HOME THEATER GEEKS PODCAST

Live-sound pioneer and microphone maven Bob Heil returns to talk about his mic designs, new USB mic preamp/EQ, and headphones as well as his work with The Grateful Dead, The Who, Joe Walsh, and other rock legends, and his association with Paul Klipsch and organist George Wright, whose recordings helped launch the entire field of high-fidelity audio. Plus, answers to chat-room questions and more.

Run Time: 1:00:04

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Bob Heil began his career in music as a theater organist in St. Louis at age 14. At the same time, he became an avid ham radio operator, designing and building transmitters, amplifiers, and antenna systems. In 1966, Bob founded Heil Sound and 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 1960s and '70s.

Bob was also a pioneer in the field of home theater, helping to develop satellite systems for DirecTV and becoming one of the first satellite and home-theater dealers in the country.

Bob and Heil Sound have won numerous awards over the years, including the first ever "Pioneer Award" from the Audio Engineering Society, and the Parnelli Award. In 2007, 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.

Among his many activities, Bob now hosts a podcast called Ham Nation on the TWiT network. If you're interested in ham radio, you need to subscribe to this podcast!

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