Ted Kocher, NMC Audio Tech instructor, recently traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to participate in the Immersive Music Production 2025 edition. The event took place on Saturday, May 17, across Music Row and Berry Hill—two of the city’s most iconic audio production hubs. The event brought together producers, engineers, and audio professionals to explore the latest in immersive mixing, recording, and playback technologies. Ted took Swoop along with for some photo opps: 

This professional development opportunity was funded by CIE. Here’s what Ted had to say about the experience: 

What was the name of the conference/PD opportunity you attended?

Immersive Music Production Nashville

When and where did the event take place?

Historic recording studios throughout Music Row in Nashville.

Please share details from a memorable keynote speaker, conference session, or something else notable from the event:

“Choice is the enemy of commitment” – a quote from George Lucas, told by George Massenburg, a music mixing legend, in regards to makinjg decisions when mixing music.

How likely are you to recommend this opportunity to a colleague? 

Very Likely

Do you have any big takeaways that you’ll be applying to your pedagogy in the near future?

Based on my experiences at the Mix immersive event, particularly with the custom HRTF measurement and learning about binaural rendering, a big takeaway I’ll be applying to my music production pedagogy is to deepen students’ understanding of spatial audio and personalization. This means focusing more on the science behind HRTFs, critical listening for immersive environments (especially headphone translation via binaural rendering), and the psychoacoustic principles that govern how we perceive spatial sound. My goal is to help students move beyond just using the tools to truly understanding how to craft compelling and accurately translatable immersive audio experiences.

Is there anything else you’d like CIE or your colleagues at NMC to know about this experience? 

The networking opportunities with active music production professionals were incredibly insightful, offering a direct line to current industry practices and challenges. Additionally, the deep dive into immersive audio technologies, particularly experiencing a custom HRTF measurement and learning the vital importance of binaural rendering for headphone experiences, was exceptionally enlightening. Seeing these principles in action during tours of renowned Nashville studios like Curb, Blackbird, Columbia, RCA, and Addiction Sound provided a clear picture of professional standards.

Thank you to NMC and the Professional Development team for making this enriching experience possible. I also want to extend a special thank you to Jeff Cobb and the entire NMC music faculty for your consistent and ongoing support and guidance, which are greatly appreciated. I’m looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned.