Focusrite Recognized for Excellence in International Trade

Elizabeth Dale

In April, Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd was one of over 200 organizations to be nationally recognized with the prestigious Queen’s Awards for Enterprise for excellence in international trade.

Focusrite “believes in enriching peoples’ lives through music,” and they achieve their goal by manufacturing audio interfaces. For those unfamiliar, audio interfaces serve to pass audio from the musician to the computer and back out again, bringing recorded sound to the world. The manufacturer says, “The best interface should help you record your sound exactly as it is. It should be ready to go when you are, never skipping a beat. It should be easy to use, removing pointless technical barriers that get in the way of you enriching yours and others’ lives through music.”

The English music and audio products group began in 1985 and was founded by legendary audio pioneer Rupert Neve. Before the easy and affordable access to computers, Focusrite built consoles. One of the manufacturer's first contracts was a commission from Sir George Martin to build an extension to AIR Studios’ custom Neve console. In April 1989, audio industry entrepreneur and co-founder of Soundcraft Electronics Ltd, Phil Dudderidge, purchased the company and established Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd. With its continued expansion over the past four decades, Focusrite now houses eight brands, including ADAM Audio, Amplify Music, Focusrite, Focusrite Pro, Martin Audio, Novation, Optimal Audio, and Sequential and manufacturers analog EQs and channel strips, audio interfaces, consoles, digital audio processing hardware, and software, and microphone preamps.

Focusrite Story

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Now in its 56th year, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the country’s “most prestigious business awards.” The 2022 program marked the fifth award received by Focusrite and the third acknowledgment the company received for “outstanding and sustained growth of their international sales.” The NAMM Member successfully “increased order volumes while dealing with disruption to deliveries and for growing their overseas orders by 145% in the six years, with top markets to include Austria, Australia, Benelux, France, Germany, North America, and South Korea. Of the recognition, Dudderidge said, “Thanks go to our amazing team in the UK and overseas for developing and selling the world’s leading audio interface brand, Focusrite, and sister brand Novation.”

With the award, Focusrite can use the Queen’s Emblem for the next five years. For more information on Focusrite, please visit https://focusrite.com/.