Meeting Topic: 11th Annual Central Region Audio Student Summit
Meeting Location: Webster University
Webster University's chapter of the AES held its 11th annual Central Region Audio Student Summit on March 24 — 26, and once again, it was a big success for all involved. We saw an increase in attendance over last year's Summit, thanks in part to a large number of local high schoolers who came to the event. This year also had the largest number of presenters that we've ever had before, at a total of 46 presenters. These presenters included Summit perennials like Richard King, Mark Rubel, and Josh Harris, among many others. However, we also hosted several new faces this year, such as Paul "Willie Green" Womack and Leslie Gaston-Bird. In a repeat of last year, we featured the current AES president, Alex Case, as our keynote speaker. Mr. Case gave a very interesting presentation on sound effects and how they work, such as reverb and delay. The Summit featured many of our panels that we have had in years past, such as the Mic Shootout, Recording Critiques, and the ever popular Sunday Morning Storytime. Some new panels we tried out this year were also a big hit with the crowd, specifically our two Raw Tracks panels. These panels featured a distinguished audio engineer (Paul Womack and Richard King, in this case) giving a behind-the-scenes look at a mix they worked on, including many helpful tips and novel ideas on how to improve one's mix. Finally, the Summit was capped off with our annual Mix Competition, in which students mix a song of our choosing and then have their mix rated by a panel of three judges. This year's winner was Webster University's own Andrew Bushway, who received a bevy of audio gear as a prize. The entire Webster AES chapter would like to thank all presenters, sponsors, and attendees who helped to make our 11th Summit the best one yet. We hope that these people will return to make the 12th annual Summit even bigger and better.
Written By: Andrew Kitchen
