How Music Technology Enhances Concert Audio Experiences – Northeastern University

Last year, Shania Twain announced a new album and a subsequent tour, her first in nearly five years. Cue the delight from country pop fans. 

But when you’re shelling out money to see a show this highly anticipated — whether it be the Queen of Country Pop or Taylor Swift — you want to make sure you can hear the music, even if you’re in the nosebleed seats.

That’s where audio techs like Liam Martley come in. The Northeastern University senior spent his spring and summer working on tours like Twain’s, setting up speakers in venues so everyone could enjoy the performances (and get their money’s worth from it).

Martley came to Northeastern with the idea of pursuing cybersecurity, but two years in made the pivot to music technology.

Growing up in Stonington, Connecticut, Martley sang in his school choir. In his spare time, he makes background tracks for friends that he describes as “melodic trap jazzish dance-ish type stuff.” He plays piano and some guitar. He had a music minor. 

So switching to a music technology major made sense.

“It worked nicely for me,” he said. “I’ve always been super passionate about (music). But I didn’t want to go into music just straight up. … I wanted to make sure that I would have some sort of stable career going forward.”