In Memoriam

ulian Hirsch, AES life member, products to see how they met their engineer and magazine writer, performance claims. In 1954, Hirsch Jwho was instrumental in trans- and three others joined forces to pub- forming hi-fi from a hobby into a lish their results in a newsletter, the multibillion-dollar global industry, Audio League Report, whose circula- died on November 24, after a long ill- tion eventually peaked at 5000. Publi- ness, at the age of 81. Through more cation ceased in 1957 when Hirsch than 40 years of testing and reporting joined with league member Gladden on the performance of audio equip- Houck to form the audio testing ser- ment for consumer magazines, and vice Hirsch-Houck Laboratories. especially for Stereo Review, Hirsch In 1960, Ziff-Davis Publishing con- helped demystify high-fidelity sound tracted for Hirsch’s exclusive ser- reproduction. vices, buying out his partner while He set a high standard of scientific keeping the name Hirsch-Houck and journalistic integrity in his Labs. Initially, Hirsch tested gear for reviews, and he was always ready to Popular Electronics, and in October debunk the gimmicks and fads 1961 his first test report appeared in exploited by overzealous marketers. Stereo Review (then called Hi- Under the auspices of the Institute of Fi/Stereo Review). That year, he also High Fidelity, which was later began writing “Technical Talk,” his Edward J. Smith absorbed into the Electronic Indus- long-running monthly column in 1921-2003 tries Association (now the Electronic Stereo Review. He wrote test reports, who was an accomplished musician Industries Alliance), he helped draft monthly columns, and feature articles and arranger, encouraged Eddie’s ear- standards for the testing of power for the magazine until 1998, when he ly interest in music. amplifiers and FM tuners that made retired and was given the title editor- At age fourteen, Eddie built his specifications for these components at-large at Sound & Vision. He esti- own transmitter and became a easier to compare and more useful to mated that in the course of his career licensed ham radio operator. After shoppers. Some audiophiles felt he he contributed 4000 laboratory test graduating from Ridgewood High gave too much weight to what was reports to various publications, School in 1940, he studied arranging measurable, but during his long career including 2400 for Stereo Review. with his father, who was a musician many music lovers refused to buy At the time of Hirsch’s retirement, and arranger for Leo Reisman’s new gear without his seal of approval. Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., pub- Orchestra. He later studied the His writing inspired thousands of his lisher of Stereo Review, and now Schillinger method with Tom loyal readers to become audio enthu- Sound & Vision, established the Timothy. siasts, many of whom moved on to Julian Hirsch Scholarship Fund at his After high school, Eddie moved to become distinguished in the field as alma mater, the School of Engineer- Paterson, NJ, where he worked at the designers, engineers, manufacturers ing of the Cooper Union. Those wish- Majestic Theater, playing piano in the — even writers and editors. ing to donate in his memory can make theater band for vaudeville shows. Hirsch developed an interest in checks payable to The Cooper Union, Herb Miller (Glenn’s brother) hired technology when he discovered ama- with “Julian Hirsch Fund” in the Eddie to arrange and play piano for teur radio at the age of 14. He memo, and send them to the Cooper the Herb Miller Band. received a Bachelor in Electrical Union, Development & Alumni Rela- Eddie’s understanding of radio and Engineering degree from the Cooper tions, Attn: Michael Governor, 30 electronics circuits were put to good Union in New York in 1943 then Cooper Square, 8th floor, New York, use. His recording career began when served in the Army Signal Corps dur- NY 10003. he went to Cincinnati in 1950 to work ing World War II. After the war he Hirsch is survived by his wife of 57 with long time friend Henry Glover at worked at various jobs in the elec- years, Ruth, of New Rochelle, NY, King Records as an arranger and tronics industry, mainly developing a son, daughter, and two grand- A&R person, frequently doubling as a sophisticated laboratory instruments daughters. musician during sessions. He eventu- for spectrum analysis. ally was promoted to chief engineer He became hooked on the then dward J. Smith, musician and for King Records. Eddie brought brand-new hobby of hi-fi in 1949, recording engineer, died on many important changes to the King building his own mono gear. As the ESeptember 23 at his home in Studio, and was responsible for the commercial audio industry expanded New York City. He was born in purchase of new microphones, equal- in the early , Hirsch and his Worcester, MA, in 1921 and grew up izers, a brand new Scully Disc Lathe, engineering friends began testing in Ridgewood, NJ. His father, Jesse, as well as a new mixing console that

96 J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 52, No.1/2, 2004 January/February In Memoriam

he designed. He used his techniques to brand the sound of such artists as James Brown; Hank Ballard’s “Fin- ger Poppin’ Time,” ’s “Seventeen,” and ’s “Hold It.” Smith moved to New York City in 1961 when he was offered a position as sound engineer for Bell Sound Studios, a busy, successful studio that was “the sound” of that era. While at Bell Sound, he was nomi- nated for a Grammy Award. He was a favorite recording engineer for artists such as Louis Armstrong, The Essex (“Easier Said Than Done”), The McCoys (“Hang On Sloopy”), and Little Anthony and The Imperials (“Going Out of My Head”). At Bell he met Peta, whom he married in New York City in 1964. His most memorable recording ses- sions were with the legendary Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn, Dizzie Gillespie, Count Basie, Sammy Davis, Jr., Don Costa, Burt Bacha- rach and Hal David. Considering the songs he engineered, such as “Don’t Make Me Over,” “Walk On By,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” with Dionne Warwick, and “What the World Needs Now Is Love” with Jackie DeShannon, Smith did his job perfectly. His calm amidst the storm and chaos of recording ses- sions earned him a place among the leading recording engineers. In 1968, he left Bell Sound Studios to become a partner at New York’s Mayfair Recording Studios where he stayed until his retirement in 1985. During his time at Mayfair he record- ed many contemporary artists as well as many of the commercials that we still remember, such as Coca Cola’s “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” and “It’s the Real Thing.” In addition to his musical talents, Eddie was also a master photograph- er and avid cinematographer, collec- tor and historian. He and his wife col- lected many vintage films, books, and a vast array of photographs of the talent he worked with. He is survived by his wife of 40 years; a sister, three daughters, two granddaughters, and two nephews.

J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 52, No. 1/2, 2004 January/February 97