FROM: Neil A Shaw
‘It is my honor to submit this letter to nominate Mr. John M. Eargle
for advancement to Fellowship in the Acoustical Society of America.
Mr. Eargle is a consultant in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Eargle is
well known to both practitioners of, and providers for, sound
reinforcement and music recording.
His early professional affiliations were with RCA Records, Mercury
Records and the Altec Corporation. In addition to his current work with
JME Consulting he is also Senior Director of Product Development and
Application for JBL Professional and Harman International Industries.
John Eargle has degrees in music from the Eastman School of Music and
the University of Michigan. He also holds engineering degrees from the
University of Texas and The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science
and Art, and pursued studies in acoustics with Dr. Cyril Harris at
Columbia University.
Mr. Eargle has been involved in recording engineering, having recorded
and/or produced approximately 275 records and compact discs, many under
the Delos label. He received the Grammy Award for Best Classical
Engineering from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
(NARAS) for the year 2001. He received a Scientific and Technical Award
(Technical Oscar) from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
(AMPAS) in 2001, along with Mr. Don Keele and Mr. Mark Engebretson, for
the concept, design and engineering of modern constant-directivity,
direct radiator style motion picture loudspeaker systems.
Mr. Eargle joined the faculty of the Aspen Audio Recording Institute in
1980 and has served the Aspen Music Festival and School in this capacity
since. He is a member of the Corporate Board of Music Associates of Aspen.
He is a Fellow, Honorary Member, and past National President of the
Audio Engineering Society, and in 1984 won the AES Bronze Medal. In
addition to memberships in NARAS and AMPAS he is a member of Society of
Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), a senior member of the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), as well as a
member of our Society.
I became aware of Mr. Eargle’s work early in my career through his
extensive writings in professional journals and industry periodicals.
His many books (many in multiple editions) are a core part of my
library. He is the author of The Handbook of Recording Engineering, The
Microphone Book, Handbook of Sound System Design, Electroacoustical
Reference Data, The Loudspeaker Handbook, The JBL Story - 60 Years of
Audio Advancement and Innovation, and Music, Sound, and Technology.
In addition to his extensive writings on and about sound and music
reinforcement and recording techniques in the popular press, he has
written and co-authored many articles that have appeared in the Journal
of the AES and the SMPTE Journal. He also provides erudite and
entertaining patent reviews for the Society’s Journal.
Mr. Eargle has been a presenter on numerous occasions at the Los
Angeles Chapter of our Society, on many occasions for the local chapters
of the AES and SMPTE, and for the Hollywood Sapphire group.
Mr. Eargle is gracious and generous with his knowledge and time. He is
a man who “knows his stuff” and is a gentleman in his dealings with
colleagues as well as competitors.
Dr. Toole, under cover, obtained a very modest and concise resume from
Mr. Eargle, so I have included some of the raw results from a Google
search for “John Eargle” as well as a representative sampling of the
pages from this search to supplement the attached resume.
I propose the following citation for Mr. Eargle upon his election for
advancement to Fellow: “For contributions to microphone and loudspeaker
design and applications, live recording practice, and the advancement of
the art of acoustics.”’
May 10th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
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May 12th, 2007 at 11:50 am
I saw John several weeks ago at the memorial gathering for Amelia Haygood, founder of Delos Records. It was always a joy to see John and I looked forward to bumping in to him at various audio events, catching up on what each of us was doing. I’ve had the opportunity and good fortune to spend time with many of our industry’s great engineers and producers, but no one was as warm, and kind, and so truly happy and content as an engineer as John. He was so incredibly accomplished and yet that was so “under the radar”. He was aways the consummate gentleman. I know I speak for our entire Skywalker Scoring Stage staff when I say what a wonderful experience it was to have John working in our studio. I know it was an experience he also enjoyed immensely as every time we would see each other, if there was anyone within ear shot, he’d discuss his “Skywalker sessions” and what an enjoyable time he had. It was an honor and a privilege to know you John. Rest in peace.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Since I first met John three decades ago, he has continually contributed directly to the improvement of my listening and recording skills and to the development of my career, its acoustical and electronic infrastructure, and the joy with which I can approach music and serve it using the knowledge he so prolifically shared. Through the years, no technical question was too tough nor too trivial for John who I’m certain regarded their answering as contributing to the future of the music he loved. John’s dedication to preserving the history and promoting the progress of audio influenced my choice to teach. He set a high standard to aim at and I am grateful for his support and his involvement in the UCLA programs he helped establish.
May 12th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
John and I had somewhat parallel careers, starting in the ’60’s as “associates” of Century Custom Recording Service. As such, we recorded all kinds of amatuer groups while on our way to the “big time”. John was a dear friend and an engineer to whom I always looked for answers to tough recording situations. His books served as the basis of my teaching of audio engineering courses. As you all know, John was the consumate gentleman who found it difficult to accept compliments. When he won his recording engineering Grammy, I called to congratulate him. I told him that he was one of my “heroes” in the business. He, in true John fashion, found it difficult to accept my praise and answered with “you have always been one of MY gods”. I shall always be grateful for having known him and for the countless contributions he made to the business. I hope you are having a great time now John!
May 12th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
There is a large picture of John in the continuing exhibit of the History of Audio in the United Airlines Terminal in San Francisco. I shall not be able to pass that picture without thinking about him. He was a “god” at AES, when I was a pipsqueak (back in the 1960’s). I was trying to reach him recently to find out why he didn’t have a section in his Microphone book about microphone cable. I should have tried harder!
Steve Lampen
Belden
May 13th, 2007 at 1:28 am
At a SMPTE conference in the mid 1980’s, I met John Eargle and engaged him in a long discussion about the poor quality of film sound reproduction, despite the so-called advances brought by others to the industry. Although I’m not an engineer, Eargle strongly encouraged me to become a member of the film sound engineering committee. His words to me were “sometimes engineers need a good dose of real world users to focus their work”. Although many on the committee spoke engineering jargon unfamiliar to me, John usually sat near me in these meetings and assisted with my understanding of the issues as they related to my experience. On a couple occasions he even assigned me “homework”. And while the committee work on standards and practices is sometimes contentious, he quite often agreed with my objections to proposals that had no scientific basis even though proponents were his friends. His integrity was without peer.
I had long before learned how many musical interests he and I had in common, and I was continually in awe of his ability to meld his engineering knowledge with his creative interests. Quite often in the audio world the gap in understanding between the “engineers” and the “creatives” leads to sharp disagreements. John was one of a handful that spanned both these worlds at the highest level.
During our last discussion, we were comparing notes on the acoustics of the Disney Concert Hall during LA Phil concerts. As always, the observations I offered to him were dwarfed by the insights he shared with me.
Brian McCarty
Coral Sea Studios
May 13th, 2007 at 10:54 am
I had the good fortune many years ago to work with Tomlinson Homan when were both at THX. One of the high points of my tenure there was a visit from John Eargle.
Over many years of high-end audio sales and engineering/recoding work for several classical radio stations, I always actively sought any recording on which John was the engineer. It seemed to me that, in addition to capturing the ambience and balance of a performance, he was able to correctly record a musician’s intonation which I consider the heart and soul of a musical experience.
During a short chat with John, I told him of my observations. He thanked me graciously and we spent a few minutes discussing microphones and mic placement techniques. I learned quite a bit about recording in that brief period, but nothing more than the axiom that a recording must first and foremost serve the artist and the art.
I will be listening to my collection of “Eargle engineered” recordings this week and remembering that.
Paul Matwiy
Lucasfilm Ltd.
May 13th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
I was lucky/fortunate/blessed to get to help out on a couple of John’s recordings of the Seattle Symphony for Delos. He was humble, always appreciative, and willing to generously share his knowledge with those around him.
I asked him about his microphone technique (a near coincident pair combined with flanking microphones) and got a very detailed answer; far more detail than I expected, enough detail that I could try the technique for myself.
John, I will always remember you. May your example set the bar for those who follow in your footsteps. Rest in peace my friend.
Rick Chinn
Uneeda Audio
May 13th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
I first met John in the mid 70’s. John had a kind and thoughtful ways of helping people come up to his level and he always listened. I have always seen John as a gentleman even under some tough times. I have had many conversations about microphones and loudspeakers. His comments and suggestions have always has been in lighting. Through the years, no technical question was too tough or too trivial for him.
We will surely miss him.
Duke Aguiar
May 14th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Bart Locanthi invited me to his home in Pasadena twice, once before he finished designing the new horn tweeter driver for Pioneer/TAD, and once after.
Bart said that John Eargle was the first person to hear the new driver in Bart’s home system, and that I was the second. Apparently John and I both commented that the coloration was gone, and that all there was left to listen to was the music.
I mentioned this to John later at an AES meeting, and he launched into a learned description of all the resonances that existed on the diaphragm of the old JBL driver. So, I discovered that John was a formidably detail-oriented engineer.
My last contact with John was via e-mail, when he helped me locate Daniel Gravereaux so that I could design a good software decoder for SQ-encoded LPs, transferred to digital form.
John was most helpful.
Victor E. Staggs, Ph. D.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
I’m very sad to learn of John’s passing. I knew him back in 1957 or so and kept
intending to re-establish contact and never did. At that time he was running the
short-lived Klipschtape division of Klipsch & Assoc. in Hope, AR. He had earned
two degrees as an organist and had then been drafted into the Army. During the
summer of 1957 he prepared and played programs on the landmark Aeolian-
Skinner pipe organs in Longview and Kilgore Texas. These were issued as two
Klipschtape reels. He also made, one at a time, all the copies of tapes that were
sold. Besides his own performance these included a theater organ program by
Weldon Flanagan of Dallas, a Dixieland program by Flem Ferguson of Texarkana,
and a program of modern jazz by a band from Shreveport. We did a lot of work
trying to improve the performance of a Berlant Concertone tape recorder, as
we could not afford an Ampex 350. Some of the recordings were made by John
with an Ampex 601 recorder he had purchased. At the end of that summer I
retured to engineering school in Arkansas and John entered engineering school
at the University of Texas. Over the next few years I got to hear recordings he
had made and sent to Paul. I remember an excellent choral recording of the
Austin College choir, and one of the North Texas State College band. I guess I
never saw John again after that summer; but occasionally heard what he was
doing in his various positions. I still have some of those old tapes and enjoy
listening to the work of a fine musician and engineer.
May 16th, 2007 at 8:05 am
I first met John back in the 70s. Over the years we saw each other at trade shows, etc., and always stopped to chat for a few minutes. John was respected by all as a great engineer. More than anything, I appreciated his warmth and humility. A REALLY nice guy and a true gentleman who will be greatly missed by all of us.
Courtney Spencer
SIA Acoustics
May 16th, 2007 at 10:06 am
I met John shortly after my father, Irv Stern, brought him aboard at JBL. John and I hit it off immediately; his kindness, his vast knowledge of symphonic repertoire and his passion for it made for an immediate and lasting friendship.
Years later, when John was the Director of Recording for Delos International, he knew that they sought an in-house producer who could manage the recording sessions and then edit the tapes at Delos headquarters in Los Angeles. John recommended me, even though I had never done this kind of work before; his rationale was that, being a musician who could read an orchestral score, I would be a good fit for the position. It ended up working out beautifully, but, as much as I enjoyed the work itself, I must say that the greatest joy attached to the job was the opportunity to spend literally hundreds of hours with John — on plane trips, in the recording booth, and in restaurants. He was the ideal traveling companion, since there seemed to be no end to the areas of commonality we shared and loved to discuss in depth (music, of course, but also politics, history, languages, and many, many other topics).
Of my many fond memories, two stand out in particular. We were once recording some chamber music at SUNY, Purchase, and were staying in a hotel in next-door White Plains. The first day’s session ended at about 6:00 p.m., and we weren’t scheduled to begin until about noon the next day. John and I had a roughly three-and-a-half hour dinner, the wine (his) and beer (mine) flowing freely, during which we must have talked about 3/4 of the orchestral music ever written, and the recordings and executants thereof. It was one of the greatest musical discussions I have ever had with anybody.
The other memory probably dates from December of 1990 or so. John was one of the nicest gentlemen ever; at the same time, I think he enjoyed occasionally playing the part of the ascetic curmudgeon (those of us who knew him well saw right through it, and played along). I drove to his house with a delivery of some home-made Christmas cookies. He asked me in, and inquired, “Are you out doing errands today?” “No…” “Oh…were you out visiting your parents?” “No…” At that point his face softened, and with a slight tremor in his voice he said, “You mean, you drove out here just to see me?” I know that he valued his solitude (a lifelong bachelor, he had an elegant, sparsely-furnished home in the hills of Hollywood), but sometimes the obvious love that his friends had for him would affect him very deeply.
There are many other memories, of course…his hardcore, incredible cursing directed at an occasionally stubborn piece of recording equipment (shocking, but funny)…his utter disdain for pretense of any kind…his sweet phone calls when he heard of my parents’ deaths…and the clandestine removal of an obnoxious drunk’s copy of “Playboy” from said drunk’s briefcase after said drunk had falen asleep on a Los Angeles-to-Seattle flight (we took exception to the man’s rudeness to a very sweet stewardess, and thought it appropriate revenge…we could barely suppress our giggles when the man eventually woke up and started searching for it). I am sorry that my children will not have the chance to get to know one of their father’s best and most treasured friends.
Here’s to you, John. I love you.
Adam Stern
Seattle
May 16th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
It was because of my friendship with composer Kent Kennan that I had the opportunity to meet and visit with John. John would periodically come to Austin to visit with Kent and we would all have dinner. I felt very lucky to be able to talk with John as I had the greatest respect for the intelligence and musicianship he brought to his work. He was the proverbial, “walking encyclopedia of knowledge.”
I sensed that John believed in the value of the expression to be found in music and, to convey that expression in the clearest fashion, was his goal. We would talk more about the music than the technology. Thinking about him I am reminded of a long conversations we had about his work recording the music of Piston and Schuman. As we talked about his work on the New England Sketches of Piston, I marvelled at how well he was able to so clearly delineate the orchestral fabric, especially in the last movement. He responded to the communicative nature of the music, and the nature of the orchestration and how it really required that clarity, not to the process. Clearly, the music was the thing.
In a recent exchange we talked about the music of Bill Schuman and I expressed my concern that the recent Schuman recordings done by Seattle ran contrary to my understanding of the nature of Schuman’s orchestration. I pointed to John’s recordings of works like Schuman’s Judith as the “right” way to do it. John, simply responded that he understood that a different approach was being taken. I sensed he was unwilling to criticize another approach or perhaps, like any artist, could acknowledge that there is not just “one answer” when it came to aesthetics. I could not help but feel cheated that he hadn’t done the recording.
When I heard of his passing, I was about to send him some recent 78 rpm transfers I had done, plus a forthcoming release for our label. I know I could always get an informed, honest evaluation of our work. He was always generous with his time and seemed sincerely interested in our projects. I always felt I could share something with him and get a true sense of how we were doing. His comments were always constructive and encouraging. I can’t say I have ever encountered a more informed pair of ears…a pair of ears coupled with the best communications skills. He had the rare ability to put so much of the essence of sound into words.
For me, he was a great musician who brought his art to the process of recording others. He was also, in my personal experience, a gentleman in the truest sense of the word.
I should also add that as our mutual friend Kent approached death, John was one of the few friends that came to visit. I remember those emotional times and I will never forget the dignity that John brought to those visits and to the comfort he brought to our mutual friend.
Karl
May 16th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
John was a great listener in so many ways. He understood artists, colleagues, and the audio engineering student. His wisdom and clear thinking will be missed by all.
In particular I will miss being able to discuss audio issues with a fellow member of the “dawn patrol” coffee club. In the early days of Campanile, a restaurant here in LA, John and I would occasionally open up the place and speculate over coffees about this theory or that, tossing around our project ideas for the LA Phil, the Academy or Aspen. It was during one of those meandering breakfasts that John decided to nominate me as AES President. His generosity, thoughtfulness,and even his sense of humor were all evident in that one move.
I will always treasure his fair and measured criticism and appreciate his tolerance of my often far ranging speculation.
He simply made us better at all things audio.
Elizabeth
May 16th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
I am deeply saddened by John Eargle’s passing. John Eargle dropped by my CES room a few times in the early days. He was one of the few in those days who actually understood what we were doing, and offered encouragement and support when we were just starting out. Apart from his brilliantly engineered recordings, I will always be grateful to him for his visits and kindness.
Jeff
May 17th, 2007 at 9:19 am
I meet John at JBL during the 1970’s while I was the only non-contract full-time Technical Writer for JBL Professional Products. During those years, I remember having had the chance to edit some of the literature John wrote for JBL. After leaving JBL, I ran into John a couple of times during the CES shows in Las Vegas and we would always say our hello.
John will always be remembered by those that he had contact with.
May 17th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
John Eargle was someone I was fortunate enough to have many conversations with over the years. My first opportunity to work with him was during the renovation of the Samuel Goldwyn Theater at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills. He was consistently involved in the evolution of the sound of that theater, suggesting countless improvements to establish it as a standard for film presentation in the industry. I was awed by his depth of understanding and ability (and willingness) to explain the underlying concepts of his suggestions.
Later during the construction of the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood, he continued his involvement even though we choose to use another company’s sound system instead of JBL for the screen speakers. He honestly critiqued the system without letting his association with JBL sway his opinion. It is the sort of approach one came to expect from John, opinions based on careful listening and sound engineering principles.
The last time I saw John he was describing his latest book about the history of JBL. I asked him if he had learned any interesting new facts while researching the book. No, he said, he really hadn’t since he was involved in so much of JBL’s past. It was more a matter of deciding what to include and how to organize it. I can’t imagine a better person to write such a book and I look forward to reading it. I only wish John were still around to discuss it afterwards. John, we’ll miss you.
May 17th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
I had the opportunity to hear John speak before the Toronto AES section on several occasions. It was there that I had the good fortune to be able to talk with him for a bit about aspects of audio that were of mutual interest. His knowledge of even the more arcane areas of audio was breathtaking. His passing is a great loss to the professional audio world, there are few who could speak so authoritatively on such a wide variety of topics. He was in a very real sense a gentleman and his quiet and dignified demeanour had more of an impact than a more boisterous style ever would have. Very sorry to see him go.
May 18th, 2007 at 9:42 am
Although our contact was sporadic, I knew John as a most unusually fine, generous and knowledgeable fellow. His range of experience amazed me. Not only his JBL and related industry knowledge but also his recording and writing work.
I recall that I first met John in the 1970’s, when he was chief engineer of Mercury Records’ New York City office. Electro-Voice, now my employer of over 40 years, was then involved in the matrixed four-channel LP’s of the day. Somehow, John mixed and had pressed a demo record based on the Mercury Living Presence three-channel/three-microphone classical recordings of the 1950’s and 1960’s. I have no idea how John made three up-front channels into the matrixed four, but the result sounded great. I recall that John showed up at EV headquarters in Buchanan, Michigan, and that we hit it off because of our common interest in music and recording.
Some years later, when I was spending the weekend in LA between an AES convention and working with our local rep, John invited me as his guest to a renaissance festival in the LA area, including a visit to his most interesting, musically oriented home.
The last contact we had was a few years ago, when John asked for historical info on EV’s Variable-D directional microphones of the 1950’s. I was most happy to find on hand some appropriate original material for his recent mic book, one of his many works that help preserve our audio heritage.
Jim Long
Bosch Communications Systems/Electro-Voice
May 18th, 2007 at 9:46 am
It was my good fortune to meet John Eargle in the late 1970’s, when I first arrived in Los Angeles. I had been studying his AES papers - particularly those on Quadraphonics – when I was first introduced to him at a Hollywood Sapphire Group meeting. From the very beginning, John struck me, not because of his technical prowess, but rather his gentle and easy way of interacting with people. At that time I was new to the audio world, yet John treated me, and all he met, as an equal colleague, completely part of the discussion. Thereafter, whenever we would meet, our conversation was that of two old friends who had never lost track of each other - no matter how long it had been since last we spoke.
John was an inspiration to me as both a friend and a teacher. I have tried to follow his example by making myself accessible to students and newcomers, which has paid me back with dividends far greater than any specific technical information.
His brilliance and kindness will forever be a part of those that knew him.
May 18th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
I used one of John’s books as a text book while a student in the Music Engineering program at the University of Miami, so when I met him for the first time at an AES convention after college in the early 90s, I was in awe to meet someone with so much knowledge and experience. What impressed me more was his willingness to talk to someone young and new to the industry with the same respect and interest as if I were his equal. I was far from his equal at the time (or even now).
I briefly spoke with him at a recent convention, and felt the same sincerity.
May 18th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
I wish I could say that I’ve known John as long and as well as many of the others here. I had read several of his books and papers over the years. I was always impressed with his ability to present technical concepts in such a clear and simple manner. He helped me greatly before I ever go to know him.
I finally got to meet John only in the last few years through the Hollywood Sapphire Group. He was the consumate gentleman and always willing teacher. If his lips were moving, I was probably learning something. I will miss his presence.
May 19th, 2007 at 4:16 am
We were students at the Eastman School of Music, and I will always remember John’s humor, kindness, brilliance and
fascination for recordings. Our evenings were spent listening to diverse classical recordings, as well as attending
numerous concerts in and about the City of Rochester, New York. His departure brings back fond memories. May he rest in peace.
May 19th, 2007 at 9:56 am
I first met John Eargle in 1980, when he began to lecture the Aspen Music Festival’s Audio Recording Institute students, which he did annually thereafter. Our acquaintance blossomed into friendship some years after that first meeting, from a mutual musical love, and in his later years here it became almost ritual for me to pick him up from the airport when he arrived in Aspen. After getting settled in his rented quarters, he and I would adjourn to a local watering hole, usually for several hours as we got caught up on the activities of the year just passed, anticipated future efforts, and settled those world problem which we felt would profit from our mutual intelligence.
John was, as Karl Miller has said, one of the good ones who went too soon. Although I did not have the pleasure of visiting him in his home in Los Angeles, but I thought of him with deeply fond feelings. We kept up through the year via e-mail, and John was most generous in sharing with me information about some of the music he most enjoyed, as well as some of his most recent recordings. It was always my pleasure, not repeated often, to tell him of something I had heard or found with which he was unfamiliar.
John was an extremely intelligent, knowledgeable, highly musically educated and aware, and generous friend. There are no words to say how much I shall miss him, not only this summer when he would normally have been here in Aspen, but always. He enriched my life with his friendship.
May 20th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
I grew up next door to John. It was a priviliage to hera him practice panio but no fun when my mother kept telling me to practice so I could play like John!
I remember when he played the pipe organ at our church and I always got goose bumps.
I have a completly different view of John than most of you do but he was a great guy and will always be remembered fondly.
May 21st, 2007 at 11:36 pm
John Eargle was one of the most respected and honored recording engineers of our time and true pioneer in the fields of stereophonic and surround sound production. He was the author of several of the most significant books on microphone and recording techniques in anyone’s library. He was an innovator in the design of loudspeakers as well as their implementation in acoustical spaces. He was an accomplished musician, with a deep understanding and appreciation of many different genre of music. He was a prominent lecturer throughout the audio community and a mentor to many aspiring (and even accomplished) engineers in the industry. He was all this and much, much more.
Above all, however, John Eargle was a friend to all who knew him: a deep, warm, and giving friend, who never said “no” when asked for advice or assistance. He was a friend whose company you always enjoyed — whether at work or at a fine restaurant enjoying conversation over a good meal. He was a friend whose sense of humor was exceeded only by his charm, integrity, and grace.
I am proud to have known John Eargle for nearly three decades. We met often in Los Angeles at meetings of the AES LA Section and Hollywood Sapphire Group, sitting across the dinner table discussing a wide variety of topics — not just restricted to audio. He was a valued colleague during my 18 summers at the Aspen Music Festival and School. Without hesitation, I credit him and owe him gratitude for contributing to the success of my own career as a recording engineer.
News of John’s passing came to me just as I was preparing to leave Vienna, following the 122nd AES Convention. I was stunned and am not ashamed to admit that I wept for some time. John will be very much missed.
May 23rd, 2007 at 2:49 pm
I entered into this industry with the convincing drive to learn, progress and continue in the pursuit of excellence.
Through a good friend who worked for JBL, at a very early start in my career I was lucky enough to be presented with a book written by John Eargle, kindly, he signed the copy-Handbook of Sound System Design.
The knowledge imparted, coupled with humility and quiet experience are both fundamental and exploratory.
This book is a true reference and one I continually visit for guidance and problem solving.
I did not have the honour of meeting John Eargle, though through press notices and advisories, realised that I must have been in the same vicinities as him over the years.
I truly wish I had met him, where as I am sure that many before have addressed him personally and told their tale of his influence on their career.
Thank you John.
AAB
May 25th, 2007 at 8:04 am
When I worked at JBL Professional, I had the great fortune to be able to consult with John on an almost weekly basis. We did some research on the effect of cinema screen perforation on sound in the theatre, and spent many hours at the Dolby LA offices and the Goldwyn Theatre perfecting a new 3-way cinema loudspeaker system, resulting in a SMPTE paper and presentation with David Gray of Dolby. These experiences working side by side with John taught me more in 3 years than the rest of my entire career in pro audio. There was not one conversation with John that wasn’t the equivalent of a college level seminar in audio. Like many of you, I’ll miss him as a mentor, collaborator, and friend.
May 28th, 2007 at 7:56 am
I had the honor of meeting John at an AES convention years ago. I was not a close friend, but always admired and respected the man.
John was always a guide, mentor, instructor, and teacher.
I am happy to have known him, and sorry he is no longer a part of the audio community.
May 30th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
I first learned of John Eargle when I purchased the first edition of “The Microphone Handbook.” The book quickly became one of my favorites: referred to often and well-worn. Soon after, I met John at an AES show and expressed my admiration for his book. Years later, John was working on the third edition and asked me to comment on a draft of a chapter. I was honored to do so. Later, he kindly send an inscribed copy when the edition was published. He was indeed a gentleman and a scholar.
Thank you, John, for your many contributions to the professional audio industry. Like Peter Tappan, you will be missed.
Michael Pettersen
Shure Incorporated
June 12th, 2007 at 7:08 am
I first met John Eargle in the early 1970s. He was a JAES reviewer since 1969. I worked with him these past five years as a reviewer for the Journal. He never told me he was too busy to review a manuscript. He was always kind and helpful to me. I will miss him.
June 12th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
I first met John in 1999. I was so thrilled to meet him, having borrowed a first edition copy of his microphone book from a professor of mine. I was at the Aspen Music Festival for a week spending 6 hours a day with John lecturing and several hours each night observing live concert recording he was sort of supervising. He loved to share his wealth of knowledge with us and had no problem explaining things in several ways so that everyone in the class could comprehend it. One evening I even found him having a beer down at a local bar and he invited us to join him. He will be deeply missed by all in this small little community.
Paul Pegas
Los Angeles
June 16th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
John was one of my teachers during a summer course at the Aspen Music School in 2002. He was surprised to find several “older” pupils among the 20 something students that first day of class. Many others have mentioned John’s skill as a mentor/teacher. I too am grateful for his counsel. When asked about a particular technique or for advice for one’s own recording problem, I recall his answers always included the pertinent science behind the suggestion. This was never a pretense. Rather a genuine desire to give the listener/student a solid basis for further questions and exploration. Our paths have crossed many times since that Summer in Aspen. His cheerful presence and friendship is deeply missed.
Peter Mason
Los Angeles
July 2nd, 2007 at 11:58 am
I was blessed to have John as an instructor at the Eastman School of Music in 83-84. It was John who steered me into acoustics as a profession. I kept in contact over the years and he always took the time to talk about the industry he helped shape. I ran into him a few years ago at the AES show in New York and he walked with me as he showed me the new edition of his handbook. It now is a prized possession of mine. A gifted teacher and good friend, he will be forever missed.
Tom Ryan
RPG Diffusor Systems
July 8th, 2007 at 9:07 am
It is with great sadness that I learn of the death of my friend John Eargle. John’s counsel, support and encouragement helped me start the Recording Arts program at Peabody/Hopkins. His recommendation to a competing publisher turned me into an author. When Harold Boxer and I first asked John to come and be a guest lecturer at The Aspen Audio Institute in 1980 it quickly became apparent that he would be an integral part of the program, and I don’t think he missed a year from then on. He was always willing to share his knowledge and expertise whenever and wherever asked and he was a mentor of unparalleled integrity. The industry has lost a giant. We will not see his like again.
John, I miss you.
Alan P. Kefauver
August 14th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
My memory is a bit fuzzy on this, but I believe I first met John while working
at the 3M company, at an AES convention in Los Angeles circa 1969 or 70.
Imagine standing in the same space with John Mullin and John Eargle.
I have a special space on the shelf for John’s books, C.D.’s an papers;
some delivered in person.
But as others have noted here, Johns most endearing quality was his
genuine interest in “what new project you were working on”.
Another giant has passed! We’ll miss you John.
Glenn Phoenix, President, Westlake Audio
October 17th, 2007 at 11:12 am
I was shocked to hear of John’s passing. I had just seen him at the NAMM show this year and he looked fine. We spent at least a half an hour talking about the good old days of smooth sounding 2440 drivers with Al diaphragms on Smith horns. He told me about the pursuit of higher power handling and more top end frequency response resulting in harsher resonances. He also talked about how he felt that he could no longer mix because of his ears not being what they once were. John was very nice, insightful and down to earth. I really enjoyed our talk. Thanks John.
October 25th, 2007 at 10:48 am
I just want to say thank you for taking the time & effort for put this web page together! magnetic compass
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January 9th, 2008 at 1:22 am
‘Project Runway’ Bad decisions -…
Steven: He bought a ton of black fabric and used the wedding dress as trim in the collar and cuffs….
January 24th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
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June 23rd, 2008 at 11:42 pm
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