President's Message

Jim Kaiser, President

2010 December, Vol 58 No. 12

Greetings, fellow AES members.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you as president of our Society. Having served in various capacities within my local section and in the larger AES organization, I am humbled to share this privilege and experience.

We have come into this industry from a multitude of directions, with the common thread that we have each been influenced and inspired by many things along the way, especially at our beginning. What if we hadn’t experienced those moments? Of that, no one can predict for sure.

My personal AES journey began, perhaps like many of yours did, while an audio engineering student at a university. I was concentrating on my coursework, and held a job at a nearby recording studio. I regularly pored over every trade magazine delivered to the studio, along with the distinctive AES Journal. However, I did not really understand what the AES was. One day, my boss and mentor John Hull suggested, “You need to go to an AES convention to find out.” So we did. The two studio owners and five “newbie” recording engineers piled into a station wagon and drove the 600 miles nonstop to New York City. We finally encountered the many prominent sites of Manhattan and excitedly arrived at the corner of Park Avenue and 49th Street in front of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, site of the AES convention.

Once inside, I found a wonderland of audio equipment and information, and especially OTHER PEOPLE who were as interested and excited about audio as I was. Not only that, these were the same people that I had read about in my trade magazines and AES Journals. The very individuals who designed and built the equipment that I longed to use, and those who used that gear to make the great recordings that I love; people like John Eargle, Robert Moog, Doug Sax, Alan Sides, Tomlinson Holman, Rupert Neve, Roger Lagadec, Phil Ramone, Thomas Stockham, Les Paul, David Harrison, Bill Putnam, Roger Nichols—the list is endless. I will never forget this first AES experience and the people who made it possible.

There have been many more AES Conventions since then, and I continue to be amazed at the variety of new audio technologies and new people that have become a part of this AES experience. While I realize that all of our 14,000-plus student and professional members have traveled a different path, we each establish a personal connection to the rest of the audio world through our mutual interest and involvement in our organization.

It is very fitting that, during this season, we take stock of the previous year, and decide for ourselves what has gone well and how to make things even better in the New Year. AES members, like everyone else, are closely examining the value that they receive for the time and money that they expend in their activities. Allow me to share with you a few thoughts on this subject.

It is our good fortune that the AES offers many benefits to each member. One such benefit is that opportunity to network directly with the world of audio and audio professionals. This most noticeably occurs during conventions and international conferences throughout the year, but also through collaboration that can take place at any time. Social media—such as the AES web site, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.—all help members realize this every day. Education is a primary objective of the AES, and is often singled out as being the most beneficial way to personal growth and to improved employment opportunities. We are always students of audio, and the intent of our activities (papers, tutorials, workshops, seminars, conferences, student events, etc.) is to benefit all members through an incredible wealth of useful audio knowledge.

Meanwhile, the AES organization has been working diligently to keep its operation as cost-efficient as reasonable, while still maintaining member service value. I am enthused that we have met the challenges that the economy has presented and believe that the efforts have created a stronger AES.

I am confident that in 2011 the AES will continue to be a significant and relevant component in the life of audio professionals worldwide. I truly hope that we will each find more of what we are looking for in the AES in the coming year, whether it is that all-important first AES experience, or merely another step in our personal journey.

My very best regards for a wonderful New Year!