Helios Electronics Limited was set up by Dick Swettenham in 1969 and it built over 50 mixing consoles for many now-legendary customers over the next decade.
Following the demise of the original company in 1979, Dick worked freelance while developing ideas for what he dubbed 'Helios II' to develop his ideas for digitally-controlled analogue consoles. He'd written about this topic for Recording-Engineer/Producer (August 1981) and for Studio Sound (April 1991).
He set up a company called Helios Professional Audio Limited to implement his new plans though he recognised the need to start with something less ambitious. This was to be the Type 78 Equaliser which was a rework of the earlier RE24 but unfortunately he passed away before work could be completed on it.
One thing he did do before he died was to sell the Helios Trademark that he had always owned personally to Helios Professional Audio Limited and this company still owns it.
Today, the Helios operation consists of Helios Professional Audio that licenses the trademark and Helios Electronics that holds the archive and is looking to develop some of Dick's later ideas but with the benefit of two decades of tech development.
We welcome ideas to move Helios forward.