Interview with Jack Renner, April 5, 1996

Interview Summary

This is an interview with recording engineer and CEO of Telarc (record label), Jack Renner. Renner describes the start of his career as a recordist for new artists with different record distribution companies. He discusses the way he found other members of Century Custom Recording who were dissatisfied with the policies of the company and how they all decided to form a buying group and break away from Century. He talks about the circumstances that led to him founding Advent Records of Ohio in 1962 and how that company later became Telarc International. Renner discusses the approaches Telarc took to gain international esteem, mostly by developing a digital recording method with Thomas Stockham and recording the Cleveland Winds of the Cleveland Orchestra using this method. He talks about the impact technological developments (particularly the development of the compact disc, popularly known as the CD) had on the recording industry and specifically on Thomas Stockham's company, Soundstream. He discusses the process through which Telarc created their own record distribution company after the compact disc came out.

Renner discusses Telarc's recording methods and the gear that they use when they go into the field to record artists. He goes into a brief history of some of the tools that he employs and discusses which tools and methods he prefers as a recordist/engineer. He talks about some of the recording technology and software that Ken Hamann developed for Telarc Records. He discusses why Telarc has stayed in Cleveland, Ohio instead of moving to a bigger area, such a New York.

Interview Keyword

Telarc Records Recording studios Recording and manufacturing materials Renner, Jack Advent Records of Ohio Orchestras Cleveland Orchestra Mercury Records Recording business Teldec (telefunken-Decca Schallplatten GmbH) Microphones (models) Microphones Records, Kinds of: Long-Playing Stockham, Thomas Digital recording Analog recording Maazel, Lorin

Interview LC Subject

Audio engineering Sound engineering Audio engineers Sound engineers Recording industry Record industry Audio history Sound--History Sound--History--20th Century

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.