Audio-Technica Hosts "Ask Me Anything" Panels with Top Audio Professionals at TECHNICA HOUSE - New York

	(l-r) Josiah Gluck, co-music engineer for Saturday Night Live; Teng Chen, associate music production mixer for Saturday Night Live; and Roxanne Ricks, Audio-Technica artist relations manager

Audio-Technica recently held two in-person "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) panels at its new facility located in the heart of New York City's SoHo district, TECHNICA HOUSE - New York, a unique marketing salon dedicated to connecting the various artistic communities within NY -- music, art, fashion, cuisine, and more.

Taking place on the two evenings leading up to the AES NY convention, the sessions were attended by students and educators from NYU University, Berklee College of Music (New York Campus), and Mercy University, along with journalists and various members of the audio community, all of whom were eager to hear tips and tricks from top professionals. Each session had a unique theme: night one (Sunday, October 6) focused on live sound/broadcast audio, and night two (Monday, October 7) focused on the recording studio. These unique sessions were designed to provide an evening of storytelling and a platform for open discussion.

The live sound/broadcast audio session featured Josiah Gluck, co-music engineer for Saturday Night Live, and Teng Chen, associate music production mixer for Saturday Night Live. The session lasted approximately 90 minutes and was led by moderator Roxanne Ricks, Audio-Technica artist relations manager. Both guests shared stories about their background on how they got into the business, and their time working on SNL, including the pressures of operating in a truly live environment to create a program that will be seen by a worldwide audience of millions. A highlight included Gluck recalling working with Prince on a 2014 episode -- a multi-part story that involved compromise with Prince to arrive at the right sound and deliver the type of monitor mix the artist wanted, as well as Prince's game-time decision to wait to plug in his guitar until a specific moment on air. When that time came, however, Prince forgot to plug in. This required Gluck to watch closely and un-mute the channel at exactly the right time once Prince had plugged in and started playing. Gluck used that story as a case in point to emphasize the human touch provided by professionals making moves in real time -- a level of hands-on expertise that AI just cannot replicate.

The Recording Studio session featured key members of the METalliance, including award-winning producers/engineers Chuck Ainlay, Niko Bolas, Jimmy Douglass, Frank Filipetti, George Massenburg, and Elliot Scheiner, with Ricks returning as moderator. The discussion covered a variety of topics, including these pros' respective starts in the business and early inspiration, what they look for in microphones and other studio gear, memorable experiences working with famous artists, valuable advice that has stuck with them, finding the right balance when collaborating with artists (compromising on sound and artistic vision, etc.), AI and more.