# Tonmeister

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Recording industry professional

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***Tonmeister*** is a job description in the music and recording industries that describes a so-called "sound master" (a literal translation of the German *Tonmeister*): a [person who creates recordings or broadcasts of music](/source/Record_producer) who is also both musically trained (in [classical](/source/Classical_music) and non-classical genres) and has theoretical and practical knowledge.

The word *tonmeister* was infamously trademarked in 1996 by the [University of Surrey](/source/University_of_Surrey), United Kingdom. Also within the UK, the [SAE Institute](/source/SAE_Institute) registered the term *SAE Tonmeister*. The title has been abbreviated to *tonmeister* in their registrations in several other countries, not including Germany, Switzerland or Austria. Members of the [VDT](/source/Verband_Deutscher_Tonmeister) may call themselves *Tonmeister VDT*.

## Origins

The concept of a tonmeister dates back to 1946,[1] when [Arnold Schoenberg](/source/Arnold_Schoenberg) wrote a letter to the Chancellor of the [University of Chicago](/source/University_of_Chicago) suggesting a course to train "soundmen". Schoenberg wrote, "soundmen will be trained in music, acoustics, physics, mechanics and related fields to a degree enabling them to control and improve the sonority of recordings, radio broadcasts and sound films".[2] It was also in this year that the University of Music Detmold in Germany started the first Tonmeister course.[3]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Borwick_1-0)** Borwick, John (1973), *The Tonmeister Concept*, Proceedings of the 46th Audio Engineering Society Convention (paper 938).{{[citation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Citation)}}: CS1 maint: location ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_location)) CS1 maint: location missing publisher ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_location_missing_publisher))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Arnold Schoenberg letters, p. 241](https://books.google.com/books?id=bLf0u5GXo84C&dq=soundmen%20will%20be%20trained%20in%20music%2C%20acoustics%2C%20physics%2C%20mechanics%20and%20related%20fields%20to%20a%20degree%20enabling%20them%20to%20control%20and%20improve%20the%20sonority%20of%20recordings%2C%20radio%20broadcasts%20and%20sound%20films&pg=PA241)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Tonmeister Studies"](https://www.eti.hfm-detmold.de/en/institute/history/tonmeister-studies/). *www.eti.hfm-detmold.de*. Retrieved 2024-05-18.

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