📜 Post with us on Reddit
📝 Create a new article
🏭 Create a company page
🇬🇧 - in English
🇫🇷 - en Français (FR)
🇵🇹 - em Português (PT)
🇩🇪 - auf Deutsch (DE)
🇯🇵 - 日本語で (JA)
Sponsored articles

You can edit almost every page by Creating an account and confirming your email.

Thom Cadley

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki

Thom Cadley is an American audio mixing engineer, producer, and academic.[1] He is best known for his fourteen-year tenure at Sony Music Studios in New York City, where he rose to chief mixing engineer;[2] for the parallel career he built as a remote recordist and mixer for large-scale broadcast and concert productions;[3] for his work as a specialist in immersive music mixing;[4] and for his role as one of the primary music mixers adapting studio recordings for the multi-billion-dollar[5][6] Guitar Hero and Rock Band video game franchises.[7] Cadley has won Spain's Goya Award for Best Sound[8] and a TEC Award (Technical Excellence and Creativity Award)[9]. He was also nominated for another TEC Award[10] and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award[11] for his broadcast audio work.

Career

Studio engineering and television (1993–2007)

Cadley began working in the New York studio landscape in the 1980s, working as an assistant at studios such as Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York, and The Hit Factory in New York City. Producers he assisted at that time included Eddie Kramer, Desmond Child, Bob Clearmountain, Elliot Scheiner and Frank Filipetti.[12] Early engineering sessions during this time included working with rock musician Joan Jett on three of her albums.[12] In 1993, he joined the staff of Sony Music Studios in New York City,[13] eventually rising to the position of chief mixing engineer, a role he maintained until the studio facility closed in 2007.[2]

During his time with Sony, Cadley became a prominent engineer for live televised music specials.[14] He served as an engineer for Tony Bennett's critically acclaimed MTV Unplugged[12] (1994), which went on to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.[15] He also mixed audio for the PBS music series Sessions at West 54th[13] and multiple installments of VH1 Storytellers, including episodes featuring David Bowie (1999) and Bruce Springsteen (2005).[16][17] In 1999, Cadley received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Or Music Series Or A Special for his work on the TNT broadcast An All-Star Tribute to Johnny Cash.[11] In 2000, he was asked back for An All-Star Tribute to Joni Mitchell.[18] Following the events of September 11, 2001, he served as a co-producer and co-mixer for the benefit broadcast event The Concert for New York City. His contributions to the event earned him a Technical Excellence and Creativity (TEC) Award for Remote Production/Recording or Broadcast.[9][19] The following years also included recording the multiple-Grammy-nominated, number-one gospel album Victory Live! by Tye Tribbett & G.A.[20][21] as well as two multi-artist shows honoring Willie Nelson: Stars & Guitars (2002) and the multiple-Grammy-nominated Live and Kickin' (2003).[22][23] He was later nominated for a second TEC Award for his work on the Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013.[10]

At the same time, Cadley worked with Sony's Legacy and Columbia labels on archival projects, including recordings by Muddy Waters, The Allman Brothers Band, Johnny Cash and Billy Joel.[24] He also became noted as one of the early adopters in multi-channel audio production, specializing in 5.1 surround sound music mixing for artists such as Beyoncé, Rod Stewart, and Luther Vandross. Released in January 2002, his mix of Destiny's Child's Survivor was among the first then-current, chart-topping pop albums ever given a dedicated 5.1 multichannel SACD mix.[25][26] He continued working in the immersive mixing field as the technology evolved.

Multimedia credits

Cadley's high-profile credits also include mixing Led Zeppelin's performance with guests Aerosmith and Neil Young for the 10th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony broadcast;[27] recording the Grammy-winning cast album for Disney's The Lion King[28][29], the stage musical adaptation of which holds the Guinness World Record for being the most successful single entertainment title of all time;[30] mixing Sting's album with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra Live in Berlin;[31] mixing the Live in Brooklyn and The Clifford Ball DVDs for the band Phish;[3] and recording and mixing A Celebration of American Creativity: In Performance at the White House.[32] When deciding who would record and mix the 2000 Latin jazz documentary film Calle 54, which won Spain's Goya Award for Best Sound,[8] Oscar-winning director Fernando Trueba specifically sought out Cadley to record every performance in the film.[33] Over his career, Cadley's engineering and mixing portfolio has also included work for such diverse artists as David Bowie, Michael Jackson, The Ramones, Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Miles Davis, Whitney Houston, and Bruno Mars.[12]

Interactive audio

Following the 2007 closure of Sony Music Studios, Cadley went independent and added interactive entertainment to his repertoire.[3] He became one of the primary music mixers tasked with translating studio masters into playable configurations for the Guitar Hero and Rock Band music video game franchises, among others. His responsibilities involved sorting through and remixing hundreds of multi-track studio tapes from artists such as Metallica, The Clash, John Mayer, Boston, Paramore, Yes, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.[2][7]

Academia

Throughout his studio career, Cadley was regularly involved in the mentorship and training of the next generation of audio professionals; several assistant engineers at Sony—including Ryan Hewitt, Andrew Dawson, and Rob Kinelski—subsequently went on to notable, award-winning mixing and engineering careers of their own. This long-standing focus on mentorship transitioned into full-time academia later in his career. Cadley paused his studio work to follow academic pursuits, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from SUNY Empire State College in 2020.[1] He followed this by earning a Master of Music Technology from Southern Utah University in 2026.[34] He has taught for programs at Pratt Institute, Michigan Technological University, Middle Tennessee State University, and Dark Horse Institute. He has also been an invited speaker on the topic of immersive audio at events such as the 2022 Audio Engineering Society Convention[4] and the 2025 Pan-American Audio Educators Conference.[35][36] As of 2024, he is a faculty member of the School of Media Arts and Studies within the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University, where he teaches advanced music production, mixing, and immersive sound formats.[37]

Awards and nominations

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Thom Cadley". Ohio University. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Brown, Janice (March 31, 2010). "Thom Cadley: Mixing Rock Bands for Rock Band". SonicScoop. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Mix Staff (August 3, 2009). "Remote Recording, Joe D'Ambrosio Management Combine Forces". Mix Magazine. Retrieved 2026-08-16.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "AES Fall Convention 2022 - Immersive Audio In Education Panel". Audio Engineering Society. October 20, 2022. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  5. ↑ Thorsen, Tor (August 16, 2010). "Guitar Hero tops $2 billion, Activision Blizzard earns $981 million in Q1". GameSpot. Retrieved 2026-09-02.
  6. ↑ Harris, Mark (March 26, 2009). "RockBand US sales pass $1 billion". TechRadar. Retrieved 2026-09-02.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jafet, Jessie (August 1, 2010). "The Master Mixer Behind Guitar Hero". Bedford Patch. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Calle 54 » Premios Goya". PremiosGoya.com. Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "The TEC Awards 2002 Winners". TEC Awards. The NAMM Foundation. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "The 30th NAMM TEC Awards Nominees for Creative Achievement". TEC Awards. The NAMM Foundation. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "An All-Star Tribute To Johnny Cash". Television Academy. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 "Thom Cadley Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Rudolph, Eric (January 1, 1999). ""Sessions at West 54th": Behind the Scenes at PBS's Hot Music Show". Mix Magazine. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  14. ↑ Staff Writer (2017). "RedNet Chosen By TV Tech". Focusrite. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  15. ↑ "Album Of The Year 1995 Winners & Nominees". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  16. ↑ David Bowie (2009). VH1 Storytellers (DVD liner notes). Mixed By [DVD Music Mixer]. MTV Networks/EMI.
  17. ↑ Bruce Springsteen (2005). VH1 Storytellers (DVD liner notes). Mixed By [Mix Engineer]. Viacom International.
  18. ↑ An All-Star Tribute to Joni Mitchell (Broadcast credits). TNT. 2000.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "18th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards". Mix Magazine. 2002. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  20. ↑ "Tye Tribbett & G.A." Grammy.com. Recording Academy. Retrieved 2026-09-07.
  21. ↑ "Tye Tribbett Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
  22. ↑ "Willie Nelson". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
  23. ↑ "Toby Keith". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
  24. ↑ "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, Take Five: Mastering 5.1". Billboard. Vol. 114 no. 15. April 13, 2002. p. 48.
  25. ↑ Template:Cite album notes
  26. ↑ Durani, Sanjay (July 15, 2002). "Destiny's Child – 'Survivor' An SACD review". High Fidelity Review. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  27. ↑ Led Zeppelin Performs at the 1995 Induction Ceremony (Broadcast credits). MTV. 1995.
  28. ↑ "Best Musical Theater Album 1999 Winners & Nominees". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  29. ↑ "The Lion King > Original Broadway Cast". CastAlbums.org. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  30. ↑ "Highest box-office theatre gross worldwide". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2026-09-02.
  31. ↑ "Deutsche Grammophon/CherryTree Records Announce New Sting CD/DVD Collection – Sting: Live in Berlin". Sting.com. 2010. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  32. ↑ A Celebration of American Creativity: In Performance at the White House (Broadcast credits). PBS. 2011.
  33. ↑ Booth, Philip (May 10, 2001). "In Love with Latin Jazz". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  34. ↑ "2026 SUU Commencement Program". Flipsnack. Southern Utah University Web Services. April 23, 2026. p. 35. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  35. ↑ "PAAEC 2025". Pan-American Audio Educators Conference. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  36. ↑ Monroy, Julio (Director) (2025-04-13). Pan-American Audio Educators Conference 2025. Delta Records. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  37. ↑ "MDIA Visiting Professional brings high profile music industry recording experience". Ohio University. October 16, 2024. Retrieved 2026-08-15.

Retrieved from "https://en.everybodywiki.com/index.php?title=Thom_Cadley&oldid=6635365"
License CC BY-SA 3.0
Powered by MediaWiki