Fred R. Pfost was a design engineer at Ampex.

A charter member of the AES, Robert Langevin worked with his father at Langevin Manufacturing Corporation through 1950. Always fascinated with tape recording technology, he joined the Ampex Corporation engineering department in 1951 as inspection and test engineer for instrumentation and audio tape recorder products. In 1960 he founded Vega Electronics along with two ex-Ampex associates. There, he designed a wireless microphone system as Vega's Senior Engineer. Mr. Langvin rejoined the Ampex Audio Division in 1961 designing audio and video tape recorder electronics. In 1973 he formed his own consulting firm, with clients such as Ampex, Electrosound and Inovonics. Langevin received the Fellowship Award in 1965.

Having degrees in both music and science, Emil Torick had a lifelong interest in both fields. In 1958, he embarked on a 28-year association with CBS Laboratories in Stamford, CT where he was awarded 16 U.S. patents and authored more than 60 technical articles. Torick eventually became Vice President of Audio Technology and also Director of R&D for the CBS Musical Instruments Division (Steinway, Fender, other brands). A pioneer in broadcast audio technology, Torick’s team developed the legendary CBS Audimax and Volumax line of single-band audio processors. In the 70s, his team developed the SQ matrix system for the short-lived quad record format. Active in the AES for his entire career, he has received many awards including the Distinguished Service Medal. For 25 years, he was the President of AES Educational Foundation, awarding grants for graduate study in audio engineering. While AES president in the 1977, he established the basis for AES Technical Standards now used around the world.

Keith O. Johnson worked at Kauss Corp.

Bill Windsor was involved in early console design.

Michael L. Dorrough was an audio innovator and broadcast industry pioneer, a prominent member of the ham radio community (KO6NM), and an expert on AM modulation techniques. Founder and president of Dorrough Electronics which designs and manufactures digital audio and video monitoring devices. Has received an Academy Award and Emmy for his Audio Loudness Monitors, and was the recipient of the NAB's 2000 Engineering Achievement Award as the developer of discriminate audio processing, now widely used.

Bill Cara was involved with sales at Ampex and JBL.

Dale C. Manquen was involved with tape recorders at Ampex / 3M.

While working for Polygram, Alex Balster helped develop technology that enabled CDs to store and reproduce music. Owns and operates a consulting company that specializes in the design and supervision of high quality acoustical projects for the art, audio / video, media and entertainment industry, including recording studios, sound dubbing stages, mastering suites for digital sound processing, facilities for magnetic and optical media-production, and other special purpose facilities.

(1933 – 2013) While a college student, Ray Dolby played a key role in the design of the first successful professional video tape recorder at Ampex Corporation, introduced in 1956. After obtaining degrees at Stanford and Cambridge universities, plus a two-year appointment as a United Nations advisor in India, he returned to England in 1965 and established Dolby Laboratories to develop and manufacture professional audio tape noise reduction products, and later began the licensing of his noise reduction system for use in consumer products. In 1976 he moved his key staff to San Francisco, where his company set up a new home office, laboratories, and a manufacturing facility. He held more than 50 US patents on videotape recording, long wavelength X-ray analysis, and audio tape noise reduction. Dr. Dolby was a Fellow and past President of the AES, and a recipient of its Silver and Gold Medal Awards. Along with many national and international awards and honors, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame in 2004. After more than four decades as a leader and steward of innovation and excellence, Dr. Dolby became his company’s Founder and Director Emeritus in December 2010 before dying in 2013. 

Interviewed by John Eargle. 

Edited by Harry Hirsch.