Scroll down and take a quick trip down memory lane.
SynAudCon was founded by Don and Carolyn Davis.
Upon their retirement in 1995, Pat and Brenda Brown took over the reins.
Brenda and Pat Brown, Carolyn and Don Davis
A legacy built on principles. A foundation that continues today.
It all began in 1973 with founders Don and Carolyn Davis. The sheer scale of their accomplishments is hard to quantify—over 10,000 audio professionals passed through their iconic seminars, absorbing principles that fundamentally reshaped how sound systems were designed and installed. Their groundbreaking curriculum did more than educate; it inspired an entire generation of practitioners to launch new companies, pioneer revolutionary products, and establish the technical standards of modern pro audio.
50+ Years. One Unwavering Philosophy.
A Mobile Classroom for Pro Audio
Packing their customized motor rig with state-of-the-art audio gear, test equipment, and textbooks, Don and Carolyn Davis took audio education directly to the people. They crisscrossed the United States, delivering hundreds of hands-on seminars and laying the technical groundwork for modern sound system design wherever they stopped.
Don Davis in the Classroom
Don was a master educator who kept every student completely engaged. As shown by the array of test gear and system components on the table, Don knew that true comprehension requires seeing principles in action. Students didn’t just listen to lectures—they left every seminar challenged, inspired, and equipped to solve real problems.
Curiosity in Action: Interactive Classroom Demos.
Learning sound reinforcement wasn’t a passive experience at SynAudCon. The curious, focused expressions on these students’ faces says they were there to learn.
A Driven Educator at Work
For Don Davis, teaching wasn’t just a career—it was a lifelong passion. Scenes like this were a common occurrence across the country: intense focus and an unwavering commitment to making complex principles accessible to every technician and engineer in the room.
Don has authored several books:
Sound System Engineering 1st edition
Sound System Engineering, 2nd edition
Sound System Engineering, 3rd edition co-authored with Dr Gene Patronis
Sound System Engineering, 4th edition co-authored with Dr. Gene Patronis and Pat Brown
If Bad Sound was Fatal, Audio Would be the Leading Cause of Death
Handbook of Sound Engineers – contributing author.
The class materials included
Sound System Engineering, written by Don Davis, known by many as the audio bible.
The large thick manual, slide-rules, HP calculator and member newsletters.
Don and Carolyn taught at many prestigious events and traveled worldwide giving their seminars.
This picture was taken at the World’s Fair in Moscow (1959).
Fostering Industry Collaboration – Hosted Many Workshops
SynAudCon has always been more than a school—it’s a gathering place for the brightest minds in audio. Don and Carolyn routinely hosted specialized workshops, bringing together legendary engineers, manufacturers, and researchers to share breakthroughs and debate emerging technologies.
This event was the Concert Sound Reinforcement Workshop – Orange, CA.
A Legacy of Collaborative Wisdom
Don Davis understood that no single person holds all the answers. He actively sought out collaboration with scientists, physicists, and engineers, recognizing that true innovation happens when great minds exchange ideas. This continuous appetite for shared knowledge defined SynAudCon’s foundational curriculum and remains central to our teaching methodology today.
Dick Heyser and Don Davis – April 1979
Ken Wahrenbrock and Don Davis
Don Davis and Dr. Gene Patronis
You may recognize some well-known faces in these graduating classes.
Taken in 1984. Help me name these gentleman. Here are a few:
Left to Right:?, ?, JT King, Al Grundy, Don Davis, ?, ?, ?, Russ Berger, Don Eger, Dave Andrews, Jim Brown, ?,?,Phil Clark, Howard King,?, Ray Rayburn,
In 1992, Pat Brown and Fred Frederick installed five sound systems in a gymnasium.
Pat said it was 100 degree weather with no AC. The goal of the workshop was to compared the systems in similar acoustical conditions.
Speech intelligibility was especially of interest at the time.
Help me name these gentleman. Here are a few:
Top Row Left to Right: ?, Larry Walburg, ?, Akira Mochimaru, Ron Bennett, John Murray, Don Eger, Don Davis.
Middle Row Left to Right: Jay Mitchell, Tony Faranda, Don Van Oort, Peter Mapp, ?, Dave Andrews, Ernie Pence, Frank Ostrander, Harro Heinz.
Bottom Row Left to Right: Don Heavener, ?, Bruce Olson, Jim Bumgarder, ?, Deward Timothy, Wolfgang Ahnert.
Unfortunately Pat and Fred are not in the photo.
The Indiana Farm Era
After nearly 15 years of travel in their motor home delivering seminars across the country, Don and Carolyn settled at their farm in Norman, Indiana. Transforming the farmhouse into an intimate training center, they hosted smaller seminars. These “Farm Seminars” quickly became legendary in the pro audio world—offering students an unhurried, immersive environment to master complex acoustic principles, build lifelong industry connections, and experience the warm hospitality that defined the Davis family.
One of Don’s famous quotes.
In Loving Memory: Don & Carolyn Davis
Our dear Don and Carolyn are no longer with us.
Don and Carolyn in front of their Indiana home. In their retirement years on their quiet Indiana farm, they lived surrounded by nature, animals, and a community that they enjoyed.
Don lived life with unyielding enthusiasm right to the end—even purchasing a new Porsche at age 90. Their brilliance, passion, and spirit of adventure continue to inspire thousands of audio professionals around the world every single day.
A cherished moment captured on Don Davis’s 94th birthday on September 3, 2022, alongside Pat and Brenda Brown
On April 2, 2019, Carolyn went to her heavenly home. On November 14, 2022, Don was reunited with his beloved Carolyn. While we mourn their loss, we take comfort in imagining their joyful reunion.
Upon Don and Carolyn’s retirement in 1995, they passed the torch to Pat and Brenda Brown. A new chapter begins.
Pat Brown mentored by Don Davis
Before taking the helm of SynAudCon, Pat Brown spent three pivotal years under the mentorship of Don Davis. Serving as a guest instructor at the iconic Indiana farmhouse seminars from 1992 to 1995, Pat absorbed Don’s unique teaching philosophy, mastering the art of demystifying complex physics through live demonstration. This hands-on mentorship ensured a seamless transition when Pat and Brenda assumed leadership in 1995.
Carrying the Legacy Forward: Hundreds of Seminars Worldwide
Taking over the reins in 1996, Pat and Brenda Brown continued the tradition of extensive touring, hosting hundreds of public, in-person seminars across the globe. Like Don before him, Pat proved to be a gifted educator with a rare ability to keep attendees completely engaged—turning dense mathematical concepts and theory into intuitive, practical insights that technicians could put to work immediately.
Where the Next Era Began: Fall River, MA (September 1995)
Every journey has its first milestone. In September 1995, Pat and Brenda Brown hosted their very first official SynAudCon seminar in Fall River, Massachusetts.
In our beginnings, the seminars were often held at a local farm in southern Indiana.
SynAudCon seminars were always about more than equations and equipment—they were about community. During the farm seminar era in southern Indiana, attendees gathered at a local event center that served up legendary Hoosier hospitality alongside sound reinforcement physics.
Between technical sessions, students bonded over over-the-top home-cooked meals, towering “three-acre” ice cream sundaes, horseshoe tournaments, and pickup basketball games—all set against a backdrop of scenic lakes, roaming ducks, and autumn pumpkins. It was a unique, retreat-style atmosphere where complex audio theory met lifelong industry friendships.
The demos that made SynAudCon seminars so popular continued.
The live demonstrations that made SynAudCon seminars legendary continue to define our training. Attendees have always loved Pat’s signature “drive-the-point-home” demos—where complex physics and electrical behavior aren’t just explained on a whiteboard, but brought to life with real-world demonstrations.
Evolving with Technology: The Touring Trailer Era
As pro audio rapidly transitioned into digital signal processing and advanced measurement tools, Pat Brown made sure SynAudCon’s demonstrations stayed on the cutting edge. To transport the growing array of specialized test equipment, measurement gear, and loudspeakers required for the demonstrations, we traded the classic motor home for a touring trailer.
SynAudCon seminars extended beyond the classroom.
Most seminars included a field trip to a local venue or theater. With the tour, Pat often reinforced the principles taught in the classroom.
This class held at Messiah college visited two theaters with variable acoustics.
They had the opportunity to listen to a speech track as the acoustics changed. The importance of good acoustics became real to this group.
Pat also demonstrated how to collect room impulse responses (RIR).
The Industry Met at the Table
Sit-down meals were an essential tradition at every SynAudCon seminar. Attendees gathered around the table to recharge, swap field stories, and exchange ideas.
Lifelong friendships were forged, innovative ideas were born, and unforgettable memories were made over great food and great conversation.
SynAudCon’s Workshops continued under Pat and Brenda.
Under Pat and Brenda’s leadership, SynAudCon expanded its legacy of advanced workshops by bringing in top subject matter experts to teach on topics of interest.
Frequently drawing sold-out crowds of premier audio professionals, these events became key gathering events for the AV community.
A prime example was a double-workshop hosted at the American Airlines Training and Conference Center in Dallas, Texas—focusing on the critical disciplines of Making Wireless Work and Speech Intelligibility.
Worldwide Educational Impact
Continuing SynAudCon’s mission on an international stage, Pat and Brenda had the privilege of bringing audio training to sound professionals around the world.
SynAudCon instruction spanned 20 countries—including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, England, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Jordan, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, and the UAE.
Pictured below: Live seminar in Brazil, Thailand, and China.
Trusted by Prestigious Companies: Private Corporate Seminars
Beyond public seminars, SynAudCon was repeatedly commissioned to deliver custom, on-site training to world-leading institutions, theme parks, government bodies, and top audio manufacturers. Trusted to train elite technical teams worldwide, prominent clients included:
Entertainment & Theme Parks: Disneyland, Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and Opryland Entertainment.
Government & Military: Kennedy Space Center, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and the House of Commons (Ottawa).
Higher Education & Manufacturing: University of British Columbia, Purdue University, Biamp, Bose, Audio-Technica, QSC, Shure and others.
Teaching Beyond
Pat’s passion for teaching mirrored Don’s. For Pat, class breaks weren’t a time to step away—they were an opportunity to connect. Picture here is how Pat spent almost every break: surrounded by eager attendees at the front of the room, clarifying complex physics, and answering individual questions until the next session began.
The Secret to Keeping Seminars on Schedule
Running a live seminar takes seamless teamwork—and occasionally a little non-verbal communication. Captured here is a classic SynAudCon moment: Pat receiving the famous “wife look” from Brenda.
While Pat was always eager to dive deeper into one more topic, Brenda kept the schedule tight and the event running like clockwork.
A Beginning of a New Chapter – Online Training
In 2010, SynAudCon launched a new chapter in audio education with the release of its very first online training course. Today, that catalog has grown to a comprehensive suite of 12 online courses designed for modern AV professionals.
What makes SynAudCon online training globally renowned is our signature multi-media approach. We don’t just stream lectures; we curate the precise combination of high-resolution diagrams, dynamic animations, intuitive analogies, and interactive scenarios needed to make complex acoustic physics instantly click.
Adapting to a Changing World
In March 2020, the global Covid lockdowns altered the educational landscape. For nearly two years, travel was discouraged and many lost interest in traveling. In-person training was no longer financially profitable.
Our online training immediately became an indispensable lifeline for audio professionals worldwide seeking to sharpen their skills from home. Today, SynAudCon continues to set the global standard for brand-agnostic audio education—delivering world-class training whenever and wherever technicians need it.
Archival Photo: Final live seminar in Oklahoma City, OK – November 2019.
53 Years & Counting: Thank You to Our Global Community
As SynAudCon celebrates its 53rd anniversary, we extend our deepest gratitude to the thousands of graduates and audio professionals around the world who have made this journey possible. Thank you for your passion, your trust, and your commitment to excellence. Here’s to the memories behind us and the future of sound ahead!
A personal VM from Don Davis.
“Thank you for posting this. You made this old gentleman have a happy day. Love you both.”
Congratulations to Pat and Brenda for taking Syn-Aud-Con to 48 years of exceptional, unparalleled training in our industry. Being old enough to have seen Don and Carolyn in action, (and they were great!), I must say, Pat Brenda took it to new and technologically amazing heights. From a monochrome CRT on a cart to an unbelievable, interactive audio-visual experience! But more importantly, the human nature of both in making a student feel engaged, desired, and gaining knowledge with every interaction. Your contribution has been invaluable. Thank you! Unfortunately, you will never be allowed to retire, if we have our way… jk.
Wayne L.
I was at one of the Farm Classes in Indiana. Pat assisted Don as an instructor.
When I heard that Pat and Brenda were taking over for Don and Carolyn, I knew the right choice had been made.
To say Syn-Aud-Con has likely changed the trajectory of my career would be an understatement. SAC connected me with my first audio manufacturing boss who hired an aspiring loudspeaker designer after meeting me at one of the design seminars. And it has connected me with some of the sharpest folks in the audio industry.
And like others have pointed out, Pat and Brenda have continued the knowledge and teaching of Syn-Aud-Con, but as importantly the spirit and heart of it as well. We are all smarter if we meet with others, exchange ideas, and work together.
Amazing job Pat and Brenda!
Best Regards,
Glen F.
Years ago, I was hired as a systems designer specifically because they saw that I had taken a Syn-Aud-Con class. That’s the level of respect that Syn-Aud-Con’s education has earned.
Well done.
Tom K.
The best part of being older is the one thing you have to offer, knowledge and it is the most valuable commodity, especially in todays world! Thank you for giving me a huge library of wonderful thoughts, ideas and amazing knowledge which would not be available anywhere else, I will be forever grateful!! Much love from Nashville
I just spent way too long looking through the timeline/history photo collection. That was great, thanks!
Steve D.
Love that mug!
Michael L.
Thank you Brenda for that email. Loved it and offer my whole hearted congratlulations for the anniversary. However, I am most grateful that you two have carried on the mantle for a very important role in this industry! All the best as you carry forward!
Don P.
Thanks for sharing this. Great stuff.
I once attended and operated a Don Davis installed system in Bellflower. When I was the audio lead at Chapman I helped and hosted about four of the Concert Sound classes. The memorable ones were the year we had the big earthquake. And another year Soundcraft sent a console with no power supply. HAHA
Devin D.
Very cool to see, thank you for taking the time to put this together and sharing it! 😊
Greg K.
Loved This!
Dean S.
Loved the pictures and the funky hair styles! You and Pat have touched many people. Pat has shared his knowledge to many.
We are the benefactors. Thanks for sharing.
Steve V.
I would not be where I am today were it not for the patient leading of Don and Carolyn, and now, you and Pat Brown!
Russ O.
I truly enjoyed reading this and seeing all the photos! Congratulations on 48 years and many more to come!
Sherri B.
Loved looking at this! Great job! What a wonderful trip it has been for you two! Congratulations!
Wanda M.
Congrat”s Brenda and Pat, good job…
Jose G.
Nice trip down memory lane.
Bill R.
What a fun trip down memory lane with your Company Timeline this morning!
Thank you for sharing! Wishing you and Pat the best.
Gary D.
I first heard about SAC in the early ’90s and was so happy(and still am!) when
I signed up for the forum, and later classes.
So much learned, so much more to learn, from a remarkably wide and deep
number of perspectives on a broad variety of questions.
And that’s just the forum!
Add the concise clarity of the classes and, well, a great learning platform!
Weogo R.
I did find one of the classes on the farm I
attended in the newsletter Vol 17, Number 1 Oct 1989. We got to hear the EV
deltamax and listen to Helmuth Kolbe.
One of the best learning experience of my life.
Keep up the good work Pat & Brenda.
Trooper H.
Brenda, what a fantastic walk down memory lane! Looks great and nicely done.
Chris H.
I remember meeting Don and Carolyn for the first time at an NSCA just after graduating. Don said that I had chosen excellent majors (physics and mathematics) for this industry, which at the time I’d never intended to enter. While in my teens I’d been sent to Altec seminars by my father and worked with some of the earliest system design software (running on a HP handheld with the sliding magnetic strip reader).
By 1989 I was already in the business and my father knew we needed an extra edge and bought me a seat in class with Carolyn and Don (no disrespect, but in that order). SYN-AUD-CON was for me, and in the best possible sense, an indoctrination to always getting it right and understanding why!
To this day I’ve never encountered competitors (larger or smaller) who can match overall, what we deliver. I’m more than honored to have the history that I have in our industry and you are more a part of it than you know.
Don P.
Congratulations on keeping this amazing group of worldwide intelligence together. I am always learning something new, you can’t beat the people here and the knowledge they are willing to share.
May the Lord continue to bless you.
Ed O.
It’s so amusing the see the young faces and styles of many people that I only know met in person years later.
Howard Q.
Thanks for compiling that, Brenda. It was fun to find myself flanked by Carolyn and Dave Andrews.
If I remember correctly, that was at “The Twenty” workshop and might have been at Las Vegas Studios owned by Chips Davis. We were probably trying to take in the effects of his LEDE studio.
Anyway, I’ve probably browsed through the photos 5 or 6 times now, seeing many friends and many I wish I knew better from the SynAudCon “Heard”.
Dick T.
It was very enjoyable to see all of these photos.
Bruce H.
Congratulations!!!!
It’s a hard won battle these days but so worth it! You both are truly great people and credit to this industry. So many more……………
Catherine S.
Congratulations you two!
You make a great team and it’s so nice to have a good source for unbiased information.
Glen A.