Alesis was founded in 1980 and spent their beginnings democratizing semi-conductor chip technology in tandem with clever hardware designs such that musicians from all walks of life could mobilize them for their own purposes. Their MIDIverb and HR-16 and SR-16 drum machines are prime examples of this early innovation. After this, Alesis introduced the groundbreaking ADAT Digital Tape Recorder, which further democratized multitrack recording technology. Since 2001, the company has branched out into DSP-equipped analog mixers, electronic percussion devices, and computer audio interfaces.