34th Annual NAMM TEC Awards

Host Demetri Martin

Presented annually by the NAMM Foundation during The NAMM Show, The NAMM TEC Awards (The NAMM Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards), formally the Technical Excellence and Creativity Awards, is an annual event recognizing exceptional accomplishments in audio/sound for the film, television and music industry for both individuals, small companies and large corporations. Winners from each category are chosen by a panel of experts within the audio and sound industry. Three members of BackStage360 were honored to attend at the request of NAMM conference organizers.

This years’ gala took place at the beautiful Anaheim Hilton hotel’s Pacific Ballroom, adjacent to the Anaheim Convention Center during the winter NAMM conference. VIP guests and nominees were treated to an extensive dinner buffet, cocktails, and desserts accompanied by live music before the presentation.

Entertainer and comedian, Demetri Martin hosted the event. A return engagement from the 2018 TEC Awards. Demetri is known for his deadpan deliveries and off-color humor. He did not disappoint. From the moment he stepped to the microphone he had the room in his hands. Yale University educated in history, Demetri moved onto NYU School of Law but withdrew before graduating to pursue a career in comedy, a bold move that has served him well. Demetri started his career as a stand-up comedian. His talent took him into the mainstream where he eventually made his mark on the television network, Comedy Central.

Leslie Ann Jones (TEC Hall of Fame Award)

Demetri has produced several televised several comedy specials, was a contributing writer for The Daily Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, hosted his own comedy show, has written several books and nominated for an Emmy, The Writers’ Guild of America, the Barry Award and the Perrier Comedy Award. Out of the four nominations, Demetri walked away with three. He is also a self-proclaimed sound geek and is a skilled multi-instrument musician. His energetic stage presence, quick wit, and delightful commentary made him a perfect choice for the awards.

Nominees for 23 different Technical and eight Creativity achievement categories were presented by industry leaders, such as Leslie Ann Jones, renowned production and sound engineer and receiver of 2019, Prestigious TEC Hall of Fame Award (please see more on Leslie Ann below). Grammy-nominated sound engineer, Derek “MixedByAli” Ali, record producer and CEO of “Everything is Gold” music, Cardo, and 12-time, Grammy-winning, sound engineer and producer, Rafa Sardina.

Herbie Hancock

Multi-award winning, singer-songwriter, producer, musician and actor, Herbie Hancock, took to the podium to reintroduce Inductee of the 2019 TEC Hall of Fame award, Ms. Leslie Ann Jones.

Ms. Jones began her career as a rock musician and then moved into the recording, audio and sound industry for music, films, and television. Leslie Ann has worked for such corporate giants as ABC Recording Studios and Capitol Studios. Currently, she holds the position of Director of Music Recording and Scoring at Skywalker Sound (a Lucas Fim, Ltd corporation). Her impressive resume lists collaborations with a plethora of national and international recognized recording artists and musicians.

In 2000 Leslie Ann became the first woman to Chair the Recording Academy Grammy Board of Trustees. She has won four Grammys In Best Engineer and Best Album categories. It was a joy to sit in audience of this gentlewoman and listen to her speak about her long-running career in the recording industry and learn about some of her experiences as a female in a male-dominated field.

Leslie Ann accepted this well-deserved award and exited the stage in preparation for the presentation of the Les Paul Innovation Award. Please see my separate coverage of the recipient of this award immediately following. (Peter Frampton Receives Les Paul Innovation Award)

I spent 3 1/2 hours sitting in awe of this presentation. Events like the NAMM TEC Awards is one of the many reasons, why we do what we do. Bringing the music closer brings us closer to each other.

For more information on the TEC Awards, please visit their website: www.tecawards.org .

You can find information on the NAMM organization, the winter and summer conventions and how to get involved and join their community, please visit their website: www.namm.org .

Our congratulations to all of the winners!

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

Amplification Hardware/Studio & Sound Reinforcement

Grace Design – m908 Surround Monitor Controller

Audio Apps & Hardware/Peripherals for Smartphones & Tablets

Yamaha – CL/QL StageMix v.7

Audio Education Technology

Produce Like A Pro – Produce Like A Pro

Computer Audio Hardware

Universal Audio – Arrow

DJ Production Technology (Hardware/Software)

Pioneer DJ – DDJ-1000 Controller

Headphone/Earpiece Technology

Audio-Technica – ATH-M60x

Large Format Console Technology

Solid State Logic – SSL Live L100

Microphone Preamplifiers

Rupert Neve Designs – RMP-D8

Microphones – Recording

Neumann – U 67

Microphones – Sound Reinforcement

Sennheiser – HSP Essential Omni

Musical Instrument Amplification & Effects

Universal Audio – OX Amp Top Box

Musical Instrument Hardware

Dave Smith Instruments – Sequential Prophet X

Musical Instrument Software

EastWest Sounds – Hollywood Choirs

Production Essentials

PreSonus – FaderPort 16

Signal Processing Hardware

Eventide – H9000

Signal Processing Hardware (500 Series Modules)

API – 529 Stereo Compressor

Signal Processing Software (Dynamics/EQ /Utilities)

iZotope – Ozone 8 Mastering Suite

Signal Processing Software (Effects)

Soundtoys – Little Plate Plug-In

Small Format Console Technology

Allen & Heath – SQ Series Mixers

Sound Reinforcement Loudspeakers

JBL – VTX A12W

Studio Monitors

JBL – 3 Series MkII

Wireless Technology

Sennheiser – evolution wireless G4

Workstation Technology/Recording Devices

Avid – Pro Tools Ultimate

CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT

Film Sound Production

Black Panther (Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Interactive Entertainment Sound Production

Star Wars Battlefront II (DICE / Electronic Arts)

Record Production/Album

Colors, Beck (Capitol)

Record Production/Single or Track

“This Is America,” Childish Gambino (mcDJ / RCA)

Remote Production/Recording or Broadcasting

60th Annual GRAMMY Awards (CBS Television Network)

Studio Design Project

Sound on Sound Studios, Montclair, NJ (David Amlen)

Television Sound Production

Game of Thrones (HBO / Warner Bros. Television)

Tour Event Sound Production

Man of the Woods Tour, Justin Timberlake (Clair Global

*A talk box is a special effects unit that allows musicians to modify the sound of a musical instrument by shaping the frequency content of the sound and to apply speech sounds (in the same way as singing) onto the sounds of the instrument. Typically, a talk box directs sound from the instrument into the musician’s mouth utilizing a plastic tube adjacent to their vocal microphone. The musician controls the modification of the instrument’s sound by changing the shape of the mouth, “vocalizing” the instrument’s output into a microphone.