Club Cantar: Preserving a Legend in Professional Audio

A community determined to keep Cantar alive

For decades, Cantar recorders earned a reputation for exceptional reliability, intuitive field ergonomics, and uncompromising audio quality. From major feature films to high-end television productions, they became trusted tools for production sound mixers working in the most demanding environments. 

When Aaton Digital went into liquidation in February 2024, concern spread quickly throughout the professional audio industry. Users weren’t simply worried about losing a product line. They were facing the potential loss of long-term service support, replacement parts, firmware updates, and technical expertise for machines that remained central to many production workflows. 

Instead of accepting that outcome, the community mobilized. 

The birth of Club Cantar 

Founded in January 2025, Club Cantar emerged from a collaborative effort led by Gilles Deshays of TDM Audio Pro, alongside former Aaton Digital engineers and long-time industry specialists. 

More than 130 contributors — including internationally recognized sound mixers, rental facilities, broadcasters, and production organizations — helped fund the initiative and provide the momentum needed to launch the project. 

Critically, Club Cantar also reunited key technical expertise from the original Cantar development team, including Pascal Grillère (firmware development), Frédéric Mangeat (electronic board design), and Pierre Michoud (administration and communications).

The initiative also benefited from support across the wider professional sound community, reinforcing a shared commitment to preserving one of cinema audio’s most respected platforms. 

Atomos supports the next chapter

A major milestone came in March 2025 when Atomos acquired Aaton Digital’s assets and chose to support the Club Cantar initiative. Atomos provided TDM Audio Pro with access to critical spare parts inventory and industrial testing equipment, helping secure long-term support for existing Cantar users worldwide. 

For professionals relying on these systems daily, this was a pivotal moment. 

It ensured that essential servicing, repairs, and technical continuity could continue — while also creating opportunities for future development. 

Atomos CEO Peter Barber described the Cantar range as “among the finest professional audio tools ever designed,” underscoring the significance of preserving the platform for the production industry. 

More than just maintenance 

Club Cantar isn’t simply about keeping older hardware operational. The organization is actively extending the capabilities of the platform through ongoing hardware and software development, including: 

• New production runs of critical components such as screens, preamps, selectors, and potentiometers  
• Dante integration upgrades using Audinate networking technology  
• Enhanced control systems and hardware modernization  
• Subscriber access to advanced software tools including Automix, expanded auxiliary outputs, and cloud connectivity features  

This approach allows productions to continue using proven recording systems while benefiting from modern workflow enhancements. 

A global support network 

Based in Morlaix, France, Club Cantar now operates through an international network of technical partners across Europe, North America, and the United Kingdom.

Many of these partners are former Aaton Digital distributors and service specialists, enabling localized support for productions working around the world. 

For film and television crews working to tight schedules, fast access to experienced technical service is still essential — and Club Cantar is helping ensure those workflows continue uninterrupted. 

Preserving a philosophy of production audio 

What makes this story remarkable is that it goes beyond technology. Cantar users aren’t just preserving hardware. They’re preserving a philosophy of professional production audio — one built around reliability, precision, intuitive operation, and uncompromising sound quality in real-world production environments. 

Club Cantar demonstrates what’s possible when engineers, manufacturers, and users unite behind tools that genuinely matter to creative professionals. 

In doing so, they’re not only extending the life of iconic recorders — they’re preserving an important part of modern cinema audio history.