Calrec has been designing and manufacturing audio mixing console for broadcasters since 1971.

The company began development of digitally controlled assignable consoles in 1980, with the world's first commercially available digitally controlled assignable mixing console supplied to BBC Radio OB's in 1981.

In 1997 Calrec introduced the X Series all digital radio on-air console and this was followed in 1999 by the Alpha. The Sigma and Zeta consoles arrived in 2002 and 2003, based on time-served Alpha digital architecture.

In 2003 Calrec also launched Hydra audio networking, enabling i/o resources to be shared throughout the entire family of Calrec digital consoles.

Bluefin High Density Signal Processing, launched on the Alpha at NAB 2006, is capable of providing 78 x full 5.1 surround channels on just one DSP card.  Bluefin was launced on the Sigma later that year, enabling the desk to handle 320 fully equipped mono DSP paths, packaged as 108 stereo and 104 mono channels. These can be configured for up to 52 x full 5.1 surround channels.