Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1543070
C I N E M A A U D I O S O C I E T Y. O R G 17 The Cinema Audio Society is proud to announce the inaugural presentation of the "Jeffrey S. Wexler Award for Advancement in Sound Technology," named in honor of the legendary production sound mixer and CAS Career Achievement Award recipient, who passed away on Dec. 9, 2025. This annual award will be given to individuals, companies, or products that have had a profound impact on the art and craft of sound mixing. This award recognizes advancements that either extensively improve on existing methods or are so innovative in nature that they have materially changed how sound is recorded, edited, mixed, or delivered. Jeff was a teacher, leader, production mixer, consummate sound professional, and vanguard of new technologies. He was one of the first production JEFFREY S. WEXLER AWARD FOR ADVANCEMENT IN SOUND TECHNOLOGY mixers to switch from recording on analog Nagra to digital DAT, and then to file-based recording with Zaxcom's Deva. To honor Jeff's forward-thinking and embrace of technology, the CAS is proud to announce the naming of the new CAS Technology Award in Jeff's honor. Over a career that spanned five decades, Jeff's work can be heard on heralded films such as An Officer and a Gentleman, The Natural, Ghost, The Last Samurai, Independence Day, Jerry Maguire, Fight Club, and Almost Famous, among dozens of others. He was a two-time Academy Award nominee, Emmy nominee, BAFTA winner, and three-time CAS Award nominee. Receiving this CAS Award are four individuals whose innovations and groundbreaking work has had a profound and permanent impact on the art and craft of sound mixing. GLENN SANDERS Sanders is the founder and President of Zaxcom. In the 1990s, he worked closely with Zaxcom's engineering team to develop the Deva portable digital audio disk recorder, the first multitrack, file-based recording system designed for location sound. HOWARD STARK Stark is Chief Engineer at Zaxcom where he has made enduring contributions to the design and development of professional audio technologies used throughout film and television production. He led the engineering design for the Deva portable hard disk recorder. PETER GOTCHER Gotcher cofounded Digidesign with Evan Brooks in 1984 and served as its President, CEO, and Chairman. Digidesign became the world's leading manufacturer of digital audio workstations. After Digidesign was acquired by Avid in January of 1995, he remained as Executive Vice President of Avid until 1996. He currently serves as Chairman of Dolby Laboratories. EVAN BROOKS Brooks cofounded Digidrums with Peter Gotcher in 1983, and the company was incorporated in 1984 as Digidesign, Inc. He developed the audio editing software package Sound Designer, and then Sound Tools, the first affordable, professional digital audio workstation, paving the way for the introduction and success of Pro Tools.