THAT Celebrates 15 Years Supporting Pro Audio

Milford , MA - Fifteen years ago, as the Rolling Stones embarked on their record-setting "Steel Wheels" tour, and Bonnie Raitt released her hit album "Nick of Time", three engineers from dbx came together to form THAT Corporation. Since its 1989 founding by Gary Hebert, Paul Travaline, and Les Tyler , THAT has stayed true to its original charter by designing, making and selling the highest quality ICs for pro audio applications.

"We started THAT Corporation with what we thought was a great business plan," said Les Tyler, THAT's president. "By buying out the OEM division of dbx, we expected to serve pro audio equipment makers by developing and making OEM board-level assemblies based on dbx technology. And, along the way we'd sell some dbx ICs -- voltage-controlled amplifiers and rms-level detectors. We had no idea how important those ICs would become. Of course, at the time, dbx faced an uncertain future, so we were really just three guys trying to avoid having to get 'real' jobs!"

Chief Technology Officer Gary Hebert said, "During our first ten years, we split our development resources between ICs and OEM (board-level) assemblies. Along the way, we discovered that there was surprising strength in analog ICs for pro audio. To respond better to customer demands, five years ago we bought our own semiconductor fab in Milpitas, CA, and have concentrated on IC development and marketing ever since."

Paul Travaline , THAT's Executive VP, pointed out that "core technologies from the dbx acquisition -- like Blackmer® VCAs and rms-level detectors -- are still at the heart of much of our current product line. However, we've continued in the dbx tradition of innovation. As a result, our latest IC offerings include new, patented technology that make our customers' jobs easier by making the parts simple to apply.";

Hans Van de Polder, THAT's VP for Fab Operations added, "While it took us much longer than we originally expected, our fab is now fully in the swing of manufacturing. We're running the world's only semiconductor fab devoted to audio ICs. We're putting our manufacturing strength to good use in a variety of new products. We have several new products poised for release over the next year, and expect they will extend the scope of applications and customers."

Tyler concluded, "We really owe our success to our customers. It's remarkable that they've supported us for fifteen years now. We hope we can continue to serve them over another fifteen or more, and will do everything we can to continue to earn their support. Customer focus is at the core of our future business planning."

About THAT Corporation
THAT Corporation, founded in 1989, designs, manufactures, and sells high-performance analog integrated circuits for professional audio manufacturers. THAT’s ICs include InGenius® input and OutSmarts® output stages, low-noise preamplifiers, Analog Engine® processors, and its original line of Blackmer® voltage-controlled amplifiers (VCAs) – all used throughout the pro audio industry. Under the dbx-tv® brand name, THAT also licenses patents, trademarks, and other intellectual property to the TV broadcast and reception industries. These include Total Sonics™, Total Surround™, and Total Volume™, audio enhancement technology and digital implementations of worldwide legacy TV audio receiver standards. The company is headquartered in Milford, Massachusetts, with offices in Milpitas, California.

For more information, contact:
  THAT Corporation, 45 Sumner Street, Milford, MA 01757-1656 , USA
  Telephone: +1 (508) 478-9200; Fax +1 (508) 478-0990
  Email:

Editorial Contact:
  Ken Nevard, IC Marketing Manager
  Tel: +1 (508) 478-9200 x108
  Email: