Sonarworks receives iF Design Award

The digital asset NFT campaign for the professional audio industry created by the Latvian audio technology company Sonarworks has won the advertising and campaigns category of the iF Design Award 2023.

Sonarworks created the campaign in collaboration with the Latvian street artist Kiwie. It featured three 3D recording studios, each of which represented a genre of music: rock, hip-hop, and house. In addition to the virtual 3D animated visualisation, NFT owners could also receive a physical artwork to complement the design of their recording studio. Sonarworks’ campaign was praised by 133 jury members, making the Latvian company the winner out of 11,000 entries.

The iF Design Award, awarded by the Hannover-based iF International Forum Design, is considered one of the world’s three most important design prizes.

A plentitude of awards

In 2021, the CES 2020 Innovation Award was given to SoundID as a standalone technology, and to headphone manufacturer HELM Audio for its integration of SoundID.

Also in 2022, Sonarworks received a double award at the CES technology show. The award is for the second generation of SoundID and for the integration with Grell headphones. “To have received a double nomination two years in a row is a technological achievement that no one else in Latvia has achieved,” said Katrīna Allikas, global marketing manager at Sonarworks.

Meanwhile, the company was recognised as the most export-oriented company among large and medium-sized companies in the 2021 Export and Innovation Awards.

Personalised audio listening experience

Sonarworks is a Latvia-based professional digital sound calibration startup whose products perform sound correction for headphones and speaker systems in more than 140,000 studios worldwide. More than 55 Grammy Award-winning sound engineers, who work with world-class stars such as Lady Gaga, Madonna, Rihanna, Adele and Coldplay, use and recommend the company’s technology.

The company’s SoundID Reference software for recording studios enables neutral sound in both studio speakers and headphones within 20 minutes. In 2020, Sonarworks expanded its operations to include integration of the technology in music listening devices. By the end of 2021, more than 160,000 headphones with Sonarworks’ SoundID technology integrated had been produced. The company’s technology thus provides a sound quality boost for professional recording studios and music lovers alike.

Developing with investor support

In the summer of 2021, Sonarworks raised six million dollars (5.07 million euros) under the investment fund Almaz Capital. Existing investors Karma Ventures and Proks Capital, as well as new investors Trind Ventures, Smart Growth VC, Wiser Financial Advisors and business angels Cesar Lamschtein and Victor Yun also participated in the investment round. Prior to this investment, 7.9 million euros had been invested in the company.

“The new round of funding will allow us to accelerate our international growth by expanding the availability of our innovative SoundID technology in consumer electronics,” said Sonarworks co-founder Helmuts Bēms.

Sonarworks plans to continue to develop new SoundID technology integration projects in the US and Asian markets. The company expects to soon have SoundID technology integrated in one billion devices worldwide.

Author: Anda Asere (labsoflatvia.com). Publicity photo.