Adam Ayan worked with Rolling Stones, now USM students
Grammy-winner and community activist is music technology prof
Jeff Beam
Issue date: 3/3/08 Section: Arts and Entertainment
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Adam Ayan is a world-renowned sound engineer. And he teaches his passion to USM students as an adjunct music faculty member.
Ayan operates out of Gateway Mastering, located in the heart of Portland. Mastering, says Ayan, is the creative process of bringing recordings to their full sonic potential.
At Gateway, he has mastered countless albums from the biggest names in the music industry. Among his long list of clients are Nirvana, The Rolling Stones, Phish, the Foo Fighters, Bloodhound Gang, Bruce Springsteen-I could go on forever.
The coolest part is that Ayan doesn't just focus on national acts. Because Gateway is in Portland, Adam masters local acts as well. Everyone from Animal Suit Drive-By to Jeremiah Freed to Headstart have had their albums mastered by Ayan.
Ayan's goodwill towards the local community doesn't stop there. In the fall of 2007, he founded the Portland Music Foundation.
It's a foundation for the local music scene in Portland, aimed at strengthening the community and educating local musicians on how to better prepare themselves for tasks ahead. Bands and individuals who join can attend a variety of lectures and seminars presented by Ayan, as well as other local music professionals.
If all that isn't enough, Ayan also teaches at the University of Southern Maine.
"The class is called Topics in Music Technology," says Ayan, who has been teaching for seven years. "Basically, the class focuses on basic principles of audio as well as hands on 'live to 2 track' recording techniques utilizing the School of Music's equipment and the Corthell Hall concert hall."
Featuring top-of-the-line music equipment and recording programs as well as Ayan's expert guidance, his very popular course, offered in the fall, is a unique experience for USM students.
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