NORMAN, IN — Audio pioneer Don Davis, the founder of SynAudCon, passed away on March 6, 2023. He was 94.
Born on Sept. 4, 1928, Davis audio career began in the late-1950’s, as a field rep for Altec Lansing. During that time, he realized the need for solid, hands-on training for Altec’s dealers and contracting customers and Davis began organizing and teaching seminars covering topics such as system equalization, gain structure, phase, time-alignment, feedback management and more — all of which proved extremely popular. While at Altec, Davis worked with Dr. C. Paul Boner (known as the “father of equalization”) equalizing sound reinforcement systems and was instrumental in the design of the Altec Lansing Acoustavoice system and the design and use of real-time analyzers to equalize rooms.
During the 1960’s, Davis began writing articles for Audio Magazine as well as the AES and SMPTE journals, and authored the industry-standard texts Acoustical Tests & Measurements (1964) and How to Build Speaker Enclosures (1966, with Alex Badmaieff).
In 1973, Davis and his wife Carolyn founded Synergetic Audio Concepts, later referred to as SynAudCon, the synergetic foundation that educated and trained more than 10,000 sound contractors, designers, and consultants from around the world. Their efforts literally changed lives. In 1975, Don and Carolyn authored the landmark text Sound System Engineering (now in its fifth edition), which is often referred to as the “audio bible” among Davis’ followers.
Don and Carolyn produced quarterly the 25+ page SynAudCon Newsletter and 4+ page Tech Topics and authored If Bad Sound Were Fatal, Audio Would Be the Leading Cause of Death. SynAudCon was acquired by Pat and Brenda Brown in 1995 and is still training contractors, designers, and consultants from around the world.
Don and Carolyn were AES Fellows, received the Sagamore of the Wabash award, and the Adele De Berri Pioneer Award. The love of Don’s life was Carolyn. Together they enjoyed SynAudCon, their many pets, traveling, fast cars, target shooting, and their Indiana farm. Don will be remembered as a learner, teacher, listener, trendsetter, audio sage and a great storyteller. He was highly respected among his friends and colleagues.
“A highlight of my audio life was attending my first SynAudCon seminar at ‘the farm’ in Southern Indiana,” says Pat Brown, president of SynAudCon. “It was the late 1980’s and I was just getting started in audio. I followed the Davises through their Newsletters and Tech Topics for years until meeting them in-person. The encounter changed my life in many ways. Don and Carolyn demonstrated the best in humanity by their lifestyle, example, and friendship. What a privilege it has been for Brenda and I to carry on their work.”
