In his Keynote address, Mr. Parsons will provide his unique insights on the current and future direction of the music and recording industry from his singular perspective of success and experience throughout the history of popular music.
Parsons has been involved in the production of several legendary albums throughout his career. He was fortunate enough to work as assistant engineer on the final two albums by The Beatles, and after he qualified as a fully-fledged recording engineer, he went on to work with Paul McCartney, The Hollies and many others. But it was his contribution as engineer on Pink Floyd's classic Dark Side of the Moon that really got him worldwide attention and earned him his first of many GRAMMY nominations.
That soon led to striking successes as a producer – notably with Pilot’s “Magic,” John Miles’ “Highfly” and Steve Harley’s “Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)”. He also produced the hugely successful Year of the Cat album with Al Stewart and two albums with American progressive rock band Ambrosia. With Eric Woolfson, Parsons co-founded The Alan Parsons Project, famous for its revolving group of studio musicians and vocalists and its platinum albums and singles, including “Games People Play” and “Eye in the Sky.”
Additionally, he developed The Art and Science of Sound Recording, a definitive collection of training videos presented by Parsons, which gives viewers his exclusive insider access to legendary musicians, producers and engineers and their award-winning recording techniques. A companion book (published by Hal Leonard) based on this acclaimed video series is being formally launched at AES137.
Alan has come full circle and is back in his role as producer and engineer, both at his own Santa Barbara studio and other studios internationally. AES Executive Director Bob Moses stated, “Alan Parsons has a massive influence on modern record production, audio engineering, mixing and other disciplines. We are honored to welcome him as our keynote speaker during our opening ceremonies.”
Neil Portnow to Give Friday’s Opening Keynote
On Friday, October 10, 2014, the 137th Audio Engineering Society Convention will feature a keynote address by Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy (internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards), which includes The Academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing (P&E Wing), composed of more than 5,500 producers, engineers, remixers, manufacturers, technologists, and other related music recording industry professionals. Taking place from 12 – 1 p.m. in Special Events Room #403, Portnow’s presentation will discuss how The Academy and its P&E Wing — via education and dialog — address the challenges and opportunities currently facing recording professionals, as well as targeted advocacy initiatives The Academy is developing to address some of these concerns.
During the course of his career, Neil Portnow has become a leading figure in the music and recording industry, liaising with music makers, corporate executives, political figures and worldwide brands. He has served as President of The Recording Academy since December 2002, and was named President/CEO in September 2007. As President/CEO, Portnow works closely with The Academy’s Board of Trustees and its Chair, local Academy Chapter boards, as well as The Academy’s senior management team to advance The Academy’s goals and mission — including the creative and strategic vision and operations of The Academy and its related entities (the GRAMMY Awards, the Producers & Engineers Wing, The Latin Recording Academy). He also serves as President/CEO of The Academy’s charitable affiliates, MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation, and he is Chair of the Board of The GRAMMY Museum at L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles.
www.aes.org/events/137/
