Bob Heil

Robert Gene Heil (October 5, 1940 – February 28, 2024) was an American audio and radio engineer who created the template for modern rock sound systems. He founded the company Heil Sound in 1966

In 1973 he invented the Heil Talk Box, which was used by musicians such as Peter Frampton, Joe Walsh and Richie Sambora. and lived in Marissa in the coalfields of southern Illinois. By the age of ten he was playing the accordion. He became a proficient theater organ musician at a young age, performing at various local restaurants from the age of 14. At 15, he became house player for the Wurlitzer theater organ in the Fox Theater in St. Louis.

In his teens he also became an avid amateur radio operator, and began designing and building homemade transmitters, amplifiers, and antenna systems.

In 1966 he founded Heil Sound. In 1978, Heil published a "Practical Guide for Concert Sound" which "became a field guide for techies and roadies worldwide".

Major tours The Who After Heil toured with the Dead, Billboard reported that a small Midwest sound system purveyor had snagged the position. Shortly after the article was published, Heil received a call from the management of The Who. They had been experiencing a difficult start to their US tour, and Heil brought a more refined and powerful version of his sound system to their shows. "We did the Who's Next tour for a year and a half, across the US, to Europe and back here again." The tour created a bond between Heil and Who guitarist Pete Townshend, who commissioned Heil to create the quadraphonic sound system he had envisioned for the live tour after the release of their Quadrophenia LP. According to Heil, "We set up two 15-channel Midas consoles together, put speakers in four corners and we were able to fly Roger Daltrey's voice around the room. When we did Madison Square Garden with Quadrophenia, the PA was enormous. I think we had on each side six to eight 15-inch speaker bins, six to eight radial horns, and about a dozen tweeters. We could get about 110dB to 115dB on that stage before feedback. And the Who loved it, man, because it was loud, and they loved loud." It was the first high-powered talk box on the market which could reliably be used on high-level rock stages. The Heil Talk Box was developed in 1973 and was built for Joe Walsh's Barnstorm Tour. Frampton frequently used a Heil Talk Box after receiving one as a Christmas present from Heil in 1974, and it can be prominently heard on his 1975 album Frampton.

His amateur radio call sign was K9EID.

Awards From the 1980s, Heil won several awards and honors. He was the "International Amateur Radio Operator of the Year" in 1982, an award which had been held by Barry Goldwater the year before.