Heil Sound Articles
The History of
Heil Sound
1950's
Bob Heil started his theater organ career at the young age of 14,
playing in various restaurants and at 15, he started playing the
4 manual Wurlitzer in the St Louis Fox Theater. It was during that
time, that Bob learned to listen as he voiced and tuned that 25 year
old Wurlitzer monster. Listening and mentally dissecting what he
heard would prove to play a very important part in his future. At
this same time, Bob became an avid amateur radio operator and fell
in love with designing and building all kinds of transmitters, amplifiers
and antenna systems.
1960's and 70's
The first half of the 60's Bob was designing, building and playing
various theater pipe organ installations in the Holiday Inn North
restaurant in St Louis. After playing 8 years, 6 nights a week, he
decided to enter the retail music industry opening one of America's
first 'pro' music shops in the small Southern Illinois hometown of
Marissa. Because of the success of his music shop he was thrust into
the rock market. He pioneered the live sound industry with clients
such as the Grateful Dead, the Who, Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Jeff
Beck and scores of major touring acts of the 60's and 70's. It was
Bob's unique approach to audio that created some of the most innovative
products still in use today. The Heil Talk Box, made famous by Joe
Walsh, Peter Frampton and Bon Jovi, as well as perfecting the first
electronic crossover were some of Bob's great products. Heil Sound
was selected by those sound companies still out there in the trenches
today, to receive the first ever 'Pioneer Award' at the 1995 Audio
Engineering Society convention in San Francisco.
1980's
As the 80's drew near, Heil Sound entered the amateur radio market
to fix a problem that rotted the very core of Bob's most beloved
hobby - poor transmitted and received audio. So, Bob applied the
science of audio that he learned from the likes of Paul Klipsch,
Don Leslie, Martin Wick and studying the Bell Labs Fletcher Munson
curves. He developed his HC series microphones which brought maximum
articulation to amateur radio communication. The goal of Heil Sound
is still; to hear the world better and to improve communication.
1990's
As the nineties rapidly approached, Bob sought to bring the audio
and video industry together. Combining thirty years of electronics
experience with his passion for the movie theaters, Bob became the "guru" of
the home theater movement in America and has designed over 2,000
audio/video systems as well as become one of the premier teachers
and lecturers at major electronic and satellite conventions. Heil
Sound was awarded the 1989 "Satellite Dealer Of The Year" by the
SBCA in Las Vegas.
What's Happening Now?
The Heil professional division brings some new and exciting Heil
innovations to the commercial broadcast and recording studio world
using many of the techniques Bob learned from voicing and tuning
that Wurlitzer theater organ 50 years ago.
Recently Bob was invited into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to
put up a display of his historically important gear, including the
first modular console (the Mavis) his custom quadraphonic mixer (for
the Quadraphenia tour) and the very first Heil Talk Box.
No manufacturer has ever been invited into the Rock Hall before. |
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