Audio Mechanics
Audio Mechanics is a Burbank-based, privately held audio services firm founded in 1991 that provides digital audio restoration, preservation transfers, music mastering, and forensic analysis to film studios, music labels, archives, and content owners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersBurbank, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Audio Mechanics does
Audio Mechanics (doing business as AudioMec) is a Burbank, California-based audio services firm founded in 1991 by John Polito that specializes in digital audio restoration, preservation transfers, and music mastering for film studios, music labels, archives, and content owners. The company serves as one of the most recognized specialist providers in its niche, with client relationships spanning 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros, UCLA Film & Television Archive, Academy Film Archive, the International Olympic Committee, and The Film Foundation (Martin Scorsese).
The company provides an integrated suite of services including high-resolution preservation transfers (up to 192kHz/24bit), sound restoration, mixing from mono to 7.1 surround, DCP audio preparation, music mastering with Apple MFiT certification, music replacement and vocal isolation for re-licensing, forensic audio analysis, and climate-controlled vault storage. Proprietary technology includes an exclusive mag film cleaning system and De-Wow technology (developed in partnership with Signal Inference) for correcting pitch wavering in deteriorating source material. Facilities feature 5.1 studios designed by Chris Pelonis, 32 terabyte redundant storage with LTO backup, and preserved legacy analog equipment.
Audio Mechanics operates as a privately held, bootstrapped professional services firm on a project-based pricing model, targeting enterprise clients through direct sales engagement and reputation-driven referrals. Marketing is primarily through industry awards (multiple FOCAL International Awards, Film Heritage Awards, Grammy recognition), conference presentations at AMIA, SMPTE, and The Reel Thing, and film festival screenings at Cannes, Tribeca, MoMA, and TCM. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-enterprise with no consumer-facing products or retail channels.
Audio Mechanics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Audio Mechanics
- Legal name
- Audio Mechanics
- Website
- https://audiomechanics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Audio Mechanics is a Burbank-based, privately held audio services firm founded in 1991 that provides digital audio restoration, preservation transfers, music mastering, and forensic analysis to film studios, music labels, archives, and content owners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Audio Mechanics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Audio Restoration and Post-Production Services
- NAICS
- Other Sound Recording Industries (51229), Sound Recording Studios (51224), Sound Recording Industries (5122)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Audio Restoration & Forensics (Archival Repair, Forensic Enhancement) (MPAHAEAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Audio Mastering & Deliverables (Loudness/Compliance, Printmasters, Stems) (MPAHAEAL), Audio Restoration & Remastering (Noise Reduction, De-Click, Re-Mix) (MPADAMAD), Audio Engineering Services (Tracking, Mixing, Mastering) (MPAIAHAD), Sound Design (Creative/Design-Heavy FX, World-Building) (MPAHAEAE)
Keywords
Where Audio Mechanics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Burbank
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Audio Mechanics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Sound Restoration Services: Professional audio restoration services for film, television, and music. Includes noise removal, audio enhancement, and preservation work for major studios and archives.
- Preservation Transfers: Digitization and archival transfer services for analog and digital audio formats, including large-scale data parsing and archival transfer projects.
- Music Mastering: Music mastering services for major labels including Sony, BMG, EMI, Interscope, Hollywood Records, Disney Records, Warner Bros Records, and others. Includes Apple 'Mastered for iTunes' certification.
- Forensic Audio Services: Expert witness and forensic analysis services for legal cases, including audio authentication and intelligibility enhancement.
- Mixing and Re-mastering: Film and documentary mixing services from mono to 7.1 surround, including re-mastering for Blu-Ray/DVD release and DCP audio preparation.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Audio Mechanics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Audio Mechanics provides professional audio restoration, preservation transfers, music mastering, mixing and re-mastering, and forensic audio analysis for film studios, music labels, archives, and legal clients. The firm digitizes analog audio assets, removes noise and distortion, prepares audio for modern formats (5.1/7.1 surround, Blu-Ray, DVD, DCP), and provides expert witness services. All work is performed in a Burbank facility equipped with both legacy analog gear and cutting-edge digital workflows, a climate-controlled vault, and proprietary tools such as a magnetic film cleaning system and De-Wow pitch correction technology.
Product overview
Audio Mechanics provides a comprehensive suite of audio services for film, television, music, and archival industries. The core offerings center on High Quality Preservation Transfers (digitization from analog formats including magnetic film, optical film, grooved media, and various tape formats up to 192kHz/24bit), Sound Restoration (noise removal and audio cleanup), Music Mastering (Apple iTunes certified), Mixing (mono to 7.1 surround), and Audio Forensic Analysis services. Supporting services include DCP Audio preparation, Dialog Clean and De-noise, Wow Mitigation (pitch wavering correction), Music Replacement, Vocal Isolation, and large-scale Data Digitization. The company also operates a Climate Controlled Vault for secure asset storage. These services work together as an integrated audio preservation and restoration workflow, serving major film studios (20th Century Fox, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros), music labels (Warner Bros Records, Disney Records, Zappa Records), archives (UCLA Film & Television Archive, Academy Film Archive, International Olympic Committee), and forensic clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sound Restoration
Quantifiable outcome
- FOCAL International Award for Best Archive Restoration & Preservation Project 2017 - 80 years of Olympic films restored
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Audio Mechanics
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Audio Mechanics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Audio Mechanics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- UCLA Film & Television ArchivecorePartnership on restoration of 'Enamorada' (1946) for The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project. Restoration premiered at Cannes Film Festival and The Classics festival in Colombia.
- The Film Foundation (Martin Scorsese)coreOngoing partnership with Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation for film restoration projects including The Red Shoes, Enamorada, Colonel Blimp. Foundation provides funding and strategic direction for restoration work.
- Televisa FoundationminorFunding partner for Enamorada restoration project alongside The Film Foundation and UCLA Film & Television Archive.
- UNAM Film LibraryminorPartner in Enamorada restoration project with UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation.
- Warner Bros MPIcorePartnership with Warner Bros MPI on restoration of 80 years of Olympic films (1912-1992) for International Olympic Committee, winning the FOCAL International Award for Best Archive Restoration & Preservation Project. Managed by Adrian Wood & Robert Jaquier.
- 20th Century FoxcoreOngoing partnership to supervise digital preservation of Fox's entire inventory of feature film sound assets, including metadata verification, audio evaluation, digital transfer, and archival migration.
- CBS TelevisioncorePartnership for preservation transfers and quality control of film music library assets, ongoing project.
- Nikkatsu (Japanese film company)minorHired through recommendation by IMAGICA corp. to perform audio restoration of 'Bakumatsu taiyōden' (The Sun Legend of the End of the Tokugawa Era, 1957).
- ITV Studios / ITV Global EntertainmentcoreCollaboration on restoration of 'The Red Shoes' (1948), winning FOCAL Archive Restoration Award and Film Heritage Award. Work included scanning original three strip 35mm Nitrate negatives at 4K resolution.
- Signal InferencecorePartnership to develop new De-Wow technology for correcting pitch wavering problems in deteriorating source material during restoration of 'The Robe' (1953).
- Sonic SolutionscoreLong-standing relationship with Sonic Solutions (NoNoise system). Founder John Polito was Product Manager for the NoNoise system in 1987, pioneering digital sound restoration technology.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Audio Mechanics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cineric Inc. New York-based film and post-production facility providing preservation, restoration, and post-production audio services including optical/digital sound work for major archives and studios.
- L'Immagine Ritrovata: Bologna-based film restoration laboratory offering both picture and sound restoration services for archives and studios worldwide. Direct functional peer for film audio restoration projects.
- Colorlab: Maryland-based film and television post-production and restoration laboratory with audio and picture preservation services for studios and archives. Comparable boutique restoration business model.
- Roundabout Entertainment: Burbank-based post-production audio facility providing sound editorial, mixing, restoration, and ADR for film and television. Directly competes for similar studio accounts and restoration/mixing projects.
- Chace Audio: Long-standing Burbank-based audio restoration and remastering facility specializing in film and music. Closest direct competitor with overlapping studio customer base and similar restoration capability for legacy formats.
- Hackbusch Communications: Audio restoration and remastering studio serving film studios, music labels, and archives with comparable legacy analog and digital audio restoration capability.
Emerging players
- CEDAR Audio Ltd: UK-based manufacturer of audio restoration and noise reduction hardware/software systems used by post-production and broadcast facilities. Comparable technology layer even though product rather than service model.
- iZotope: Audio intelligence company behind RX suite, used widely for noise reduction and restoration in post-production and music. Indirect peer via AI/ML-augmented audio cleaning that competes for the same end-customer workflow.
Others
- Paramount Media Restoration: In-house restoration arm of Paramount Pictures, one of Audio Mechanics' most important clients. Represents both a customer and a partial in-source alternative to third-party restoration services.
- Sonic Solutions (now part of Rovi/DivX): Original developer of NoNoise system where founder John Polito worked as Product Manager in 1987. Represents technology heritage and software ecosystem underpinning Audio Mechanics' early workflow.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Audio Mechanics social profiles
Digital presenceAudio Mechanics compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Audio Mechanics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Audio Mechanics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Audio Mechanics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Audio Mechanics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Audio Mechanics
What does Audio Mechanics do?
Audio Mechanics provides professional audio restoration, preservation transfers, music mastering, mixing and re-mastering, and forensic audio analysis for film studios, music labels, archives, and legal clients. The firm digitizes analog audio assets, removes noise and distortion, prepares audio for modern formats (5.1/7.1 surround, Blu-Ray, DVD, DCP), and provides expert witness services. All work is performed in a Burbank facility equipped with both legacy analog gear and cutting-edge digital workflows, a climate-controlled vault, and proprietary tools such as a magnetic film cleaning system and De-Wow pitch correction technology.
Is Audio Mechanics a public or private company?
Audio Mechanics is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Audio Mechanics founded?
Audio Mechanics was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Audio Mechanics based?
Audio Mechanics is headquartered in Burbank, United States, in the North America region.
How does Audio Mechanics make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Sound Restoration Services are the primary driver. The others are preservation Transfers, music Mastering, forensic Audio Services and mixing and Re-mastering.
Who are Audio Mechanics's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cineric Inc., L'Immagine Ritrovata, Colorlab, Roundabout Entertainment, Chace Audio and Hackbusch Communications. Emerging players are CEDAR Audio Ltd and iZotope. Others are Paramount Media Restoration and Sonic Solutions (now part of Rovi/DivX).
Does Audio Mechanics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Audio Mechanics.
What industry is Audio Mechanics in?
Audio Mechanics's product category is Audio Restoration and Post-Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHAEAH, Audio Restoration & Forensics (Archival Repair, Forensic Enhancement), with a secondary code of MPAHAEAL, Audio Mastering & Deliverables (Loudness/Compliance, Printmasters, Stems). Its NAICS code is 51229 and its SIC code is 7812.