AES Los Angeles 2014 Presenter or Author
Michael Janas
Primary Affiliation: Belmont University - Nashville, TN, USA
Michael Janas began his career in the audio industry by working as a live sound engineer during his undergraduate studies at the University of Kansas. After earning a Bachelor of Music Education degree he toured several years full-time as front-of-house engineer and road manager through the U.S., Canada, and Europe with various artists including Leon Russell, Jason & The Scorchers, and Webb Wilder.
In 1990 Janas changed his career path and became recording engineer and personal assistant to songwriter Paul Kennerley, who penned hits for The Judds, Emmylou Harris, and Marty Stuart. Janas also continued to work as a live sound engineer at legendary local nightclubs The Bluebird and The Exit/In. In 1991 he was hired as Studio Manager of The Castle Recording Studio in Franklin, TN, and was eventually promoted to Vice President. During his 12-year tenure at The Castle, Janas recorded and produced a wide variety of artists including Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Jason & The Scorchers as well as three Grammy-nominated recordings for Arista artist BR5-49. He also engineered recordings for Warner/Chappell Music, Emmylou Harris, and Billy Ray Cyrus as well as having produced and recorded a wide variety of independent artists.
In 2002 Belmont University partnered with the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum to operate historic RCA Studio B, which had been recently renovated by the Mike Curb Family Foundation, and Janas was brought in as the first Studio Manager of the new partnership. While overseeing the outfitting and operations of the famous studio Janas also served as adjunct faculty for Belmont. In 2007 he was hired as a full-time faculty member and appointed the Director of Recording Studio Operations for Belmont University. As Director, he supervised the rebuilding and renovation of the historic Quonset Hut studio and Columbia Studio A for Belmont University. In 2012 Janas earned a Master of Education degree from Belmont University.
As a member of the Audio Engineering Society, Janas is involved in research focused on the history of Nashville recording engineers and studios. He is the annual moderator and lead researcher for the Nashville Chapter’s Lifetime Achievement Awards, which honors the artistic and technical contributions of Nashville audio professionals.
Session List
Oct 9:
H2: Audio Architects of the Nashville Sound: Highlights from the AES Nashville Lifetime Achievement Awards (Presenter)
