Meeting Topic: AES Conference and guest speaker on sports broadcasting
Moderator Name: Jamie Tagg
Speaker Name: Mike Testa, A1 Engineer for the Northeast Sports Network (NESN)
Other business or activities at the meeting:
- Why students should attend the upcoming conference
- Travel info
- Hotel info
- Student Recording competition
- T-shirt design competition
Meeting Location: UMass - Lowell, Durgin Hall room 209
This week, we discussed details about the AES conference in NYC, presented incentive for underclassmen as to why they should go, and took information from folks looking to attend and get information on hotels. We also had a guest speaker from the UML faculty.
Guest Speaker: Mike Testa spoke regarding his career in broadcast audio where he had the opportunity to help in the broadcasting of events such as the Bruins Stanley cup and the Red Sox Championship. He started by discussing his first opportunity to work for the Northeast Sports Network (NESN) as an intern. After several months with his internship, he was offered a job as an engineer. He took us through an overview of the corporate structure in the broadcast industry, as well as the signal flow structure for a typical airing of a sporting event.
We learned about the career paths one might take in audio and the importance of understanding communications systems, as many people on the production team need to be able to communicate with each other instantaneously. It is a high-stress, but rewarding environment, and there are great networking opportunities available.
After the meeting, Mike hosted a listening session/discussion of the new Dream Theater album "On the Backs of Angels" in our mastering/critical listening classroom.
Written By: Doug Iszlai and Jamie Tagg
