Photo of students from the event
The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences had the pleasure of hosting the CEO of Apogee, Betty Bennett, and her husband, Bob Clearmountain, for an interview by CRAS AES President Matthew Lindsey, for the student body at CRAS. CRAS AES Faculty Advisor, David Kohr, opened the interview by introducing Matthew. Upon walking to the stage, Matthew was greeted with a standing ovation. The students had been looking forward to this event for weeks; the energy in the room was vibrant and electrifying! The interview was opened with an introductory video explaining the history of Apogee. The company came to life in 1985 and was revolutionary from the beginning. Releasing the Apogee AD-8000 in 1997 and the Apogee Duet in 2007 shattered the expectations of what a home studio interface could accomplish. The video characterized Apogee as a company that strives to be innovative and treat everyone like family. Both are essential keys to the success Apogee has received over the past 37 years.
Matthew's first question was how and why Apogee came into existence. Betty explained in 1985, the three partners, Christoph Heidelberger, Bruce Jackson, and herself, all industry veterans, got together to discuss the issues the industry was facing with the introduction of the Compact Disk. The Compact Disk entered the market in 1983, and although a promising format, there was growing dissatisfaction with the sound quality of CDs. Artists, Producers, Mastering Engineers, and discerning listeners preferred the sound of their vinyl and cassette tapes; they sounded warm and inviting, and the Compact Disk was 'clinical and harsh sounding.
Heidelberger, Jackson, and Bennett didn't set out to form a company, there wasn't a business plan or financing, and Apogee began out of a passion for music. Their first 'office' was Jackson's garage; the partners refinanced their houses for the start-up funds required. They focused on the technologies that caused the harsh and clinical sounds that made CDs undesirable. They began researching the issues and developing alternative technologies that noticeably improved the conversion process. Therefore eliminating the major faults that introduced the harsh clinical sound of the compact disk.
Apogee has a unique approach to developing products, oftentimes developing products and features customers did not realize they needed or could be done. Apogee time and again introduced products unlike anything available, the Duet, the first iOS products, Apogee Jam and Apogee Mic, professional quality audio devices that could be directly plugged into an iPhone or computer.
Matthew proceeded to ask a vital question, "What do you look for in an intern?" Betty praised CRAS's students, calling them "smart cookies" and saying that one of the most important attributes is tenacity. Someone who works hard is willing to do the work others are not. She emphasized dedication, the will to learn, and the ability to overcome difficult situations. While searching for interns, Betty mentioned a Ted Talk she had heard, "Why the best hire might not have the perfect resume, www.ted.com/talks/regina_hartley_why_the_best_hire_might_not_have_the_perfect_resume?lang...
uage=en She mentioned those who have gone through some adversity have the tools to overcome the tough times, passion and purpose are key. Betty closed by urging CRAS students to send resumes for possible internship opportunities!
Betty was asked how she had faced adversity while building the Apogee Brand and how they moved through it. Her response was as epic as you would expect! At one point, Apogee lost their partnership with Digidesign, this was a huge blow while also being an opportunity because they had been asked by Digidesign to develop interfaces for them, which resulted in the AD8000, an incredibly popular product for Apogee. As Digidesign grew, the company eventually went public; several years later, to continue their growth trajectory they decided to introduce a line of interfaces, therefore no longer partnering with Apogee. This impacted Apogee, a significant percentage of their revenue was centered around ProTools and the AD8000. The AD8000 had the ability to connect to ProTools as well as several other formats (ADAT, TDIF, SDIF, SPDIF) and convert between them, it was incredibly popular. So what next....Apogee needed a software/ DAW partner, they began pursuing another major DAW, E-Magic; discussions began however, communication went quiet, and no one could understand why.
During that time, E-Magic was in the process of being bought by Apple. After the acquisition, Betty received a call from Apple requesting a meeting; details regarding the meeting topics were limited. Betty recounts being slightly nervous when seated in a stark white conference room, waiting for the SVP of the Pro Apps group, Sina Tamaddon. Sina with limited time fired off questions at an alarming rate, thankfully, Betty had the right answers. The results of this meeting led to Apogee becoming a development partner with Logic and Apple. Over the years, the partnership with Apple surpassed the business possibilities with Digidesign. Betty explained the moral of the story, you can't give up when one door closes, even if it seems as if the end is near. Don't give up, keep trying, push forward, think and look for opportunities that aren't yet there. Have faith that another door will open or another opportunity, a better one may be just around the corner.
Matthew was curious about the relationship audio has in Bob's and Betty's life. Bob started by saying that he was a musician and loved recording his entire life. Following in his brother's footsteps who was a musician and singer at the time, Bob picked up the electric bass and became a member of various garage bands as a teenager. As he was the one tasked with recording the rehearsals and gigs, he developed a knack for recording. When the last band broke up after graduation, Bob told himself that he was not going to rely on band members for his success in the music business. The rest is history! Betty, on the other hand, was given a tape recorder for sound effects. Betty's neighbor had an 8 mm movie projector and she would go around the neighborhood recording sounds and would sync the sounds to the neighbor's movie reel! In college, Betty was a business major and after graduation was allowed to be an office receptionist at Soundcraft. Betty wanted to learn everything about audio she could!
A crucial point in the interview is when Matthew asks Betty how it feels to be a woman in the audio industry. Betty responded very professionally, stating that in some instances, she had difficulty with others internally and externally, taking her opinions seriously. Bob chimed in and clarified that he always supported his wife through those tough times. Bob knows his wife is intelligent and knows more about the industry than most people. Whenever people didn't take Betty seriously, Bob stood up for her and helped others to understand Betty's knowledge and understand that she knew what she is talking about. This was crucial in understanding the relationship between Betty and Bob, they are truly a power couple. The energy from the two was so pure, you can tell the two genuinely cared for each other! In balancing ideas off of each other, Bob and Betty are driven to make each other better.
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