Bob Heil has Passed

[AB4BF]

I'm seeing on the internet that Bob Heil has passed. He will be greatly missed by the Amateur Radio Community. RIP, Bob.

Audio Innovator Bob Heil Dies - Radio World

Bob Heil has died, according to the company he founded. He invented the Heil Talk Box and developed numerous microphones and other audio products.

www.radioworld.com

 

[KT4HX]

RIP Bob. Your gear is legend in the amateur radio community.

 

[kg4ehv]

Sad news indeed, RIP and prayers to the family.

 

[GlobalNorth]

Much respect to Bob Heil.

He made amateur radio and rock & roll better through his innovations.

 

[mitbr]

R.I.P Mr Heil .you will always be remembered in the ham radio community.
Tim

 

[PACNWDude]

Wow, R.I.P. Now, expect the price to go up on his gear (grab it while its available). It just feels right....in electronic music voice.

 

[ind224]

I spoke to Bob via phone decades ago and ended up with a Gold Line w HC4 and HC5 just for my CB. Many probably don't know his major involvement with rock and roll audio. "Do you feel like I do I do I do?" and others. I too am an AM igh fidelity maven having grown up on WGN and WBBM.

 

[AK9R]

Several years ago at the Fort Wayne Hamfest, a guy at the table behind me was selling a bunch of electric guitar and pro audio stuff. Among his "treasures" was a Heil Talk Box. (The Talk Box was made famous by Joe Walsh on Rocky Mountain Way and Peter Frampton on Do You Feel Like We Do?) At Dayton Hamvention the following spring, I went to the Heil booth and told Bob about my observation. He turned to his briefcase and pulled out a stack of photos of him and Joe Walsh (WB6ACU) partying with a bunch of other rock and roll types a few months earlier, probably at the NAMM show.

Talented guy. Interesting to talk to. RIP.

 

[W9OHM]

I used to enjoy watching Bob on Ham Nation on TwIT. Here's S1E1, naturally it's with Joe Walsh.

Joe Walsh, WB6ACU | TWiT.TV

This premiere episode explores the fascination with ham radio, a little rock and roll, and more.

twit.tv

 

[captaincab]

Rest In Peace

 

[mikewazowski]

Sad news. Bob was definitely an innovator.

 

[KC1UA]

Several years ago at the Fort Wayne Hamfest, a guy at the table behind me was selling a bunch of electric guitar and pro audio stuff. Among his "treasures" was a Heil Talk Box. (The Talk Box was made famous by Joe Walsh on Rocky Mountain Way and Peter Frampton on Do You Feel Like We Do?) At Dayton Hamvention the following spring, I went to the Heil booth and told Bob about my observation. He turned to his briefcase and pulled out a stack of photos of him and Joe Walsh (WB6ACU) partying with a bunch of other rock and roll types a few months earlier, probably at the NAMM show.

Talented guy. Interesting to talk to. RIP.

I found a music related article on Mr. Heil today that contained much of this, and it blew my mind. While obviously familiar with the famous audio products that are amateur radio related, I was clueless about this aspect of his life. In addition to the above, the article spoke about him being approached by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead regarding a part, as their regular audio engineer was not available. The article goes on to say that the band was so impressed with the replacement part he provided they asked him to finish the tour with them, using his equipment.

My favorite rock band is The Who. I found out from this article that Bob was instrumental (pun intended) in the recording of what is their most melodious album, "Quadrophenia", by working with the band to provide some pioneering in the quadrophonic approach to the way the album was recorded.

How amazing. RIP; what a life.

 

[AK9R]

The rumor (legend?) is that the Grateful Dead's sound guy had either been arrested and was in jail or was specifically avoiding St. Louis for fear that he'd be arrested. The Dead was playing the Fox Theater where Heil has some experience because he had been organist there. Heil came in at the last minute and did such a good job with the Dead's live sound that they hired him.

At that time, the Dead was really struggling, as most touring bands were, with their live sound. In this era, the powerful and well-engineered PA systems that bands have today didn't exist. So, bands had to provide individual instrument amplification. Hence, Marshall stacks were popular. But, that presented a problem with getting the mix right and maintaining audible separation between instruments. You can read about the Dead's wall of sound various places on the web (Wall of Sound (Grateful Dead) - Wikipedia). I think Heil saw some flaws with that approach and proposed heading down the big PA route. Heil also developed a mixer to use with the big PA system as there was nothing on the market that would work as a live sound mixer as opposed to a studio mixer.

 

[KC1UA]

I originally saw the article in a news feed on my smartphone but happy to say I was able to relocate it.

Live sound and Talk Box pioneer Bob Heil has died, aged 83: “I can never thank him enough,” says Peter Frampton

Audio industry legend worked with the Grateful Dead, The Who and many others

www.musicradar.com

 

[AK9R]

Found this posted in the Klipsch Museum of Audio History Facebook group:

A DRUNK MEETS JESUS - The Story of Paul W. Klipsch and Bob Heil.

In the early 1970’s, theater organist-turned soundman Bob Heil had made the front page of Billboard magazine with a 30,000-watt touring system he designed for the Grateful Dead. One evening he received a phone call from what he described as “the voice of God”. Paul W. Klipsch was on the line asking if there was a cornfield nearby where he could land his plane. He wanted to see what this whippersnapper was doing with so many watts.

PWK landed his Bonanza A-35 V-tail near Marissa, Illinois. Impressed with his findings, he flew Bob and one of his employees back to Hope for two full days of advanced acoustics discussions, concentrated Klipschorn listening sessions and lessons in efficiency in speaker design through horns. The Bell Labs work in the Symposium on Auditory Perspective was central to Bob’s education.

“I refer to those two days like a drunk meeting Jesus! He changed my world and it turned out to be the beginning of the sound reinforcement industry. Reference to him is paid in the display of some of the Heil pieces in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. It would NOT have happened if it were not for Paul Klipsch.” -Bob Heil

Later, the two designed and built stage monitors for Jeff Beck and a massive sound system for the famous Mississippi River Festival concert series. For twelve years, artists like The Who, Yes, Chicago, The Eagles, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, The Band and Jackson Brown performed for over 30,000 people on the campus of Southern Illinois University via the Klipsch/Heil speakers.

A life-long friend of PWK, Bob Heil went on to create a four-channel sound system for The Who’s Quadrophenia and invent the Heil Talk Box – popularized by Peter Frampton, Joe Walsh and Richie Sambora. Heil Sound continues to manufacture professional microphones and headsets for live performance and radio broadcast from its headquarters in Marissa, IL.

RIP Bob Heil.