Brian Vessa is a dedicated audio professional with over 40 years of experience in
the industry. A graduate of UCLA Engineering, his career journey includes
recording engineer/producer, re-recording mixer, music editor, sound editor
restoration engineer and gear guru. He was hired by Sony Pictures in 1998, and
until his 2024 retirement was their Executive Director of Digital Audio Mastering
and representative to DCI, serving as chair several times during his tenure.
An outspoken advocate for quality sound and standards, Brian is a SMPTE
Fellow, and a member of the AMPAS Sound Branch, AES, ISDCF and IMFUG.
He is the founding chair of the SMPTE TC-25CSS Technology Committee on
Cinema Sound Systems, and was a key player in standardizing the Immersive
Audio Bitstream (IAB) distribution format. As one of the founding fathers of the
Interoperable Master Format (IMF), Brian participated in conceiving and writing
the Digital Video Package (“DVP”) specification, which was published through
ETC. He continued that work with SMPTE to create the 2067 IMF specifications
suite, and recently received a technical Emmy for his role in IMF development.
He was instrumental in the early adoption of IMF at Sony Pictures, advancing the
move from tape to digital mastering. Brian has also written many independent
audio specifications, including a white paper on nearfield mixing for home theater
that has been widely adopted.
Brian enjoys recording jazz, rock, and mixing live sound. He is a drummer and
keyboardist in the LA area, an avid backpacker, and an award-winning home
wine and beer maker.