I came to London in 1973 to attend Fanshawe College, London Ontario, and graduated in 1975 with a diploma in Radio Television Arts, and again in 1977 with an Electronics Technician diploma. After working in industry for several years I became a licensed electrician. In 1982 I turned my audio recording and live sound work from hobby into a full-time business when I founded Horizon Audio Services Ltd. In the early years I recorded many bands, choirs, school & brass bands, as well as provided live sound services for concerts, conventions and special events. Through the ‘90’s and 2000’s, with up to six employees, we specialized in permanent audio and video systems and acoustic design and installations.
In 2008 I sold the company, which became Horizon Solutions, still in business today, offering even more audio, video, lighting & production solutions.
From 2011 to 2015 I served as volunteer manager of CHJX Faith FM 99.9 radio in London, a not-for-profit registered charity.
Now ‘retired’, I use my time, talents and experience, my studio and equipment to help charities, NFP’s, churches & small businesses spread their messages using audio, video, imaging, podcasting, radio and the web.
Qualifications Accumulated Along The Way!
When I was learning audio there were no college courses you could attend to learn the basics. Manufacturers and specialty audio engineering training companies filled this hole. I took many courses offered by such sources, and along with much experimenting and testing built a solid foundation in the physics of audio. Now it’s great fun to learn new processes made possible because of today’s software and computer technology.
The Machine That Started It All
One day way back when I was about 13 my father came home with this mid 1960’s vintage Philips N4408 tape recorder. The idea was that he would record us kids talking, singing and generally fooling around. I took an immediate liking to it and it pretty much became my machine. If he actually did record us, the tapes are long gone, but my fascination for audio was ignited, and is still going strong to this day. In those days and even into the 1990’s, editing audio was a time consuming process involving razor blades, splicing blocks and tape.
I much prefer the all-digital methods of today! Although I use current software & computer technology, I still monitor the end result with 35-year-old Tannoy SRM 10B Super Red monitor speakers that still measure as flat and accurate as they did in year one. Notice in the photo below the vintage Sony TC-228 stereo eight track recording deck. I used it to record those 8-track cartridge tapes that were the forerunner of the audio cassette. I sold enough of those cartridge tapes to my friends so they could listen to their favourite music in their cars to pay for this deck and turn a modest profit!
The Original 1985 Studio
And Here We Are Today!
