News
from the TEC Foundation
PRESS RELEASE—January 20, 2012
PRODUCTION TEAMS FOR
ROBERT PLANT, ADELE, ROGER WATERS RECEIVE
HIGHEST ACCOLADES AT 27TH ANNUAL TEC AWARDS
Steve Vai Honored at 2012 NAMM Show; Avid, Shure
and Solid State Logic Garner Multiple Awards for Technical Achievement
January 20, 2012—Anaheim,
CA—The sound engineers,
editors, producers and other audio professionals behind Robert Plant’s
Band of Joy, Adele’s 21, Roger Water’s “The Wall Live” Tour,
Inception and NBC’s Saturday Night Live were among the many winners
at the 27th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards. The gala
co-presented by the TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio and NAMM, was
held Friday evening at the Hilton Anaheim as a special event of the 2012
NAMM Show.
In addition to 27 awards for Technical and
Creative Achievement, an enthusiastic crowd
of sound and music products industry professionals
witnessed the presentation of the prestigious
Les Paul Award to guitarist, composer and
producer Steve Vai. Sponsored by the Les Paul
Foundation, the award is given annually to
a musician or recording professional whose
work has epitomized the marriage of music
and technology. The award was co-presented
by Russ Paul and celebrated rock bassist Billy
Sheehan.
The
show was hosted by Late Show veteran Will
Lee, and featured musical performances by
Lee, the 2 Cold ChiliBone TEC
Band, Steve
Vai, Billy Sheehan, Orianthi, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter,
CJ Vanston, scratcher DJ HAPA and other veteran
vocalists and session musicians.
In
the category of Technical Achievement, winners
included Avid’s Pro Tools 9
(Workstation Technology), VENUE 2.9 (Sound
Reinforcement Console) and Pro Tools | HD
Native (Computer Audio Hardware); Solid State
Logic’s AWS 948 (Large Format Console)
and Nucleus (Small Format Console); Shure’s
Beta 181 (Microphone /Sound Reinforcement)
and PGX Digital Wireless (Wireless Technology);
Genelec’s 1238CF (Studio Monitor); Meyer
Sound Lab’s MINA (Sound Reinforcement
Loudspeaker); Radial Engineering’s WR8
Workhorse (Signal Processing/Software); Moog’s
Slim Phatty Synthesizer (Musical Instrument/Hardware)
and Spectrasonics’ Ommnisphere v1.5
(Musical Instrument/Software). Winners in
this year’s new categories were Eventide’s
Space (Musical Instrument Amplification & Effects
Technology) and Lab Gruppen’s PLM 20000Q
(Amplification Hardware/Studio & Sound
Reinforcement).
Robert
Plant’s production crews won
awards for both Record Production/Single with “Angel
Dance” and Remote Production with NPR
Music’s Robert Plant and the Band of
Joy, Live in Concert radio broadcast. The
award for Record Production/Album went to
Adele’s 21. The Film Sound Production
award went to the sound designers and editors
behind Inception and the Interactive Entertainment
Sound Production award went to the audio team
of Treyarch/Activision’s Call of Duty:
Black Ops. Other winners for Creative Achievement
were Roger Waters’ “The Wall Live” Tour’s
sound company Clair (Tour Sound Production);
Saturday Night Live (Television Sound Production);
and the design team of New York’s Jungle
City Studios, the Walters-Storyk Design Group.
The complete list of the
27th annual TEC awards winners is at http://tecfoundation.com/27thwinners
About the TEC Awards
The TEC Awards is presented by the TEC Foundation
for Excellence in Audio, a 501 (c)(3) charitable
organization dedicated to promoting and
recognizing excellence in the audio and
music arts and sciences. In pursuing this
mission, the Foundation has endowed scholarships
at leading colleges and universities around
the United States. For more information
visit www.tecfoundation.com.
Media Contact: Jane Byer
/ jane@tecfoundation.com
PRESS RELEASE—January 2, 2012
AUDIO AND TECHNOLOGY LEADERS TO SPONSOR
27th ANNUAL TEC AWARDS
Les Paul Foundation Joins Harman Pro, NAMM,
Sennheiser/Neumann and Others to Support Event Honoring Steve Vai and Top Audio
Professionals
January
2, 2012—Walnut Creek, CA—The
TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio has
announced that 34 companies in the professional
audio and technology industries are lending
their support as sponsors of the 27th Annual
TEC Awards. The awards honor outstanding achievement
in professional audio production and product
innovation and are co-presented by the TEC
Foundation and NAMM, the largest trade association
of the international music products industry.
The TEC Awards will be held at the 2012 NAMM Show on Friday,
January 20, in the Pacific Ballroom of the Hilton Anaheim. A highlight of
the evening will be the presentation of the Les Paul Award to famed
musician, composer and producer Steve Vai.
FOH and Platinum Sponsors include Sustaining
Sponsor Harman Professional, encompassing many of the professional
audio industry’s most
respected brands; The Les Paul Foundation
(LPF), created by Les Paul to foster artistic excellence and innovation
through the funding of music programs and scholarships; and Sennheiser/Neumann,
leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission
systems.
Gold Sponsors include Avid, producer of
award-winning digital audio and video solutions; Broadjam, the social
media website focused on indie music and musicians; Hal Leonard
Corporation, the world’s
largest print music publisher, and leading
software and music technology products distributor; and Shure
Incorporated,
one of the world's largest manufacturers of microphones and audio
electronics.
Completing this year's lineup are Silver
Sponsors Meyer Sound, Solid State Logic, Sony and Yamaha;
and Bronze Sponsors DPA Microphones, Eventide, Focusrite
| Novation,
GANG, Genelec, House Research Institute, Intel, JoeCo, Line
6, Martin
Audio, Producers and Engineers Wing of the Recording Academy, PreSonus,
QSC Audio, Royer Labs, TASCAM, TC Electronic, Toft
Audio Design | Tonelux, Universal Audio and Wave Distribution.
For more information on TEC Awards Sponsors, visit
http://www.tecfoundation.com/tec/11sponsorresources.html
For Ticket and Event Information: http://27thannualtecawards.eventbrite.com
The TEC Awards is presented by the TEC Foundation
for Excellence in Audio, a 501 (c)(3) charitable
organization dedicated to promoting and recognizing
excellence in the audio arts and sciences.
In pursuing this mission, the Foundation has
endowed scholarships at leading colleges and
universities around the United States. For more information, visit
www.tecfoundation.com.
Media Contact: Jane Byer / 510.528.2014 / jane@tecfoundation.com
PRESS RELEASE—November 7, 2011
STEVE VAI TO RECEIVE
LES PAUL AWARD AT 27th ANNUAL TEC AWARDS
November 7, 2011—Walnut
Creek, CA—The Guitar
virtuoso, composer and producer Steve Vai will be presented with the prestigious
Les Paul Award at the 27th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards,
to be held Friday, January 20, in the Pacific Ballroom of the Hilton Anaheim
during the 2012 NAMM Show. Co-presented by the TEC Foundation for Excellence
in Audio and NAMM, the TEC Awards recognizes outstanding achievement in professional
audio production and product design. The Les Paul Award was established
in 1991 to honor musical artists who have had distinguished careers as innovators
in the creative application of audio technology. Past recipients include Paul
McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Brian Wilson, Peter Gabriel,
Lindsey Buckingham, Herbie Hancock, Al Kooper, Steve Miller, Robbie Robertson
and others.
A student of Joe
Satriani at age twelve, Steve Vai began
his professional music career working with
Frank Zappa, with whom he toured and recorded
before launching his solo career. Since
his groundbreaking album Passion and Warfare,
released in 1990, the brilliance of his musicianship
has awed more than just rock fans and has
stunned concertgoers worldwide, producing
sales of over 15 million records and earning
multiple Grammys.
Vai has recorded
and toured with Public Image Ltd., Alcatrazz,
David Lee Roth and Whitesnake, and has worked
with a variety of musicians including Joe
Satriani, Joe Jackson, Janice Ian, Steve
Lukather, Alice Cooper, Gerry Rafferty,
The Yardbirds and Mary J. Blige. He has
composed for and/or performed on original
soundtracks for films including Crossroads,
Encino Man, Bill & Ted’s Bogus
Journey, PCU and Crazy, and video games
including Halo 2 and Guitar Hero 3. His
latest live album and DVD, Where the Wild
Things Are is a major achievement from a
musical alchemist of the highest order.
Steve Vai has received
honorary doctorates from Berklee College
of Music and Musician's Institute, and is
also involved with many worthwhile organizations.
He founded the record label Favored Nations,
for musicians, who in Vai’s words, “have attained
the highest performance level on their chosen
instruments.” He has also served as
a Trustee for the Recording Academy, is on
the board of Hollywood Arts, and works
closely with his own Make a Noise Foundation,
raising money for music education.
About
the TEC Foundation
Established in 1985,
The TEC Awards is the professional audio industry’s
most prestigious recognition of achievement
in technology innovation and sound production.
It is presented by the TEC Foundation for
Excellence in Audio, a 501(c)(3) non-profit,
charitable organization headquartered in
Walnut Creek, and NAMM, the not-for-profit
association that unifies, leads and strengthens
the $17 billion international musical instruments
and products industry. The ceremony is attended
by music producers, engineers and recording
artists, as well as manufacturers and retailers
of audio and music products. For complete
information about the TEC Awards and the
TEC Foundation, go to www.tecfoundation.com.
Press photos (credits
required) of Steve Vai can be downloaded at:
http://www.favorednations.com/wtwta-preview/vaiphotos/
Media Contact:
Jane Byer / 510.528.2014 / jane@tecfoundation.com
PRESS RELEASE—October 18, 2011
27th ANNUAL TEC
AWARDS ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR OUTSTANDING
CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT
October
18,
2011—Walnut Creek, CA—The
TEC Foundation for
Excellence in Audio has announced the nominees
in seven categories of Creative Achievement
in sound production for the 27th Annual Technical
Excellence & Creativity
Awards. The awards ceremony will be held at
the NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA on Friday, January
20, 2012. Co-presented by the TEC Foundation
and NAMM, the TEC Awards is the professional
audio industry’s most prestigious recognition
of outstanding achievement in product innovation
and sound production.
The Creative Achievement
Nominees join the Nominees in 19 categories
of Technical Achievement announced last month.
Nominations for Interactive Sound Production
will be announced in the coming weeks, and
will complete the 27 categories of 2011 TEC
Awards Nominees. The awards for Creative Achievement
recognize the producers, engineers, sound
designers and editors, studios, tour companies
and others behind the sound of diverse entertainment
media. Nominations were made by a panel of
more than 160 audio professionals who voted
among a wide variety of projects released
during the eligibility period of July 1, 2010
to August 30, 2011.
Roots, blues, rock,
pop, R&B, Country
and hip-hop are all represented in this year’s
Creative Achievement lineup, and reflect a
genre-crossing appreciation of sound production
quality and musical craftsmanship. Projects
from Robert Plant’s Band of Joy garnered
nominations in four categories, including
Record Production for the eponymous album
and single “Angel Dance”; Remote
Production for an NPR radio broadcast; and
a nomination in Tour Sound Production. Broadway
got two nods of recognition with the nomination
of Harry Connick Jr., In Concert on Broadway
and a first nomination for the Tony Awards
broadcast, both in Remote Production/Recording
or Broadcast. Tie votes yielded six nominees
for both Tour Sound Production and Studio
Design Project.
Online voting begins on
November 1st among members of various professional
organizations, including the Producers and
Engineers Wing of the Recording Academy, Music
Producers Guild (UK), Motion Picture Sound
Editors, Cinema Audio Society, Game Audio
Network Guild, Society of Professional Audio
Recording Services, Association of Professional
Recording Services (UK), NAMM and qualified
professionals subscribing to various audio
industry trade publications.
2011 TEC Awards Creative Achievement Nominees
can also be found here: http://www.tecfoundation.com/tec/11nomineescreat.html
About the TEC Foundation
The
TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio, is
a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, charitable organization
headquartered in Walnut Creek, California.
Sponsors of the 27th Annual TEC Awards include
Sustaining Sponsor Harman, Sennheiser/Neumann,
Avid, Broadjam.com, Hal Leonard Corp., Shure,
Inc. and other leading companies in the
professional sound and music industries.
For information visit www.tecfoundation.com.
Media Contact: Jane Byer / 510.528.2014 /
jane@tecfoundation.com
PRESS RELEASE—September 22 , 2011
27th ANNUAL TEC AWARDS ANNOUNCES NOMINEES
FOR OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Nominees announced in 19 categories of hardware
and software for sound production
September 22, 2011—Walnut
Creek, CA—The
TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio today
announced the nominees for the 27th Annual Technical
Excellence & Creativity
Awards, to be held Friday, January 20, 2012,
at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. Co-presented
by the TEC Foundation and NAMM, the TEC Awards
is the pro audio industry's most prestigious
awards show honoring outstanding achievement
in product
innovation and sound production.
The nominations announced today, comprising
19 categories of Technical Achievement in product
design, will be followed by an announcement
of nominees in eight categories of Creative
Achievement in sound production. The nominations,
based on product
entries by audio manufacturers, were made by
a select panel of over 160 professionals in numerous
audio specialties. Nominated products and projects
must have been introduced during the eligibility
period of July 1, 2010 to August 30, 2011.
With the introduction of 2 new awards categories—Musical Instrument
Amplification & Effects Technology and Amplification Hardware/Studio & Sound
Reinforcement—the Technical Achievement categories have been expanded
from 17 to 19, and include a wide variety of
amplification products in use by performers
and audio professionals for both stage and studio
applications.
Online voting begins on November 1st among members
of various professional organizations, including the Producers and Engineers
Wing of the Recording Academy, Society of Professional Audio Recording
Services, Motion Picture Sound Editors, Music Producers Guild, NAMM,
Game Audio Network Guild and qualified professionals subscribing to
various audio industry trade publications.
The full list of nominees can be found at http://www.tecfoundation.com/tec/11nomineestech.html
About the TEC Foundation
The TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio, is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit,
charitable organization headquartered in Walnut Creek, California.
Sponsors of the 27th Annual TEC Awards include Sustaining Sponsor
Harman, Sennheiser/Neumann and Shure, Inc. and other leading companies
in the professional sound and music industries. For information visit
www.tecfoundation.com.
Media Contact: Jane Byer / 510.528.2014 /
jane@tecfoundation.com
PRESS RELEASE—June 1, 2011
TEC AWARDS ANNOUNCES
CALL FOR ENTRIES, ADDS 2 NEW CATEGORIES
Musical Instrument
Amplification & Effects
Technology; Amplification Hardware/Studio & Sound
Reinforcement
join contenders for Technical Achievement
June
1, 2011—Walnut
Creek, CA—The
TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio
has announced its Call For Entries for the
27th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity
Awards®, to be held January 20, 2012,
at the NAMM Show in Anaheim. The TEC Awards,
the professional audio and sound production
industry’s premier awards event, also
announced it will inaugurate 2 new awards
in the Outstanding Technical Achievement categories:
Musical Instrument Amplification & Effects
Technology and Amplification Hardware/Studio & Sound
Reinforcement. In addition, the category of
Digital Converter Technology is being renamed
Computer Audio Hardware. The new categories
will bring to 19 the number of awards for
audio product design.
Musical Instrument Amplification & Effects
Technology will include instrument amplifiers,
preamp/processing/effects rack units and pedal
boards, software amp and effects emulators,
pedals, stomp boxes and other related equipment.
Amplification Hardware/Studio & Sound
Reinforcement will include amplifiers, speaker/monitor
management, system controllers, signal distribution,
snakes, feedback eliminators, crossovers and
other related equipment. Digital Converter
Technology will be replaced with Computer
Audio Hardware and will include converters,
interfaces, master clocks, data storage, peripherals,
iPhone/iPad/tablet-type add-ons, made-for-audio
computers and other similar computing equipment.
Eight awards for Outstanding Creative Achievement
will also be presented for sound production
of recordings, concert tours, films, television,
interactive entertainment and other projects.
The TEC Awards is attended by manufacturers
of audio equipment and software, and the world’s
top music producers, engineers, sound mixers
and musical artists.
Companies wishing to enter their products
or projects should visit http://tecfoundation.com/CFE2011/.
Entries will be accepted through July 15.
The TEC Foundation
for Excellence in Audio is a 501(c)(3) public
benefit corporation headquartered in the
San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to its
own educational programs, funds derived
from the TEC Awards have been donated over
the years to organizations that educate
both sound professionals and music listeners
about hearing health. The Foundation has
also funded scholarship endowments at numerous
colleges and universities for students of
the audio arts and sciences. For more information
about the TEC Foundation and the TEC Awards,
visit www.tecfoundation.com.
Media Contact: Jane Byer
/ jane@tecfoundation.com
PRESS RELEASE—May 18, 2011
TOP PRO AUDIO COMPANIES
SPONSOR 16th ANNUAL TEC L.A. OPEN
“Million Dollar Shootout” Added
to Tournament Contests
May
18,
2011—Walnut Creek, CA—The
TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio
announced today that 15 audio and recording
industry companies and organizations are
lending their support as sponsors of the
16th Annual TEC L.A. Open. The charity
golf tournament is scheduled for June
27, 2011, at the Malibu Country Club.
Presenting
the event are GC Pro, the Guitar Center
division that focuses on the needs of professional
users; Sustaining Sponsor Harman International,
encompassing many of the professional audio
industry’s most
respected brands; and Sterling Audio, makers
of studio quality condenser microphones. Other
top supporters include Shure, Design FX
Audio, Iron Mountain Film and Sound, Neumann,
Ocean Way Recording, PMI Audio Group, Record
Plant, Sennheiser Electronic Corporation and Studioexpresso.
First-time sponsors include The Grammy
Museum at L.A. LIVE, The Mastering Palace and NewBay
Media publications Mix, Pro Audio
Review and
Pro Sound News.
This
year’s
players will have the opportunity to participate
in a $1,000,000 shootout, as well as compete
for some exciting hole-in-one prizes, including
$10,000 cash, airline tickets
for two, a
premium electronics package, and top-of-the-line
golf equipment. Members of the first-place
team will be awarded with Sterling ST55
Class-A FET Condenser Microphones, generously
donated by Sterling Audio.
“We’re excited to announce this
year's TEC L.A. Open sponsors,” says
tournament director Karen Dunn of KMD Productions. “Sponsoring
this tournament builds good will in the recording
and production community. It's a great hang
and we always have fun while raising funds
for a worthy cause.”
Proceeds of the TEC L.A. Open support programs
of the TEC Foundation that recognize and promote
excellence in the audio arts and sciences.
Sponsorships are sold on a first-come, first-served
basis. For more information or to reserve
a sponsorship, call Karen Dunn at (925) 708-0307
or email Karen@kmdpro.com.
About The TEC Foundation
The TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio
is a 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation
headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In addition to its own educational programs,
funds derived from the TEC Awards and TEC
LA Open have been donated over the years to
organizations that educate both sound professionals
and music listeners about hearing health.
The Foundation has also funded scholarship
endowments at numerous colleges and universities
for students of the audio arts and sciences.
For more information about the TEC Foundation
visit www.tecfoundation.com.
Media Contact: Jane Byer / jane@tecfoundation.com
PRESS RELEASE—March 28, 2011
16th ANNUAL TEC
L.A. OPEN SET FOR JUNE 27 IN MALIBU
March
28, 2011—Walnut Creek, CA—The
TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio
has announced that the 16th Annual TEC
L.A. Open charity golf tournament will
be held Monday, June 27, 2011, at the
Malibu Country Club in Malibu, California.
The tournament annually draws many of
the recording and sound industry's top
engineers, producers, studio personnel,
musicians and other audio professionals.
Returning as Honorary Chairman will be multiple
Grammy-winning recording engineer Al Schmitt.
GC Pro, Harman and
Sterling Audio are presenting sponsors of
the "best ball" tournament,
which features a variety of golf contests
and prize giveaways. There will also be a
silent auction of audio equipment, software
and other donated items. The event will wrap
up with an awards dinner hosted by veteran
engineer/producer Ed Cherney.
"The TEC L.A. Open
has long been one of the professional audio
community's favorite
gatherings," says tournament director
Karen Dunn of KMD Productions. "We
anticipate that the recent partnership between
the TEC Awards and NAMM will bring even more
golfers and supporters from the music industry."
TEC Foundation events support programs that
recognize and promote excellence in the audio
and music arts and sciences, including hearing
health and audio education initiatives.
For more information
about registration, contest prizes and the
first-come, first-served sponsorship opportunities,
click here or contact Karen Dunn at (925) 708-0307 /
Karen@kmdpro.com.
The TEC Foundation
for Excellence in Audio is a 501(c)(3) public
benefit corporation headquartered in the
San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to its
own educational programs, funds derived
from the TEC Awards and TEC LA Open have
been donated over the years to organizations
that educate both sound professionals and
music listeners about hearing health. The
Foundation has also funded scholarship endowments
at numerous colleges and universities for
students of the audio arts and sciences.
For more information about the TEC Foundation
visit www.tecfoundation.com.
Media Contact: Jane Byer / jane@tecfoundation.com
PRESS RELEASE—March 9, 2011
27th ANNUAL TEC AWARDS
TO BE HELD AT THE 2012 NAMM SHOW
March
9, 2011—Walnut Creek, CA—The
TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio and
NAMM announced today that the 27th Annual
Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC)
Awards®, the professional audio and sound
production industry's most prestigious
awards event, will once again be held
at the NAMM Show, the largest trade show
for the international music products industry, on
Friday January 20, 2012, in Anaheim, California.
Negotiations
have been ongoing since January following
a successful 26th Annual TEC Awards, which
was hosted for the first time at the NAMM
Show. Under the new agreement, the organizations
will remain autonomous with the TEC Foundation
continuing to conduct the nominations and
voting process as well as pursuing its charitable
interests. For its part, NAMM will provide
production and event management services for
the TEC Awards. The TEC Awards is attended
by manufacturers of audio equipment and software,
and the world’s top music producers,
engineers, sound mixers and musical artists.
A highpoint of the show is the Les Paul Award,
presented to musical artists and others whose
careers have exemplified the creative application
of audio technology.
“Presenting the
TEC Awards at the NAMM Show this past January
was a major step toward our goal of broadening
the constituency of the awards," said
Hillel Resner, president of the TEC Foundation. "NAMM
is where music makers and the technology innovators
come together and we hope to be a key part
of this exciting environment for a long time
to come."
"The pro audio and recording
community really enjoyed having the TEC Awards
at the NAMM Show this year," said Joe
Lamond, president and CEO, NAMM. "And
we look forward to a bright future of serving
this important segment of the NAMM Membership
alongside the TEC Foundation."
About The TEC Foundation
The TEC Foundation
for Excellence in Audio is a 501(c)(3) public
benefit corporation headquartered in the
San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to its
own educational programs, funds derived
from the TEC Awards have been donated over
the years to organizations that educate
both sound professionals and music listeners
about hearing health. The Foundation has
also funded scholarship endowments at numerous
colleges and universities for students of
the audio arts and sciences. For more information
about the TEC Foundation and the TEC Awards,
visit www.tecfoundation.com.
About NAMM
The National Association
of Music Merchants, commonly called NAMM
in reference to the organization's popular
NAMM trade shows, is the not-for-profit
association that unifies, leads and strengthens
the $17 billion global musical instruments
and products industry. NAMM’s activities
and programs are designed to promote music
making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised
of more than 9,000 Member companies. For more
information about NAMM, interested parties
can visit www.namm.org or call 800-767-NAMM
(6266).
Media Contact: Jane Byer / jane@tecfoundation.com
PRESS RELEASE—January 15, 2011
PRODUCTION TEAMS FOR GREEN DAY, U2, AVATAR, SNL
RECEIVE HIGHEST ACCOLADES AT 26TH ANNUAL TEC AWARDS
Lindsey Buckingham Honored at 2011 NAMM
Show; Harman Group, Neumann, SSL, TC Electronic
Garner Multiple Awards for Technical Achievement
January 15, 2011—Anaheim,
CA—The sound engineers, editors,
producers and other audio professionals behind Green Day’s 21st
Century Breakdown, U2’s 360° Tour, Twentieth Century Fox’s
Avatar and NBC’s Saturday Night Live were among the many winners
at the 26th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards. The
gala was held Friday evening at the Hilton
Anaheim as a special event of the 2011 NAMM Show.
In addition to 25 awards for Technical and
Creative Achievement, an enthusiastic crowd of sound and music products
industry professionals witnessed the presentation of the prestigious
Les Paul Award to famed guitarist, composer and producer Lindsey
Buckingham. The award is given annually to a musician or recording
professional whose work has epitomized the marriage of music and
technology. Renowned producer Ken Caillat and engineer Elliot Scheiner
presented the award, which was introduced by TEC Hall of Fame engineer
Al Schmitt. Also highlighting the evening were musical performances
featuring Ambrosia’s David
Pack, guitar legend Larry Carlton, Dixie Dregs’ Steve Morse,
Night Ranger’s Jeff Watson, Pablo Cruise’s David Jenkins,
keyboardist Jimmy Nichols, Public Enemy bandleader
Brian Hardgroove, and other veteran vocalists and session musicians.
In the category of Technical Achievement,
winners included the Solid State Logic Duality
SE (Large Format Console) and Logic X-Desk
(Small Format Console); TC Electronic’s
System 6000 Mk II (Signal Processing Technology
/Hardware) and PolyTune tuner (Ancillary Equipment);
The Harman Group’s JBL VERTEC VT4886/VT4883 Subcompact Line
Array (Sound Reinforcement Loudspeaker Technology)
and Lexicon PCM Native Reverb Bundle (Signal Processing Technology/Software);
Neumann’s
TLM 102 (Microphone Technology/Studio) and
KMS 104 Plus (Microphone Technology/Sound
Reinforcement).The Musical Instrument Technology award, divided this
year into separate categories, went to first-time winners Nord for
its Electro 3 (Musical Instrument/Hardware) and Celemony for its Melodyne
Editor (Musical Instrument/Software).
Green Day’s production crew won awards for both Record Production/Album
with 21st Century Breakdown and Record Production/Single with “21
Guns.” The Film Sound award went to the sound designers and
editors behind the blockbuster Avatar and the Interactive Entertainment
Sound Production award went to the audio team for Call of Duty: Modern
Warfare 2. Other winners for Creative Achievement were U2’s
360° Tour sound company Clair Showco (Tour Sound Production);
Saturday Night Live (Television Sound Production); The 52nd Annual
Grammy Awards (Remote Production); as well as the design team behind
SCEA’’s Naughty Dog (Studio Design Project).
For a complete list of the 26th Annual TEC Awards
winners go to http://tecfoundation.com/26thwinners.
The TEC Awards are presented by the TEC Foundation
for Excellence in Audio. Proceeds of the ceremony go to hearing
conservation programs and scholarships for students of the audio
arts and sciences. For more information, visit www.tecfoundation.com
Media Contact: Jane Byer jane@tecfoundation.com
PRESS RELEASE—January 3, 2011
MUSIC AND SOUND LUMINARIES
GATHER TO HONOR AUDIO’S BEST AT THE
26TH ANNUAL TEC AWARDS
Musicians Alan
Parsons, David Pack, Chad Smith; Producer/Engineers
Ken Caillat, Ed Cherney, Ken Scott, Al Schmitt,
Elliot Scheiner Head All-Star Lineup
at NAMM Show Gala
January
3, 2011—Walnut
Creek, CA—An array of top
audio producer/engineers and musicians will
assemble to recognize innovations in product
design and the creative achievements of
their peers at the 26th Annual Technical
Excellence and Creativity (TEC) Awards. The
audio industry’s most prestigious awards
will be hosted by the 2011 NAMM Show in Anaheim,
CA, on Friday, January 14.
The night’s top honor, the Les Paul
Award, will go to multi-instrumentalist, composer
and producer Lindsey Buckingham, and will
be presented by producer/engineers Al Schmitt
(Ray Charles, Steely Dan, Diana Krall) and
Elliot Scheiner (Paul Simon, Eric Clapton,
Toto) along with producer Ken Caillat (Fleetwood
Mac, The Beach Boys, Herbie Hancock). The
Les Paul Award is presented annually to artists
and others whose body of work exemplifies
the creative application of audio technology.
Presenting awards
in 25 categories of technical and creative
achievement will be an all-star lineup of
renowned artists, arrangers, producers and
engineers, including: Chad Smith (Red Hot
Chili Peppers, Chickenfoot), Alan Parsons
(Alan Parsons Project, Pink Floyd, Al Stewart),
Ken Scott (The Beatles, David Bowie, Kansas),
Ed Cherney (Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson,
Celine Dion), Dylan Dresdow (Black Eyed Peas,
TLC, Anita Baker), Jeff Kollman (Cosmosquad,
Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats), Paul
Lipson (Hybrid, Halo Waypoint: The Return,
Bioshock 2) and Frank Serafine (TRON, The
Hunt for Red October, Field of Dreams).
To date, guest artists
scheduled to perform include David Pack
(Ambrosia), David Jenkins (Pablo Cruise)
and Brian Hardgroove (Public Enemy). Carrying
the evening will be the 2Cold ChiliBone
TEC Band led by musical director Larry Batiste
(GRAMMY Awards, Whitney Houston, Stevie
Wonder), and will feature Will Kennedy (Yellowjackets,
Lee Ritenour) on drums; Melvin Davis (Chaka
Khan, Gerald Albright) on bass; keyboardist
Jeff Babko and guitarist Toshi Yanagi, from
the Jimmy Kimmel Live Band; percussionist
Luis Conte (over 1,000 recordings); Ron King
(Jeff Lorber, Michael Bolton) on trumpet;
Jacques Voyemant (Chris Walden Big Band) and
Michael Paulo (Al Jarreau, Herbie Hancock).
Background vocalists will include Andrea President,
Hero’s Last Mission and Claytoven Richardson.
For tickets, visit http://26thannualtecawards.eventbrite.com/
For Additional Details, visit http://www.tecfoundation.com/tec/tecawards.html
Proceeds from the awards
ceremony support hearing health awareness
programs of the House Research Institute of
Los Angeles and Hearing Education Awareness
for Rockers (H.E.A.R.) of San Francisco, as
well as numerous audio scholarship programs.
The TEC Awards is presented by the TEC Foundation
for Excellence in Audio, a 501(c)(3) non-profit
headquartered in Walnut Creek, California.
For more information about The TEC Foundation,
visit www.tecfoundation.com.
Media Contact:
Jane Byer jane@tecfoundation.com
PRESS RELEASE—December 17, 2010
MEYER SOUND, AVID, SENNHEISER
HEAD UP AUDIO FOR 26TH ANNUAL TEC AWARDS
December
17, 2010 —Walnut
Creek, CA—The TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio
has announced that Meyer Sound, Avid and Sennheiser
will be playing major roles in the 26th Annual
TEC Awards, to be held Friday, January 14,
at the Anaheim Hilton at the 2011 NAMM Show.
The producers of the audio industry gala are
expecting a capacity crowd and have partnered
with some of the most highly respected audio
and video companies for its production.
“The TEC Awards is the sound industry’s
most prestigious awards event” says
co-executive producer Hillel Resner, “and
we’re being hosted for the first time
by the largest music products trade show,
so it’s critical that audio and video
production is of the highest quality possible.”
Sound
for the 2000-seat Pacific Ballroom will
come from Meyer Sound MINA line array loudspeakers,
JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers, MJF-212A stage
monitors and 700-HP subwoofers supplied
by Santa Barbara-based Luners Pro Sound
and will be managed by Meyer Sound’s
Galileo loudspeaker management system. Audio
will be designed and mixed by veteran engineer
Hal Soojian who will use Avid’s VENUE
SC48 consoles. Wired and wireless microphone
systems will be supplied by Sennheiser.
The
show’s high-definition video presentation,
directed by Steve Barger of San Francisco’s
Dub Express, will be projected onto five large
screens installed by Freeman for NAMM Show
events throughout the week. The awards ceremony
will feature a 3-camera live shoot and video
clips of the nominees in 25 categories of
audio products and projects. The videos are
produced by Kevin Monahan and Denise Gallant
of Video4, who are also editing a video tribute
to Les Paul Award recipient Lindsey Buckingham,
produced by award-winning documentary producer
Jeff Scheftel.
Doing
the musical honors will be the 2Cold ChiliBone
TEC Band, directed by vocalist and keyboardist
Larry Batiste featuring some of the industry’s top session musicians.
Producing the TEC Awards for the 17th consecutive
year is Rick Miller, whose career has encompassed
extensive touring with artists such as Bernadette
Peters, Boz Scaggs, Santana, and projects
like Pope Benedict XVI’s Youth Rally
in New York.
The TEC Awards is presented by the TEC Foundation
for Excellence in Audio, a 501(c)(3) non-profit,
charitable organization headquartered in
Walnut Creek, California. Funds derived
from the TEC Awards are donated to organizations
that work to advance the cause of hearing
health in the music environment, and to
scholarships for students of audio and other
media communications arts. For more information,
visit www.tecfoundation.com.
For tickets, visit http://26thannualtecawards.eventbrite.com/
Media Contact: Jane Byer / 510.528.2014 /
jane@tecfoundation.com
PRESS RELEASE—December 9, 2010
AUDIO AND TECHNOLOGY
LEADERS TO SPONSOR 26TH ANNUAL TEC AWARDS
Harman International,
NAMM, GC Pro, Meyer Sound, Sennheiser/Neumann,
Sterling Sound, Avid, Broadjam, Hal Leonard
Corporation and Shure Head Sponsor Lineup
December
9, 2010 —Walnut
Creek, CA—The TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio
has announced that 29 companies in the professional
audio and technology industries are lending
their support as sponsors of the 26th Annual
TEC Awards. The awards, honoring outstanding
achievement in professional audio production
and product innovation, will be presented
at the 2011 NAMM Show on Friday, January 14,
in the Pacific Ballroom of the Anaheim Hilton.
Besides the presentation of awards in 25 categories
of technical and creative achievement, legendary
musician and producer Lindsey Buckingham will
be honored with the Les Paul Award, given
annually for the creative application of music
and recording technology.
Front of House sponsors
include Sustaining Sponsor Harman International,
encompassing many of the professional audio
industry’s
most respected brands; and NAMM, the largest
trade association of the international music
products industry. Platinum sponsors include
GC Pro (Guitar Center Professional), the Guitar
Center division that focuses on the needs
of professional users; Meyer Sound, manufacturers
of premium professional loudspeaker systems
and other hardware and software for sound
reinforcement, and recording applications;
Sennheiser/Neumann, leading manufacturers
of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission
systems; and Sterling Audio, makers of studio-quality
condenser microphones featuring tube and FET.
Gold sponsors include
Avid, producer of award-winning digital
audio and video solutions; Broadjam, the
social media website focused on indie music
and musicians; Hal Leonard Corporation,
the world’s largest print music publisher,
and leading software and music technology
products distributor; and Shure Incorporated,
one of the world's largest manufacturers of
microphones and audio electronics.
Completing this year's lineup are Silver
sponsors Focusrite/Novation and Sony and Bronze
sponsors, DPA Microphones, Focal Professional,
G.A.N.G., Genelec, PreSonus, TASCAM, TELEFUNKEN
Elektroakustik and Universal Audio. Nine Friends
of TEC Sponsors are also supporting this year’s
TEC Awards.
The TEC Awards is presented by the TEC Foundation
for Excellence in Audio, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit,
charitable organization headquartered in Walnut
Creek, California. Funds derived from the
TEC Awards are donated to organizations that
work to advance the cause of hearing health
in the music environment, and to scholarships
for students of audio and other media communications
arts. For more information, visit www.tecfoundation.com.
For more information
on TEC Awards sponsors, visit http://www.tecfoundation.com/tec/10sponsorresources.html
For Ticket and Event
Information:
http://26thannualtecawards.eventbrite.com
Media Contact: Jane Byer / 510.528.2014 /
jane@tecfoundation.com
PRESS RELEASE—November 30, 2010
TECnology HALL OF FAME
TO HONOR 80 YEARS OF HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENTS
Ten Innovations
to be Inducted at 2011 NAMM Show Ceremony
November
30, 2010 —Walnut
Creek, CA—The TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio,
presenters of the TEC Awards, has announced
10 inventions and products it will induct
to its 6th Annual TECnology Hall of Fame.
The ceremony will be held on Saturday, January
15, at the 2011 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California,
and will be hosted by veteran pro audio journalist
George Petersen.
Established in 2004, the TECnology Hall of
Fame recognizes the innovations and companies
that have made significant contributions to
the advancement of audio technology. Inductees
are chosen by a panel of more than 50 recognized
audio experts, including authors, educators,
product designers, production professionals
and others. To be considered for induction,
products or innovations must be at least 10
years old.
“This year’s inductees not only
represent a number of ‘firsts’—including
the first audio equalizer, compression driver,
studio monitors, videotape recorder, programmable
polyphonic synthesizer and in-ear monitoring
system,” says George Petersen, “but
also key technologies and classic products
that continue to shape the present and future
of professional audio.” The 2010 TECnology
Hall of Fame inductees include:
1915 – Electric
Wave-Filter (Audio Equalizer)
1926 – Western Electric 555-w Compression
Driver
1937 – Lansing Iconic Studio Monitor
1939 – PCM Patent
1956 – Ampex Model VRX-1000 Video Recorder
1960 – Sennheiser MD-421 Microphone
1978 – Dave Smith Sequential Circuits
Prophet-5
1985 – Future Sonics Ear Monitors
1992 – Waves Q10 Paragraphic Equalizer
Plug-in
1997 – Antares Auto-Tune
The 6th Annual TECnology
Hall of Fame ceremony will be presented
on Saturday, the day after the 26th Annual
TEC Awards, and will begin at 4 p.m. As
part of NAMM’s H.O.T. (Hands-On
Training) Zone, it will be held in Room 204B—the
Stage Room—on Level 2 of the Anaheim
Convention Center. Seating will be available
for 300 and is offered to NAMM attendees,
with priority given to inductees and their
guests.
For full descriptions
of the 2010 inductees, and past TECnology
Hall of Fame inductee profiles, visit http://www.tecfoundation.com/hof/10techof.html
The
TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio is
a 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable organization
headquartered in Walnut Creek, California.
For complete information about the TEC Awards
and the TEC Foundation, go to www.tecfoundation.com.
The 2011 NAMM Show is
presented by NAMM (The National Association
of Music Merchants) and is the largest tradeshow
for the international music products industry,
drawing close to 88,000 attendees to its
exhibits and educational programs annually.
The National Association
of Music Merchants,
commonly called NAMM in reference to the
organization's popular NAMM trade shows,
is the not-for-profit association that unifies,
leads and strengthens the $17 billion global
musical instruments and products industry.
NAMM’s activities and programs are
designed to promote music making to people
of all ages. NAMM is comprised of more than
9,000 Member companies. For more information
about NAMM, interested parties can visit www.namm.org or
call 800-767-NAMM (6266).
Press Contact: Jane Byer / 510.528.2014
/ jane@tecfoundation.com
PRESS RELEASE—October 28, 2010
LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM TO
RECEIVE LES PAUL AWARD AT 26th ANNUAL TEC
AWARDS 6TH ANNUAL TEC AWARDS
Legendary Guitarist
and Fleetwood Mac Mainstay Honored for Artistry,
Technical Savvy
October
28, 2010—Walnut Creek, CA—Multi-instrumentalist,
composer and producer Lindsey Buckingham
will be presented with the prestigious Les
Paul Award at the 26th Annual Technical
Excellence & Creativity Awards, to be
held Friday, January 14, in the Pacific
Ballroom of the Anaheim Hilton during the
2011 NAMM Show. Presented by the TEC Foundation
for Excellence in Audio, the TEC Awards
recognizes outstanding achievement in professional
audio production and product design.
The
Les Paul Award, named in honor of the renowned
musician and inventor who passed away last
year, is presented annually to an artist
or studio professional whose passion, originality
and skill in music and recording has made
a lasting impact on the world. Past recipients
include Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Stevie
Wonder, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Sting,
Al Kooper, Robbie Robertson and other musical
giants since the award was instituted in
1991. According to TEC Foundation president
Hillel Resner, “The prodigiously talented
member of Fleetwood Mac and exceptional
solo artist Lindsey Buckingham is a natural
choice for the Les Paul Award honor.”
Lindsey
Buckingham's career began to take off when
he and Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac’s
core lineup of drummer Mick Fleetwood, bassist
John McVie and keyboardist/singer Christine
McVie in early 1974. The former blues band,
with the addition of "Buckingham Nicks," immediately
morphed into a pop hit-making wonder. The
group’s eponymous album, produced
by Keith Olsen, contained smash singles
including Buckingham’s “Monday
Morning,” “World Turning” and “I’m
So Afraid.”
However it would
be their next album, 1977’s Rumours,
that would launch the group into the pop
stratosphere, propelled by Lindsey’s
tunes, “Go Your Own Way” and “Second
Hand News.” This time, the band produced—along
with Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut—with
Buckingham taking an increasingly active
role in the studio, spending hundreds of
hours crafting the songs and arrangements.
Rumours remains one of the best selling
discs of all time.
Over the next
several years, Buckingham was the principal
producer on all of Fleetwood Mac’s
projects, including the experimental double-album,
Tusk, Mirage and Tango in the Night. In
the early ’80s, Buckingham launched
his solo career with Law and Order, which
spawned the Top Ten hit “Trouble.” Other
solo hits included “Go Insane” and “Holiday
Road.”
Buckingham’s
career has continued to flourish—his
critically acclaimed Under the Skin came
out in 2006 and was followed by the exceptional
DVD, Live at the Bass Performance Hall.
His latest release, “Gift of Screws”,
came out on September 16, 2008, which will
be followed by his new solo project, scheduled
for release in early 2011.
The TEC Awards
will be held on Friday night of the NAMM
Show and is expected to attract more than
1,000 audio and music professionals from
around the world. Proceeds of the ceremony
provide scholarships for students of the
audio arts and sciences, and support outreach
programs promoting hearing health in the
sound production industry.
The TEC
Awards is presented by the TEC Foundation
for Excellence in Audio, a 501(c)(3) non-profit,
charitable organization headquartered in
Walnut Creek, California. For complete information
about the TEC Awards and the TEC Foundation,
go to www.tecfoundation.com.
Press Contact: Jane Byer
/ 510.528.2014 / jane@tecfoundation.com
PRESS RELEASE—September 28, 2010
26TH ANNUAL TEC AWARDS
ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR CREATIVE
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND PRODUCTION
Avett Brothers,
Black Eyed Peas and Green Day lead Record
Production nominees; Clair Brothers scores
4 nominations for Tour Sound; Production
teams for 3 HBO series nominated for Television
Sound
Winners to be announced
at NAMM Show, January 14
September
28, 2010—Walnut Creek, CA—The
TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio has
announced the nominees in eight categories
of Creative Achievement in sound production
for the 26th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity
Awards, to be presented at the NAMM Show in
Anaheim, CA on Friday, January 14, 2011. The
TEC Awards is the professional audio industry’s
most prestigious recognition of outstanding
achievement in sound production and product
innovation.
The Creative Achievement
nominees join the nominees in 17 categories
of Technical Achievement announced earlier
this month. The awards for Creative Achievement
recognize the producers, engineers, sound
designers and editors, studios, tour companies
and others behind the sound of diverse entertainment
media.
This year’s nominees
garnering multiple nominations include tour
sound company Clair Brothers of Lititz, PA
(4), the producers and engineers for pop and
experimental hip-hop stalwarts Black Eyed
Peas (3), rootsy harmonizers the Avett Brothers
(2) and alt-rock power house Green Day (2);
and the production teams for 3 HBO television
series (The Pacific, Treme and True Blood).
Sound
production for video games is also well represented
by releases from leading companies such as
Activision, DICE/EA, Eidos Interactive, Rockstar
Games, SCEA and Warner Bros. Interactive.
The Interactive Entertainment award is sponsored
by the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.),
the interactive audio industry’s leading
nonprofit organization.
For the first time,
the TEC Awards will be held at the NAMM show,
the largest international music products trade
show, held annually at the Anaheim Convention
Center. The ceremony is expected to draw more
than 1,000 top sound and music professionals,
musical artists, NAMM members and exhibitors.
The TEC Awards is sponsored by Harman, GCPro/Sterling
Audio, NAMM, Shure, Broadjam.com and Hal Leonard
Corp., among other leading companies in the
sound and music industries.
For the complete list
of 2010 Creative Achievement Nominees go to:
www.tecfoundation.com/tec/10nomineescreat.html
The
TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio is
a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered
in Walnut Creek, CA. Besides presenting
the TEC Awards, the Foundation provides
scholarships for students of the audio arts
and sciences and supports outreach programs
promoting hearing health in the music environment. For
tickets and other information, contact Karen
Dunn at Karen@tecwards.org,
or call (925) 708-0307 For
complete information about the TEC Awards
and the TEC Foundation, go to www.tecfoundation.com.
PRESS RELEASE—September 8, 2010
26TH ANNUAL TEC AWARDS
ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Sound Industry’s
Most Prestigious Awards Show to be held January
14 at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA
Nominees announced
in 17 categories of hardware and software
for sound and music production
September
8, 2010—Walnut Creek, CA—The
TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio today
announced the nominees for the 26th Annual
Technical Excellence & Creativity
Awards, to be held Friday, January 14, 2011
at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. The
TEC Awards is the world’s most prominent
awards show honoring outstanding achievement
in professional audio production and product
innovation.
The nominees announced today, comprising
17 categories of Technical Achievement in
product design, will be followed by announcement
of nominees in nine categories of Creative
Achievement in sound production. The nominations,
made by a select panel of nearly 150 professionals
in numerous audio specialties, are for products
and projects released or completed during
the eligibility period of April 1, 2009, to
June 30, 2010. The eligibility year was increased
by 3 months to compensate for the later date
of the 26th Annual TEC Awards. Online voting
begins on November 1 among members of various
professional organizations, including the
the Producer and Engineers Wing of the Recording
Academy, the Society of Professional Audio
Recording Services (SPARS) , NAMM, the Game
Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) and qualified
professionals subscribing to various audio
industry trade publications.
As is often the
case, this year’s crop
of nominees include a number with multiple
nominations, including Audio-Technica, PreSonus
and Shure, each with three nominations. Another
11 companies are double nominees.
At the same time,
however, as TEC Foundation president, Hillel
Resner, points out “there
are more first-time nominees and ‘boutique’ companies
with specialized and unique products than
we have seen in a while. This is the sign
of a changing industry serving a broader,
more diverse universe of end users.”
The 26th Annual
TEC Awards will be the first since the event’s
inception to take place at the NAMM Show.
The relocation of the TEC Awards follows
the separation of the TEC Foundation from
Mix magazine in 2009. Resner, former publisher
and editor-in-chief of Mix, serves as co-executive
producer of the awards with David Schwartz,
co-founder and first edtor-in-chief of the
magazine.
“We view the move of the TEC Awards
to NAMM as an opportunity to take TEC to the
next level,” Schwartz said. “The
pro audio industry, including some of its
most important and innovative companies, has
a strong and growing presence at NAMM, and
their customers attend the NAMM Show in large
numbers. All of this means a bigger stage
for the TEC Awards and greater visibility
for audio professionals and technology.”
The TEC Foundation for
Excellence in Audio, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit,
charitable organization headquartered in Walnut
Creek, California. Sponsors of the 26th Annual
TEC Awards include Sustaining Sponsor Harman,
Guitar Center Professional, NAMM and Shure,
Inc., Sterling Audio and other leading companies
in the professional sound and music industries.
For information visit www.tecfoundation.com,
or call 925-284-7729.
For a complete list of the 26th AnnualTEC
Awards nominees, please visit http://www.tecfoundation.com/tec/10nomineestech.html
PRESS RELEASE—April 27, 2010
26TH ANNUAL TEC AWARDS
TO BE HELD AT THE 2011 NAMM SHOW
Eligibility period
for TEC nominations extended to June 30
TECnology Hall of Fame
Awards to be presented at AES Convention in
November, 2010
April
27,
2010—Walnut Creek, CA—The
TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio has
announced that 26th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity
Awards® will be held at the Winter NAMM
Show on Friday January 14, 2011, in Anaheim,
California. Presented annually by NAMM since
1902, the NAMM Show is the largest trade show
for the international music products industry
and draws close to 90,000 attendees to its
exhibits and educational programs annually.
The
TEC Awards®, founded in 1985, is
the most prestigious awards event for the
professional audio and sound production industry.
Consisting of two dozen awards for achievement
in audio products and projects, the TEC Awards
is attended by manufacturers of audio equipment
and software and the world’s top music
producers, engineers, sound mixers and musical
artists. A highpoint of the show is the Les
Paul Award, sponsored by Gibson Guitar, presented
to musical artists and others whose careers
have exemplified the creative application
of audio technology.
“The continuing
advances in technology for all areas of sound
and music production have vastly expanded
the universe of both manufacturers and users,” said
Hillel Resner, president of the TEC Foundation. “We
are sure those attending NAMM will enjoy sharing
in the recognition of technical and creative
achievement that the TEC Awards bestow.”
“Since the days of NAMM Member Thomas
Edison, virtually every major musical technology
product that you can name was first shown
at the NAMM Show,” said Joe Lamond,
president and CEO, NAMM. “Our members
are excited to welcome the TEC Awards to NAMM
and celebrate the visionary people, companies
and products that have filled the world with
music.”
Because
of the change in scheduling, the eligibility
period for 26th Annual TEC Awards nominations
will be extended to June 30, 2010 from its
traditional March 31 date. Online voting
by numerous professional organizations—including
eligible NAMM members—will take place
in November.
Resner
made a point of assuring audio professionals
that “the TEC Foundation looks forward
to continuing its longtime relationship with
the Audio Engineering Society, during whose
convention the TEC Awards have been presented
since their inception.” The Foundation’s
6th Annual TECnology Hall of Fame awards,
honoring historical achievements in audio
technology, will be presented at the 129th
AES Convention, to be held this November in
San Francisco.
About The TEC Foundation
The TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio
is a 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation
headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In addition to its own educational programs,
funds derived from the TEC Awards have been
donated over the years to organizations
that educate both sound professionals and
consumers about hearing health. The Foundation
has also funded scholarship endowments at
numerous colleges and universities for students
of the audio arts and sciences. For more
information about the TEC Foundation and
the TEC Awards, visit www.tecfoundation.com.
About NAMM
The National Association of Music Merchants,
commonly called NAMM in reference to the
organization's popular NAMM trade shows,
is the not-for-profit association that unifies,
leads and strengthens the $17 billion global
musical instruments and products industry.
NAMM’s activities and programs are
designed to promote music making to people
of all ages. NAMM is comprised of more than
9,000 Member companies. For more information
about NAMM, interested parties can visit
www.namm.org or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).
For more information about the 26th Annual
TEC Awards or the 6th Annual TECnology hall
of Fame, please visit www.tecfoundation.com or call 925-284-7729.
PRESS RELEASE—March 12, 2010
15th ANNUAL TEC L.A.
OPEN SLATED FOR MAY 17th
Platinum engineer Al
Schmitt will chair sound industry charity
tournament at Malibu C.C.
Proceeds to benefit
House Ear Institute hearing health programs
and TEC Awards’ TECnology Hall of
Fame
March
12, 2010—Walnut
Creek, CA—Some of the world’s most renowned music
producers and engineers, along with professionals
from the pro audio industry’s leading
production facilities, manufacturers and distributors
will converge for the 15th Annual TEC L.A.
Open, to be held Monday, May 17, at the Malibu
Country Club. Returning as Honorary Chairman
is famed recording engineer Al Schmitt, a
member of the TEC Awards© Hall of Fame
and recipient of 21 Grammys ®, as well
as the Recording Academy’s Lifetime
Achievement Award.
“Over the past fourteen years the TEC
L.A. Open has established a tradition of friendly
competition and generous support for the TEC
Foundation’s programs,” says tournament
director Karen Dunn. “We are excited
to be celebrating our 15th anniversary and
especially grateful to our many sponsors and
loyal golfers.”
Presented by the
TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio,
the popular charity event will be sponsored
for the third consecutive year by Guitar
Center Professional. Proceeds of the tournament
support the House Ear Institute’s
hearing health outreach services for audio
professionals and the TEC Foundation’s
TECnology Hall of Fame, recognizing the most
historically significant audio innovations
and inventors, held annually at the AES Convention.
"We have partnered
with the TEC Foundation for many years to
address the hearing health concerns of people
working in the audio profession," said
Marilee Potthoff, director of community education & outreach,
House Ear Institute. "The Foundation's
support this year will help us provide greater
direct outreach to sound professionals in
need of our hearing health expertise."
Besides the traditional Longest Drive, Closest-to-the
Pin and Putting contests, there will be a
chipping contest alongside the various competitions
managed by ever-popular Pin-Up Golf. Players
will also have the chance to walk away with
some exciting prizes, including a brand new
car for a Hole-In-One. The day will conclude
with a dinner and awards presentation, along
with a raffle and silent auction featuring
an assortment of donated audio equipment,
musical instruments, wine and gift packages
from sponsors and other supporters.
Along with the traditional sponsorships (including
Contest Holes, Box Lunch, Golf Cart, Golf
Balls and 19th Hole), this year the TEC Foundation
will also be offering a Cigar Sponsorship,
Coffee Bar Sponsorship and an Ice Cream Sandwich
Sponsorship, as well as customized Hole Sponsorships
that will fit any budget.
Sponsorships, foursomes
and individual tickets are available now at
www.tecfoundation.com. For more information
about these and the silent auction or raffle,
please visit www.tecfoundation.com or contact
Karen Dunn at (925) 708-0307 or via e-mail
at Karen@kmdpro.com.
The TEC Foundation
for Excellence in Audio is a 501 (c) (3)
charitable organization founded in 1990
and headquartered in Walnut Creek, California.
In addition to encouraging and honoring
audio excellence through the annual Technical
Excellence & Creativity Awards©,
the Foundation promotes hearing health in
the music environment and presents annual
scholarships for students of the audio and
music arts and sciences. For more information
about the Foundation’s activities, visit
www.tecfoundation.com.
PRESS RELEASE—December 14 , 2009
MIX FOUNDATION CHANGES NAME,
SEEKS PARTNERS FOR TEC AWARDS
New Direction For Non-profit
Charity After 19-year Mix magazine Association
December
14, 2009—Walnut Creek, CA—The
Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio, presenters
of the Technical Excellence & Creativity
Awards, announced today that it has changed
its name to the TEC Foundation for Excellence
in Audio. The Foundation, a 501 ( c )( 3 )
public benefit corporation, was founded in
1990 by the publishers of Mix magazine,
with the mission of furthering excellence
in the audio arts and sciences.
“This move is a logical consequence
of our separation from Mix in 2008,” said
Hillel Resner, president of the Foundation
since its beginning. “Even though, as
a charity, the Foundation has always been
a separate legal entity, retaining the Mix
name has created confusion both inside and
outside the industry we serve. Our board has
decided that it’s time for us to move
on and establish our own identity as the organization
responsible for the TEC Awards, the Les Paul
Award, the L.A. Open golf tournament and our
other activities.”
Resner also announced
that newly-renamed TEC Foundation is actively
seeking partners to provide financial support
for the TEC Awards and other programs, as
well as the creation of new ones. The Foundation’s
work is largely funded by sponsorships,
which have suffered as a result of the current
recession.
“Like all charitable
organizations, the TEC Foundation has been
impacted by the economic downturn,” Resner
said. “In
order to continue improving our programs and
aiding the twin causes of audio education
and hearing health, we feel the need to team
up with two or three corporate partners from the
pro audio and technology sectors that we can
count on to provide a baseline of financial
support. This represents a rare opportunity
for companies who are committed to advancing
excellence in audio technology, and we will
be holding discussions with several potential
partners in the very near future.”
The Foundation was established 5 years after
the launch of the TEC Awards (1985), which
has since become the foremost program honoring
outstanding achievement in audio technology
and production. The 25th Annual TEC Awards
was held October 10 at the AES Convention
in New York City. Though substantially scaled
back from previous years, the ceremony at
Javits Center attracted nearly 500 attendees.
The awards were presented by such sound industry
luminaries as Phil Ramone, George Massenburg,
Eddie Kramer, Chris Stone and David Hewitt,
among others.
For more informmation about the TEC Foundation
for Excellence in Audioand its programs, please
visit www.tecfoundation.com or email info@tecfoundation.com.
The 25th Annual TEC Awards can be viewed at
http://www.youtube.com/TECAwards.
PRESS RELEASE—October 12, 2009
25TH ANNUAL EXCELLENCE & CREATIVITY
AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Production teams for Coldplay,
Foo Fighters take top Creative Achievement
honors;
Avid Digidesign, Solid State Logic, Universal
Audio are double winners
for Technical Achievement
Special tribute
celebrates life and contributions of Les
Paul
October
12, 2009—New York, NY—Nearly 500 audio industry professionals turned
out Saturday evening to recognize the achievements
of their peers in sound production and product
design. Held for the first time at the Audio
Engineering Society Convention, the TEC Awards
celebrated its 25th anniversary with a theater-style
presentation featuring some of the most illustrious
names in sound and music, highlighted by a
sentimental tribute to the late music icon,
Les Paul.
In the Technical Achievement categories,
Avid Digidesign won awards for both the ProTools
8 (Workstation Technology) and VENUE Mix Rack
System (Sound Reinforcement Console); Solid
State Logic scooped up awards for both SSL
Matrix (Small Format Console) and the AWS
900+ SE (Large Format Console); and Universal
Audio won with both the 710 Twin-Finity (Microphone
Preamplifier Technology) and UAD-2 Quad (Signal
Processing/Hardware). First-time Technical
Achievement winners included DPA Microphones
with its Model 4099 (Microphones/Sound Reinforcement);
iZotope for the Ozone 4 Mastering Suite (Signal
Processing/Software) and Nagra for the Nagra
VI (Recording Devices).
Among the night’s winners for Creative
Achievement were the production teams behind
Coldplay’s Viva La Vida (awarded for
both Record Production/Single and Record Production/Album);
Foo Fighters’ Live at Wembley Stadium (Surround Sound Production); JVC Newport Jazz
Festival (Remote Production/Recording or Broadcast);
the Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Raising
Sand tour (Tour Sound); James Taylor, One
Man Band (Television Sound); The Dark
Knight (Film Sound); as well as the designers of
Santa Barbara’s Playback Recording Studio
(Studio Design). The award for Interactive
Entertainment Sound Production sponsored by
the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.). went
to Blizzard’s World of Warcraft: Wrath
of the Lich King.
This year’s TEC Awards “big birthday” was
hosted by industry veteran Chris Stone, founder
of Record Plant, World Studio Group, Penteo
Surround and co-founder of S.P.A.R.S. The
ceremony featured a stellar lineup of presenters
including past Hall of Fame inductees: remote
engineer David Hewitt; engineer/producer Eddie
Kramer; engineer, producer and technologist
George Massenburg; and the Pope of Pop, producer/engineer
Phil Ramone. The presenter team also included
six time TEC Award-winning architect /acoustician
John Storyk of the Walters-Storyk Design Group.
The presentation was highlighted by a video
tribute to the late Les Paul, pioneer of multi-track
recording and the solid body electric guitar,
followed by a speech delivered by George Petersen,
respected audio history authority and executive
editor of Mix magazine. Russ Paul,
one of Les Paul’s sons also spoke.
For a complete
list of the 2009 TEC Awards Winners, go to
www.mixfoundation.org/tec/09winners.html
The TEC Awards is presented by The Mix Foundation
for Excellence in Audio and sponsored by
27 companies in the professional audio industry.
Lead sponsors include Gibson Guitar and
the nonprofit Gibson Foundation, Guitar
Center Pro, Audio Engineering Society, Broadjam,
Inc., RØDE Microphones, Shure and
Sterling Audio. The Producers and Engineers
wing of the Recording Academy contributed
audio/video resources to the production.
For a complete list of sponsors, visit www.mixfoundation.org/tec/09sponsors.html.
The Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio
is a 501©(3) charitable organization
headquartered in Walnut Creek, California.
The Foundation’s primary mission is
the further understanding of and excellence
in professional audio through educational
programs, including the TEC Awards and the
TECnology Hall of Fame, as well as scholarships
for students of the audio arts and sciences.
The Foundation has also been a leader in promoting
hearing health in the music environment by
supporting programs of the House Ear Institute
and H.E.A.R.
PRESS RELEASE—September 22, 2009
25TH ANNUAL TEC AWARDS ANNOUNCES
PRESENTERS, SPONSORS FOR OCTOBER 10 GALA AT AES
Chris Stone to host awards and Tribute to Les Paul ; Hall-of-Famers Massenburg, Ramone, Kramer and Hewitt head all-star presenters roster
Gibson Guitar, Gibson Foundation, GC Pro and AES are presenting sponsors—27 companies support event’s Silver Anniversary
September
22, 2009—New York, NY—
The 25th Annual
Technical Excellence & Creativity
Awards has announced the presenters, sponsors
and schedule of the show, to be held on Saturday,
October 10 at the Audio Engineering Society
Convention in New York. The festivities will
begin at 5:00 p.m. with a cocktail reception
outside the South Concourse Special Events
Room followed by the awards ceremony at 6:00.
A limited number of tickets remain available
and may be purchased at www.mixfoundation.org/tec/tecawards.html .
The ceremony will
be hosted by industry veteran and Record
Plant founder, Chris Stone, who will preside
over the presentation of awards in 25 categories
of achievement in audio technology and production.
Confirmed presenters include four members
of the TEC Awards Hall of Fame: platinum
producers George Massenburg, Phil Ramone
and Eddie Kramer, and remote recording engineer
par excellence, David Hewitt. Joining them
will be TEC Awards co-founder David Schwartz,
world-class studio designer John Storyk, Mix magazine executive editor George Petersen,
G.A.N.G. (Game Audio Network Guild) president
Paul Lipson, SPARS executive director Paul
Christensen and Guitar Center Professional’s
Rick Plushner. GC Pro is Sponsor of the Technical
Awards categories.
“We are grateful beyond words for the
participation of so many key figures in our
industry’s history,” said Hillel
Resner, president of the Mix Foundation for
Excellence in Audio, presenter of the awards. “This
year in particular, with the economic pressures
everyone is facing, the value of the moral
support of these old friends, as well as the
material support of the AES in hosting the
event, cannot be overstated.”
Resner also pointed to the generous support
of the sponsors as indispensable. Besides
presenting sponsors Gibson and the nonprofit
Gibson Foundation, GG Pro and AES, other Front
House Sponsors include Broadjam, Inc., which
contributed IT assistance for the TEC Awards
voting, RODE/Event, Shure, Inc. and Sterling
Audio. Legacy Sponsors include G.A.N.G., Meyer
Sound, the Producers/Engineers Wing of the
Recording Academy and Universal Audio. Fifteen
Supporting Sponsors complete the sponsorship
lineup.
All sponsors and links to their websites,
as well as TEC Awards ticket and event information,
can be found at www.mixfoundation.org.
The Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio
is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization headquartered
in Walnut Creek, California. The Foundation’s
primary mission is to further understanding
of and excellence in professional audio through
educational programs, including the TEC Awards
and the TECnology Hall of Fame, as well as
scholarships for students of the audio arts
and sciences.The Foundation has also been
a leader in promoting hearing health in the
music environment by supporting programs of
the House Ear Institute and H.E.A.R.
PRESS RELEASE—July 28, 2009
25TH ANNUAL TEC AWARDS ANNOUNCES
NOMINEES FOR OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Sound Industry’s
Most Prestigious Awards Show to be held
October 10th at Audio Engineering Society
Convention in New York City
SSL, TC Group
garner four nominations each, AKG and Universal
Audio have three apiece
July
28, 2009—Walnut Creek, CA—The
Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio has
announced the nominees for the 25th Annual
Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards,
to be held Saturday, October 10, 2009, at
the 127th Audio Engineering Society Convention
at the Javits Center in New York City. The
TEC Awards is the world’s most prominent
forum honoring outstanding achievement in
professional audio production and product
design.
The nominees announced today, comprising
16 categories of Technical Achievement in
product design, will be followed by the announcement
of nominees in nine categories of Creative
Achievement in sound production. The nominations,
made by a select panel of more than 100 professionals
in all areas of audio, are for products and
projects released or completed during the
eligibility period of April 1, 2008, to March
31, 2009. Online voting begins on August 10
among members of various professional organizations,
including the Audio Engineering Society (AES),
The Producer and Engineers Wing of the Recording
Academy, the Society of Professional Audio
Recording Services (SPARS) and the Game Audio
Network Guild (G.A.N.G.).
It was a big year for Solid State Logic and
TC Electronics, both of whom received four
nominations, and AKG and Universal Audio,
who received three each, while six other companies
(Euphonix, Focusrite, JBL, Sennheiser, Telefunken
and Yamaha) garnered two nominations apiece.
"We’re thrilled
to be returning to New York for our 25th Anniversary," says
Hillel Resner, president of the Mix Foundation. "This
is where the TEC Awards were born back in
1985, at the Puck Building in SoHo. Even though
the Foundation separated from Mix Magazine
last year, our support within the professional
audio community is stronger than ever.
The TEC Awards will
be held on the second evening of the 127th
AES convention and is expected to draw at
least 500 top sound and music professionals
from around the world. Funds derived from
the ceremony support the Mix Foundation’s educational programs,
including the TEC Awards®, the TECnology
Hall of Fame and scholarship programs for
students of the audio arts and sciences. For
tickets and other information, visit www.mixfoundation.org,
email vici@mixfoundation.org or call 925-284-7729.
For a complete list of
the 2009 TEC Awards nominees, please visit
www.mixfoundation.org/tec/09nomineestech.html
The Mix Foundation
for Excellence in Audio, is a 501 (c) (3)
non-profit, charitable organization headquartered
in Walnut Creek, California. The TEC Awards
are sponsored by the Gibson Guitar Corp.,
Gibson Foundation, Guitar Center Professional,
Shure, Inc., Sterling Audio and
other leading companies in the professional
sound and music industries.
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