Aaton bankruptcy

[VASI]

Hello,

 

We had some news regarding Aaton today and Atomos.

 

Atomos Enters into Agreement with Club Cantar

6 April 2025

 

Las Vegas, Nevada — Booth #SL4828, NAB Show 2025

 

Atomos has announced a partnership with Club Cantar to provide ongoing repair and maintenance support for the legendary Aaton Cantar line of professional audio recorders. 

Aaton Digital, based in Grenoble, France, was founded in 1971 by the visionary engineer Jean-Pierre Beauviala, whose passion for film and sound innovation left an indelible mark on the motion picture industry. From the outset, Aaton became known for its radical and ergonomic “cat-on-the-shoulder” camera design—crafted to sit comfortably on the shoulder for intuitive handheld operation. Jean-Pierre and his team introduced a host of industry-first innovations, including the AatonCode timecode system, which embedded timecode directly onto film to dramatically improve audio-video sync in post-production, as well as built-in video assist, allowing for real-time monitoring during shoots, and quick-change magazine systems that minimized downtime on set.

 

In 2004, Aaton launched the Cantar-X, a multi-channel digital audio recorder designed specifically for on-location use, which quickly became a favorite among professional sound recordists for its superb build quality and ultra-low-noise preamps. Aaton also developed the Penelope and Penelope Delta cameras—35mm systems with native 2-perf film transport, the latter incorporating a Super 35 CCD sensor and an optical viewfinder, bridging the worlds of digital and analog cinematography.

 

In later years, Aaton continued to develop high-end audio products, including further refinements to the Cantar series. Beautifully engineered and unmistakably unique in design, the Cantar recorders set a new benchmark for field recorders. With their low-latency architecture, ultra-low-noise preamps, and intuitive interface, they were as technically brilliant as they were iconic.

 

Sadly, Aaton Digital went into liquidation in early 2024. Atomos stepped in and acquired all the assets of Aaton from the liquidator, including the full product range, associated intellectual property, and all remaining recoverable spare parts and components. Atomos recognised the profound legacy of the Aaton brand and sought to preserve its history and value to the industry.

 

“I have always admired the innovation and craftsmanship that Aaton represented,” said Peter Barber, Chief Operating Officer at Atomos. “Throughout my own post-production career, Aaton equipment was essential to the highest-end workflows—from telecine, SoundSync, and all the way through to online finishing. I’ve always had a deep personal respect for what the Aaton team built over the years, and I’m extremely proud that Atomos has acquired a brand that has been so influential in the industry and delivered such remarkable innovations—which is why it was important that we had to save the brand and the technology. The Cantar recorders are widely regarded as some of the finest professional audio tools ever made. It was important to us to ensure they remain supported and usable for the many professionals who rely on them.”

 

To that end, Atomos has entered into an agreement with Club Cantar, a new service organization established by Gilles Deshays, a respected technician with decades of experience servicing high-end audio equipment. Supported by former Aaton engineers, Club Cantar is dedicated to keeping Cantar products alive and operational in the field. 

“The Cantar is more than a machine—it’s a beloved part of the filmmaking toolkit,” said Gilles. “With Club Cantar, our mission is to extend the life of these recorders and honour the spirit of the original Aaton team.”

 

Under the agreement, Atomos will provide Club Cantar with spare parts and access to the technical information necessary to support the continued service of Cantar devices. 

“We see the Aaton Cantar ecosystem as an important and meaningful addition to Atomos,” added Barber. “We’ll be looking to take advantage of that incredible legacy and feature set in future products. But, just as importantly, we wanted to make sure that the loyal Cantar user base continues to receive the best support possible. Through our partnership with Club Cantar, we’re proud to help extend the life of these iconic recorders for many years to come.”

 

We encourage all Aaton Cantar owners to visit clubcantar.com and join the community. By registering, users can access the support, parts, and technical resources they need to keep their beloved recorders in top condition and operating for as long as possible.

 

Source: https://www.atomos.com/2025/04/06/atomos-enters-into-agreement-with-club-cantar/

[The Documentary Sound Guy]

Cautiously, that seems like good news.  It's essentially a goodwill deal, since Atomos will have to provide parts without selling new recorders.  Hopefully Atomos does have plans to revitalize the engineering side and perhaps design some new recorders, but with the original engineering team gone, it's still hard to get my hopes up.  Hopefully the reality lives up to the announcement.

[IronFilm]

18 hours ago, The Documentary Sound Guy said:

Cautiously, that seems like good news.  It's essentially a goodwill deal, since Atomos will have to provide parts without selling new recorders.  Hopefully Atomos does have plans to revitalize the engineering side and perhaps design some new recorders

If Atomos is caring about the goodwill with the Aaton brand name, then that would indicate they plan upon releasing future products under the Aaton brand. And that's surely the only reason they're doing their current actions, to maintain and build up the goodwill in the Aaton brand name? 

[Philip Perkins]

one can only hope...

[Paul F]

You can read their current half-year financial report and form your own opinion: https://announcements.atomos.com/announcements/6819860

[johngooch]

Club Cantar has made significant progress despite this latest Atomos annoucement.  Making their own parts and well on the way to unlocking options...  The Atomos deal just improves the value of Club Cantar.  IMHO>..  

[Dejan Ceko]