There's a lot more to TransAmerica Audio Group than gear.
We are a group of those misfit rebel types who are foolish enough to believe that our business is not about money, but really helping you. If we earn your respect and friendship, you will come back to us again for years to come.
We get our kicks out of making a tangible difference in your work life, a work life that may not be so simple. Balancing budgets with wish lists and income can require some planning and thinking. We know every audio investment must pay dividends over time, year after year. We know those who buy the best may not buy often, may not buy today, but still need information and support to prepare for an important purchase.
We are not a big company so we do not have overhead pressure driving us to sell you something. We are a family owned and operated company with a very experienced and dedicated staff. We have collectively worked for the biggest and the best and we know from personal experience the perils of buying something that "looks good" and but disappoints later. We have learned through years of hard knocks that a company's focus on people, serving others and doing the "right thing" is something that is sorely missing from pro audio and will prevent purchase mistakes. So we are here, ready to help you in anyway we can, even if it means sending you to our competitors. This is the real deal, we want to amaze you, be your long-term partner "in the business". Only in this way can we do the job we are driven to do.
Back to TopFor a deeper picture of what the above entails, here's some detail.1) TransAmerica as a Wholesale Supplier.
We import and make available locally unique brands manufactured outside the US. The manufacturer's products in most cases would not be available to you or stores without us. Our brands, our companies come from all over the world (hence the name TransAmerica), including Germany, England and of course, the US. Anywhere that something special is going on is an occasion for a personal visit from TransAmerica.
As part of our responsibility to our customers, we must not get them involved in product that is not built well, not supported well, or isn't all it is purported to be. As a result, an important function of TransAmerica is the evaluation of whether the prospective manufacturer is for real, ready to support the US market and its products properly. Almost all manufacturers want to sell in America, the largest pro audio market in the world. Some will tell us almost anything to "get a foot in the door of the US". Our job is to be very selective about whom we get involved with. We evaluate the company and the products top to bottom, because there's a raft of trouble for users if the manufacturer is not able to address special problems that occur for owners as a matter of use. If they pass our initial evaluation, we can move on to the next evaluation: whether their products are unique enough to warrant American interest. This is perhaps the most important step, for our products must not only be supported long term by the manufacturer, they must also be a unique and outstanding value for your money. This is a high bar to hit and most can't or don't make it. Many legitimate good quality European companies are not in the US because there are American products just like it, they charge too much, or they can not provide the kind of support expected by American customers. If they do not meet these qualifications, we put them on the "maybe tomorrow" list and keep an eye on them, as it is our obligation to "offer only the best of the best manufacturers."
This function is critical to building long term trust between TransAmerica Audio, the dealer and you.
2) TransAmerica Audio as a support organization to the public.
If you buy high performance gear, you want support. You might need a general question answered, a technical issue addressed, a problem solved, "when" you can get something or how to get something serviced. We are the "front office" of a manufacturer providing a place to call for its customers. We all know how frustrating it is to get something solved when there's a problem or an issue that you can't solve yourself. You need a friend inside the factory to get it done, and get it done soon. We are that friend. We can make the manufacturer aware of your specific problem, and get someone inside to deal with it.
3) TransAmerica as a product/market consultant.
In this role, we are in every sense your eyes, ears and voices to the manufacturer. Our opinion is that most of the information needed to make a product better or a company better comes from the customers themselves. In its simplest form, we put information on the manufacturer's doorstep that you would tell them if you could. We take customer feedback to the design engineers. We rewrite literature based on information you want to know. We ask for feature changes when you demand it. We work directly with inner company employees to put the right information in front of them. We are often the source of a product design or idea that eventually makes it to market-sometimes even good enough ideas to win Tec Awards! Beyond product, other issues that impact you must be addressed to have a "complete" product. Who is in charge of shipping, who does QC, who handles repairs and who writes the owner's manual? We have to know because all of the folks impact the product you buy. If something goes wrong out there, we have
to solve the problem regardless of who "caused" it. Through consulting, we steer factories to improve their products, their operation and the flow of information so important to you when you are considering spending thousands on a new mic or preamp. We are an interactive customer representative that looks at what is going on, is aware of all the assets and resources of the company, and provides educated assistance in decision making and product strategy. We might be designing a new product one week and then training end users on a product offered for years the next. It's the fun part!
4) TransAmerica as a conduit of information.
The information flow becomes more and more important to users and manufacturers as you go up the ladder in price and quality. We are asked for an amazing variety of information, from "how is this different" to "explain this feature please" to "what is this product's best attribute". We must be resident experts on all our products. Someone who purchases an $8500 microphone occasionally needs help without hassle right now, and the manufacturer of such an item wants to know instantly if there is something flawed with it. If a manufacturer is considering building a new high performance product, they better darn well know what the benchmark is and some experts who use the gear daily to evaluate prototypes. A question deserves an answer, advice must be accurate and informed to all three of our customers, manufacturers, stores and you. We are your trusted information source.
5) TransAmerica as a support organization to the manufacturer.
The High-End companies we specialize in are usually smaller in sales, smaller in revenue and smaller in staff than the famous name big audio companies. A "labor of love" for their owner/inventor/operators, these high-end companies work on small profits and typically reinvest all the profit they earn to build audio that only a select few will appreciate. These high-end manufacturers would rather have better sounding gear than more employees. They would have to raise prices significantly to provide all the services that would equal a big company. So they come to TransAmerica Audio, for we provide the services (to you and your local dealers) equivalent to those provided "in-house" by the big US based manufacturers. In grouping several specialty manufacturers together, we can offer them all "big company" services they would otherwise be missing. Services such as literature writing, ad copy, training materials, new product development, warranty repair, PR, trade shows are but some of the things that we provide to our manufacturers. We supply the additional services to the specialty manufacturer that enable them to offer a more complete product.
Back to TopThe end result of everything we do enables:
- local availability of very unique specialty items
- pre-selected for quality and performance
- proper support
- someone to call if you have a problem
- the lowest possible prices.
How do we select our product lines? We get offered new products nearly ever week. Some of the people behind those companies are very nice people, people you want to help. We could carry 20+ lines if we wanted to. Everyone wants to sell in America, for this is the largest pro audio market in the world. We turn down 90% of what is offered, because we must evaluate these new companies on a non-emotional basis, on a business basis. Does it fit with our company philosophy? Taking on a new manufacturer is a very big deal for us. This "who to work with" decision is a combined decision between meeting our business criteria (listed below) and our responsibility to you to select only those companies that are truly a cut above. That means we have to pass on a company that is just "average", even though they may be very good. Our customers must have quality, innovation and value, superior support and a long term commitment from the manufacturer to their product users.
Back to TopOur business criteria for selecting a brand to represent is:
- Is a product (line) unique compared to everything else available?
(sound, features, function, etc)
- Is the product manufactured by a stable, well run company?
(a messy cheap manufacturing facility is usually associated with messy cheap internal construction)
- Is the product a good value for the end user?
(price is a necessary consideration to anyone with a budget)
- Is the product reliable?
(warranty repair, parts availability, service information readily available, service support at the factory)
- Are the owner(s) of the company in it only for the money?
(we seek companies who "want to do the right thing",
have a strong sense of ethics and are committed to pleasing customers first-the money comes afterwards)
- Are the owner(s) willing to respond to customers?
- Are they open to changes that make a product more useful to the market? (success is usually a result of listening to users and acting upon it) Have they
demonstrated superior service to customers in the past? Are they reasonable people who understand the details important to pro audio professionals?
- Does it fit with our other product lines?
We can't do a good job for two companies who sell exactly the same thing, so studying a products unique value is essential.
When we consider a new line for TransAmerica, it's the people behind a prospective company that is the biggest factor. We want to know them, find out what makes them
tick, why they are in the business, what they want for themselves out of their work life. I usually try to stay at a prospective manufacturer's home, for there you learn a lot about what kind of people they really are. It is hard to fool someone in your own home! I usually meet two types in business: those in it for the money and those in it for the art.
If they are in it for the money (you can usually tell when they start discussing quotas instead of sound quality), RUN AWAY fast! That is no place for us to be! People
usually find products from these types of manufacturers as short term solutions, inexpensive to purchase but too rapidly obsolete.
If they are in it for the art, yet are not motivated, this to is no place for us. Lack of support will kill a product line from these types of people when there is no urgent
response from the factory to users who have a problem with a clock running. If they are in it for the art, are organized, motivated, concerned about customers, plus have conservative income expectations, we want to talk. This is the type of people we look for, the type of person who will do something special. Invention is most often found inside companies with driven owners, owners with a goal that has nothing to do with money.
While all these "evaluations" and selection criteria may seem unimportant before you buy, they become extremely important after you buy, especially when the product in question is placed in a critical situation that demands high performance. Many of the values in our products won't be discovered on first listen or first use. Some of the value in what we do won't even be discovered until something goes wrong (God forbid). Clients in make-or-break situations learn the value of selecting their suppliers carefully. TransAmerica Audio and our manufacturers must add things you value to the products we offer before and after the sale. We must make them the best buy you ever made.
Back to TopWhat makes TransAmerica Audio Group different?
TransAmerica is a collective personal statement of our staff that "business" does not have to be selfish to be successful. It can be about serving others. Business in its very best form exists to serve only, to contribute something, way beyond the product it sells. TransAmerica is our vehicle to accomplish that "something more".
TransAmerica Audio must help you in a real way and do so ethically, to achieve its real purpose.
Unfortunately, today's scale of business forces most companies to serve huge numbers of customers. Huge financial rewards are available for those who seek to build and sell "cheaper" things. For working professionals, users who depend on their gear to earn their keep, cheaper is definitely not better. Better sound is their way to maintain their edge, their advantage. These clients want someone who can understand their unique and personal application, to help evaluate possible investments in new gear within their context. These clients realize the "right buy" is the lowest cost "buy" over time. TransAmerica has organized its business to serve these few and do it very well. If we do our job and find unique items that are of real value, you will know it when you hear it. Our business is not about twisting the truth, it's about telling it.
Experience also makes us different, for we combine a unique array of work experiences. All our employees are ex-musicians. Most of us have been a dealer and a rep with personal experience in probably a hundred audio companies over 25+ years. From Musician to Tascam Rep, General Manager of a large music store to Government Services, to National Sales Manager [JBL Pro] to Director of Worldwide Sales and Marketing [Aphex]. We've been involved in the complete pro audio industry both big and
small. We are in a unique position to evaluate a broad range of values about a product and the company behind it. This inner information is invaluable in selecting the genuine best available for our product mix. This value is then passed on to our clients, who regularly discover that all the experience and selective product/company evaluations have a direct result on the quality of the sound they get.
Who is TransAmerica Audio?The "we" of TransAmerica is, in order of importance,
Janis: My wife and Chief Financial Officer who really runs the damn place. (Can I have $20 please, honey bunch?) She was a bank manager in Illinois and again in
California, until we decided to start a family.
Richard: Our Sales Manager and chief miracle worker, Richard solves those pesky problems like: "I need it by Friday" and "where can I demo one?" He ran a big music
store in South Dakota, was a Tascam Rep, worked for Guitar Center, and most recently was the Technology Manager at Mars in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He favorite
phrase: "We want to amaze you!"
Julia: My 4 year old daughter who is the resident Graphics Artist. She draws really pretty pictures on every single note pad in the office with my favorite pen, plus colors in shipping boxes.
Stephanie: My 2 year daughter who rearranges the files in the cabinets on a regular basis. She is our chief Filing Clerk and Information Manager.
Rudy: Our Maltese, who is TransAmerica Audio's Security Officer. Don't fool him, he chews a mean ankle.
Brad: Our President and marketing manager. He locks himself in hotel rooms to write "website copy" (in Vegas? Ya, right!) and goes to Trade Shows all the time.
Beginning as a gear nut musician, Brad became Vice President of the largest pro audio rep firm in Chicago (EV, Mackie, Crown, dbx), then National Sales Manager of JBL
Pro, then Director of Sales and Marketing Worldwide for Aphex, to private consultant for the audio community.
Jackie and Mel: Janis's parents whom watch our kids several days a week so Janis can come to the office. We couldn't do what we do without them.
Ken Giles of Drawmer UK: Our Company Mentor and a lifelong business friend, he serves on our Advisory Board, educating us in the ways of running your own audio
business. He is the man behind Drawmer, a company who has made its mark while maintaining extremely high ethical standards. What a great guy!
Laila Jantunen of SoundField UK: The ex-European Sales Manager for Genelec, Laila serves on our Advisory Board to catch the stuff Ken misses. Laila is another European audio veteran, and knows many of the companies and folks that we work with.
Our Company History In July of 1996, I founded Lunde Consulting, an outsource marketing and sales consultant to the manufacturing community. We did some interesting projects, from market research for Yamaha to product research for Fostex to strategic planning for Electro Voice.
In May of 1997 Julia was born, and suddenly the glamorous world of consulting lost its sheen every time I had to get on an airplane and leave home. I wanted to find a way to stay home and still earn a living.
In July 1997, we started TransAmerica out of our home in Thousand Oaks California. It began when Drawmer and SoundField (both UK family run manufacturers) hired Lunde Consulting in May of that year to find them a US distributor. We couldn't find the right one for them. Ken of Drawmer convinced us to become the distributors ourselves. He said he wanted to help create something new instead of just hire some unknown company. He took a big chance on us-all we had was a telephone, a fax machine, a computer and a belief that we "could do it". We owe him our existence and find it a testament to the ideal that there are still great people out there doing great things in business.
In the fall of 1997, we added Brauner from Germany, an owner run, hand manufacturer of studio mics that sound unlike anything else I had ever heard. I traveled to Germany to meet Dirk after Musikmesse and rode back with him back to his "tube farm" (his farmhouse with some acreage) about an hour north of Duesseldorf. It was like finding a long lost brother and we have been close ever since, sharing failures and successes. When I talk to people that own a Brauner, their response is always spoken in reverence, awe for the product. People "put them up" in the most critical applications possible, against the best of the best, swearing the Brauner gave them something brand new. Bruce Swedien was one of the first Brauner supporters, and Bill Schnee's comments helped me understand how the mic fit in world of vintage and new microphones.
In summer of 1998 we hire Marla, a friend of the family, to help us part time. She was going to school and needed a part time income. She helped us tremendously, dealing with paper work and the hard stuff we somehow never had time to do.
In late summer of 1998 API came along, after I got to know Paul Wolf, the guy behind the company. He was our very first US manufacturer. Paul is a very creative outspoken guy, bubbling with ideas, driven to the max. He came to me because he believed we would "do it the right way" instead of take the easy money and screw up his company in the process. One thing about API, people sure are passionate about it! I've never had a product that people universally say "this is the stuff you gotta have to make great recordings". Its wonderful representing API, because everything they make sounds unlike anything else you've ever used.
In early 1998, we hired our first regular employee, Geronimo "G" Cebrero. G helped us through a tough period when we were still losing money but desperately needed help to operate the business. We had to deal with a 2 year old, a pregnant CFO and a business at the same time. Whoa! I'm glad we are past that!
In October of 1999 Stephanie was born and the home office idea went out the window over night. I rented an office the next day.
Back to TopIn September of 2000 we moved to Las Vegas, as grandma and grandpa lived there and Janis and I needed help with the kids to devote sufficient time to the business. Not being daycare types, grandma and grandpa sounded real good to us! We lost G, and moving day was a sad day.
In October of 2000 we hired Richard Bowman as Sales Manager. We moved him up from Miami Florida, where he worked for Mars. Richard and I knew each other through mutual friends, and he came to us through our search for a key person who valued ethics highly. We hired the right guy, and he has been invaluable to our customers, Janis and I. If you call the office, he will most likely answer the phone.
In March of 2001 we took on Soundelux Microphones, another US manufacturer that's really a division of the original Soundelux of Hollywood, the people who make movie sound and operate scoring stages, foley and ADR studios. Soundelux Mics is a company to watch in the coming years, run by the driven and passionate David Bock. In David's years at Hit Factory and Oceanway, he learned firsthand what a great mic collection should contain and why, what makes these great vintage mics so special. He builds the "new vintage" Soundelux mics by hand with modern materials, and has built a line up the represents the key four microphones in a well stocked recording studio. He has actually recreated the tone achieved by some of the most hallowed vintage mics, even going so far as to address weaknesses such as a high noise floor or early roll-off. When I talk to skilled studio owners lately, Soundelux is a name they mention as being essential to their craft.
In April 2001 we added Audio Engineering Associates, a company founded by the incomparable Wes Dooley. If you've ever been to an AES show, Wes is always wearing a top hat, for what exact reason I don't know, but it sure makes him easy to spot! I wonder if he keeps literature or something up there, maybe business cards, or just new ideas?. Wes is a very familiar face in the LA studio scene, on site for many a famous recording, he's a great family man and a terrific guy. His company, AEA, builds those big heavy 50lb studio mic stands, MS decoders, stereo bars, all kinds of little studio essentials, which he sells direct to studios and location recordists through wesdooley.com. We help him with his AEA44 Ribbon Mic, a perfect replica of the most important ribbon mic of all time, the 1930's RCA44B. Wes did tremendous research, finding the original designers and builders, reconstructing every detail, down to using the same ribbon material as the 1930's original! Wow, that's a lot of effort (but wait till you hear it)!
Our most recent addition in May of 2001 is FMR Audio, makers of the cult favorite RNC compressor, an incredible family company (Dad, Mom and 3 kids) in Austin Texas with a very big future. Dad Mark (McQ we call him), is the ex-VP of DSP Engineering for RCA, providing software and chip set hardware design to little companies like Motorola, GE, Ford and GM. This guy is one in a million; he's brilliant and a nice guy to boot, and I expect very significant things from him (a mic pre and EQ are on the way!). Mrs McQ, Beth, is an expert board layout design engineer in her own right, serving as family hub-of-the-wheel, keeping McQ and crew in line and the RNC's rolling through production. The kids help out on a daily basis (can anyone say "allowance"?) with all kinds of things like shipping, packing RNC's and sending out literature. What I like about FMR is that they know how to make digital products that sound great and operate like analog-not an easy mark to hit at all. No one else in the industry has done it, although a lot of bigger companies have tried. You wait, FMR Audio will change the industry someday.
Back to TopWhere do I find the products on this site locally? That's usually a simple issue of calling us so we can direct you to the nearest store that carries our products. TransAmerica Audio, 702-365-5155. Hours 7AM to 4PM West Coast (Pacific) Time.
As much as we screen our product lines, we also screen potential dealers. Our idea of a great dealer is one that adds something valuable to our product, such as knowledge, demos and after sale service. We want the "best of the best" dealer network across the entire US. When we make a recommendation to call "Dealer X" in your area, we want you to be impressed and pleased with the level of service you receive. Its critical in our view to have a dealer.that understands the difference between our gear and the "price point/mass market" gear. Can they explain the difference between a 1066 and a Drawmer DL241? Can they provide an "in studio" demo of a Soundelux microphone? Can a store explain why an $8500 Brauner microphone is a bargain when compared to vintage mics?, We need a store that knows the difference between an ADAT and a Studer, between a Manley Vari-Mu and a Distressor, between a U47 and C12. Without the right level of knowledge on the part of the dealer, products can be misunderstood and sold into the wrong application, leaving the user disappointed and frustrated.
If a local dealer tells you he does not carry a product of ours because "its no good", walk straight out the door. That's not the truth! The real reason they do not have it is usually we won't sell them. We are very selective about who we sell to, choosing only the best store in the area for technical expertise, advice, familiarity with similar brands of gear and a reputation for quality and customer service. No one wants to admit that they can't qualify to be a dealer for us, so they tell you that the product is not up to snuff instead. Its their way of getting you to change your mind. Don't fall for it. Our products are a little harder to find than most things, but they are worth the extra effort.
Call us, let us help you find the right dealer for you. If you want low prices, tell us. If you want information and advise, tell us. We know who does what. There are awesome dealers out there who have a wealth of experience to share, and will do so free of charge to their customers. As we said on the opening page, the right buy is not always the lowest cost item, but the right item for you in your unique situation. Email us directly if you don't know where to go. We will refer you to the nearest dealer authorized to sell our products and tell you about them.
TransAudio Elite Warranty Information: All items sold to US customers carry a full US warranty and can be repaired at our authorized US warranty center located here in Las Vegas or at another location as warranty service centers are appointed. The Warranty Period is stated on the product page of each item, and vary from 6 months to 5 years. A written Warranty Period statement will be included with your unit with the authorized TransAudio Warranty Service Center address and phone number closest to you. You must ship the unit to our warranty facility in the same packaging in which it was shipped to you. Warranty Service time varies in length, but we make every effort to turn a warranty unit around on a priority basis, usually in 1 week or less. Issues such as difficulty in recreating faults, especially with intermittent problems, can lengthen the service time. We pay for return ground shipping back to you on all Warranty claims. Warranty is void if the unit is tampered with internally or modified. Speaker warranty is void burn marks are found on voice coils from over powering the speaker (not applicable to self powered speakers).
International Warranty:Warranty is limited to the US on all items. However, we will perform warranty service on exported product within the US at a TransAmerica authorized US service center. It is the International Customer's responsibility to get the unit to and from a US TransAudio Warranty Service Center inside the United States. Export customers must pay all shipping costs on warranty repairs to and from the US. Packaging on international shipments is critical, and may need to be increased over standard packaging by the customer to prevent shipping damage. Shipping insurance is highly recommended.
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