Working at DiGiCo
Since 2002, DiGiCo has led the world in digital audio mixing consoles and systems for live sound events ranging from touring and concerts, houses of worship, theatre and broadcast applications.
The company’s success has been built on three primary guiding principles:
Innovation and environmental design is at the heart of all things DiGiCo: a highly dedicated team of professionals are constantly focussed on ways of working within our Environmental Design philosophy, working with suppliers to push the boundaries of today’s technologies. And this has led to the most feature-rich range of products on the market, out-pacing all competitors in its field.
Quality is built into the DiGiCo process: starting with the initial design concepts through to advanced manufacturing at our state-of-the-art facilities in Fife, to the delivery, installation, and commission of customer systems.
Service: DiGiCo staff are famous for their level of customer service. The teams are largely comprised of real-world engineers and technicians who understand the rigours and challenges of putting on the biggest shows and events.
Headquartered in Chessington, England, and Manufacturing in Glenrothes, Scotland, DiGiCo operates a global network of distributors and service offices, providing unparalleled customer service and training trusted by the world’s top front of house and monitor engineers, and system technicians.
DiGiCo has massive reputation and we’re not planning on slowing down
That’s why, at DiGiCo, we strive to invest in the right people for the role through a combination of worldwide experience, fully-qualified professionals and student placements, with the intention of being able to offer the opportunity to begin their careers with us after graduation. That’s why, at DiGiCo, we invest in the right people for the job, bringing through the next generation of engineering and audio specialists. As an equal opportunity employer, we seek the best talent regardless of religion, ethnicity, age, disability, nationality, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
Fundraising
Every year DiGiCo hosts charity events to raise money for global, industry and local charities. And we have fun doing it. The Christmas bake-offs are legendary. We host an annual themed charity quiz which raises thousands for various industry related charities, such as Stage Hand, backup the technical entertainment charity. We also take part in Christmas Jumper day and send our own jumpers to selected clients to take part and donate. In 2019 we raised over £1000 for Save the Children. One outcome of COVID-19 is that our industry now has a unified force to raise awareness of the plight of the ten’s of thousands of our freelance colleagues in the industry. DiGiCo plays a key part in the #WeMakeEvents movement to raise awareness for everyone in the entertainment sector working behind the scenes during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Our People
The physical and mental wellbeing of our employees is as important as the training and development programs we provide, allowing everyone to share in the passion and fun we keep at the heart of our business. We are fast moving to carbon neutrality and are actively emitting plastics and encouraging recycling in all areas of our design and manufacturing environments. We care about the people we work with as much as our own teams, which is why our suppliers are audited annually and commit to our Suppliers Ethics policy.
Environment
As well as looking after our employees, we love to do our bit to look after the environment. We are always looking for new ways to make our offices and products more sustainable and ask our employees for their ideas.
Here’s what our team have to say
- Rob Obro
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Name, role, and time at the company
I am Rob Obro and I joined the Digico (then Soundtracs) Test team in 1989 shortly before the manufacturing facility was relocated to Scotland.Why did you choose to work here and how this is progressing?
I joined the company at the time because of the relaxed and friendly atmosphere and frankly because I also needed a job that will serve as my gateway into this industry. Shortly after relocating the manufacturing facility to Scotland I joined the Management team as the Test Manager. At the time, Soundtracs manufactured analogue mixers and I led the test team to automate most of the console testing of our products. I was subsequently given the task of being the Test and Quality Manager. Along the way we transitioned from manufacturing analogue mixers to exclusively Digital Workstations. As we strived for excellence in our manufacturing processes, I was part of the manufacturing facility Management team who achieved ISO9001 accreditation.What areas of work do you enjoy?
Things have changed a lot since then as the company has gotten bigger and better. I am very excited about the new products being developed by our brilliant R&D team and in my current role leading the Test Development effort in the manufacturing facility, our aim is to rise to the challenge of developing test solutions to ensure that we continue to deliver the best quality products to our customers.What is the atmosphere like in the company?
Digico is a great place to work. There is a very friendly atmosphere and it’s all about teamwork. The Christmas parties, bowling and other team building events are great. The employee benefits are great and the support in terms of personal development and mental health are there if you need it. When I am not working, I enjoy cycling and jogging. I did the marathon once years ago for a charity and vowed never to do it again lol! I volunteer very occasionally as a guest on a local noncommercial radio station where a friend of mine hosts a show. - Mike Aitchison
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Name, role, and time at the company
Mike Aitchison, Electro-Mechanical Manager, 5 yearsWhy did you choose to work here and how this is progressing?
I applied to work at DiGiCo because it is (in my opinion) the world leader in live music technology equipment. Having been in bands, grown up around and studied sound engineering and electronics, working for a professional audio company is all I’ve ever really wanted to do. I ventured into the world of Hi-Fi for my first engineering job, previously built guitar amplifiers, and now I get to design top-end digital mixing consoles. I’m one of the lucky ones who works in something I am passionate about. I helped get the SD12 launched when I first arrived, but from start to finish my first two projects through the DiGiCo doors were the “Ultimate Stadius” pre-amplifier and D-A converter (I even got my name “The apprentice” printed on the DAC!). Since then I have been heavily involved as an electronics engineer in the Quantum 7 engine, Quantum 5 engine, a number of DMI cards, progressed to system architect and project manage the Quantum 338, and now have led my engineering team to deliver Quantum 225 and the new DQ/MQ racks through lockdown. The experience I have gained through this is almost immeasurable for me in terms of progress, and it’s been extremely enjoyable along the way!What areas of work do you enjoy?
For me, the most standout element of R&D life at DiGiCo, which massively contributes to my enjoyment, is the knowledge that we are all in it together. We face some extremely demanding technical challenges on a daily basis, but never alone. The diversity and knowledge depth that the DiGiCo team has means that I enjoy both the technical challenge and the engineering comradery. We do all enjoy a good beer together once the hard work is done too.Have you felt supported here in terms of development and mental health?
Unquestionably, yes. I have certainly been supported in terms of my professional development and working at DiGiCo has already given me some fantastic life opportunities. As for mental health support, through difficult personal times, of which there have been a few during this COVID pandemic, my team, colleagues and management have been incredibly supportive and very easy and open to talk to about anything and everything. There is always a sense of being in it together.Why would you encourage others to work here?
First and foremost, the engineering team here are at the top of their game. Every facet of our R&D team has such a high calibre of members that the experience breadth that there is to be involved with and learn from is like nothing I have experienced before. Secondly, the trust that is placed in you by senior management, allows the freedom to discuss and develop ideas that satisfy engineering curiosity. There really is no such thing as a bad idea here, unless it results in flames…though even then purposefully engineered flames have their place! I continue my discussions about space-ship development with some of our other likeminded engineers!) Finally, the culture created by the people I work with is just brilliant. I love my music, I love playing, recording, mixing, listening, attending gigs, and I like doing all of these things with a few beers! The attitude at DiGiCo is quite often referred to as “Rock and Roll”. And it is. We engineer really good stuff, we have a lot of fun whilst we’re doing it and ultimately we make a lot of noise!What is the atmosphere like in the company?
I know it is quite cliché, but the atmosphere here is led by work hard and play hard. Large scale live events are big, unstoppable moving objects, which require hard work and dedication around the clock to make sure we engineer the most reliable and intuitive products, offer the best support for any of our customers and provide our end users with the most enjoyable experience we can, so they can concentrate on bringing the best quality shows to their customers. The focus at DiGiCo is definitely customer driven, and because our customers work hard and play hard, we do too, and that drives the atmosphere on a daily basis.Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
I have my aspirations to continue to develop my engineering and leadership skills at DiGiCo. We are already working on bigger, better, faster and more exciting products. I see myself remaining heavily involved in the engineering team at DiGiCo, helping to deliver these products, and I trust that the knowledge and experience I am gaining will allow me to continue to develop my career path here. - Mollie Autherson
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Name, role, and time at the company
Mollie Autherson, Technical Sales Specialist, 3 yearsWhy did you choose to work here and how this is progressing?
I started working at DiGiCo as a placement student in the software test department. I’d already decided that I wanted a career in the audio industry but more on the technical side so DiGiCo was a good fit. I thoroughly enjoyed my year and was delighted when James agreed that I could come back after I finished my degree. I returned into the Sales department in a technical position where I’ve had the chance to travel, meet customers, and occasionally go back to my roots in the test team when R&D are busy.What areas of work do you enjoy?
One of the coolest things about working at DiGiCo is being able to see our products being used by bands and musicians that I have listened to since I was young. I also love meeting new people in the industry, and the social events with the DiGiCo team.Have you felt supported here in terms of development and mental health?
DiGiCo is like a big family where we all look out for each other. They’ve encouraged me to try new things, looked out for me when travelling and I know that there are people I can talk to if I need toWhy would you encourage others to work here?
The people are great. The social events are brilliant fun. Also, since it’s a smaller company than most global manufacturers, I think there is also a greater sense of achievement between the team when we produce a new product. As part of that, everyone gets their chance to be heard. Even when I was a placement student, people listened to my ideas and some even made it into the console software.What is the atmosphere like in the company?
There is a brilliant atmosphere in the office. Lots of fun but also plenty of work. I see people in the company more like friends as opposed to colleagues.Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
MD of DiGiCo. - Fernando Delgado
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Name, role, and time at the company
Fernando Delgado, Technical Sales Engineer and I started in 2013 so just over 8 years working for the company now.Why did you choose to work here and how this is progressing?
I started my relationship with DiGiCo in late 2004 when I was appointed to be the product specialist/support in Spain for a Spanish distributor. Back then DiGiCo only had two consoles in the market, so very early stages. After around 8 years working in Spain I decided to ask DiGiCo for a job which happened straight away and within one month I had moved from Spain to live in the UK. The reason I wanted to cone here was that I knew the company had immense potential and basically wanted to be part of it. I started helping the sales team from a technical point of view and finally I ended up managing sales in LATAM, Spain and Portugal.What areas of work do you enjoy?
The social aspects of my position are one of the things I enjoy the most. However, the geeky stuff is the real drive. Showing people our latest developments and knowing we are some sort of Icebreaker in the industry is what I like. Being able to impress the market with new ideas…and yes I guess the drinks after also help.Have you felt supported here in terms of development and mental health?
Yes I definitely have. At all moments I can count on any of the directors for advice not only on professional matters, also on the personal ones. I have made really good friends in here and that has helped.Why would you encourage others to work here? / What is the atmosphere like in the company? / Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
I’d encourage people to work here because basically we are the best at what we do. It would be a dream come true to any audio engineer. The way the company is run is also very attractive as I do believe the managers look after us. The atmosphere here is great (COVID social distance has taken a toll tough) and I do have a lot of fun coming to work, which means I see my self working for the company for as long as I physically can really. - Dave Bigg
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Name, role, and time at the company
Dave Bigg. Product Specialist. Coming up on 11 YearsWhy did you choose to work here and how this is progressing?
I’d been a user of DiGiCo consoles for several years as an engineer and had already decided that I wanted to come off the road. When the opportunity arose to come and work at DiGiCo, I jumped at it.What areas of work do you enjoy?
I’m lucky to work with a group of clever and enthusiastic people and it’s a lot of fun. I’m fortunate to travel a lot which allows me to experience other cultures and make new friends along the way.Have you felt supported here in terms of development and mental health?
When I started here, I was encourage to make my job what I wanted it to be and its fair to say it has definitely evolved over the years.Why would you encourage others to work here?
You’ll get to work with a great bunch of people who are really passionate about what they do……..and have a lot of fun doing it.What is the atmosphere like in the company?
It's very friendly! We all get on pretty well and as we have grown over the years, that’s been one of the constants.Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
If you had asked me the same question 5 years ago its turns out I would have been wrong! The journey continues and whatever I’m doing, I fully intend to enjoy it.