Vitec Imaging Solutions, a Division of The Vitec Group, has acquired US microphone manufacturer Audix, as it looks to bolster its offering in the content creation market
Based in Portland, Oregon, Audix manufacturers a diverse portfolio of microphones for both recording and live performance applications.
Now under the Vitec umbrella, Audix staff and its Oregon facility will become Vitec Imaging Solutions’ Audio R&D Centre of Excellence. This, Vitec stated, will enable the acceleration of in-house microphone product design, development and manufacturing across all Vitec audio brands. The acquisition means that Vitec’s audio recording strategy is now structured around three core brands that cover all growth segments of the $1 billion microphone market - Audio, Rycote and JOBY
With regard to Audix, Vitec will add sales, marketing and e-commerce capabilities to grow the brand worldwide, while focusing on fast-growing wireless applications. Audix will now open its vertically integrated manufacturing facility to the rest of Vitec’s audio brands.
Meanwhile, the Rycote brand, which manufactures microphones and noise cancellation accessories for professional broadcasting and filmmakers, will benefit from the additional Audix manufacturing facilities in the US, allowing Vitec to further expand its product catalogue.
JOBY, Vitec’s largest volume offering, will look to expand upon its core offering in the content creation and social media influencer market with a range of new products. This will include professional on-camera mics and solutions for podcasters and gamers.
“Audix is the perfect addition to our existing audio range, in a high-tech, growing category,” said 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.”