An Interview with Larry Ryckman, Aftermaster, Inc. Founder and CEO ‘We Know What Sounds Right and We Approach the Development of our Technologies from a Different Perspective than Other Audio Companies’

“The Aftermaster process is the only audio process to improve audio throughout the entire frequency range without changing the underlying intent of the content.”

Technology has had a remarkable effect on modern music. As our society continues to expand technologically, the music industry continues to expand as well.

Aftermaster, Inc. operates as an audio technology company in the United States. It develops and commercializes proprietary audio and video technologies for professional and consumer use. The company offers Aftermaster audio, a mastering, remastering, and audio processing technology that makes various audio source sounds louder, fuller, deeper, and clearer; ProMaster, an online music mastering, streaming, and storage service designed for independent artists; and Aftermaster Pro, a personal audio re-mastering device. It also provides Aftermaster Studio Pro, an audio processor that allows enhancing various playback audio sounds fuller, clearer, louder, and deeper.

In addition, the company operates six recording and mastering studios that engineer and master music for independent and high profile professional music. Further, it licenses various technologies, intellectual property, and patents to third parties.

Aftermaster is headquartered in Hollywood, California.

Larry Ryckman, Aftermaster, Inc. Founder/President/CEO, spoke exclusively to The Silicon Review. Below is an excerpt.

Why was the company set up?

Aftermaster was formed to develop groundbreaking audio technologies for use in both commercial and industrial applications. Our initial goal was to create an algorithmic based process that could dramatically improve all audio events by remastering them throughout their entire frequency range rather than enhancing only certain elements (as other audio companies do). Our expertise in music allows us to take an audio event and balance, level and improve all the audio elements throughout the entire frequency range, without changing the underlying intent. Aftermaster is now used in professional music mastering and consumer electronics products. (www.aftermaster.com)

What are the factors/elements that make your company stand out from the competition?

Aftermaster is a unique, one of a kind audio technology company headed up by leaders in the music industry. The company’s groundbreaking technologies are designed by experts in music production. The greatest innovations in audio over the last 50 years have come from the music industry. The Aftermaster team has cumulatively produced, engineered and mastered more hit records than any audio company in the world (www.aftermaster.com/discography). We know what sounds right and we approach the development of our technologies from a different perspective than other audio companies.

Tell us about your first product that was launched.

Initially, we utilized our Aftermaster technology for mastering music at our state-of-the-art recording studios in Hollywood (www.aftermaster.com/studios). The first Aftermaster product we offered to the public was the Aftermaster Pro, which is the world’s first personal audio remastering device designed for use with Televisions. Smaller than an iPhone, the Aftermaster Pro is installed between an A/V source and a TV via HDMI cables. The Aftermaster Pro remasters the audio being fed into a TV to fix common problems such as not being able to hear the dialogue. It both raises and clarifies dialogue while leveling and improving the audio surrounding the dialogue. (www.aftermasterpro.com)

What is the current market scenario?

Aftermaster’s position in the audio world is unique. Its breakthrough audio technology is an award-winning (three awards at CES and one from the Hollywood Music and Media awards) and patented audio process which remasters any audio in real-time to make it substantially louder, fuller, deeper and clearer. The Aftermaster process is the only audio process to improve audio throughout the entire frequency range without changing the underlying intent of the content.

Briefly explain your products and services.

Aftermaster audio is an audio technology that remasters any audio that is processed through it. It’s applied to products either through our proprietary DSP semiconductor chip or through software. Aftermaster licenses its technology to third parties for use in their consumer electronics products as well as develops and sells its own products that contain Aftermaster technology.

What are your company’s mission and vision statements? And to what extent are you successful in achieving the same?

To see our technologies in widespread use worldwide and to be one of the world’s most respected audio technology companies both by consumers and consumer electronics manufacturers. We have already developed a patented and award-winning audio technology known as Aftermaster which has no rival in the audio processing industry.

How often do you innovate?

Every product or technology that we create is innovative and one of a kind, and is created to solve unaddressed needs in the world of audio. An example is our Aftermaster Pro which is the world’s first and only personal audio remastering device which fixes television audio.

What do you feel are the reasons behind:

Your product popularity: Our credibility as leaders in the music industry who have developed technologies and products that no other company can offer.

Your consistence growth as an organization: Our sales have been virtually doubling every quarter over the last year because our products are catching on.

Do you have any new products ready to be rolled out into the market?

Yes. We have a new Aftermaster Hardware product called Aftermaster Studio Pro. It’s a rack-mounted audio processor for commercial applications such as recording studios, stores, restaurants, etc. We are also rolling a new product called HearClear TV which is based on our Aftermaster Pro. The HearClear TV processor is specifically designed to enhance the frequency ranges that are the most challenging to those who are hard of hearing and/or have hearing aids.

Where do you see your company a couple of years from now?

We see our company expanding dramatically through the licensing of our Aftermaster technology to major manufacturers of audio enabled consumer products such as TV’s, cell phones, computers, speakers, headphones, etc. We will also see growth through the introduction of our own new AftermasterHardware products.

Larry Ryckman: A Brief Background

Larry Ryckman is the founder, President and CEO of Aftermaster, Inc. Larry is an award-winning entrepreneur and music industry executive with over 30 years of experience in the music and audio industries. Larry was formerly the co-founder and CEO of QSound, a highly respected audio technology company which has been in business since 1986. Larry is considered to be an innovator in the music and audio industries and has had eight audio and video related patents issued to him. He heads up a team of music industry professionals who have cumulatively produced, engineered and mastered more hit music than any audio company in the world. Their combined expertise has led the company to develop groundbreaking new audio technologies.

“Our breakthrough audio technology is an award-winning (three awards at CES and one from the Hollywood Music and Media awards) and patented audio process which remasters any audio in real-time to make it substantially louder, fuller, deeper and clearer.”