My guest today is Larry Droppa the owner and president of API since 1999, when he acquired the company at auction. He and two friends launched ATI, the live console company, in 1988, positioning that company’s Paragon console as the premier live sound mixing tool for many years. After adding Uptown Automation in 1995 and then API in ’99, Larry’s quest for audio manufacturing notability had been satisfied.
He spent the first half of his professional career as a live mixing engineer, progressing from a local bar band, to a small regional sound company, to one of the larger live sound companies in the US. Larry has toured with folk groups, orchestras, pop and rock bands and spent an ear-splitting 6 weeks on the road with the band listed in the 1984 Guinness Book of World Records as the ‘Loudest Band In A Performance’. But the highlight of his live mixing days is unquestionably the 12 years he spent mixing in-ear monitors for Stevie Wonder. Stevie was an early adopter of in-ears and Larry developed both high-quality in-ear monitors as well as a unique wireless transmission system during that time.
With the purchase of API, Larry had to pivot to become familiar with the studio environment and its inherent differences. Hard work and a team of dedicated audio professionals re-built the API brand into the acknowledged powerhouse it is today. The entire range of API products remains firmly dedicated to co-founder Saul Walker’s original ideas and designs.
A statement on Larry’s passion for the music business can best be summed up in the words of a Stevie Wonder song, Sir Duke – ‘Music is a world within itself with a language we all understand, With an equal opportunity for all to sing, dance and clap their hands…’
It is an honor to have the fearless visionary leader keeping the legendary API sound alive and well joining us today...
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Hear guests discography on Spotify:
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