The ''Verband Deutscher Tonmeister e.V.'' (VDT) is a registered association for audio industry professionals. The VDT has evolved from the ''Deutsche Filmtonmeister-Vereinigung'' (which focused on film sound professionals) that was founded in Munich in 1950. There are currently more than 1900 members in the VDT that are either freelancers or employed in various institutions; e.g. in the film business, radio broadcasting, television, recording studios, record labels, theaters and performance venues, the audio equipment producing industry, research and development, multimedia education and other audio related areas of occupation. Students preparing for a job in the audio industry are also members of the VDT, making up roughly 10%. Even though the designation of

Tonmeister 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): a person who creates recordings or broadcasts of music who is both d ...

is a fixed part of the name of the association its members carry many other job titles like

audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

, sound director,

music director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...

sound designer In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

, producer,

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and

music supervisor A music supervisor is a person who combines music and visual media. According to The Guild of Music Supervisors, a music supervisor is “a qualified professional who oversees all music related aspects of film, television, advertising, video games ...

. The occupational title Tonmeister, although created in the 1930s, is not protected in Germany and does not describe a clearly defined occupation. Thematically the goals and activities of the VDT are related to those of the

Audio Engineering Society The Audio Engineering Society (AES) is a professional body for engineers, scientists, other individuals with an interest or involvement in the professional audio industry. The membership largely comprises engineers developing devices or products ...

(AES), even if there is no formal connection. The biennial ''Tonmeistertagung'' (VDT International convention) combines an international scientific conference and workshop program with a trade fair, focusing on applied research and technical excellence. It has been in existence since 1949. Similarly the International Tonmeister Symposium, dedicated to one thematic complex, is analogous to the AES-conferences. The Tonmeister Academy as initiated by the VDT offers educational classes and advanced training sessions. The VDT award ''Golden Bobby'' is awarded in seven categories for outstanding performance in sound recording and mixing. Since 2002 the VDT also bestows a medal of honour on members who have rendered outstanding services to the profession of sound engineers and the audio industry. Prominent recipients are ''Peter K. Burkowitz''Peter Karl Burkowitz 1920-2012
Obituary by the AES (developer of the

REDD Redd is a Turkish rock band established in 1996 by tenor opera singer Doğan Duru and guitarist Berke Hatipoğlu under the name ''Ten''. They used to play at bars until they set up their own studio in 2004. Their first album, titled ''"50/50" ...

mixing console at EMI's

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

; writer of the technical part of

Recording the Beatles ''Recording The Beatles'' is a book by Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew, published by Curvebender Publishing in September 2006. Written over the course of a decade, the book addresses the technical side of the Beatles' sessions and was written with the ...

), David Griesinger (of

Lexicon A lexicon is the vocabulary of a language or branch of knowledge (such as nautical or medical). In linguistics, a lexicon is a language's inventory of lexemes. The word ''lexicon'' derives from Koine Greek language, Greek word (), neuter of () ...

) and Eberhard Sengpiel.

References

External links

Official webpage of the VDT
{{Authority control Audio engineering Broadcast engineering Trade fairs in Germany Engineering societies based in Germany