Dave Pensado and Herb Trawick Named as Recipients of The TEC Hall of Fame Award

The NAMM TEC (Technical Excellence and Creativity) Awards committee is pleased to announce highly-respected recording engineer Dave Pensado and record industry veteran Herb Trawick, the creative duo behind the weekly web series, Pensado’s Place, as recipients of the 2020 TEC Hall of Fame award. The pair will be inducted into the NAMM TEC Hall of Fame at the 35th Annual NAMM TEC Awards, Saturday, January 18, in Anaheim, California.

Pensado’s Place was launched by Pensado and his manager in 2010 and is co-hosted and executive produced by Trawick. The show features expert audio guests who have worked with a mix of artists such as Coldplay, Kanye West, Keith Urban, Tool, Bruno Mars and Post Malone. Each week, audio professionals join Pensado and Trawick to discuss technical tips, the dissection of popular music, and viewers’ questions.

“It’s wonderful to see Dave Pensado and Herb Trawick being inducted into the TEC Hall of Fame,” stated Maureen Droney, Sr. Managing Director for the Recording Academy® Producers & Engineers Wing®. “This talented and deserving duo have combined their unique talents—Dave’s artistry as a Platinum and GRAMMY®-winning mixer and Herb’s as a manager and impresario— with their joint passion for education. The result is their beloved Pensado’s Place web-series, a program that has brought the importance of audio to a worldwide audience. All of us working in the audio world owe them a debt of gratitude, and I’m personally thrilled to see them achieve this recognition.”

Dave Pensado’s long list of engineering credits has made him one of the recording industries preeminent mixing engineers. With multiple GRAMMY wins and nominations under his belt, Pensado’s diverse list of artist projects is a who’s-who of music that have included Michael Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Will I Am, Frank Ocean, Kelly Clarkson, Afro Jack and Beyoncé. Pensado has also authored two books, regularly speaks as an educator at schools and conferences globally, and just launched his first product, the Pensado EQ.

“The TEC awards represent excellence in audio, and to be included with all the greats that came before us is humbling,” says Pensado. “I never dreamed the show would become this big. Thanks to each and every one who contributed to our success.”

As a manager, Herb Trawick helped launch Brian McKnight into an R&B superstar with 20 million albums sold, global tours, and more than 30 GRAMMY, American Music, Billboard, Emmy and Image Awards nominations. Trawick was also a partner with Maurice White, the legendary creator of Earth, Wind & Fire, and as a producer, took the EWF catalog to Broadway for the play Hot Feet.

Says Trawick, “Wow! We are amazed at this prestigious honor. To have the show be worthy of this level of recognition is truly gratifying. So many to thank who made it possible.”

Trawick’s long career has also included consultancies with top imprints like Interscope, RCA, Mercury, Capitol, Motown, Island and Def Jam, while creative shops like the 1500 Sound Academy, The Blackbird Academy, and Musicians Institute have also tapped Trawick for his expertise.

Together, along with the team, Pensado and Trawick have built Pensado’s Place into a global powerhouse of pro audio education with 6 million viewers annually and as a resource curriculum at over 100 colleges and universities.

Upon presentation of the award, Pensado and Trawick will join previous TEC Hall of Fame inductees including Leslie Ann Jones, Jack Douglas, Skunk Baxter, Geoff Emerick, Ed Cherney, Hal Blaine, Nathan East, among other accomplished producers and audio technicians.

The NAMM TEC Awards, held during the global gathering of music, sound and entertainment technology at The NAMM Show, are bestowed annually in honor of the many individuals, companies and technical innovations used in sound recordings, films, broadcast television, and video games. Nominees were announced earlier this year. Purchase tickets on-site or in advance here for $65 (General Admission) or $195 (VIP). The show begins with a VIP-only reception at 6PM, followed by the awards ceremony at 7PM, held in the Hilton Anaheim Hotel’s Pacific Ballroom. Portlandia co-creator, Saturday Night Live alumnus and drummer, Fred Armisen will host the event.

The TEC Awards supporters include The Les Paul Foundation, D’Angelico Guitars, Amazon Musical Instruments, Shure Incorporated, Sennheiser Electronic Corporation, Neumann, Solid State Logic, Softube, Harman, Music Marketing, Inc., Avid, Roland, BOSS, Powersoft Audio, WSDG (Walters-Storyk Design Group), Universal Audio, AVN Systems, Wells Fargo Commercial Distribution Finance, Hal Leonard, Broadjam, Inc., Pioneer DJ, PreSonus Audio Electronics, d&b audiotechnik, Meyer Sound Laboratories, Inc., United States Postal Service, L-Acoustics, Cable Wrangler, Slick Audio, Genelec, The Recording Academy: Producers & Engineers Wing, Izotope, Inc., Leapwing Audio, Adam Hall Group, Oktava Design & Marketing, Musilla, Inc., NTi Audio, Inc., IMSTA (International Music Software Trade Association), Gearslutz.com United, CITT/ITS (Canadian Institute of Theater and Technology), Sonic Scoop, Wonder Wonder Sound and AMS Consultants, among many others.

View past photos of honorees, winners and presenters of the TEC in the photo gallery here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/t762rk658akcj0i/AADJ_AJ6ks9IrRcb-RAHrl9za?dl=0