Meyer Sound Laboratories, Inc.

 The Meyer Sound HD-1 high definition studio monitor has been announced as a 2012 TECnology Hall of Fame inductee by the TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio. The ceremony will be held on January 26, 2013 during the NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif.

The HD-1 was launched by Meyer Sound in 1989. The original prototype, developed years earlier, was created as an ultra-linear testing device to be used in-house for evaluating instrumentation microphones in the SIM audio analyzer. When news about the HD-1 reached Roger Nichols, legendary recording engineer best known for his work with Steely Dan, Nichols asked John Meyer to develop and release it as a studio monitoring product. Nichols first used the HD-1 on recording sessions for Rickie Lee Jones's Flying Cowboys.

The HD-1 was the only self-powered studio monitor when it was first launched, and remained so for a number of years. Gradually, the rest of the industry recognized the inherent advantages of self-powering, to the point where today essentially all near-field studio monitors are self-powered.

Over the years, the HD-1 has become a favorite monitor for FOH engineers and recording engineers. In addition, cinema sound designers including Tom Myers ("Cars 2" and "Toy Story 3"), Richard King ("Dark Knight Rises" and "Inception"), and Craig Berkey ("True Grit") still rely on the linear performance of the HD-1 and its ability to accurately translate from small project studios to larger mixing stages.

The TECnology Hall of Fame "recognizes the innovations and companies that have made significant contributions to the advancement of audio technology." Nine other products introduced between 1878 and 1995 will be inducted along with the HD-1 at the Anaheim ceremonies, including the VU Meter, PZM Microphone, and MOTU Performer MIDI Sequencing Software.