AES Fall Online Convention

One of the most valuable lessons you can teach people is the importance of giving back. Devoting your time and sharing your knowledge and life experiences for the next generation to learn and grow have been foundational and represent core values for John McBride, owner of the famed Blackbird Studio and Institutional Director of The Blackbird Academy. John has spent his entire life in the pursuit of quality, professional sound as well as giving back to the industry that has given him so much. In 2013, John opened The Blackbird Academy, dedicated to advancing the quality of recording education through a hands-on, professional training curriculum, whereby he regularly appears at classes and shares his real-life experiences and knowledge with the students.

In an interview with Chuck Ainlay, multi-GRAMMY® Award-winning producer/mix engineer (Mark Knopfler, Peter Frampton, George Strait, Miranda Lambert) and founding member of METAlliance, hear how John began in the industry, starting a live sound company in his hometown of Wichita, then coming to Nashville in the 1990s and selling his company to Clair Brothers Audio, opening up Blackbird Studio and finally starting the Blackbird Academy, with all of the challenges he faced along the way, including keeping audio education going during the pandemic.