MTSU’s nationally recognized Department of Recording Industry will welcome audio educators and industry professionals from around the globe this week to discuss audio education.

Bob McCarthy

The Audio Engineering Society’s 50th International Conference will take place July 25-27 in the John Bragg Mass Communication Building and the College of Education Building on the MTSU campus.

Bob McCarthy, senior education consultant for Meyer Sound, will deliver the keynote address from 1 to 2:20 p.m. Thursday, July 25, in Room 160 of the College of Education Building.

McCarthy has traveled worldwide to design and align sound systems for every type of venue. He is noted for his fast-paced, rigorous teaching style and his ability to explain complex material in an understandable, practical manner.

This is the first Audio Engineering Society conference to focus exclusively on audio education, organizers say. Discussion topics include career options for students, teaching methodologies, sponsored research, distance learning and industry partnerships.

“The Department of Recording Industry is very proud to bring this conference to MTSU,” said conference co-chair Bill Crabtree, who is serving as interim chair of the Department of Recording Industry.

Professor Bill Crabtree

Professor Michael Fleming

The department is part of MTSU’s College of Mass Communication.

“We hope to provide an opportunity for educators and professionals to better prepare students for a rapidly changing and competitive industry.”

Conference co-chair Michael Fleming, associate professor of recording industry, added that organizers hope the 30 papers presented at the conference and published in the AES proceedings “will be both a reference and an inspiration for further research in audio education.”

MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry will celebrate its 40th anniversary this fall.

“This program was one of the first of its kind in the country,” Crabtree said. “Since the 1970s, a lot of programs like ours have exploded onto the scene. Our goal is to provide a platform to help programs like ours better prepare the audio professionals of the future.”

For more information, contact Crabtree at 615-898-5030 or bill.crabtree@mtsu.edu or Fleming at 615-898-2029 or michael.fleming@mtsu.edu.

For conference details, go to www.aes.org/conferences/50. Parking information is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap12-13.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)