News Archive

 

Media Contact:
Jane Byer

jane@tecfoundation.com


News from the TEC Foundation


PRESS RELEASE—May 16, 2012

28th ANNUAL TEC AWARDS TO BE HELD AT THE 2103 NAMM SHOW

May 16, 2012—Walnut Creek, CA—
The TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio has announced that the 28th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards®, will be presented on Friday, January 25, 2013 at the NAMM Show® in Anaheim, California. The TEC Awards is the professional audio and sound production industry's most prestigious recognition of outstanding technical and creative achievement. The NAMM Show is the largest trade show for the international music products industry, with more than 90,000 attendees.

For the third consecutive year, NAMM will provide production and event management assets for the TEC Awards, with the TEC Foundation conducting the nominations and voting process, and continuing as executive producer of the event. In addition to NAMM, TEC AwardTs sponsors to date include Sustaining Sponsor Harman and longtime sponsors Shure and Avid.

“The TEC Awards has found the perfect home at NAMM,” says Hillel Resner, president of the TEC Foundation and co-executive producer of the awards. “We not only have the industry’s biggest trade show as a platform, but NAMM’s resources and expertise have helped take the production to a whole new level.”

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. To request news updates on the 28th Annual TEC Awards and for information about other TEC Foundation activities and the charitable organizations it supports, visit: www.tecfoundation.com.

Media Contact: Jane Byer / jane@tecfoundation.com


PRESS RELEASE—April 17, 2012

17th ANNUAL TEC L.A. OPEN SET FOR JUNE 25 IN MALIBU

Walnut Creek, CA—April 17, 2012—
The TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio has announced that the 17th Annual TEC L.A. Open charity golf tournament will be held Monday, June 25, 2012, 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.

Harman and GC Pro | Sterling are lead sponsors of this year’s “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.

For more information about registration, contest prizes and first-come, first-served sponsorship opportunities, click here or contact Karen Dunn at (925) 708-0307 / Karen@kmdpro.com.

Proceeds of the tournament will go to Los Angeles’ Sound Art, a music education organization that teams professional musicians with children from inner-city neighborhoods. For more information about Sound Art click here.

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. The Foundation has endowed scholarship programs at numerous colleges and universities for students of the audio arts and sciences, and also offers its own TEC Awards Scholarship. Funds derived from the TEC Awards and TEC L.A. Open have also been donated over the years to organizations that educate both sound professionals and music listeners about hearing health. For more information about the TEC Foundation visit www.tecfoundation.com.

Media Contact: Jane Byer / jane@tecfoundation.com


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


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