ATLANTA, GA – William (Will) Tate, an undergraduate music technology student at Georgia State University, has been named one of three international finalists in the Audio Engineering Society (AES) Student Recording Competition, Category 2: Traditional Studio Recording. Competing alongside Joshua Weinfeld from the University of Toronto and Michael Gorlin from the Peabody Institute, Tate will present his recording at the AES Show in New York City this Wednesday, where industry professionals will offer feedback and determine the final award placements.
In addition to his recent AES recognition, Will Tate was also named a finalist for the prestigious 10th Student Recognition Award by the Cinema Audio Society (CAS) this past January. He had the opportunity to attend the 60th CAS Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles this past March, where he was honored alongside top student audio engineers from around the world.
The AES Student Recording Competition is a unique opportunity for students at AES international conventions to receive feedback and recognition for their audio production work. The competition includes multiple categories, covering a wide range of genres and recording techniques, allowing students to showcase their skills in real-world environments. This year’s competition is sponsored by ADK, Bettermaker, Empirical Labs and Eventide.
Will Tate’s submitted track, titled “Show Up”, is an introspective song that explores themes of growing up, finding one’s place and learning to be fully present in life. Remarkably, the track was recorded off-campus in the serene surroundings of a forest clearing in north Georgia. The song was co-written by John Yesha (Isaiah Dennis), Yako (Nicole Yakovlev) and Will Tate, and was produced, recorded and mixed by Tate himself, under the guidance of Georgia State faculty mentors Ben Yonas and David ‘Dos Dias’ Bishop.
Tate shares, “I think setting out to win awards is a quick way to not win awards. The track I submitted for this competition was motivated first by curiosity and then collaborating with fantastic people. At the end of the day, all I wanted to do is make a great sounding record and push myself to be a better producer and engineer.”
Tate also expressed gratitude for the support and creativity of his collaborators, including Nicole Yakovlev, Isaiah Dennis, and his peers Chris Sanchez, Matthew Tankersly, Evan Szypulski, Paisley Cass and Alex Hay.
As a finalist, Tate will receive feedback from some of the industry’s top mixers and producers during the AES Show. Georgia State University proudly supports Tate as he represents the university on the international stage, exemplifying excellence in music production.
For more information about the AES Student Recording Competition, visit AESstudents.org.