soldering iron!

From filters to converters, what sparked that transition?

After filters, we started exploring jitter and power supply issues that affected sound quality. When Sony asked us to consult on their PCM-3348, we thought, “Why not make our own converter?” We didn't want to be in the parts business. So, we created the AD 500 and DA-1000 converters. It was a steep learning curve – I had to figure out everything from manufacturing to supply chain logistics. We were essentially learning by doing, but it worked. When I look back, if I knew what I was getting into and knew how much work it would have been I would never have done it! At that point we were on a mission We didn't have a business plan. We didn't think, “Oh, we're going to start a company." We just thought, “Oh, we found the answer to this problem. Let’s see if we can fix this and not go broke while we're doing it." That's how it started!

I bought an AD 500 and used it for over ten years!

I know some manufacturers bring out a new piece every 18 months or so, and it's like they have disposable technology. It's a good business model in some ways, but it's just not our model. It takes us way too long to do the R&D for a product. We innovate and design them to last, and they do. There are people with Trak 2s that are 20 years old. If something goes out on them I don't even have the parts to repair them anymore. Because the parts have been EOL’d [End Of Life] for so long, we created trade-in programs where we keep the old trade-ins for the parts. If there's one person that won't let go of their whatever, we can at least salvage a part from one of the other boards and fix it. But that's getting really hard to do as time goes by.

Apogee’s evolved into much more than converters. What’s kept you inspired?

I’ve always loved technology and the challenge of solving audio’s next big problem. Immersive audio is one of those frontiers. We were early adopters, while some doubted it would last, thinking it would fade like 5.1 surround. But I believed it would stick. We built immersive capabilities into our Symphony, and now with advances in consumer playback systems like Sonos, immersive audio is here to stay.

You’re a woman who carved a path in a male-dominated industry. What was that like?

I never thought about it. If there was bias I didn’t notice it. I was too focused on solving problems and getting things done. I’ve always believed people respond to competence. If I felt resistance, I assumed it was because I needed to be better prepared, not because I was a woman.

Any advice for young women entering pro audio?

Keep your focus on being good at your craft. Don’t overthink perceived barriers. The music industry is actually quite open if you’re competent and persistent. My mother always taught me to keep going after the goal. If someone doesn’t respond, try again try in a different way. I’ve seen too many people give up after one rejection. Persistence is everything.

You’ve managed a team of 25 in-house employees, along with contractors. What’s your approach to management?

I’m not a fan of managing people. It’s exhausting, because every employee’s problem becomes your problem. But I’ve learned that the key is to have strong, self-managing team members. We’ve had people with us for 30 years, and it’s feels like a family. When you’re in this business, it’s hard not to fall in love with it. The people are amazing, and you’re building tools that help creators make beautiful art. What’s not to love about that? I’ve been very fortunate, and I don’t let a day go by without being grateful.