Michael JanasChair, Audio Engineering Program, Instructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.M.E., University of Kansas; M.Ed., Belmont UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 376View BioMichael Janas began his career in the audio industry by working as a live sound engineer during his undergraduate studies at the University of Kansas. After earning a Bachelor of Music Education degree he toured several years full-time as front-of-house engineer and road manager through the U.S., Canada, and Europe with various artists including Leon Russell, Jason & The Scorchers, and Webb Wilder.
In 1990 Janas changed his career path and became recording engineer and personal assistant to songwriter Paul Kennerley, who penned hits for The Judds, Emmylou Harris, and Marty Stuart. Janas also continued to work as a live sound engineer at legendary local nightclubs The Bluebird and The Exit/In. In 1991 Janas was hired as Studio Manager of The Castle Recording Studio in Franklin, TN, and was eventually promoted to Vice President. During his almost 12-year tenure at The Castle, Janas recorded and produced a wide variety of artists including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jason & The Scorchers, Jonell Mosser, as well as three Grammy-nominated recordings for Arista artist BR5-49. He also engineered recordings for Warner/Chappell Music, Emmylou Harris, Billy Ray Cyrus, Anna Wilson, Webb Wilder, and Brad Paisley. Janas also produced and recorded a wide variety of independent artists.
In 2002 Belmont University partnered with the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum to operate historic RCA Studio B, recently renovated by the Mike Curb Family Foundation, and Janas was brought in as the first Studio Manager of the new partnership. While overseeing the outfitting and operations of the famous studio Janas also served as adjunct faculty for Belmont. In 2007 he was hired as a full-time faculty member and appointed the Director of Recording Studio Operations for Belmont University. As Director, he supervised the rebuilding and renovation of the historic Quonset Hut studio and Columbia Studio A for Belmont University. In 2012 Janas earned a Master of Education degree from Belmont University.
Janas is a member of the Audio Engineering Society and is involved in research focused on the history of Nashville recording engineers and studios. He is an active leader in Boy Scouts in Middle Tennessee. Since 2008 he has served in a variety of leadership roles in Scouting and is currently a Troop Committee Chair. Janas is an Ordeal member of the Order of the Arrow.
Tim BrownLecturer of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.S. University of Colorado, Denver, M.M. Southern Utah UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 366
Wesley A. BullaProfessor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.M., University of North Carolina, Greensboro; M.M.E., Belmont University; Ph.D., Vanderbilt UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 331View BioDr. Wesley Bulla has been involved in music performance and audio production in the entertainment industries for over 40 years. Dr. Bulla is the former dean of the Curb College and has been teaching at Belmont for 25 years. Originally from N.C., he received a bachelor degree from U.N.C. at Greensboro (BM in music performance), a master degree from Belmont University (MME), and earned his Ph.D. with specialty in auditory perceptual research and hearing science from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Wesley is currently a Professor of Audio Engineering primarily teaching classes in the graduate and undergraduate audio programs.
Dr. Bulla began his career as a “side” musician, most notably performing as percussionist with Dave Brubeck on his “La Fiesta de la Posada” when Mr. Brubeck toured N.C. promoting his Christmas works. Wesley’s talent spans musical genres; he was a Yamaha sponsored classical vibist with publications in the Journal of the Percussive Arts Society (PAS), was a featured studio musician on Darrell Scott’s “Aloha from Nashville,” and has pop and country songs published by 1010 Music, Millhouse Music, and EMI Music Publishing in Nashville. In addition to extensive studio recording experience, his professional audio career overlaps into film and television as well as touring and concert production. Wesley produced and recorded the double Grammy nominated, Dove award winning, “In Bright Mansions” featuring the world-renown Fisk Jubilee Singers (Curb Records). He was mix engineer for the legendary Fairfield Four’s “Wreckin’ the House (Live at Mt. Hope)” and his engineering and production credits include both “major” and many independent labels; most notably producer-engineer for the critically acclaimed world-premier recordings of Carl Loewe’s “Grand Duo for Violin & Piano” (Op. 80) and Julius Rontgen’s “Sonata in E Major” (Premier Recordings, NY) featuring Elisabeth Small and Alan Mandell. He was associate producer and engineer for award-winning songwriter Jill Colucci's “No Regrets” (Liberty Records Songwriter Series), and the quality control mastering engineer for the double Grammy Award winning historic “The Complete Hank Williams” boxed set (Mercury-Polygram Records).
Dr. Bulla is a creative and academic author and has published in AudioMedia-USA, -Europe, and -Asia, Mix Magazine, Hearing Review, and the Journal of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA). Wesley is a member of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) and serves on the Steering Committee of P & E Wing of The Recording Academy, the board of directors of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA), and the Leadership Music Studio/Audio Day Program Committee.
James CodyInstructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyM.S., Belmont University; B.A., Univ Alabama BirminghamLocation: Johnson Center 333
Song Hui ChonAssistant Professor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.S., Chonbuk National University; M.S., University of Washington; E.E., Stanford University; Ph.D., McGill UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 332View BioSong Hui Chon is an engineer, music perception researcher and amateur historical keyboardist. Song Hui received her Ph.D. in music technology from McGill University in 2013 with a focus on timbre perception with Dr. Stephen McAdams. She spent the subsequent three years at the Ohio State University as a postdoctoral fellow in music cognition with Dr. David Huron. For the next two years, Song Hui held a visiting professor position in the Electrical, Computer, and Telecomm department at Rochester Institute of Technology teaching computational problem solving and acoustics, as well as carrying out spatial audio research. She then worked as a research associate in the School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder, embarking on research in age-related hearing problems and hearing aids, before joining the Audio Engineering Technology faculty at Belmont in 2019. Her expertise is highly technical and includes five years of software development in Information Technology as well as three degrees in engineering -- an Engineer’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington, and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Chonbuk National University in Korea. Song Hui studied fortepiano with Dr. George Barth and harpsichord with Ms. Elaine Thornburgh at Stanford. She continued her study on the fortepiano and clavichord with Dr. Tom Beghin and the organ with Ms. Margaret de Castro at McGill. Song Hui’s research interests include auditory and music perception, more specifically in timbre and attention.
Justin DowseInstructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.F.A., California Institute of the Arts, M.S., University of Colorado at DenverLocation: REM Studios B1BView BioJustin Dowse is a producer, audio engineer, mixer, songwriter, and musician. Justin’s interest in music started at a young age on the guitar. He attended California Institute of the Arts where he focused on electronic composition, studio production, and live sound. After college he split his time between touring as a musician and audio engineering.
Justin continued his education in Denver and earned a Master of Science in Recording Arts at the University of Colorado. He later moved to Nashville to work with some of the top audio professionals in the music industry. Since his time in Nashville, Justin has worked on over 150 music production projects with artists like Ben Rector, Aaron Gillespie, Tenth Avenue North, David Crowder, and The Features. He is currently working on an MBA at the Massey College of Business at Belmont.
Jason GarnerLecturer of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.S. University of MiamiLocation: Johnson Center 366
Jim KaiserInstructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.S., The Ohio State UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 334View BioSince 2000, Jim Kaiser has been the Director of Technology at MasterMix in Nashville, and responsible for surround production and audio restoration. Selected credits include Martina McBride, Kenny Chesney, Saturday Night Live, Kansas, Emmylou Harris, Steven Curtis Chapman, Fisk Jubilee Singers, and others.
Kaiser’s career features experience in live & studio recording with artists like Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Gloria Estefan, and Michael Jackson, and technical design of recording and production facilities, including Sony-BMG, East Iris, MasterMix, and Clear Channel Entertainment/Live Nation.
Jim is presently the Audio Engineering Society President, and serves on the AES Technical Council, the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing, and the Nashville Engineer Relief Fund Board. He has been involved in workshops, seminars, and paper presentations at AES international conventions and regional conferences since joining in 1983.
Doyuen KoAssociate Professor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.A., Chonnam National University; M.Mus., Ph.D., McGill UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 329View BioDoyuen Ko holds M.Mus and Ph.D. from Sound Recording program at McGill University, Canada. He has also been working as a professional recording engineer and a sound designer for various projects in North America and South Korea.
He is actively involved in research projects, focusing specifically in the areas of virtual acoustics, spatial sound design and interactive networked performance. The outcome of the research is well recognized internationally. Several collaborating projects have been based on research he has been conducting, undertaken by leading audio research groups and companies such as the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University, Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) and Skywalker Sound.
Doyuen also has been teaching a variety of courses in audio engineering, particularly technical ear training for sound engineers. Due to the effective curriculum and innovative ear training management system he co-developed, this course has greatly enriched students’ performance in sound engineering.
Jon D. LechnerInstructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.M. University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; M.S. Tennessee State UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 337
Scott MunsellInstructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.S., Middle Tennessee State University, M.A., Mississippi State UniversityLocation: 34 Music Square East, 220View BioScott Munsell discovered his passion for music and related technologies at the age of fourteen when he first began running sound at his church and high school in Millington, TN. After high school, Scott attended Middle Tennessee State University where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Recording Industry: Production and Technology with a minor in Entertainment Technology in 2001. After a brief stint freelance engineering in and around Memphis, TN, Scott moved back to the Nashville area and worked at Gear for Days Pro Audio on Music Row, eventually becoming General Manager. In 2007 Scott left Gear for Days to assist Producer Jonell Polansky as studio design consultant for Dacapo Music in West Nashville, receiving a write-up in Pro Sound News. Scott then left Nashville, taking a job at Mississippi State University as a Sound Technician for the Event Services department where he coordinated and provided sound at a variety of events and concerts, television and radio broadcasts, and major SEC collegiate sporting events. While at Mississippi State, Scott earned his Master of Arts. He then moved back to Nashville where he began teaching as an Adjunct Instructor in the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business in the fall of 2013 while concurrently working at Morris Light and Sound as an Audio Technician. Scott has provided a variety of professional audio services for numerous major and minor artists in a variety of venues throughout his 15 year long career. 
Benjamin PoffInstructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.B.S., Trevecca Nazarene University; M.F.A., Middle Tennessee State UniversityLocation: 34 Music Square East, 220View BioBenjamin Poff discovered his passion for audio engineering running live sound for a band as they toured the Midwest. During his time with the band, Ben began his recording studies attending The Recording Workshop in Chillicothe Ohio. He later obtained a B.B.A. in Music Business from Trevecca Nazarene University, continuing his education at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) where he earned an M.F.A. in Recording Arts and Technologies. During his time at MTSU he conducted research with engineer Ernest Chilakis on the influence of technical mixing decisions and the resulting impact on the perceived quality of a mix.
Benjamin has had numerous opportunities to work with an extensive catalog of musicians and songwriters. HIs recording credits include The Slips, Kim McLean, and The Peasall Sisters. Outside the studio, his career is focused on operating live sound reinforcement for various corporate events and concerts, including singer/songwriter Jeffery Steele and the Atlanta Rhythm Section. Benjamin’s credits include participation in the production of a PBS program on the end of the NASA Space Shuttle Program, and a recording of a live performance of Dear Jerry Celebrating the Music of Jerry Garcia (Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Peter Frampton) for release on BluRay. He currently teaches courses in audio engineering technology for Belmont University.
Leslie RichterInstructor of Audio EngineeringBS, Recording Industry, Middle Tennessee State UniversityView BioLeslie Richter is a Nashville based producer and recording engineer. After graduating Middle Tennessee State University, she began her career as a staff engineer at the acclaimed Oceanway Studios in Nashville. It was there she not only developed her ear and style working on countless award-winning records, but also gained experience in studio wiring and electronics thru decommissioning and rebuilding several large format consoles.
In 2008 she joined Ben Folds’ team to bring his then private studio (Historic RCA Studio A) back to life. Since handing the reigns of Studio A over to producer Dave Cobb and his team, Leslie continues to work as a freelance producer/engineer in the Nashville area. She is an active member of The Recording Academy and has served on the Nashville Chapter's Board of Governors, as co-chair of the Nashville Producers & Engineers Wing, and as a mentor in the GrammyU mentorship program. She’s both an ally and an advocate, and is involved with Women’s Audio Mission, Soundgirls, She is the Music, and Change the Conversation. She’s also a member of Leadership Music class of 2022.
Leslie’s credits and clients have grown into a delightfully eclectic cast of characters including Sheryl Crow, Spoon, Sara Bareilles, Wynonna, John Hiatt, Kacey Musgraves, Jim Lauderdale, Ben Folds, Elizabeth Cook, and Jessi Alexander.
In addition to producing and engineering, Leslie feels fortunate to have the opportunity to educate our next generation(s) of creators – not only on Belmont’s main campus, but also in historic studios like Quonset Hut and Columbia Studio A. She is a witness to how much Belmont has grown and looks forward to being part of its continued growth.
Alan ShacklockLecturer of Audio Engineering TechnologyLocation: Johnson Center 365View BioBritish by birth with over 50 years in the music industry, Shacklock has worked successfully as a record producer, recording engineer, arranger, songwriter, artist and educator. As a record producer he has worked with a wide variety of music industry icons including:Meatloaf; Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber; Roger Daltrey (The Who); Jeff Beck; Mike Oldfield / Bonnie Tyler; R.Kelly; Sugar Ray; The Roots / GZA (Wu Tang Clan) Working specifically at Abbey Road Studios London,UK and the world’s top recording studios for the majority of his productions. He is the founder member Artist, Producer, Composer of ‘Babe Ruth’ (Harvest Records, EMI) Shacklock’s composition “The Mexican” by Babe Ruth band is hailed as the inspiration and one of the four pillars of Hip-Hop.
With Shacklock as record producer for soundtracks, motion picture and TV his productions include: “Big Little Lies” HBO, featuring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon; ”Quicksilver" starring Kevin Bacon, Lawrence Fishburn; Doc Hollywood" starring Micheal J. Fox, Woody Harrelson; ”40 Year Old Virgin" starring Steve Carrel. With Shacklock as music director / performer, live & in-studio include he has worked with members of: Led Zeppelin; The Rolling Stones; The Who Toto; Chicago; Pretenders; Sir Paul McCartney (The Beatles); John Mayer; Queen; The Police.
Shacklock’s Accolades include : 3x Grammy nominee, BMI ‘Icon’, multiple platinum-gold status album award winner, BAFTA nominee. Golden Globe & Emmy winner. His guitar solo on “The Mexican “(live) with Babe Ruth is hailed in the New Musical Express publication as one of ”50 Greatest Guitar Solos”. EMI, CMP #1 Award for artist Phil Keaggy “True Believers” Shacklock writer / producer.
Shacklock’s Affiliations include: M.P.G. (Music Producers Guild), with the late Sir George Martin, Chairman,. (founder member and board executive). Graduate of the Royal Colleges of Music, London UK, (MFA, Alumni), AES- Audio Engineering Society (member), B.M.I. Broadcast Music Inc - (Icon), N.A.R.A.S (voting member). IBMA - International Bluegrass Music Association. (voting member). Belmont University, CEMB- AET-Lecturer and CEMB hiring committee. REAL-TV (advisory board director).
Eric TarrAssociate Professor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.A., Capital University; B.S., M.S., Ph.D. The Ohio State UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 330View BioEric Tarr is an Assistant Professor of Audio Engineering Technology. He received a Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. from the Ohio State University in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He received a B.A. in Mathematics with a minor in Music from Capital University. He enjoys recording, mixing, writing, and producing music. His interests in audio engineering also include digital signal processing, acoustic and electronic system modeling, and auditory perception. His research has focused on the perception of speech signals and the development of signal processing methods to improve speech intelligibility for listeners with auditory prostheses. 
David ToughProfessor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.A., University of North Texas; M.B.A., Pepperdine University; EdD.,Tennessee State UniversityLocation: 34 Music Square East, 203View BioDr. David Tough is a tenured, Full Professor of Audio Engineering Technology at Belmont University.
He has written and produced over 500 songs for film, TV, video and ad placements including song featured in the television shows Empire, Glee, CSI, and Nashville. Please visit this link for a full list of credits.
Tough has won several awards for his production and songwriting including 2 Covenant (Canadian Dove) awards. He is a grand prize winner in the John Lennon song contest, winning in 2009, 2013 and 2021.
After graduating from the University of North Texas with an undergraduate degree in jazz drums, David moved to Los Angeles, where he worked for Capitol Records, Warner Chappell Music Publishing, BMG Music Publishing and TAXI, as well as serving as a consultant for other companies such as Transition Music and WEA.
David earned his MBA from Pepperdine University and EdD in Higher Education Administration for Tenessee State University.David's skillsets include audio engineering, songwriting and music production. His research interests span across music production, songwriting and recording arts curriculum development. He has taught audio engineering, songwriting and music technology at several institutions including UCLA, Cal Poly Pomona and the University of North Alabama since 2002,
Specialties: Audio Education, Music Production, Songwriting, Creative Arts Leadership
Andy WildrickInstructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.S. American University; M.A. American UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 338View BioAndy Wildrick began his career in music at age 17 as a guitarist for the Springfield, Illinois based band Park. He went on to form The Junior Varsity in 2002 which led to opportunities to work with producers Matt Squire, Sean O’Keefe and Mike Watts. The Junior Varsity toured with Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco and other popular acts from the early 2000s. Songs he helped write during this time were featured on TV shows and in video games such as The Real World, Road Rules, Amped 360 and MVP Baseball 2006. In 2007, Andy moved to Boston to join the progressive rock act, The Dear Hunter as a guitarist and keyboardist. The band built their own recording studio and produced releases for acts on Tooth and Nail, Triple Crown and East/West Records…some of which made it on the Billboard top 200 charts. The Dear Hunter had the opportunity to tour with The Offspring, Incubus, Coheed and Cambria, Circa Survive, Thrice, Thursday and many other popular indie rock acts. Memorable experiences during this period include a feature in Guitar Player magazine and a tour in Australia with the Soundwave Festival.In 2010, Andy went back to school to finish his undergraduate degree at American University where he stayed to complete a master’s degree in Audio Technology. He taught undergraduate courses in studio production, digital audio workstations and compiled an extensive lab manual for the API 1608 recording console. During his time in Washington DC, he assisted grammy winning engineer Andros Rodriguez on various music projects. In 2013, Andy moved to Nashville to begin teaching audio courses at SAE-Nashville. In 2015, he toured as the bassist for American Idol winner David Cook and had the opportunity to perform on the television show. In 2016, Andy toured as the bassist for Sony Records artist Leah Turner and opened for Brad Paisley, Neal McCoy and other country legends. In 2017, Andy became the audio program director at SAE-Nashville and oversaw the development of a Bachelor of Science degree. He has a studio in Nashville called Wild Rick Sound and keeps busy producing, recording and mixing up and coming artists.
- Michael JanasChair, Audio Engineering Program, Instructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.M.E., University of Kansas; M.Ed., Belmont UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 376View Bio
- Tim BrownLecturer of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.S. University of Colorado, Denver, M.M. Southern Utah UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 366
- Wesley A. BullaProfessor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.M., University of North Carolina, Greensboro; M.M.E., Belmont University; Ph.D., Vanderbilt UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 331View Bio
- James CodyInstructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyM.S., Belmont University; B.A., Univ Alabama BirminghamLocation: Johnson Center 333
- Song Hui ChonAssistant Professor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.S., Chonbuk National University; M.S., University of Washington; E.E., Stanford University; Ph.D., McGill UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 332View Bio
- Justin DowseInstructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.F.A., California Institute of the Arts, M.S., University of Colorado at DenverLocation: REM Studios B1BView Bio
- Jason GarnerLecturer of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.S. University of MiamiLocation: Johnson Center 366
- Jim KaiserInstructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.S., The Ohio State UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 334View Bio
- Doyuen KoAssociate Professor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.A., Chonnam National University; M.Mus., Ph.D., McGill UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 329View Bio
- Jon D. LechnerInstructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.M. University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; M.S. Tennessee State UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 337
- Scott MunsellInstructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.S., Middle Tennessee State University, M.A., Mississippi State UniversityLocation: 34 Music Square East, 220View Bio
- Benjamin PoffInstructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.B.S., Trevecca Nazarene University; M.F.A., Middle Tennessee State UniversityLocation: 34 Music Square East, 220View Bio
- Leslie RichterInstructor of Audio EngineeringBS, Recording Industry, Middle Tennessee State UniversityView Bio
- Alan ShacklockLecturer of Audio Engineering TechnologyLocation: Johnson Center 365View Bio
- Eric TarrAssociate Professor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.A., Capital University; B.S., M.S., Ph.D. The Ohio State UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 330View Bio
- David ToughProfessor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.A., University of North Texas; M.B.A., Pepperdine University; EdD.,Tennessee State UniversityLocation: 34 Music Square East, 203View Bio
- Andy WildrickInstructor of Audio Engineering TechnologyB.S. American University; M.A. American UniversityLocation: Johnson Center 338View Bio