Once upon a time, Roger Nichols turned his back on a lucrative career as a nuclear engineer, turning audio knobs instead, and the world’s been a better-sounding place ever since. From his decades of work with Steely Dan, John Denver and other artists, Roger proved his production prowess while stretching the limits of technology. When the available gear couldn’t do the job, he’d invent solutions, such as the 1978 Wendel sampling drum computer (the first drum replacement device) or the Rane PaqRat, which transformed a lowly ADAT or DA-88 recorder into a 24-bit mastering deck. And if that wasn’t enough, his Digital Atomics company developed a vacuum desiccation system for tape restoration that offered an alternative to tape baking. Over the years, tracks Roger engineered (such as Donald Fagen’s The Nightfly) became established as standards for speaker demos in audio showrooms and AES booths—in either case, some pretty tough customers.
This article originally came from Mix AudioBites by George Peterson
ROGER NICHOLS NEEDS YOUR HELP | AudioBites
On a personal note, Roger was always a caring and giving person, whether serving on NARAS boards, or volunteering his time to lecture to college students and AES sections. In fact I was convinced Roger into spending a week with me doing production seminars for the audio community in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A little off the beaten track, but Roger was quick to give up his valuable time for the benefit of others. Between his amazing legacy of recorded work (Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, John Denver, Rickie Lee Jones, Take 6, Johnny Winter, Placido Domingo, Roseanne Cash, The Beach Boys and so many more) and his benevolence in helping others, he has given so much to our industry.
Now it’s time we helped HIM out.
>>>You can donate to help Roger via PAYPAL. Any amount, large or small, is appreciated and will make a difference. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
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When not working on MIX stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Click herewww.jenpet.com/ariel.html and check ‘em out.