KEITH JOHNSON (Part 2) : PUBLISHED ON PRX  10 / 13 / 2017  
BEYOND A SONG  originates in BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA   and is sponsored by:   THE BLUEBIRD NIGHTCLUB   ,  AIRTIME RECORDING STUDIO   ,  AFRICA SASA  and  VISIT BLOOMINGTON.COM  

Host Rich Reardin has a conversation with legendary audio recording innovator, recording and mastering engineer Keith Johnson . Keith Johnson has served for over 40 years as Reference Recordings Technical Director, recording and mastering engineer. He has recorded and released over 140 compact disc, LP and surround sound titles, spanning the genres of classical, jass, world and blues music. He has spent over 50 years developing a reputation for innovative thinking, technical achievement and musicianship that has elevated him to a position in the audio industry occupied by only a handful of visionaries. He is a true audio legend, having designed and patented numerous innovative products in the professional and consumer fields, including the revolutionary HDCD encoding process.
The Reference Recordings Sound comes from his singular methods and equipment, almost all hand-built or extensively modified by him. His microphone techniques range from purist to complex, depending on the musical forces and the performing space involved.
He received the GRAMMY® for Best Surround Sound Album in 2011. And, to date, has received 8 additional nominations for Best Engineered Album Classical, and a host of other industry awards and nominations, including the prestigious Audio Engineering Society Silver Medal Award in 2008. Given in recognition of outstanding development or achievement in the field of audio engineering, other recipients of the Silver Award include: Ray Dolby, Paul Klipsch, Robert Moog, and Willi Studer.
Multi-channel processing for large screen sound is currently a great interest for Johnson. He is also investigating and consulting on hearing physiology and hearing correction. He plays keyboard instruments and is a competitive middle distance runner.