I am a London Ontario based songwriter, sound designer, and audio technician working at the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology (OIART) as their Public Relations and Social Media Coordinator.

Going to school at OIART and receiving my Audio Recording Technology Diploma has pushed my passion for creating, learning and writing about sound and audio engineering. The immersive and up to date knowledge OIART provides is 2nd to none and has sparked a career in the industry I never thought was a possibility.

I only hope to inspire other young creators and artists interested in sound to consider the unlimited possibilities that come with attending the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology (OIART) and experiencing their immersive audio engineering program.

Pier Di Biase is a seasoned musician, educator, and audio engineer with over 20 years of experience in performance, composition, production, and post-production. He holds a BFA with Specialized Honours in Music from York University, where he developed a deep passion for both jazz and classical composition. He later pursued studies in Audio Production Engineering, gaining expertise in engineering, production and software such as Pro Tools, Logic Pro, and Sibelius.

Pier’s multifaceted career spans live sound, studio engineering, mixing, producing, and audio post-production. His credits include work with Global, Slice, WTN, Life, the Toronto Argonauts, Joseph Woll, Triumph, MSO, TSO, Harm & Ease, among others.

Pier has been a faculty member at Metalworks Institute of Sound & Music Production for two decades where he teaches a wide range of subjects, from music theory and orchestration to MIDI, synthesis, audio post-production, and music business technologies. Currently, Pier serves as the Director of Academics. In this leadership role, he has championed a hands-on, industry-integrated approach to education. His philosophy focuses on preparing students for real-world success by embedding industry experience into the curriculum—bringing professionals into the classroom through expert instructors and guest lecturers and creating opportunities for immersing students directly in the entertainment industry through hands-on experience and applied learning.

Pier also teaches in the Master of Music program at Wilfrid Laurier University, where he mentors emerging musicians in building meaningful, sustainable careers in today’s evolving entertainment landscape.

Justin Gray is a Juno award-winning bassist, composer, engineer, producer, and educator based in Toronto, Canada. As a double bassist, electric bassist, and Bass Veena player, Justin performs in a variety of traditional and contemporary music ensembles from around the world. Justin is on faculty at Humber College in Toronto, where he teaches audio production, performance, and composition. As a producer, mix engineer and mastering engineer, Justin has worked with artists from around the world in a wide range of musical styles.

Over the course of his career, Justin has received several awards and distinctions, including: 2020 CFMA Nominee (Best World Album), 2018 CFMA Nominee (Best Solo Artist), 2017 Canadian Screen Award (Co-Producer of Best Original Song), 2015 Emerging Jazz Artist Award (Toronto Arts Foundation) and 2015 CFMA Nomination (Best World Album).

I have had the great good fortune to be involved in many music related adventures. Managing eleven groups of remarkable artists over 25 years, creating a school that has educated music industry leaders, establishing unprecedented international post secondary partnerships, developing the first Canadian written musical mounted on Broadway, building the world’s largest sound system, creating national support for Metronome: Canada’s Music City, and the adventures continue.

Craig Kadoke is the Head of Audio for the Canadian Opera Company and the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Along with Opera, Craig’s career has included Mega-Musicals and Plays in Toronto’s major theatres.

Craig has always been involved in education including teaching sound at TMU, Guest lectures at industry schools along with serving on the education committee for I.A.T.S.E Local 58.

Jeremiah Karni attended Southern Cross University in Australia where he received a bachelor’s degree in music with a major in music production. During his time at the University he became involved in the local live sound scene, ultimately becoming a house tech at the University. Since graduating he worked freelance providing corporate AV, outside broadcast services and mixing clubs in  Australia. 

Migrating to Canada in 2007 Kairni has worked providing system tech, FOH and monitor engineering services in the live sound and corporate AV markets finally setting in Toronto.  Since Joining Adamson as an applications engineer in 2014 he has helped develop training materials and supported clients around the globe from small fixed installs to some of the largest touring companies in the world.

Anthony Kuzub, Chair of the Toronto section of the Audio Engineering Society.

Anthony is a highly accomplished and results-driven Senior Broadcast Technology Leader / Systems Engineer with over 25 years of experience in designing, implementing, and managing complex audio and media infrastructures for leading broadcast organizations and industry standards bodies. Proven expertise in cutting-edge IP-based audio/video technologies (SMPTE ST 2110, AES67, Dante, Ravenna, NMOS), network architecture, and innovative solution delivery, consistently optimizing operational efficiency and system performance.

A recognized industry authority and standards contributor with extensive leadership experience in technical committees (AES, AMWA), driving advancements in professional media networking and interoperability. Skilled Project Leader proficient in steering multi-year, multi-million dollar projects from concept to commissioning, ensuring on-time and on-budget delivery while collaborating with cross-functional teams and diverse stakeholders. An innovative problem-solver and solution architect adept at bridging conceptual ideas to working solutions, with a track record of rapidly diagnosing and rectifying complex technical issues and developing future-proof designs.

Jim Norris was born in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.

Born to musical parents, he became heavily involved in music during high school, playing trumpet and then drums. He studied music at University of Toronto and then played professionally for 7 years, recording and touring with bands Taxi, Tote Family and Seadog.

In 1979, he launched Canadian Musician magazine in Toronto. Later that year, the newly formed company, Norris-Whitney Communications, launched Canadian Music Trade magazine. NWC published the printed programs for the Juno Awards, the Toronto Arts Awards, The Canadian Stage Band Festival, The CASBY Awards, the Canadian Country Music Awards and the Toronto Music Awards. In 1983, NWC published the 1st edition of Music Directory Canada. In the 1980s, NWC launched a distribution service, Music Books Plus, specializing in books, videos, software on music, pro audio and lighting.

In 1990 Norris-Whitney launched Professional Sound magazine and in 1997 launched Professional Lighting and Production magazine.

NWC ceased operations in October 2023

In 2023, with partner Maureen Jack, he launched Entertainment Marketer and Entertainment Spotlight

He has conducted seminars and webinars on Advertising, the Internet, the Music Business, Self Promotion, Career Development  and database marketing online and at trade shows in Canada and the U.S.

In his 40-year career, two-time Juno-nominee, Canadian bassist, composer, music producer, author, educator, and innovator, Paul Novotny has performed with international artists Kenny Wheeler, Geoff Keezer, Cedar Walton, David Clayton Thomas, and Roger Whitaker.

In 1993, he performed with the Holy Cole Trio at the Japanese Grand Prix Golden Disc Awards when the Trio won awards for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Album. In 1995, he produced jazz singer Carol Welsman’s Juno award nominated recording Lucky to Be Me, which led to a performance at Club Blue Note in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 1996 he produced Joe Sealy’s Juno Award winning Africville Suite. In 2004 and 2009, he co-wrote songs with singer/songwriters Dan Hill and Molly Johnson. In 2012, he produced, performed on, and released Barbra Lica’s first album That’s What I Do, which debuted at Number 1 on the Canadian iTunes Jazz Chart and was released in Japan by Universal Music.

As a composer and performer, Novotny has created music and sound design for commercials, feature films, and television franchises including: The Canadian Broadcasting Company’s The National (2001) and The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos (2004), Newsworld’s

News Now (2005). He performed on the soundtrack for the internationally acclaimed, multi-platinum award winning Cuphead video game (2017).

His most recent 2022 jazz recording, Summertime in Leith, was recorded and performed live with Oscar Peterson protégé Robi Botos. It received a 5-out-of-5 rating from 78 international media outlets in 18 countries, and was released in the Dolby Atmos Music format.

In 2016, Novotny became a certified Apple Digital Music mastering engineer and earned his MA in music composition from York University the following year. Now he is finishing a Ph.D in musicology with focus on the substance of 3D spatiality of music and a philosophy/benchmark for a building a Dolby Atmos Hyper Near-Field Tiny Studio (HN-FTS). His research has been peer- reviewed and published by Routledge Focal Press UK.

Novotny is on the faculty of Centennial College Toronto, and the pedagogical educational advisory committees for The Les Paul Foundation, Neumann, Eventide, OekSound, Bettermaker, and Sonarworks.

With graduate study of Cultural Policy at the Schulich School of Business (York University) Paul has been an effective 2-term board member for the Screen Composers Guild of Canada. He testified as an expert witness at the departments of Heritage, and Industry Science and Technology, Government of Canada standing committees, advising on fair music copyright remuneration models for 21st-century media streaming.

A 30+ year veteran of the Television and Audio industries, Michael is a multi-disciplinary specialist in Production and Post-Production Sound, with emphasis on multi-channel acquisition, editing, sound design and mixing.

Michael has an international reputation for his work in the deployment of multi-channel sound technologies and workflows in large-scale broadcast environments, and for his advocacy for immersive surround production in long-form factual, music and variety production.

As Bell Media’s Post Sound Supervisor for 10 years, and another decade as Senior Manager for Broadcast Audio and Post Production Operations, Michael enjoyed supervisory and mixing duties on more than 100 documentaries and over 2000 factual episodic programs, along with countless Live productions spanning every genre from Sports and News, to Live Variety and Specials. His mixes have garnered him multiple Gemini citations and two Canadian Screen Awards, including an Academy Special Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement. The highlight of his mixing career has been the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games and The Olympic Suite which accompanied those Games.

His commitment to fostering the future of the industry can be found in his 14-year stint as Adjunct Faculty at Seneca College, and most recently with a semester spent teaching at TMU.

He is currently serving as Senior Architect in the Research & Development division of Evertz Microsystems Ltd., a leading global manufacturer in broadcast equipment and solutions.

Michael’s professional affiliations include AES, SMPTE, and the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. He is a frequent speaker at industry events across North America, as well as being an occasional contributor to several industry publications.

Martin Pilchner is a leading studio designer, acoustician, educator, and long-time AES member known for his distinguished work in creating exceptional recording, post-production, and broadcast environments. As co-founder of Pilchner Schoustal International, he has shaped well over 2,500 studios worldwide, seamlessly integrating architectural precision with innovative acoustic solutions to meet the evolving demands of artists, engineers, and producers.

His expertise extends beyond design—he has been a dedicated educator, and Associate Director at Harris Institute for more than three decades, mentoring future audio professionals and advancing applied knowledge of studio acoustics. With a background spanning electronics, audio engineering, building science, architecture, and acoustics, Martin’s contributions have been instrumental in shaping industry practice.

His contributions to studio acoustics and predictive analysis have earned him recognition in the industry, with his work is frequently featured in trade publications and industry awards.

Christopher Sampson is a seasoned audio professional with extensive experience in live production, post-production, and immersive audio technologies. With over 18 years in the industry, he has worked with Canada’s leading broadcasters, including CBC, Bell Media, and CTV, providing expert audio mixing and support for live events, news programs, sports coverage, and high-profile shows like The Juno Awards, The Grey Cup, and the Olympic Games.

Christopher specializes in advanced audio systems integration, including AES67, SMPTE 2110, and AoIP protocols, as well as immersive sound design and sweetening for projects using technologies like Dolby ATMOS, SPAT Revolution, and TiMax. His deep technical expertise spans a wide range of digital consoles (Calrec, Lawo, Studer, DigiCo, AVID, Midas, Yamaha,A&H, etc.) and DAWs (ProTools, Pyramix, Boom Recorder, Nuendo, Reaper), making him a versatile force in both production and post-production environments. Christopher is also passionate about pushing the boundaries of audio technology, particularly in the areas of automation, virtualization, and networked audio systems.

One of the founders of Westbury National and currently the President of National Show Systems, Rob has accrued almost five decades of experience in the events industry.  His philosophy is that anything is possible when imagination and technology come together, and has proven it on behalf of his clients, time and again.

 With his roots as a touring concert audio and lighting technician he truly learned hands on, from the ground up. He has been involved as an advisor, designer, producer and technical director on tens of thousands of live events for a diverse range of clientele.  From concerts at the Rogers Centre (Skydome) to breaking two Guinness world records for projected imag in the Utah desert to major technology based gallery installations at The Venice Biennale, AGO and the National Gallery to lighting the CN Tower, television, Olympics, movies, festivals, sports, fashion and charity galas, Rob has been there.  

Brian Fraser brings more than a decade of experience working in the live, touring and installation markets to Adamson, with experience in production management, front of house, monitors, technical sales and support.

He’s worked in a broad range of environments, ranging from small clubs to arena-size venues with artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and Rick Springfield.

Adamson Systems VP Jesse Adamson states, “Brian has a wealth of hands-on experience in the industry. We brought him on because of his ability to navigate through complex technical proposals with very clear and pragmatic direction. He will be a strong technical addition to our team.”

Martin van Dijk is a Senior Consultant, Partner and head of design at Engineering Harmonics. He studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music at an early age, then toured professionally first as a musician and then as a mix engineer developing a strong understanding of sound, recording and technical production.

Martin has worked on numerous performing arts, enterprise and government projects around the world and has extensive experience leading teams on international projects including the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas and the Kauffman Center in Kansas City. He led the conceptual design for the sound, video and cinema systems for residence Antillia in Mumbai – a 27 storey $1B home.

Martin is our consulting lead overseeing the Massey Hall sound and studio renovations and Scotiabank arena’s sound renovation in Toronto. Martin also led the House of Commons Chamber relocation in Ottawa – a challenging integration of sound, AV and broadcast within a glass domed structure.

A multi-award-winning engineer, mixer, producer and educator Wolpert has worked with some of the biggest names in today’s entertainment industry. A graduate of Concordia University in Montreal (BFA Studio Music), Wolpert went on to earn his Master of Music Degree in Sound Recording (Tonmeister) from McGill University in 1982.

Upon graduation, he joined Inception Sound where he helped build it from one 8-track into two 48-track studios. He then became the chief engineer at McClear Pathé Recording Studios, a five-studio multi-format recording and mixing facility. Since 2012 he has been the owner of the Dolby ATMOS Music certified multi-room facility Desert Fish Studios located in downtown Toronto and has won 3 JUNO Awards for Recording Engineer of the Year. He is the Director of the Master in Music Technology and Digital Media graduate program at the University of Toronto as well as Professor of Immersive Audio at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy.

Wolpert has toured the world several times producing, recording and mixing for Canadian and International artists such as Loreena McKennitt, Herbie Hancock, Kola Loka and many others as well as over 200 film scores and countless television episodes. Known for his mastery of recording and intricate mixing, Wolpert is also recognized for his vast musical, organizational, technical and computer knowledge.