CX Media Kit
| Freedman goes global |
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| Written by Julius Grafton | |
| Friday, 05 September 2008 | |
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It wasn’t always this great – Sydney’s Peter Freedman was down on his luck in the early 1990’s. His Freedman Electronics was on the ropes as Peter struggled for direction after the death of the founder – Peter’s brilliant dad. Then he chanced on the idea of Rode, assembling a studio microphone from parts he sourced in China.
Because of his background in audio electronics, he hand tested each part and rejected those of low tolerance. Rode got a great reputation. Fast forward and today Rode manufacture a range of pro audio microphones at a large factory in Sydney’s west. Almost all the components are actually made there – gold diaphragms, coils, magnets, electronics, cases – the lot. Rode is in the top 5, worldwide, and compete at all pricepoints in and most markets across the planet. Rode is an inspirational success story, and employs as many as 100 people. Two years ago Peter Freedman purchased Event Electronics, an American manufacturer of small studio monitors. He threw himself into Event, and ordered new designs which he micro managed himself. True to the Rode model, he didn’t want to buy in parts from other manufacturers –what the majority of loudspeaker manufacturers do. So he set about tooling up. In July Event was relaunched at a function at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. They flew in dealers from around the world, including reps from Turramurra Music, Factory Sound, Soundcorp and Kosmic in Australia. Audio media were there too, CX made the trip and joined around 400 people for a weekend in the sun. Significant news came when Peter Freedman announced that he set out to create the best loudspeaker company in the world, coveting both ends of the audio transducer. He pointedly didn’t say ‘best studio monitor company’. His choice of experienced live audio product designer Marcelo Vercelli, formerly of Mackie, RCF and KV2 tends to point to greater aspersions. There almost certainly will be live audio products coming from the Event facility. Watch that space. Event has transducer and amplifier assembly lines, and a ferociously determined and cashed up owner who is himself an electronics and transducer engineer. Read more in CX Magazine #38, online here for free download. |
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