FROM CASTLEMAINE, AUSTRALIA
TO ASTON DOWN, ENGLAND:
THE ATC STORY.
In a world dominated by huge, faceless global corporates, large scale automation and bland ʻme
tooʼproducts, how is it that a niche business such as ATC can not only survive, but flourish?
Without doubt the core to the Companyʼs success lies in it remaining a small, privately-
owned family business, designing and building – by hand – extraordinary products.The design,
development and vast majority of manufacturing is still carried out in-house, in England, by a
team of hugely talented, dedicated staff, many of whom have remained loyal to the Company
for more years than theyʼd care to remember.
Diversity has also played a vital role.There are few companies that have been as capable
as ATC in establishing such an influential presence in both consumer hi-fi and professional
markets. Consequently,ATC loudspeakers and electronics can be found reproducing music in
domestic listening rooms and home cinemas, in addition to being the go-to source for accurate
monitoring and sound reinforcement for some of the most highly regarded recording studios
and concert halls throughout the world.
While ATCʼs business model is strictly performance engineering led, the Company is
certainly not afraid of bucking trends or pursuing radically different paths to those that their
ʻcompetitorsʼhave chosen. Itʼs always been that way.
SO, HOW DID IT THE ATC STORY BEGIN?
Itʼs 1974, London, England, and the entire country is shivering in the grip of the ʻThree-Day
Weekʼ– an attempt by the British Government to conserve electricity as the production of
which had been severely limited due to industrial action by coal miners. So serious is the crisis
that even television companies have been required to cease broadcasting at 10.30 pm in a bid
to conserve energy.
Billy Woodman couldnʼt have chosen a more challenging time to start a new business.
But he did. In May that year his fledgling company, Acoustic Transducer Company Ltd, was
incorporated.The Company began by building and selling individual loudspeaker drive units –
it would be another four years before ATC presented its first fully integrated loudspeaker
system to an unsuspecting public, the ground-breaking, uniquely styled S50 Studio Control
Monitor.The 28 year old Billy Woodman may have been the new kid on the block, but sound
reproduction was about to take a completely new direction.
PIANO NEVER EVER SOUNDED RIGHT
Earlier, as a student, Billy studied Electrical Engineering at the Bendigo Institute of Technology,
Australia, graduating in 1968. However, he was continually frustrated by the way the loud-
speakers in his own hi-fi system reproduced piano, voice and strings, recalling that “Piano never
ever sounded right when reproduced”.This led him to start thinking about the causes and how
reproduction of voice, violin and piano in particular could be improved.
One such idea was of a diaphragm being driven at its edge (small diaphragm, large diameter
voice coil, large power handling and therefore large dynamic range).With his studies in
Electrical Engineering complete, Billy wrote his final year thesis on loudspeaker design.
At the age of 22 and newly qualified, Billy started work as a junior laboratory engineer in the
research department of the Melbourne-based Rola Company Aust Pty Ltd. Projects there
included research into commercial, power, public address and hi-fi loudspeaker drive units.
But it wasnʼt long before the young Mr Woodman was setting his sights slightly further
afield...
THE BEST ENGINEER THEY WOULD EVER FIND
In August 1970 Billy decided to travel to the UK. Intending to stay for only six months or
so, he wrote to the Managing Director of Goodmans Industries in London. Goodmans was at
that time the largest loudspeaker manufacturer in Europe. In his letter Billy modestly told them
that “I am the best engineer they would ever find and could they please give me a job!” He got
the job!
On arrival in England, Billy joined GoodmansʼR&D laboratory team responsible for the
engineering of the 3000 or so products manufactured at the time and the design and develop-
ment of new drive units and hi-fi systems. Goodmans’ policy was to encourage further educa-
tion and all laboratory engineers studied for an MSc in Applied Acoustics at London University.
Billy graduated in 1973.While there, working on special projects with the aid of a master tool
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