View From the Top: Gary Gottlieb, President, AES

It’s been a decade since the Audio Engineering Society held its annual Convention on the West Coast, but the dry spell ends this month with the AES Show 2025, taking place in Long Beach, Calif., from October 22-25. “We’re thrilled to return to the West Coast after a 10-year break,” says AES President Gary Gottlieb.

The conventions are a cornerstone of the pro audio industry, providing great opportunities for crucial education and networking, as Gottlieb himself can attest. When he first broke into the New York City studio scene in the early 1980s as a studio gopher, Gottlieb was invited to attend the 1983 convention and quickly discovered he had found his people.

“What struck me was the welcoming atmosphere among the most brilliant people in audio,” he says today. “As a novice, I was still standing quietly at the back of control rooms, but on the show floor, I was encouraged to interact; someone even handed me headphones and said, ‘Go ahead—turn the knobs, push the faders!’ I was in heaven. Seeing legends like Tom Dowd, Phil Ramone and George Massenburg walking around was incredible. Someone introduced me to Ramone and said, ‘Go ahead and meet anyone you like.’ That day changed the course of my career.”

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In the decades that followed, Gottlieb worked in top studios and took on graduate studies in physics, acoustics and music before moving into educational roles writing and teaching. Concurrently, he was an AES member for 20 years before joining committees, growing more involved in leadership and now this year serving as AES President.

Much as Gottlieb’s career developed over time, the Society has also transformed over the last 40 years. “AES has always evolved with the audio industry,” says Gottlieb. “As an organization responsible for setting Standards, we often support new technology before others do. We also embrace social and musical change, welcoming new genres and voices once left out. When technologies converge—like immersive, gaming and VR audio—we adapt. The recent creation of the Technical Committee on Immersive Media and Games reflects our forward-thinking approach. We’re constantly looking ahead to how innovation affects our members and our field.”

AES was founded in 1948 so that audio scientists could share insights and advances in an era where manufacturers adamantly kept their technologies siloed from each other. That “rising tide lifts all boats” attitude lives on today, too. “AES is the first organization focused on the science and art of audio, and we remain the definitive source for standards, education and technological advancement,” Gottlieb explains. “Just look at the practical impact of standards like AES14-1992, which solved the XLR polarity problem, or AES3 and AES10 (MADI), which continue to shape digital audio. AES67 allowed disparate networked audio protocols to share data—another industry-defining breakthrough.”

Groundbreaking achievements like those happen in part because the AES is not a trade group with a financial stake in products. “AES is a volunteer-driven organization, and that spirit has always been one of our greatest strengths,” Gottlieb confirms. “We maintain a small, efficient, paid staff to manage operations, but it’s our volunteers who steer the Society.”

Whether they’re involved in leadership roles or volunteer with the Technical Council, Standards or other committees, there’s plenty of room and opportunity for those who want to make an impact. “I always encourage members to get involved,” he says. “It’s deeply rewarding.”

Those opportunities are open around the world, too; they’re not just for those living near major industry hubs. During the pandemic, the AES sold its longtime New York City offices and went virtual; staff is now distributed across the U.S. and globally, matching how its membership spans six continents with active sections in 53 countries. While the Society has always been strong in North America and Europe, in recent years, it’s grown significantly in Asia and South/Central America, and is making inroads in Africa. 

“We’re also building partnerships with organizations already benefiting from our resources, like our Standards, topical Technical Counsel Committees and E-Library,” says Gottlieb. “We’re also exploring collaborations with peer organizations whose strengths complement ours. While it’s too early to name names, we believe in mutual respect and shared or parallel goals, not competition.”

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That spirit of sharing is readily evident in the E-Library and AES Live: Videos archive, as well as the long-running, peer-reviewed Journal of the Audio Engineering Society. “Even with my long involvement, I’m still blown away by the depth of knowledge and the generosity of our members,” Gottlieb says. 

Anyone attending the AES Show in Long Beach will get to see that firsthand, too. Gottlieb, for one, can’t wait to kick off the convention: “Long Beach has been revitalized and gives us a strong hub to serve L.A.-area and Western Region members—without the logistical hassles of downtown Los Angeles. Our community is excited, and so are we!”