Alan Parsons Seminar

This past weekend my friend Josh and I checked out a seminar put on by the SAE Institute of Technology in Nashville. The focus of the presentation was the work of the legendary Alan Parsons. Many people know his work as a performer in the Alan Parsons Project.

What some may not know is that Alan is famous in the audio engineering world for his work with countless artists including the Beatles and Pink Floyd. Alan worked on both “Abbey Road” and “Dark Side of the Moon” to name just a couple of gargantuan projects. This guy was there when the Beatles made their final performance on the rooftop of the Apple Corps in London in 1969. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

Overall the seminar was interesting. I do have to say thank you to Lightning 100 who hooked me up with the tickets. And regarding my last post, yes, Lightning 100 is an independently owned and operated radio station, and it shows in a good way.

Aside from some audio technical difficulties, (a bit ironic given that the main sponsor was an audio engineering school) I enjoyed Alan’s historical anecdotes regarding some of the most famous recordings in musical history. During the above mentioned rooftop performance by the Beatles, Alan had to run across the street and buy some pantyhose to wrap around the microphones to help cut down on wind noise. The clerk in the store didn’t know what to think when Alan said he needed some womens stockings quickly, and no, size didn’t matter.

We were supposed to get to hear Alan’s quadraphonic mix of Dark Side of the Moon, but they couldn’t get the sound system to work. I was a little bummed, but this seminar was still a great opportunity to see someone who has left their mark on not only the music industry but pop culture as well.