Gunnar Rasmussen – acoustic industry pioneer and founder of GRAS passes away at 98

Rasmussen, who had studied engineering, began his career working for the Danish acoustic company Brüel & Kjaer, where he was sent to the US to help develop the American market. It was here that the inquisitive microphone specialist took the opportunity to learn all he could about the technologies in the emerging acoustical industries and to build up networks in a wide range of industries.

In the 1950s, with the growing demand for measurement microphones in the flourishing automotive, aviation, and electronics industries, Rasmussen, back in Denmark, began to develop a new generation of measurement microphones with a new and revolutionary simple design. For the past sixty years, these microphones have been the preferred type of measurement microphone for all types of acoustic measurements and have become an international standard.

In 1994, rather than accept retirement, Gunnar Rasmussen founded GRAS Sound & Vibration. The company soon grew commercially successful, and many of the founder's new ideas and inventions have become industry classics. Thanks to Gunnar Rasmussen’s commitment to innovation and customisation, the company has evolved from a small family business into a respected and leading manufacturer of measurement microphones.

Today, with sales offices and authorised partners around the world, the company is part of the international Axiometrix Solutions group and sells more than 100 different types of microphones and measurement solutions.

Rasmussen has been chairman of the ISO committee, was an honorary member of the American Acoustical Society (ASA), and has received the prestigious Danish Design Award for his design of measurement microphones and sound meters. Gunnar Rasmussen has also received a CETIM medal and an IEC Award. In 2008, he received the European Acoustics Association's prestigious ‘Lifetime Achievements in Acoustics’ award.

More information about Gunnar Rasmussen’s achievements can be found on the GRAS website.