The TEC Awards is an annual program recognizing the achievements of
audio professionals. The awards are given to honor technically innovative products as well as companies and individuals who have excelled in sound for television, film, recordings, and concerts. ''TEC'' is an acronym for Technical Excellence and Creativity.
History
The awards were founded in 1985 by
''Mix'' magazine, with awards events held annually at
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 product ...
conventions. In 1990, the TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio, a
501(c)(3)
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...
(non-profit) public benefit organization that also offered scholarships and worked to mitigate
noise-induced hearing loss
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a Hearing loss, hearing impairment resulting from exposure to loud sound. People may have a loss of perception of a narrow range of Frequency, frequencies or impaired perception of sound including hyperacusi ...
, assumed responsibility for the awards. In 2011, the TEC Awards program was held at the
NAMM Show
The NAMM Show is an annual trade show in the United States organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), which describes it as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology commun ...
, and in 2013 the TEC Foundation was merged with the
NAMM Foundation, the educational and charitable arm of
NAMM.
Awards process
The TEC Awards list of finalists are compiled annually by the TEC Awards Finalist Panel, a committee of industry professionals.
The list of finalists is published on the TEC Award's website. The winners are announced and the awards presented at a ceremony held at the ''
NAMM Show
The NAMM Show is an annual trade show in the United States organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), which describes it as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology commun ...
'', one of the largest trade shows for the music products industry, held each January in
Anaheim, California
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...
.
Other honors
TEC Awards Hall of Fame
Similarly, a pioneering or innovative person is chosen annually for the honor of induction into the TEC Awards Hall of Fame. This special award was established in 1988 and the winner is selected by the TEC Awards nominating panel.
TEC Innovation Award
In addition, through the TEC Innovation Award (formerly known as the Les Paul Award), the TEC Awards nominating panel and the board of directors of the TEC Foundation honor "individuals or institutions that have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of audio technology."
Gibson Musical Instruments, maker of the
Gibson Les Paul electric guitar, was a sponsor of the Les Paul Award. This special award was established in 1991. In 1997,
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz guitarist, jazz, country guitarist, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid body ...
presented his namesake award to
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
and in 2003, jointly with
Bob Ludwig
Robert Carl Ludwig (born December 11, 1944), is a retired American mastering engineer. He mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists, including Led Zeppeli ...
, he announced that
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
, who was unable to attend the event, would receive that year's award. In 2007, at age 92, Les Paul presented the award to musician, songwriter, and producer
Al Kooper. In 2025,
Jack White
John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975) is an American musician who achieved international fame as the guitarist and lead singer of the rock duo the White Stripes. As the White Stripes disbanded, he sought success with his solo career, subse ...
received the TEC Innovation Award.
TECnology Hall of Fame
In 2004, the TEC Awards established the TECnology Hall of Fame "to honor and recognize audio products and innovations that have made a significant contribution to the advancement of audio technology." A product must be ten years old to receive the honor.
At the establishment of this award category at the AES Convention in San Francisco in October 2004, the initial 25 inductees included the venerable
Edison cylinder (1877),
Emile Berliner
Emile Berliner (May 20, 1851 – August 3, 1929) originally Emil Berliner, was a German-American inventor. He is best known for inventing the lateral-cut flat disc gramophone record, record (called a "gramophone record" in British and American En ...
's flat disc recorder (1887), and
Alan Dower Blumlein Stereo Patent (1931).
See also
*
List of engineering awards
This list of engineering awards is an index to articles about notable awards for achievements in engineering. It includes aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering, structural e ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tec Awards
Music halls of fame
Audio engineering awards
American television awards
Awards established in 1985
American film awards
American music awards
1985 establishments in New York City