Headed to Munich High End Show!

It was a tough decision but my wife and I — AND 200 pounds of books and Blu-ray discs are headed to Munich later today. This will be the first time that I have traveled to Germany for the largest audio show in the world. I’ll be sharing a corner booth with Todd Garfinkle in Hall 3 J15 from Thursday through Sunday — unless I manage to sell all 65 books that I hauling with me and get some tourist time. If you plan to come to the show or know someone that is headed to Munich this weekend for the High End Show, please stop by, say hello, and have me sign your copy of “Music and Audio: A User Guide To Better Sound”. You’ll save the $33.50 shipping cost that the postal service charges for international shipments. I only have 60 copies, after that it’s back to the postal service option.

The reviews on the new book have been very encouraging — from both audio journalists, readers and other audio engineers. Here’s a few of the most recent:

“Hey Mark, I’m really enjoying your book. Brilliant writing. As an instructor of audio technology, I come across so many ‘text’ books that are full of false information. I find your book refreshing in it’s declaration of facts. Best regards, Jack”

“Hi, Mark! Thank you for the most informative and truthful book ever. You honesty and level of commitment is truly inspiring! Kind regards, Deepak”

“The book is fantastic, an amazing effort, far more than I could have possibly expected. As a lay person, it is slow digesting but I’m enjoying it. And I appreciate your commentary over the years about amping up resolution of low res files and charlatan claims of audio tricks in equipment and cable. Helps me understand the business and be a better listener. Bruce”

The current university semester is rapidly coming to a close — just a couple of final exams and the dreaded grading to finish. Another cohort of audio engineers are headed out into the professional world. It’s very gratifying to teach and especially rewarding to hear from former students about their successes. Last week, a small group of my advanced recording students got the rare opportunity to visit a television shoot that was being done at the StubHub Center, the soccer stadium just across the parking lot. I received an email from a former student (he graduated in 1992) inviting me and a small group to visit the set. He’s the production sound mixer on the show — a job he’s had for over 10 years. The production company was shooting an episode of “It’s Always Sunny in Philidelphia!” George was extremely generous with his time. He showed everyone the equipment, the process, and shared a little bit about his path from student to professional. He even snagged Danny DeVito and introduced everyone to this television/film icon. The students were thrilled to see and meet a real celebrity AND to learn that there is life after graduation.

As someone that spent a couple of years doing location sound as a boom operator and production mixer, the whole experience brought back some very fond memories. I worked with one of the true pioneers of production sound — the late Mike Denecke, the inventor of the timecode slate and numerous other little devices that make doing sound easier. I noticed a few of his machines at the “Sunny” set — his legacy lives on. He was a true mentor and friend. We traveled across the country one summer and had a great time.

I will be out of town for almost a week. I’ll see if I can get online an provide updates from the show.