About me
Bob McCarthy’s involvement in the field of sound system optimization began in 1984 with the development of Source Independent Measurement™ (SIM™) with John Meyer at Meyer Sound Laboratories. Since that time he has been an active force in developing the tools and techniques of modern sound system optimization, including three generations of SIM, hundreds of tunings, training seminars, and publications.
During 2019 Bob designed the sound system for Metallica’s World Wired Tour, the Roskilde Festival (Europe’s largest music festival), and two new installations in Las Vegas: The Venetian and Caesars Palace showrooms, as well as a variety of churches and other performance venues.
Bob has had the privilege to work with many great sound designers, including Abe Jacob, Andrew Bruce, Tony Meola, Jonathan Deans, Nevin Steinberg, and more, and has been charged with tuning systems for Cirque Du Soleil, Walt Disney Entertainment, Carnegie Hall, Celine Dion, Grateful Dead and others. Musical theater credits include Les Miserables, The Beatles Love, Wicked, and many more. He has designed and optimized systems for broadcast productions such as the Grammy Awards, Eurovision Song Contest, The Oprah Winfrey Show, TED Talks, and more.
His award-winning book, Sound Systems: Design and Optimization, considered the foremost text in the optimization field, has sold over 15,000 copies in three languages.
Bob is well known in the field of audio education and delivered the keynote address at the 50th AES Conference, which was the first-ever dedicated to audio education.