Tonmeister
Encyclopedia
Tonmeister is most often found as a job description in the music and recording industries. It describes a person who is a sound master (a literal translation of the German word, which applies to women equally as much as men): a person who creates recordings or broadcasts of music
who is both deeply musically trained (in 'classical'
and non-classical genres) and also who has a detailed theoretical and practical knowledge of virtually all aspects of sound recording
. Both competencies have equal importance in a tonmeister's work.
A Tonmeister spans both art and technology: working with musicians on a musical level to help them achieve the best performances and interpretation; and utilizing or directing the use of appropriate technology to produce the most communicative experience for the listener, including appropriate editing, sound balance and other post-production skills. One may say that a Tonmeister would utilize the techniques of scientific measurement (microphones, digital recorders, accurate amplifiers, etc.), but he or she is in the entertainment industry, too, using additional techniques to create experiences and illusions for performers and listeners.
The word tonmeister was trademarked in 1996 for the UK by the University of Surrey
. Also within the UK, the SAE Institute registered the term SAE Tonmeister, which has been abbreviated to tonmeister in their registrations in several other countries, but not including Germany, Switzerland, or Austria.
When describing the full four-year UK BMus degree or its equivalent in Germany, the term is applied mostly to people who have graduated at bachelor's level in music and applied physics and who have gathered, under university supervision, at least a year of appropriate industrial experience in the music or recording business. Their musical training generally encompasses a full conventional classical training including instrumental studies, conducting, composition, historic and analytical studies and performance; together with applied physics and mathematics including calculus, the Fourier transform, complex numbers, information theory and modulation techniques, acoustics, electronics and much experience in recording techniques and music technology garnered in modern studios and on many locations. A portfolio of recordings must be offered in the final degree assessment.
wrote a letter to the Chancellor of the University of Chicago suggesting a course to train "soundmen". Schoenberg wrote "soundmen will be trained in music, acoustics, physics, mechanics and related fields to a degree enabling them to control and improve the sonority of recordings, radio broadcasts and sound films". It was also in this year that the University in Detmold, Germany, started the first Tonmeister course (see below).
in Germany; the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien in Austria, the Conservatoire de Paris
, the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom; and (as a post-graduate study) the SAE Institute in Oxford, UK, and Byron Bay, Australia.
In 1998, the Course Director at the University of Surrey in UK Dave Fisher characterised the Tonmeister course as a course for excellent musicians/scientists who wish to acquire the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of sound recording along with an academic understanding of audio engineering, and the technology of the sound recording and broadcast industries. Its aims were described as the following:
...all acquired as appropriate for a career in audio engineering or sound recording.
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
who is both deeply musically trained (in 'classical'
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and non-classical genres) and also who has a detailed theoretical and practical knowledge of virtually all aspects of sound recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
. Both competencies have equal importance in a tonmeister's work.
A Tonmeister spans both art and technology: working with musicians on a musical level to help them achieve the best performances and interpretation; and utilizing or directing the use of appropriate technology to produce the most communicative experience for the listener, including appropriate editing, sound balance and other post-production skills. One may say that a Tonmeister would utilize the techniques of scientific measurement (microphones, digital recorders, accurate amplifiers, etc.), but he or she is in the entertainment industry, too, using additional techniques to create experiences and illusions for performers and listeners.
The word tonmeister was trademarked in 1996 for the UK by the University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
. Also within the UK, the SAE Institute registered the term SAE Tonmeister, which has been abbreviated to tonmeister in their registrations in several other countries, but not including Germany, Switzerland, or Austria.
When describing the full four-year UK BMus degree or its equivalent in Germany, the term is applied mostly to people who have graduated at bachelor's level in music and applied physics and who have gathered, under university supervision, at least a year of appropriate industrial experience in the music or recording business. Their musical training generally encompasses a full conventional classical training including instrumental studies, conducting, composition, historic and analytical studies and performance; together with applied physics and mathematics including calculus, the Fourier transform, complex numbers, information theory and modulation techniques, acoustics, electronics and much experience in recording techniques and music technology garnered in modern studios and on many locations. A portfolio of recordings must be offered in the final degree assessment.
Origins
The concept of a Tonmeister dates back to 1946, when Arnold SchoenbergArnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
wrote a letter to the Chancellor of the University of Chicago suggesting a course to train "soundmen". Schoenberg wrote "soundmen will be trained in music, acoustics, physics, mechanics and related fields to a degree enabling them to control and improve the sonority of recordings, radio broadcasts and sound films". It was also in this year that the University in Detmold, Germany, started the first Tonmeister course (see below).
Education
Five European and one global institution offer honors degrees that are called tonmeister: the Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK) and the Hochschule für Musik DetmoldHochschule für Musik Detmold
The University of Music Detmold is one of Germany's leading university-level schools of music, situated in Detmold, Germany.- Academics :...
in Germany; the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien in Austria, the Conservatoire de Paris
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
, the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom; and (as a post-graduate study) the SAE Institute in Oxford, UK, and Byron Bay, Australia.
In 1998, the Course Director at the University of Surrey in UK Dave Fisher characterised the Tonmeister course as a course for excellent musicians/scientists who wish to acquire the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of sound recording along with an academic understanding of audio engineering, and the technology of the sound recording and broadcast industries. Its aims were described as the following:
- a comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge base
- intellectual and practical skills
- technical, artistic and scholarly curiosity
- motivation and self-directed learning skills
- professional skills and training
- communication and presentation skills
- self-confidence
...all acquired as appropriate for a career in audio engineering or sound recording.
Tonmeister Institute in Denmark
Tonmeister Institutes in Germany
- Information zum Studiengang Tonmeister an der Universität der Künste Berlin
- Universität der Künste Berlin
- Information zum Studiengang Tonmeister am Erich-Thienhaus-Institut (ETI) der Hochschule für Musik Detmold
- Information zum Studiengang Ton an der Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen (HFF) 'Konrad Wolf' Potsdam-Babelsberg
Tonmeister Institute in Switzerland
Tonmeister Institute in Austria
Tonmeister Institute in the Netherlands
Tonmeister Institute in Canada
Tonmeister Information
- German-language Wikipedia entry
- Verband Deutscher Tonmeister - VDT