xviii Contributors
Dominique J. Chéenne, Ph.D.
Dominique J. Chéenne holds a Brevet de Technicien Supérieur from the University
of Caen, France. He received a Master’s degree and a Ph.D., both in Electrical Engi-
neering, from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. His doctoral dissertation dealt
with the modeling of sound propagation over seating surfaces.
In 1979 he founded C & C Consultants, a consulting practice specializing in
architectural acoustics and environmental noise control. Since its inception C & C
Consultants has provided design services on hundreds of projects nationwide
including individual residences, performing arts spaces, schools, offices, factories,
churches, as well as local, state, and federal government facilities.
In 1995, Dr. Chéenne accepted an offer to join the faculty of Columbia College.
He is currently serving as a tenured member of the faculty in the Audio Arts and
Sciences Department where he directs the acoustics program. His main research
interests are in the application of computer models to architectural and environ-
mental acoustics issues.
Dr. Chéenne is a member of the Audio Engineering Society and of the Acoustical Society of America.Don and Carolyn Davis
Don and Carolyn Davis form a unique husband and wife team working in audio,
starting in 1951 with The Golden Ear in Lafayette, IN, selling eclectic high-fidelity
equipment. Don was Paul Klipsch’s President in charge of Vice in the late 50s, and
worked for Altec Lansing from 1959 until 1972 where he was co-inventor of 1/3-
octave equalization.
The Davises founded Synergetic Audio Concepts in 1973 in response to the
growing need in the audio industry for training in the fundamentals of sound rein-
forcement. Their work in equalization, speech intelligibility, and recording technol-
ogies provided the backbone for developing training seminars and workshops.
When they turned Syn-Aud-Con over to Pat and Brenda Brown in 1995, Don and
Carolyn had been responsible for the education of more than 10,000 sound contrac-
tors, designers, and consultants.
Don has authored three books, Acoustical Tests and Measurements in 1965; How
to Build Speaker Enclosures in 1968, co-authored with Alex Badmaieff, which has sold over 200,000 copies, and
Sound System Engineering, co-authored with his wife, Carolyn, in 1975. They recently completed the 3rd edition
with co-author, Dr. Eugene Patronis.
In the process of communicating with the grads of their seminars on audio and acoustics, a quarterly newsletter
was established. Most of the newsletter was technical in nature, but it also contained the evolving mindset that
bonded teachers and grads into something not originally expected—a fraternity of people dedicated to changing an
industry.
After enduring poor sound quality at a meeting of a professional audio society, Don uttered in frustration, If Bad
Sound Were Fatal, Audio Would Be the Leading Cause of Death, hence the title of Don and Carolyn’s book, by that
name. They used nontechnical excerpts from the Syn-Aud-Con newsletters, annotated by them in 2003, that go back
to the beginning of these changes in the industry up to the Davises’ retirement in 1995. The book provides a remark-
able insight into entrepreneur teachers’ communication with entrepreneur students. The typical attendees at their
seminars were already successful in their chosen industry, but knew in their hearts that there was a higher standard
and they actively sought it.
They have spent their professional careers writing and lecturing on sound system engineering. The audio industry
has generously recognized their efforts as instrumental in the better sound quality we enjoy today. Don and Carolyn
are both Fellows of the Audio Engineering Society and have received many awards in the audio industry, including
the Distinguished Award in Sound Design and Technology from USITT.
Don and Carolyn reside in Arizona in the winter and on their farm in southern Indiana in the summer.