Founded in 1973, Raindirk Audio Ltd is a manufacturer of high-end, pro-audio equipment used in both recording studio

Recording studio

A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...

s and live sound reproduction. Raindirk's first console was sold to former Deep Purple

Deep Purple

Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...

 singer Ian Gillan

Ian Gillan

Ian Gillan is an English rock music vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple. During his career Gillan also fronted his own band, had a year-long stint as the vocalist for Black Sabbath, and sang the role of Jesus in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd...

's Kingsway Studios. All products are designed by Cyril Jones.

Whilst not maintaining as high a profile as comptetitores like Solid State Logic

Solid State Logic

Solid State Logic is a manufacturer of high-end mixing consoles and recording studio hardware headquartered in Begbroke, Oxfordshire, UK.- Company information :...

, Automated Processes Inc

Automated Processes Inc

Automated Processes Inc. are manufacturers of high-end recording studio equipment including stand-alone preamplifier designs, equalization units and mixing consoles...

 and AMS Neve

AMS Neve

AMS Neve Ltd was the result of the amalgamation in 1992 of AMS with Neve Electronics.-Background:Neve Electronics was a British manufacturer of mixing consoles that originated in the work of Rupert Neve in the 1960s...

, Raindirk consoles have been used on artists as diverse as Pavarotti and Max Bygraves

Max Bygraves

Max Bygraves OBE is an English comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. He appeared on his own television shows, sometimes performing comedy sketches between songs...

.

Competititors

Historically, Raindirk has produced high-end, large-format, professional recording studio

Recording studio

A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...

 consoles. As such their main competitors have been:-

• AMEK (No longer manufactured)
• Neve
  AMS Neve
  AMS Neve Ltd was the result of the amalgamation in 1992 of AMS with Neve Electronics.-Background:Neve Electronics was a British manufacturer of mixing consoles that originated in the work of Rupert Neve in the 1960s...
  
  
• API
  Automated Processes Inc
  Automated Processes Inc. are manufacturers of high-end recording studio equipment including stand-alone preamplifier designs, equalization units and mixing consoles...
  
  
• Euphonix
  Euphonix
  Euphonix was a professional audio company located in Mountain View, California, United States. Euphonix produced the first successful line of large digitally controlled analog audio mixing consoles in the late 1980s and has since moved on to all-digital systems....
  
  
• Harrison
  Harrison Audio Consoles
  Harrison Audio Consoles is an international company based in Nashville, Tennessee that manufactures mixing consoles and other audio technologies for the post-production, video production, broadcast, sound reinforcement and music recording industries...
  
  
• Solid State Logic
  Solid State Logic
  Solid State Logic is a manufacturer of high-end mixing consoles and recording studio hardware headquartered in Begbroke, Oxfordshire, UK.- Company information :...
  
  
• Studer
  Studer
  Studer is a Swiss manufacturer of professional audio equipment, founded in Zurich in 1948 by Willi Studer. It is known primarily for the design and manufacture of analog tape recorders and mixing consoles. Studer also produce other technology solutions, such as telephony management systems and...
  
  

However, in recent years Raindirk has focussed on high-end live sound applications. A recent development has been the design of high specification DI boxes and microphone pre-amps for use in DAW studios.