Half a century ago, George Mederos — a man filled with a love of music and an appreciation for fine audio — founded Miami-based Sound Barrier. From the brand’s inception in 1972 until the late ‘90s, Sound Barrier manufactured quality affordable car audio equipment. As the market shifted and the demand for secondary market car audio equipment faded, Sound Barrier forged a new path to success, developing a line of pro audio gear. There was nothing fancy about the new line, just good quality amps and speakers that users could rely on.
Today, Sound Barrier’s product offerings have expanded to include everything from entry-level speakers to full-on line arrays, such as the company’s top-end CORE 212A and SBLA15 systems for high-performance touring and install applications. Those lines are supplemented by a wide range of point-source systems, stage monitors and smaller line arrays for the club, house of worship, theater and portable P.A. markets — and of course, plenty of subwoofer options. Sound Barrier is sort of a one-stop shop, besides speaker systems and raw drivers, it also offers amplifiers, cases, racks, mics, recording interfaces, compact mixers and a full line of truss, rigging, staging and crowd control products.
Although the company toasted its 50-year anniversary in 2022, the joy turned somewhat bittersweet. The year finally marked a symbolic end of the Covid era but the beginning of a new era and ownership at Sound Barrier after the sudden passing of founder and owner George Mederos in January of this year. Undaunted, Sound Barrier Pro Audio remains a family business and is now in the capable hands of the two eldest sons, 42 year old George Paul, who has been with the company since 1998, and 38 year old Sean Michael, who began in 2006.
This summer, the historic Miami Biltmore Hotel was again finally able to host its traditional July 4th Independence Day celebration, which included live music by the Miami Wind Symphony and a huge fireworks display. Both Sound Barrier and Miami-based Interface Sound & Production (a full-service audio, staging, lighting and event management company) collaborated on the production with a Sound Barrier CORE series FOH solution.
For Sound Barrier, the event held a special significance. “Our parents escaped the communist regime in Cuba in the 1960’s and left everything behind in search of a better life here in the United States,” says George Paul Mederos. “To be there in person with my wife and children listening to ‘God Bless America’ and ‘America the Beautiful’ playing through our audio system manufactured by a company founded by their exiled immigrant grandfather was a truly emotional experience.”
Celebration Collaboration
Interface Sound & Production (interfacesound.com) — a Miami-based, full-service audio, staging, lighting and event management company — and Sound Barrier Pro Audio worked together to provide the evening’s entertainment with a Sound Barrier CORE series FOH solution.
The system included ten Sound Barrier CORE212A (active three-way, dual-12” line array modules) and ten CORE212P (passive 3-way dual-12” line arrays Module) in an active/passive hybrid array. Each CORE212A was powered by a Powersoft DigiMod 3004 Class-D power amplifier and — much like the smaller CORE82A and CORE102 — the amplifier is specifically designed to power a passive CORE212P line array module. Every active CORE unit functions with Sound Barrier’s NUCLEUS FIR loudspeaker management software, which incorporates traditional IIR crossover and PEQ functions in conjunction with revolutionary FIR modes to drive and align the CORE systems.
Dedication is the Key to Success
The Independence Day celebration was a success on all levels, but in some ways, it was just another day on the job for the Sound Barrier crew. “We go to sleep every night — or morning, depending on how much fun we had — and wake up to design, test and experiment with ideas for new products. The company kitchen is well equipped with Cuban coffee to make sure we have the stamina to do this because frankly, we can’t function without it,” George Paul Mederos admits with a smile.
“Our customer base is just as diverse as our city. Walking in and out of the offices and showrooms you might find local DJ’s, church pastors, night club owners, sound engineers, or Grammy Award-winning artists. We understand our company’s livelihood depends on our customers and many customers rely on our products for their livelihood. Our passion for audio, technology, and service is the key to our success and growth.”
But it all comes down to basics such as great products and great service. “We like to think of ourselves as a 50 year start-up in that we feel we are in the initial stage of something great,” says Sean Micheal Mederos. “We don’t have the marketing budget to shove our brand in everyone’s social media timeline, but what we do have is great product.”
For more, visit www.soundbarrier.com.
