By George Petersen

THE AUDIO COMMUNITY IS A NOW SADDER PLACE. Today I heard that John Stephens, founder of Stephens Electronics, passed away after a long illness. In an era when the analog recorder business was dominated by larger companies, such as Studer, MCI, Ampex and Otari and 3M, John Stephens was an individual that took them all on and in the opinion of many, created the best sounding recorders of all.

Although he didn’t make a lot of machines, he surely left his mark in terms of innovative design. Besides paying particular attention to the design of the record electronics and head manufacturing, one of the secrets to all Stephens transports was a unique capstanless/pinchrollerless design that was extremely gentle on tape. He also pioneered the 2-inch, 40-track format, which didn’t take off, but saw use on projects like Roy Thomas Baker’s albums for The Cars. The Stephens 40-track could also be quickly changed over to other 2-inch formats, such as 16- or 24-track, and he also sold machines that were pre-wired for other formats, such as 16-track decks with 24 channels of electronics, allowing users to easily upgrade as their needs or budgets allowed.

Another great idea from Stephens was an option for building his machines for remote recording, breaking up the transports and electronics into separate roadcases that were more easily transportable and could be used on location. Additionally the decks could be powered by two car batteries for use in remote areas where dependable AC (or no AC at all) was unavailable.

In a world where true audio innovations are few and far between, John Stephens was a pioneer and real audio innovator. He will be missed but his spirit lives on.

UPDATE: For a more detailed look at the life of John Stephens, click here.

When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Check ‘em out at www.jenpet.com.

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