Ray Dolby to receive Swartz award

I can still remember the first time I listened to a recording through a playback system that had Dolby sound woven into its circuitry.

The cassette player hissed away until this magic button was pushed. Of course, some of the high end disappeared with the unwanted material in the upper frequency range. But, the trade off, as I recall, seemed worthwhile!

Ray Dolby, who lent his name to the company that has made major contributions to the advancement of audio, will receive the Charles S. Swartz Award in a ceremony to be held at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on Nov. 1, 2012.

“The HPA is honored to recognize Ray Dolby, whose lifetime of creative innovation has had a profound impact on our industry and society," said Leon Silverman, President of the Hollywood Post Alliance. "Through his own contributions to image and sound recording technology, and through the company he founded, Ray has played and continues to play a fundamental role in countless hours of entertainment enjoyed by audiences around the globe.

"His accomplishments epitomize the reason that the Charles S. Swartz award was created.”