Of the 5,500 undergraduates at AU, about half are enrolled in the renowned School of International Service with intentions of political careers. In stark contrast, there are approximately 80 who have chosen the path of the audio technology major.
For these individuals, passion for music and audio production is essential. AU is one of only a handful of four-year universities that offer a degree in audio technology. Though the program is comparatively much smaller than the international studies program, students flock to AU for its audio tech major in the same way.
Founded in 1978, the audio technology department has evolved into a well-established degree program with an average of 40 majors per year, according to the AU Web site. The program concentrates on the technology of modern sound recording and reproduction. The core training is based in multitrack recording engineering, and it is supported by a firm knowledge of physical and technical principles.
Graduates of the program are qualified to work as audio engineers in professional commercial or private recording studios, multimedia and postproduction facilities, in the broadcast industry as engineers and producers, in technical theater, in sound reinforcement and as acoustical and sound system engineers and consultants.
There are two degrees one can pursue at AU. The Bachelor of Science in audio technology is the more technical, electronic path. To complete this, one must take calculus, physics and engineering classes. These subjects prepare students for careers in the audio, entertainment, acoustics, computer and electronics fields.
While the Bachelor of Science is for the more scientific-minded, the Bachelor of Arts in Audio Production is for the more artistically inclined. The Bachelor of Arts allows a student to take more liberal arts courses while concentrating on audio and music production. The program focuses on the art and science of audio and music technology, including sound synthesis and electronic music production, multitrack studio recording, analog and digital electronics, physics/acoustics and digital audio workstations.
Sophomore Farley Miller transferred to AU this year from the Berklee College of Music in Boston to pursue a Bachelor of Science in audio tech. He said he was disappointed that his previous institution, nationally recognized for its enormous talent pool, viewed all aspects of music second to performance.
Miller said he first became interested in audio technology his sophomore year of high school, when he decided to record an album with his then-band. Miller lacked the financial capital to use an expensive recording studio, so he bought and put together all the equipment necessary, creating a makeshift studio. Among his peers he became the primary expert on audio production and recording.
"After I started doing it, I didn't think of doing anything else," Miller said. "People just started coming to me."
In contrast, sophomore Joe Burge prefers the creative elements of the program and is pursuing the Bachelor of Arts. This route is more involved in music theory, production and the music business.
Burge is one of many students less interested in the technical knowledge of how things work and more attracted to the musical possibilities that come with the technologies. He said he has been recording music with his best friend since high school.
Matt Boerem, the studio manager for the audio tech facilities as well as an adjunct professor, said he's "never had a day where [he] didn't want to show up to work." He received a chemical engineering degree at the University of Maryland and was drawn to AU by the audio program. Between the time Boerem first arrived to AU in 2003 and now, the number of declared majors grew from 15 to 65.
Miller, Burge and Boerem play guitar and keyboards. Miller is foremost a drummer, and Burge is also proficient with the bass. Having a background in music is what seems to skyrocket people toward the field of audio technology. Many of the students in the program bring their instruments and record with their bands in the studios in the basement of the McKinley building.
Most college students struggle to find a path and habitually contemplate their choice of majors. However, the kids studying audio tech have known for as long as they can remember that this was what they wanted to do indefinitely. Those involved in the degree have alluded to the idea of a fraternity or a secret society to which they feel they belong. Miller admits that he likes the attention that comes with being in a small program, but as all three humbly concede, "People who look for [the program] find it"
