Michael Abbott

Bio:

Michael is a highly experienced Audio Producer & Engineer, Project Manager, and Technical Consultant with over four decades of work across the entertainment, broadcast, and live event industries. He is the founder of All Ears, Inc., a company that provides comprehensive audio services for live television broadcasts, streaming productions, award shows, and major live events. His expertise spans technical management, live broadcast mixing, audio producing, manufacturer consulting, and large-scale project oversight.

Michael began his career in the audio industry during the 1970s with a pioneering company that built portable audio systems for international touring acts, including the Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, and Fleetwood Mac. After twelve years of touring worldwide with a broad range of musical acts, he transitioned in 1984 to providing audio services for live television broadcasts and high-profile special events. Through All Ears, Inc., Michael has been responsible for sound design and mixing for live broadcast programs such as American Idol and The Voice, music mixing for streaming projects, and audio producing for major televised award shows including the Grammy Awards, Academy of Country Music Award and the Country Music Awards. He has provided ongoing consulting to audio manufacturers for product development and evaluation, as well as overseeing large-scale live event audio production.

Michael has played key roles in some of the world’s most significant live and televised events. He was the audio project manager and engineer for the 1984 Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies in Los Angeles. His work has also included the 2002 FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremonies in Seoul, South Korea, and the 2005 National Games of the People’s Republic of China. He contributed to multiple U.S. Presidential Debates from 2008 through 2016 and provided Audio Technical Management for Presidential Inaugural Balls from 1985 to 2017.

His audio expertise has been sought by Fortune 500 companies for product launches, executive conferences, and large-scale special events. In 2009, he conducted a compliance assessment of AV system integration at AT&T Stadium for the Dallas Cowboys. In 2013, he consulted on AV systems at Dodger Stadium for Guggenheim Partners. He has also worked with Universal Studios Post-Production Sound Operations and the Lantana Media Complex on noise management solutions and has provided expert analysis for audio-related litigation on behalf of multiple law firms. In August 2023, Michael was engaged by Archkey, a Minneapolis-based systems integrator, for commissioning on the A/V technical installation at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

Michael is a three-time Grammy Award winner for Sound Mixing, earning awards in 2017, 2018, and 2019. He has received multiple Emmy Award nominations for his work in audio mixing and was honored in January 2024 with an Emmy for Outstanding Audio Mix for a Variety Special for the Disney+ live broadcast of “Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium.”

Michael is a past member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Audio Engineering Society (AES). Currently an active member of the Recording Academy, He holds active union memberships with IATSE.