Episode 83 - Brett Leonard: A Passion For Sound

Another wonderful conversation with Brett Leonard. We talk about anechoic chambers, recording, mixing, and all things audio; including tips for setting up a new audio studio.

http://www.blpaudio.com/

Brett Leonard is a recording engineer, audio researcher and audio educator.  Currently, Dr. Leonard serves as the director of music technology programs at the University of Indianapolis.  Dr. Brett Leonard began his musical career as a percussionist, playing any and every genre and instrument he could get his hands on.  While in college, Dr. Leonard discovered the joys of the recording studio.  Shortly after, he received his bachelor's from California Lutheran University with a focus in music technology.  While attending CLU, he also spent time at the Aspen Music Festival, studying under such luminaries as John Eargle, Stephan Peus, and Ron Streicher.  After college, he moved to New York to pursue a Master's of Music Technology at New York University's Steinhardt School. Dr. Leonard has also served as lecturer at McGill University, where he recently completed a PhD in Music in the area of Sound Recording, and served the coordinator of music technology and assistant professor of music at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Dr. Leonard is also an active freelance recording engineer.  He has worked on projects ranging from orchestras to progressive jazz, hip-hop to classic rock, including projects with artist such as Lenny Pickett, Matt Haimovitz, Jerry Douglas, Cecile McLorrin Salvant, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and producers such as Russ Titelman, Bob Belden, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Devo Springsteen.  Dr. Leonard currently serves as the chief recording engineer for the Chelsea Music Festival in New York.  In 2007, he began BLPaudio, a company providing recording services, acoustical consulting, system design and equipment rental.  BLPaudio has since provided consulting services to numerous private studios, event spaces, performance venues, and institutions including the United National International School, the Musée de Beaux Arts Montréal, the Musical Instrument Museum and others.

As a researcher, Dr. Leonard focuses on spatial audio and the interplay between acoustics, instruments, and the recording process.  His work in spatial audio has included collaborations with Sennheiser, NHK, Swissaudec, and Skywalker Sound and has been published in more than 35 papers.  Dr. Leonard is active in the Audio Engineering Society (AES) as a member of the education committee, and as a member of the organizing committee for numerous conventions and conferences.