Trident Audio Developments grew out of London's Trident Studios, founded in 1967 by brothers Norman and Barry Sheffield. When the studio needed a custom console to handle the transition from eight-track to sixteen-track recording, engineer Malcolm Toft and Barry Porter designed the Trident A-Range in 1971 — one of the first large-format split consoles built for multitrack work. Only 13 A-Range consoles were ever produced, giving them a near-mythical status in the pro audio world. The demand for those consoles from outside clients led to the formation of Trident Audio Developments (also known as TRIAD) as a standalone manufacturing company, with Toft serving as Managing Director.

The company went on to produce a series of influential consoles, including the Fleximix and TSM (both 1979), the Series 80 (1980), and the Series 80B (1983), which became Trident's most commercially successful line. Classic Trident consoles were installed at legendary facilities like Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, where artists including David Bowie, Rod Stewart, and Frank Sinatra recorded hit records. Trident Studios itself hosted sessions by The Beatles, Queen, and Elton John.

Now based in Gardena, California, Trident Audio Developments manufactures a range of products that translate the company's console heritage into modern formats. The lineup includes the Trident 88 and Trident 78 analog consoles, 500 Series modules such as the A-Range 500 EQ, A-Range 500 Preamp, and 80B 500 Series EQ, as well as rack-mount gear and plugin versions of their classic circuits.

Trident Audio has 7 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Effects Processors, Mixers, and Channel Strips. Their gear is featured by 5 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Folk, World, & Country, and Blues. Notable users include Elliott Smith, Clay Parton, and Glenn Rosenstein.