Music Center Incorporated (MCI) is the former name of a United States manufacturer of professional audio equipment that operated from 1955 until 1982 when it was acquired by the Sony Corporation.

The company is credited with a number of world firsts: commercialising the 24-track multi-track recorder, the tape Auto Locator and in-line mixing console.

[1] During the late 1950s Grover 'Jeep' Harned, the founder of MCI, owned and operated a small record and stereo servicing outlet in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Harned's growing list of record industry contacts led in time to regular referrals, and then to long term service contracts.

In addition he installed commercial sound systems for the Parker Playhouse, Pirate's Worlds and Fort Lauderdale International Airport amongst others.

Sid, Mack Emmerman, and Bob Richardson had a bunch of Ampex 350 tape recorders with transports that still ran well, but electronics that were on the verge of quitting completely.

I filled this order for 100 units and I thought that would be the end of it, but when the word got around the industry that there was this guy in Florida building these 'solid state' electronics, a lot more people became interested in them" In 1968 Tom Hidley, then manager of TTG Recording Studios in Hollywood, asked Harned to supply a 24-track recorder.

[6] Console automation became a necessity at a time when the number of mixing channels grew and there were more faders than a single operator could manage.

The MCI tape AutoLocator, another innovation, was similar in design to a remote control though it had advanced functions such as storing a number of presets to recall a particular position of a given recording track.

MCI's reputation was built on technical innovation and its budget priced systems that were popular with independent music studios.

Rock musician Eric Clapton recorded his 1974 album 461 Ocean Boulevard at Criteria, which had served as the testbed for MCI's new products since the early 1960s.

These features included the Autolocator, constant tension reel servos, wrap and azimuth adjustable heads, long wearing ceramic capstans and one button punch-in and punch-out.

Aspiring studio operators fell into either of two categories: those with deep pockets that could afford $45,000 or more for high-end 3M, Neve or Studer gear, and the remainder who could not.

By the late 1970s, MCI's annual revenue stood at an estimated $20m and its products had a 36% market-share in the US domestic market and 45% internationally.

Other famous artists that used MCI branded equipment included Roy Orbison, Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk.

[citation needed] In 1977, the 2-inch analog multitrack format was well-entrenched in high-end studios, with a wide selection of competing product offerings from companies like Ampex, and MCI amongst others.

In the early 1980s Sony wanted to extend its business operations into the US manufacturing sector and approached Harned with a buyout offer.