Heil

Heil Sound is a modern microphone company specialising in professional-quality dynamic microphones and related accessories. Heil mics are trusted worldwide by Grammy-winning artists, professional podcasters, live sound and studio engineers, and satellite broadcast stations to reliably deliver natural, articulate, clear sound, and excellent rear noise rejection. Heil Sound is able to understand and meet the needs of these various areas because it is comprised of people who have experience as musicians, podcasters, sound engineers, and broadcasters themselves. Heil Sound is passionate about providing the best and most reliable sound possible.

THE HISTORY OF HEIL SOUND
It didn’t start with the microphone…
As with many business success stories Heil Sound began with one person, Bob Heil, who had a vision and an unrelenting drive to innovate and contribute to the concert sound world. Bob’s impressive sound career began at an early age. By 15, he was performing concerts as the house player on the Wurlitzer theatre organ at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis. He was also deeply involved in ham radio and began tinkering with electronics and electronic design

In 1966, Heil Sound was formed with the goal to provide pro touring gear and systems. Heil Sound also provided system design and equipment for the emerging music festival scene.

National accounts quickly grew and tours with Humble Pie, The Who, Grateful Dead, the James Gang and many others followed. To accommodate demand, Heil Sound had multiple sound crews out on the road simultaneously.

It was during this time that Bob developed a number of significant pro sound innovations including the famed Talk Box for Joe Walsh and Peter Frampton, the quadrophonic mixer for the Who, and modular mixing consoles.

In the early 1980s, Heil exited the pro sound market to focus on the amateur radio market.

In the late 1990s, at the suggestion of Joe Walsh, a fellow ham radio enthusiast and friend, Bob set out to design a vocal microphone for live sound use. Heil Sound re-entered the pro sound market and pro microphone manufacturing industry with the PR 20 microphone, and quickly earned a reputation for mic innovation. Eschewing any small diaphragm or powered design, the Heil mics featured large-diaphragm dynamic components that offered a high degree of sonic clarity and rear rejection.

Subsequent microphone models, including the popular PR 40 and PR 30 followed quickly. The PR 35 vocal mic was introduced and found favour with high profile artists such as Stevie Wonder, Beck, Alice in Chains, Charlie Daniels, Joan Baez and others.

Heil mics are now mainstays in satellite radio broadcast stations, recording studios, and podcast and streaming rigs. In 2018, Heil Sound celebrated 50 years in business, or as they put it, “50 Years of Maximum Rock and Roll.”