May 8, 2009 2:15 PM

Chuck Ainlay

Multiple Grammy Award–winning producer/engineer Chuck Ainlay has recorded and mixed more than 200 albums, including work with legendary country music artists George Strait, Trisha Yearwood, Lee Ann Womack, Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris, The Dixie Chicks, Reba McEntire, Chet Atkins and Willie Nelson. In addition, Ainlay has placed his distinctive production and engineering stamp on projects with pop artists such as Mark Knopfler, James Taylor, Peter Frampton, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Melissa Ethridge, Everclear, Chuck Leavell and Sheryl Crow. In partnership with Nashville’s famed Sound Stage Studios, Ainlay built his 5.1 mixing studio, resulting in projects such as the 25th-anniversary surround remix of Frampton Comes Alive.
Panelist: Hybrid Mixing Techniques, Wed., 11 a.m.

Kevin Becka

Kevin Becka has been the technical editor of Mix since 2003. Prior to that, he served as as editor of Pro Audio Review and also as U.S. editor for the British publication Audio Media. Becka was as an adjunct professor at Belmont University, teaching advanced recording at the Mike Curb School of Music. He also has taught surround recording at the Danish Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2005 and is currently the Director of Education at the Conservatory of Recording Arts in Arizona. A member of ASCAP, AES, SPARS and a voting member of NARAS, Becka has engineered multi-Platinum and Grammy-winning records for Kenny G, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Quincy Jones and Michael Bolton, among others. In 2007, Kevin was named for a three-year position as a SPARS Board member.
Moderator: Protect Your Data to Protect Your Livelihood, Tue., 12:30 p.m.; Hybrid Mixing Techniques, Wed., 11 a.m.; Wireless Issues in the New Age, Wed., 12:30 p.m.

Steve Bishir

A professional recording engineer/mixer in Nashville for the past 22 years, Steve Bishir worked primarily in the Christian music industry for the first part of his career. His work has appeared on records from Amy Grant, Steven Curtis Chapman, Cece Winans, Mercy Me, Third Day and many others. The recipient of five Grammy Awards and numerous GMA Dove Awards, Bishir has more than 100 No. 1 singles to his credit. Most recently, he designed and built a new tracking/mixing room in the Brentwood, Tenn., area and is currently co-producing two projects.
Panelist: Live “In-Studio” Tracking, Wed., 3:30 p.m.

Terry Christian

Terry Christian landed in Nashville via Los Angeles and has enjoyed a career spanning nearly 30 years. Having worked with producers including David Foster, Phil Ramone, George Martin and Prince, he eventually teamed up with Michael Omartian. Clients have included Peter Cetera, Toto, Amy Grant, Keith Urban and LeAnn Rimes, as well as numerous movie soundtracks and orchestral works. Christian has earned several Gold and Platinum awards and a 2006 Grammy Award nomination for Best Engineered Recording.
Panelist: Hybrid Mixing Techniques, Wed., 11 a.m.

Carl Cordes

Carl Cordes began his audio career as a radio broadcaster in 1971. After five years, he joined the U.S. Air Force and worked on ground-to-air radio systems in England and Florida. He then worked with the White House Communications Agency as a presidential audio director for thousands of events worldwide. In 1997, Cordes became a wireless expert with Systems Wireless LTD for rentals, sales and onsite support. He returned to Florida in 2006 to manage Professional Wireless Systems. In addition to specializing in frequency coordination and show-site RF equipment and services, Professional Wireless Systems manufactures the Helical Antenna and other wireless solutions, including IAS frequency coordination software.
Panelist: Wireless Issues in the New Age, Wed., 12:30 p.m.

Stan “Quack” Dacus

Stan “Quack” Dacus has 40 years of audioengineering experience, 11 years of recording studio experience, four years of FOH concert experience and 24 years of broadcast engineering experience. Dacus has spent 25 years with TNN, CMT and MTV networks, engineering or co-engineering almost all music series on those networks. A member of NARAS since 1972, Dacus served on the Board of Governors in Atlanta and Nashville. He is also a member of AES, Producers Wing and CMAs. In addition to engineering Grammy-nominated albums in eight different categories, Dacus is the winner of two TEC Awards.
Panelist: Mixing Live With Prerecorded Tracks, Tues., 3:30 p.m.

Tom Davis

Tom Davis has been working in the entertainment field since 1975. In 1986, he designed and built TEC Award–winning Post Logic Studios in the heart of Hollywood. Nashville is now home to Davis and SeisMic Sound, where, in 1994, he installed the first Euphonix digitally controlled audio console with a 24-track Fairlight digital hard disk recorder, bringing state-of-the-art mixing and sound design for film and television to Music City. Davis has mixed projects such as 25x5: The Continuing Adventures of the Rolling Stones, U2’s Zoo TV TV special, The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show, The Tracy Ullman Show, Moscow Music Peace Festival, HBO’s 20th Anniversary—We Hardly Believe It Ourselves and the Imax film Yellowstone
Panelist: Mixing Live With Prerecorded Tracks, Tues., 3:30 p.m.

Tommy Dorsey

Tommy Dorsey is senior mastering engineer and co-owner of Masterfonics, where he has worked for 14 years mastering and mixing releases for artists such as Ashley Robertson, Young Buck, Leann Rimes, Ronnie Milsap, Martina McBride, India.Arie, Wynonna Judd, Tim McGraw and Rip Cashville's Ace. Dorsey's extensive experience as producer, session musician, composer and studio recording engineer make him a valuable commodity to his broad-ranging mastering and mix production clients.
Panelist: So You Think You Can Master? Wed., 2 p.m.

Chris Estes

Producer/engineer Chris Estes is president and founder of Endless Analog Inc., the Nashville-based pro-audio manufacturer that recently received the Mix Certified Hit Award for its flagship product CLASP (Closed Loop Analog Signal Processor), which Estes invented and developed. No stranger to the Billboard music charts, Estes’s recordings and mixes have charted in a variety of genres, including rock, Christian, electronic and country. Clients include Ryan Tedder (One Republic), Billy Mann (Teddy Geiger, Jessica Simpson), Michael Tait (D.C. Talk), Universal Music Group, Curb Records, EMI/CMG and TVT Records. Estes is an active AES member, a member of the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing and a successful ASCAP songwriter.
Panelist: Little Money, Big Sound, Tues., 11 a.m.

Chris Grainger

Nashville-based producer, mixer, engineer and songwriter Chris Grainger began making records in the early ’90s, working on projects for the likes of Wilco, Switchfoot, Sixpence None the Richer and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. In early 2003, Grainger decided to focus on developing new artists—the first of which was Minneapolis band Dropping Daylight, which signed with Octone Records. Grainger has since found similar success working with Luna Halo (American) and Ludo (Island).
Panelist: Little Money, Big Sound, Tues., 11 a.m.

Russ Johnson

Russ Johnson joined AMCC in 2008 as senior vice president and general manager of the Storage business unit. Prior to joining AMCC, Johnson was the vice president of Worldwide Sales for Adaptec Inc., a storage solutions company. Johnson held several management positions during his 11-year career at Adaptec, including vice president and general manager of International Sales & Marketing and OEM global account director. Before joining Adaptec, Johnson held positions with Centre Technologies, Infinity West Marketing, Action Plus Software and HGM Medical Laser Systems. Johnson was a Navy deep-sea diver prior to his professional career in the high-technology industry.
Panelist: Protect Your Data to Protect Your Livelihood, Tues., 12:30 p.m.

Jim Kaiser

Jim Kaiser is responsible for technical operations at MasterMix in Nashville, along with 5.1 and DVD production and audio restoration. Selected credits include Steven Curtis Chapman, Martina McBride, Kenny Chesney, Saturday Night Live, Kansas, Emmylou Harris and others. Kaiser’s background comprises 25 years’ experience in technical design and installation of recording, production and presentation facilities, including work for Sony-BMG, East Iris Recording, Sound Kitchen, Lobo Recording (Long Island, N.Y.), Elysian Recording (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Clear Channel Entertainment. He is an adjunct instructor at Belmont University and IADT Nashville; he also serves on the AES Board of Governors and Technical Council and the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing.
Panelist: Protect Your Data to Protect Your Livelihood, Tues., 12:30 p.m.

Tom Kenny

Tom Kenny joined the Mix staff as a proofreader in 1988 after graduating with a master’s degree in journalism from Indiana University. In 1991, he started the “Sound for Picture” section in Mix and has authored hundreds of articles across a range of topics in his tenure. Today, he serves as editorial director for Penton Media’s Audio Group, which includes Mix, EM and Remix magazines, along with associated Websites and events. He lives in Oakland, Calif.
Moderator: Little Money, Big Sound, Tue. 11 a.m.

Russ Long

Russ Long has been producing and engineering since the late 1980s. His album credits include Sixpence None the Richer, Wilco, Newsboys, Over the Rhine, Relient K, Dolly Parton, Fernando Ortega and Jim Brickman, and he has done 5.1 mixes for Allison Moorer, David Crowder and Mercy Me. His film credits include soundtracks to Girl Interrupted, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Second Chance, The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie and She’s All That. Longs has also multi-racked live performances for Switchfoot, Chris Tomlin and Nichole Nordeman. Long’s studio, The Carport, played a key roll in the majority of these projects.
Moderator: Live “In-Studio” Tracking, Wed., 3:30 p.m.

Chris Lyons

Chris Lyons is manager, technical and educational communications, with Shure Inc. and is Shure’s lead spokesperson on white spaces and spectrum issues. In his 23-year tenure with Shure, Lyons has held positions in marketing, technical support and product management. He has authored numerous articles for audio trade publications and booklets that help people learn how to use audio equipment. In his current position, Lyons serves as a spokesperson to the media and is currently involved in using social media to engage customers in conversations.
Panelist: Wireless Issues in the New Age, Wed., 12:30 p.m.

Richard McLaurin

Richard McLaurin moved to Nashville in 1985 and began his professional career playing guitar with fiddle great Vassar Clements. Other sideman gigs have included stints with Maura O’Connell and Iris Dement, as well as the alt-country band Farmer Not So John. As an engineer and producer, McLaurin has worked with acts such as Allison Moorer, Matthew Ryan, Billy Joe Shaver and John Davis. McLaurin now runs House of David recording studio.
Panelist: Live “In-Studio” Tracking, Wed., 3:30 p.m.

Glenn Meadows

Panelist: So You Think You Can Master? Wed., 2 p.m.

Andrew Mendelson

Owner and chief mastering engineer of Georgetown Masters in Nashville, Andrew Mendelson boasts a clientele as diverse as it is impressive. He has mastered numerous No. 1, Grammy winning, and Gold and Platinum projects by artists such as the Rolling Stones, Mariah Carrey, Motley Crue, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, John Rich, Marc Broussard, Ricky Skaggs, Alabama, Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson. In addition to his mastering work for CD release, Mendelson works extensively on stereo and surround-sound projects for DVD.
Panelist: So You Think You Can Master? Wed., 2 p.m.

Fred Paragano

The owner and rerecording/music mixer of Paragon Studios in Franklin, Tenn., Fred Paragano has been instrumental in helping to make Nashville the hub for not only music but also film and broadcast production. His work has been featured on well over 200 music albums, DVDs, TV shows and feature films. In addition to more than half of the animated series Veggie Tales, the recent feature films Australia, Crossing Over and The Tooth Fairy have included his work. Paragano has had the pleasure of working with the Rolling Stones, Kenny Loggins, Kris Kristofferson, Marc Cohn and Motley Crue.
Panelist: Protect Your Data to Protect Your Livelihood, Tues., 12:30 p.m.

Chris Phillips

Working for Sennheiser since December 2002, Chris Phillips has held product management positions in both the installed sound and professional markets. He now works as the market development manager for Sennheiser’s Western region.
Panelist: Wireless Issues in the New Age, Wed., 12:30 p.m.

F. Reid Shippen

Grammy Award–winner F. Reid Shippen likes to mix drinks, business with pleasure, oil and water and the occasional record. The meaning of the "F" is a closely guarded secret known only to a select group that includes Mat Kearney, MercyMe, India.Arie, Jonny Lang, Steven Curtis Chapman, Eric Church, Backstreet Boys, Duane Eddy, Death Cab for Cutie, Jeremy Camp, Brian Setzer, A Fine Frenzy, Jonas Brothers, Clay Aiken, Superchic[k], Emerson Hart and How I Became the Bomb.
Panelist: Hybrid Mixing Techniques, Wed., 11 a.m.

Jason Spence

Jason Spence was destined for a career as an audio engineer from an early age. Mixing his first gig at age 12 and owning his first P.A. at 16, Spence continued his career path by obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in recording arts and music business at California State University. Spence now has toured the world with notable artists from many genres. He has accumulated credits ranging from the Super Bowl and CMA Awards to Keith Urban’s live DVD, Love, Pain, and the Whole Crazy Thing. Spence’s company, JSS, includes services such as live multitrack recording.
Panelist: Mixing Live With Prerecorded Tracks, Tues., 3:30 p.m.

John Spencer

John Spencer is president of BMS/Chace LLC, a leading company providing outsourced verification and migration services for commercial record labels and developing standardized methodologies for the collection, documentation and preservation of all media assets. Spencer is a member of NARAS, AES, AMIA and ARSC.
Panelist: Protect Your Data to Protect Your Livelihood, Tues., 12:30 p.m.

Bil VornDick

Bil VornDick’s love for music began when he was a teenager, recording songs in his studio and reaching out to record and produce other groups in the Washington, D.C., area. Transitioning to Nashville with the help of Marty Robbins (who made VornDick his chief recording engineer), the producer soon began a longtime working relationship with Alison Krauss, as well as many other Grammy-winning artists—Bob Dylan, Ralph Stanley and Bela Fleck, to name a few. He continues to be active in the local music community.
Panelist: Little Money, Big Sound, Tues., 11 a.m.

Steve Walsh

Producer/songwriter Steve Walsh lives in Nashville via an eight-year “pit stop” in New York. A Boston native and Berklee graduate, Walsh is busy making music at his studio, 823. Walsh’s accomplishments include writing and producing Tiffany Giardina’s 2009 No Average Angel, of which the title track is a top 20 single at Disney Radio, as well as producing Erasure’s Union Street and Nightbird albums, which produced the top 10 single “Breathe.” Walsh is also earning AICP and Cleo awards for music written for Mercedes. Walshʼs band, the Brooklyn Boogaloo Blowout, and Gabe Roth (Daptone Records, Amy Wineouse) are recording Who Burnt the Bacon, featuring a cameo by Norah Jones.
Panelist: Little Money, Big Sound, Tues., 11 a.m.

Hank Williams

A native of Savannah, Ga., Hank Williams moved to Nashville in 1974 and has spent the past 32 years as a mastering engineer there. Since 1983, he has worked at his present home, MasterMix. Current artists he works with include Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley, Trace Adkins, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Reba McEntire, Jen Foster and Joe Nichols, to name a few.
Panelist: So You Think You Can Master? Wed., 2 p.m.

Shane Wilson

Shane Wilson earned an Associate of Science in audio technology from Indiana University. As the last phase of his degree, he moved to Nashville and never left. After working at Quad Studios, Wilson went independent, soon assisting some of the world’s finest engineers. Known for mix skills, Wilson has worked on recordings for Switchfoot, Third Day, the David Crowder Band, Amy Lee, David Hodges, Derek Webb, Sandra McCracken, Michael W. Smith, Big Kenny, John Rich and many others. Wilson’s projects have garnered multiple Grammy and Dove nominations and wins, including the Best Engineered Album Grammy nom for Owsley’s self-titled debut.
Panelist: Hybrid Mixing Techniques, Wed., 11 a.m.