Allen & Heath: The Company Behind Club DJ Mixers
· re:union Radio editorial · 3 min read
From Pink Floyd consoles to club mixers: The story of Allen & Heath, the British manufacturer behind DJ mixers, spans nearly 60 years of company history.
If you click through club setups or DJ booth photos, one name keeps popping up: Allen & Heath. The British manufacturer today builds DJ mixers for nightclubs, among other things, but its roots lie not in the club, but in the studio and on the rock stages of the early 1970s.
At a glance
- Founded in 1968 by Andy Bereza and Stephen Batiste
- Based in Penryn, Cornwall, England
- Built mixing consoles for The Who and Pink Floyd in the early 1970s
- Changed owners multiple times, now part of the Audiotonix Group
- According to its own company history, also manufactures DJ mixers for nightclubs
From Rock Concert to Studio Console
Allen & Heath was founded in 1968 by Andy Bereza and Stephen Batiste; according to company history, Ivor Taylor and Andrew Stirling joined later. The company's headquarters remain in Penryn in the English county of Cornwall. As early as the early 1970s, the firm built custom quadraphonic mixing consoles for the band The Who – they were used live and during studio sessions for the album "Quadrophenia".
The Pink Floyd Connection
Pink Floyd also turned to Allen & Heath technology early on: The console named MOD1 was used by Alan Parsons to mix live concerts for the band. The desk can be seen in the concert film "Live at Pompeii". For a young company from Cornwall, the collaboration with two of the biggest rock acts of their time was early proof that the technology from Penryn could hold its own on major stages.
A Company with Many Owners
The company history of Allen & Heath is also a story of changing owners. In 1991, the firm was acquired by Harman International. In July 2001, a management buyout followed with investments from 3i and the Bank of Scotland. In March 2006, Close Growth Capital bought 3i's stake in a second buyout for 9 million pounds – at that time, the company employed 180 people with a turnover of 15 million pounds. In 2008, Allen & Heath went to D&M Holdings; in 2013, D&M sold the company on to the private equity firm Electra Partners. Today, Allen & Heath belongs to the Audiotonix Group.
| 1968 | Founded by Andy Bereza and Stephen Batiste in Penryn, Cornwall |
|---|---|
| Early 1970s | Quadraphonic consoles for The Who, MOD1 desk for Pink Floyd |
| 1991 | Acquired by Harman International |
| 2001 | Management buyout with 3i and Bank of Scotland |
| 2006 | Second buyout by Close Growth Capital, 180 employees, £15m turnover |
| 2008 / 2013 | Sold to D&M Holdings, then to Electra Partners |
| Today | Part of the Audiotonix Group |
Besides mixing consoles for studio and stage, the product range also includes, according to company history, sound management systems for industrial installations – and, of course, DJ mixers for nightclubs. If you're interested in the tech behind the club sound, you'll find practical basics in our article on EQ mixing for DJs that apply regardless of manufacturer. If you're just putting your gear together, the guide to a DJ setup for beginners under 500 gives you a starting point.
FAQ
Where is Allen & Heath based?
The company is based in Penryn in the English county of Cornwall, where it was founded in 1968.
Which group does Allen & Heath belong to today?
After several ownership changes – including Harman International, D&M Holdings, and Electra Partners – Allen & Heath now belongs to the Audiotonix Group.
Source: Wikipedia, Allen & Heath
