Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Wolff.
Hi Paul, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Paul Wolff began his audio career as the house sound man at a DC night club, The Bayou, doing sound for such “new” acts as Foreigner, Pat Benatar, Dire Straits, Ramones, etc.
This led him into the recording studio end of the industry, and he moved into a DC studio called “No Evil Multimedia”. The owner had his roots with Ric Ocasek (Cars) and Tom Scholtz (Boston), and this studio was the center for the “New Wave” music styles, as well as one of the birthplaces of early Hip Hop.
Wolff left the studio to start his official beginnings in the recording console business.
After he purchased a company called API, Wolff introduced the first of many new products, the API Legacy Console, designed by Wolff, and his company also designed the API Legacy Plus, and then onto the first discrete console that was completely resettable via a touchscreen interface. They shipped around 28 consoles during that period.
In 1999, the assets of API were sold to another company, as Wolff recognized a shift in the market of large format consoles. Wolff left the company in 2004 and formed Tonelux Designs Limited. The concept of the Tonelux product line was geared towards the “new studio model”, where so much more of the production work is being done in the Work Station, and the requirement for a large frame console is not as necessary as it had been in the past.
After Tonelux was sold, he started FIX Audio Designs, (FIX was his nick-name during the early 70s-90s) and continued to make world class recording equipment. 3 years ago, he merged with DCA-IO, a company owned by Jared Vogt, a Santa Barbara resident, the company was renamed WOLFF AUDIO, and we have the company in Goleta, where we build in the USA, and have a full wood shop as well, for studio furniture and console trim.
Paul Wolff is known for his contribution in the recording, broadcast and music industry and has served his designed for over 40 years…
He has built more than 50 large format consoles, used but the top engineers and artists in the world. Wolff also owns a speaker company that is currently releasing the world’s first sound bar that gives you control of the dialog, width and height, and is the first company to address hearing issues associated with TVs with a process that allows you to turn up the dialog without the rest of the movie. Basically turning off the subtitles!.
Wolff lives in Santa Barbara with his wife and 3 doggies, and has 3 grown children. His daughter just had her first baby and we are helping them as they all grow together.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve never gone bankrupt! I ran my first company, API for 19 years with no credit line, had a factory with 15 people. Very challenging. Tonelux was a smaller company in my basement with 3 employees. FIX was in Tenessee, with me building in my converted garage, with all modern assembly equipment. WOLFF Audio in a 14,800 square foot factory in Goleta with 10 employees.
Gaining a trusted reputation in the music industry is the most difficult, as it takes years before people will just buy what ever you design because they know your reputation.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have been into every aspect of the professional recording industry, ranging from designing and building recording equipment, while recording and producing records, touring doing front of house sound for larger artists, recording and working in recording trucks, recording things like the last two Woodstock’s, Bonnaroos, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame broadcasts, etc,
My concept in life are two things. Not being the “groove buster”, which is doing something that takes away the artist’s attention, and basically blows his focus, and delivering what I said I was going to deliver, on time and in proper working order. I design things that don’t break, as no one wants to buy crap, and I also don’t want to fix things I sold…
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The music industry is in a constant flux. With the onset of completely unregulated AI making crappy music, that is yet another hurdle for artists to deal with. I try to make products that will scale with current budget, trends, and scopes. It’s tricky as ever right now, but there is a path to success. it starts with what your mom and dad said. HARD WORK!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wolffaudio.com
- Instagram: wolffaudio, paulandrewwolff
- Facebook: wolffaudio, paulandrewwolff
- Twitter: wolffaudio
- Youtube: wolffaudio
