President, Head of Training & Development
Rational Acoustics

Jamie has been teaching and working in the field of sound system engineering, measurement and alignment for over 30 years. He has taught more than 400 SIM and Smaart classes, for over 6,000 students, in over 20 countries on 6 continents. What he has learned in his career so far is that training classes are always a two-way street, and that anyone who understands their tools can create new and effective ways to use them.

Director of Product Management

Rational Acoustics
Since 2014 Chris has taught hundreds of Smaart classes in dozens of countries and has given lectures and presentations at multiple industry events and trade shows. When not traveling the world teaching Smaart classes, Chris manages many aspects of the Smaart product development process including feature & UI specifications and 3rd party integration development. And if that isn’t enough, he also handles user application support.

36 Degrees
Talinn, Estonia
Alex Ratmanovas is a consultant, engineer and teacher based in Tallinn, Estonia. He has been active in the field of professional audio for more than 12 years in the Baltic and Russian regions. His experience includes system engineering, live mixing for major acts, broadcast mixing of “The Voice of Lithuania” TV series, and technical production for events ranging from clubs, fashion shows, corporate events and festivals.

Aipol

Poland
Arkadiusz “Arek” Wielgosik began pursuing his life’s passion for music and sound, over 30 years ago as a musician playing in Polish metal band. But he quickly replaced the guitar with a mixing desk. Over the past 25 years he has provided sound for many famous Polish artists like Kasia Kowalska, Edyta Górniak,Ten Typ Mes, and Andrzej Piaseczny. He also worked as a mixer for many studio and TV productions. Today Arek focuses mainly on sound design, optimization and Smaart trainings.

SightSound Consulting

Ontario, Canada
Arthur Skudra has over 25 years experience in designing technical media systems, including acoustics, sound, lighting, and video systems, for auditoriums, theaters, stadiums, and contemporary churches throughout North America. He is a nationally recognized speaker and trainer, having conducted numerous training workshops throughout North America and Asia, and has completed graduate degrees in education and communication. He works as a audiovisual consultant, and dreams of smooth magnitude response curves in his sleep.

Technical Support Manager, PAVT

Melbourne, Australia
Ben Clarke is one of the most experienced Smaart Instructors around. He has been using and teaching Smaart since before most of Rational Acoustics’ support department was even born. A superb audio engineer and world-class beer afficionado, when Ben is not travelling around Australia and New Zealand teaching Smaart classes, he is the head of Technical Support for Production Audio Video Technology (PAVT) out of Melbourne. 

Fortes Sound Design
Brazil
Fernando is a Sound Designer and Electrical Engineer, with over 20 years dedicated to professional audio. His work includes sound design for many musical theater shows in Brazil. Fernando has also worked as a system designer and project engineer for many theaters, museums, houses of worship, retail stores and other installations. Fernando has been involved with Smaart training since 2008 and is the official Smaart Instructor for Brazil.

ModsArt

Italy
Francesco Apolloni has over 35 years experience in professional audio. He has been a recording and mixing engineer, system engineer, consultant, trainer and legal expert. At the same time he has served as FOH engineer and system engineer for numerous theatre performances, concerts, festivals and corporate events. His Italy-based classes are intended to provide, expand
and deepen the technical knowledge required for proper use of audio systems & equipment.

Haliotis
France
Franck VOIFFRAY has over 30 years experience as a Sound Designer and Sound Engineer. He has worked as a FOH and monitor engineer, system designer and consultant for a variety of tours, live events and installation projects. He has been involved in design/build, system troubleshooting, and system alignments across a diverse range of venues from studios to stadiums. As an instructor he teaches Smaart classes and lectures on the subject of sound throughout many different regions including France, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg and North America. Franck is bi-lingual in French and English, with French as his preferred language.

Tiger Audio

Florida, USA

Harry Brill Jr.is a freelance audio engineer based in Central FL. Harry started mixingin church at age 11. His work experience includes mixing bands, festivals and fairs, system design and integration, touring, corporate audio, system optimization, and consultation. His experience gives him insight into how measurement and optimization fit into the world of combat audio, where time is always at a premium, and logistics don’t always allow for the optimum design. He is as passionate about system optimization as he is about mixing music.

Technical Services Mgr / Training Specialist
Gerr Audio, Canada

Ian Robertson has spent over forty years working in professional audio and is currently Manager of Technical Services/Industry Training Specialist at GerrAudio Distribution in Canada. Prior to joining GerrAudio in 2006, Ian worked in all facets of the industry: as a touring sound engineer, system designer and as a founding partner of a Halifax-based audio provider that served the regional market in the 1980s. Ian's deep curiosity – an essential need to understand ‘why?’ – has led him to become a dedicated early adopter of emerging technologies in audio. In addition to leading seminars and educational events in the application of many of GerrAudio’s product lines, Ian (a Smaart user since 1989) became a certified Smaart instructor in 2017.

Woods Engineering

Spain

Español: James Woods es un destacado ingeniero de sonido que vive en España y que encabeza la empresa Woods Engineering, con sede en Madrid. La empresa surgió de los trabajos free-lance de sonido que James realizaba en España y otros países de Europa, para conciertos, televisión, instalaciones, reparaciones, asesoramiento, ingeniería y análisis electroacústico (con SIM® y SmaartLive).

English: James Woods is a prominent audio engineer and CEO of Woods Engineering. Based in Madrid, the company evolved from James’s free-lance work in Spain and other countries in Europe that included concert sound, TV, design/build installations, system troubleshooting, consulting, and electro-acoustical analysis (SIM® and Smaart).

Ji Xiang is the Head of the Recording Engineering Program at Communication University of China. He has 15 years of experience as a sound engineer and has been teaching sound reinforcement since 2013. He is very experienced in mixing jazz, orchestra and world music, both live and in studio; and has an in-depth understanding of sound system measurement and tuning. Ji Xiang is a very experienced English-Chinese translator and interpreter in professional audio. He is the translator of YAMAHA Sound Reinforcement Handbook, and has worked with Bob McCarthy, Christopher Pyne, Gavin Tampany, Jamie Anderson, Jim Ebdon, Joe Campbell and Luca Pretolesi as interpreter for their training classes in China.

SoundForce

Korea

KC Jeong started his career as a live sound engineer in 1992 and published his first edition of ‘Live Sound’ in 2000. Afterwards, in 2001, he established ‘Soundforce’ (a.k.a SAFO), a Korea-based live sound engineering training institute. Soundforce provides a series of live sound related training courses including ‘Physical Sound’ and ‘Electrical Sound’ as well as a ‘Sound Measurement’ curriculum using Smaart. 

Kim Watson is a highly skilled freelance sound engineer based in Newcastle, England, with over 23 years of experience in the industry. Recognizing the significance of soundsystem measurement early on, she has consistently utilized Smaart—a leading industry tool—throughout her career, both for sound system alignment and as a valuable asset in monitor world. Kim's passion extends beyond her work as an engineer; she also dedicates herself to teaching the next generation of professionals entering the industry and strives to enhance sound systems at every level. With a wealth of expertise, a commitment to excellence, and a drive for continuous improvement.

Owner, Airpol
Poland
Krzysztof Polesiński is a Sound System Designer with 23 years of experience working Polish and European events, festivals and theatrical productions. Krzysztof brings his depth of experience to instruction in Sound Design, Sound System Design and Tuning with Smaart v8. Krzysztof’s recent work is focused on Immersive Sound System Design, sound engineering for famous Polish bands, L-ISA and SpaceMap Mix Engineering.

Owner, AudioTec

Germany

Michael has 35+ years of professional audio experience, including mixing and system optimization of large-scale sound systems for concerts, broadcast shows and corporate events.  He has been the Rational Acoustics distributor, and Smart Instructor, for Germany and Austria since 2008.  In that time he has taught over 200 Smaart classes with almost 2,000 attendees.

India
A Doctor by profession and a System Engineer by passion, Dr. Rajesh Khade has been working in the field of Sound for the past several years and has experience working with major systems like L Acoustics and d&b. He has worked as a System Engineer for numerous events across India and also conducts his own System Engineering course. Rajesh became a Smaart Instructor in 2019 and is conducts trainings across India in English, Hindi and Marathi languages.

Surgesound
South Africa
Ruan Joubert is based in Johannesburg, South Africa where he started his career in 2007 as a freelance sound engineer, while studying Music and Post Production. Ruan has been an active Smaart user since 2009, became an instructor in 2014 and now does trainings all over Africa. Ruan specializes in sound system design for the permanent install and touring markets, and teaches classes for companies in the rental, installation, education and distribution sectors. Ruan is Bi-lingual in English and Afrikaans, with English as his preferred language to lecture in.

Sonotribe
Mexico

Salvador has been involved in professional audio for many years with a special emphasis on sound reinforcement training and education. He has taught countless Spanish-language seminars, courses and clinics around the world for manufacturers such as Meyer Sound, d&b Audiotechnik, and has toured with artists such as Andrea Bocelli, The Beastie Boys and Peter Gabriel.

Rational Acoustics Scandinavia

Norway

Thomas manages the Smaart sales and training programs for Scandinavia. He is a an experienced Smaart and SIM System II engineer, having worked with both programs since the 90’s. He has taught many classes over the past 25 years and currently teaches Smaart throughout Scandinavia.

Timo Beckman Geluidstechnik

Netherlands
In 1997, following 3 years of study at the Rotterdam Conservatory, Timo started his own sound company -Timo Beckman Sound Technology. Since then, Timo has toured extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East and China. Early in his career Timo began using Smaart 5 and in 2010 he started a blog to chronicle his own engineering research. In 2013 Timo became an official Smaart Instructor and also the Rational Acoustics distributor for the Netherlands. In addition to Smaart trainings, Timo also conducts specialized advanced courses on topics such as subwoofer arrays, surround sound, and allpass filters.

Golden Ears

China

Zeng Shan has been exploring his passion for sound since 1990. He dived into live sound system engineering in 2000, and in 2004 he started a new career in R&D and developed audio products for over 7 different manufacturers. He was also co-founder of loudspeaker brands including IBO, ZSOUND, and MZ-AUDIO. He began conducting audio training classes in 2005 and to-date over 3000 technicians have participated in his courses. Zengshan is a warm-hearted educator who co-founded Live Sound Reinforcement Major at Guangdong Dance and Drama College. He also founded Golden Ears, a Chinese Social Media Platform for pro-audio education and training.