1948 |
At the beginning of 1948, Willi Studer founded his
business. After working for six months, almost day and night,
the first ten high-voltage oscilloscopes were produced
and ready for delivery. In September of the same year,
the young firm moves to Wehntalerstrasse in Zurich
into the basement of an old post office building, where
the staff consisted of three people. |
1949 |
The first tape recorders are imported from the USA.
They are not marketable without modifications, so the
importer approached Studer to modify these devices
by replacing capstan-shafts, friction pulleys and rollers.
Slowly the idea of developing and constructing a better
tape recorder emerges. With the purchase of 500
recorders from the importers, development on the first
Studer-designed tape recorder 'Dynavox' begins. |
1951 |
The prototype of the first Studer professional
studio tape recorder is ready for operation, and it is
used by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation to record
on tape for the first time the performances at the
Lucerne International Music Festival. |
1952 |
In addition to the production of the T26 REVOX tape
recorder (the successor to the Dynavox series), 100
studio tape recorders are built. |
1955 |
A new era of professional studio tape recorders begins
with the development of the series Studer A37 and B37. |
1958 |
The prototype of the first portable Studer model 69
mixing console is completed, but before it can be
offered to the Swiss Broadcasting System, it has to pass
many tough tests in the Inspection Department of the
Swiss Postal Authority. |
1963 |
Introduction of the fully transistorised professional
tape recorder A62. |
1964 |
Presentation of the prototype version of the 4-channel studio
tape recorder J37. It represents the most
complex tube-equipped machine of its day and its use
on Sgt. Pepper’s paves the way for the acceptance of
Studer products by well-known disc recording studios
the world over. |
1968 |
A new audio mixer, Studer 089, is offered by the studio
equipment division. Compact modules which provide
a multitude of adjustments in each channel form the
nucleus of this new product. |
1970 |
The new generation of the series A80 professional
studio tape recorders is introduced in the spring of this
year. The entirely new design concept satisfies a wide
range of applications while its well-conceived modular
construction is optimised for production. Some of its
outstanding characteristics are: Sturdy tape transport
mechanism with integrated logic control, electronically
controlled tape tension even during fast wind and
braking phases, electronic sensing of tape motion and
direction, electronic tape timing, electronic speed
control, plug-in amplifier modules with separately
plug-gable equalization and level pre-sets plus electronic
equalization changeover. |
1978 |
A memorable year for the founder Willi Studer: In
autumn the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) honours him for his relentless
effort and research. They bestowed upon him the rare
Honorary Doctor of Technical Sciences. The newly
developed multi-channel tape recording machine
Studer A800 is introduced. The largest machine
ever provides exceptional features: micro-computer
controlled drive mechanism, PLL capstan servo with
13 MHz quartz control and flat disc tape tensioning.
The late eighties and early nineties saw a great deal of corporate activity. Studer Editech was formed after the
buy-out of the American company Integrated Media
Systems. Studer soon offered digital audio workstations
complementing existing digital products as the D827 48-channel digital DASH recorder. |
1990 |
A program of extensive reorganisation culminated
with the sale of the Studer group to HARMAN
INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES in 1994.
The first large scale digital mixing console, the D940,
was sold to WDR Cologne in 1993. In spring ‘95 a
complete digital radio broadcast system for Swiss
broadcaster DRS went on air.
In the same year Studer presented its first 2-track
MO recorder, the D424. An 8-channel Mic/Line
preamplifier with high-end A/D converters was
launched as the first unit of the so called D19 Series. |
1996 |
A year of new products starting with the new CD
Recorder D741, followed by new digital routing
equipment, a new analog mixing desk Studer 928 for
broadcast, theatre and live production, and the digital
continuity console Studer OnAir 2000 with a highly
ergonomic user interface. |
1997 |
The all new Studer D950 digital mixing console gains
much attention on the first presentation due to its
unparalleled performance and capabilities. |
1998 |
Introduction of the revolutionary Virtual Surround
Panning™ mixing format on the D950S and the
PUMA-chip: this specialised high-power DSP-chip
developed by Studer is used in the DigaStudio
controller for the DigAS software by D.A.V.I.D.
Also in 1998 Studer introduced the V-Eight, an 8-channel 20-bit digital multitrack recorder based on
S-VHS cassettes. |
1999 |
Studer adapted the D950 core technology to the digital
D941 broadcast mixing surface, resulting in a very powerful
and flexible broadcast desk, the Studer OnAir 5000. |
2000 |
Studer re-launched its very successful D950 high-end
digital mixing console as the D950M2 with a new
surface design and many more features. In the same
year Studer also introduced the OnAir 1000 digital
mixing desk for radio broadcast and production
applications. |
2001 |
After more than 600 OnAir 2000 installations, the OnAir
2000M2 entered the market – a completely reworked and
improved version of the OnAir 2000 including an input router and with new, attractive styling. |
2002 |
A very busy year for Studer. At NAB in Las Vegas
Studer surprised the industry with the most
advanced user interface in the market, the Vistonics
Touch’n’Access concept. Vistonics has rotary encoders
and push buttons integrated within a graphical
display, allowing the graphics to relate directly to the
knobs and switches and to change according to the
functionality selected.
In the same year, at IBC in Amsterdam in the autumn,
Studer launched the broadcast version of Vista, the
Vista 6, together with a decoupled and stand alone
channel bay, the Vista Remote Bay, intended for
theatre applications where the control needs to be in
the audience. |
2003 |
Studer enhanced its on-air mixing console product
range with a smaller and fixed configuration all digital
mixer, the Studer OnAir 500 and a highly flexible and
modular system, the Studer OnAir 3000. The OnAir
3000 is based on a new mixing DSP core technology,
the SCore, and a modern and flexible software
architecture allowing seamless system integration and
opening the way to complex networked broadcast
systems. |
2004 |
The Studer Vista 8 is launched, and becomes the
de-facto standard Broadcast Production console. It is
adopted by high profile companies like the BBC in
London. |
2005 |
Studer’s latest digital radio console has been further developed with the release of the OnAir 3000Net. An option to the very successful OnAir 3000, this migrates the desk from a stand-alone operation to an open and networked part in the overall infrastructure of a broadcast centre. |
2006 |
A compact digital production console, the Vista 5, is
launched. This small-footprint desk is highly portable
and easy to set up. |
2007 |
Studer enters the Tour Sound arena, with the roadready
Vista 5 SR. Mechanically re-engineered, the desk
immediately finds favour with the world’s top sound
companies and engineers.
The early success of the Vista 5 and increased customer demand for more channels and multiple operator control on the highly successful Studer Vista 5 console has led to the release of a 42-fader version.
Route 6000 introduced at NAB Las Vegas. |
2008 |
The OnAir 2500 compact
digital broadcast console
is launched.
The highly successful Studer OnAir 3000 is now available in new frame format. |
2009 |
Studer has announced the availability of the new STUDER RELINK (Resource Linking) I/O Sharing system, which can link numerous Studer consoles in various locations of a Broadcast facility to allow audio source and control data sharing across a wide network.
The OnAir 2500 goes modular with OnAir 2500 Modulo. |