CHURCH TECH
BE GREAT AT WHAT YOU DO : A TRIBUTE TO BRUCE SWEDIEN | Bill Gibson
The legendary engineer , Bruce Swedien , passed away on November 16 , 2020 at the age of 86 . With an impressive handlebar moustache and the look of a purebred Viking , Bruce was a leader in the audio industry for almost all of his career . Growing up the son of two musicians in Minneapolis , Bruce spent his youth listening to live symphonic orchestras and choirs in fine concert halls , and developing his world-class sense of musical balance . When his parents bought him an audio recorder at the age of 10 , he knew immediately that he wanted to devote his life to recording music . He recorded local choirs and many other groups throughout his youth and ended up starting his true journey into the professional audio world when he moved to Chicago in 1957 . He landed a position at Universal Studios and was mentored by the iconic engineer , Bill Putnam .
Already know for excellence and hard work , Swedien ’ s career skyrocketed when he teamed up with iconic producer , Quincy Jones , and the King of Pop , Michael Jackson , to create Off the Wall , Thriller ( the all-time best-selling album ), and Bad . He also recorded Michael Jackson ’ s subsequent albums , Dangerous , HIStory , and Invincible .
CAPACITY FOR TRUE LOVE He held the love of his life , Bea , in highest esteem . He frequently told anyone nearby what a great woman she was and how much he loved her . Bruce was an extremely loving man who was patient and kind . He was extremely generous with the things he had discovered about audio recording and in his support of friends and trusted colleagues . He wrote articles , books , and spoke at seminars and conferences , revealing exactly what he had done to capture such amazing music . Bruce was actually a humble man with the confidence of a Maestro .
He knew the things he had achieved musically and sonically but always diverted back to his mantra , “ It ’ s about the music ,” shifting the focus from his work to the power of the music . In the studio , Bruce was unflappable . It was all about giving the rest of the team confidence in their environment . He served the needs