The amazing sonic quality you hear on Acoustic Disc releases can largely be attributed to sound wizard and engineer extraordinaire Dave Dennison. Affectionately known as “Decibel Dave” or “dB,” his touch has been linked to the Dawg sound since the recording of Acoustic Disc’s first release, Dawg 90
Dave’s sound career goes back to his high school days in Olean, NY where he began doing sound for local bands. Later he attended Sierra Nevada College and built a recording studio with donated equipment.
After migrating to the San Francisco Bay Area, dB worked with Gahundza, a band that included Monroe Grisman and Creek Hart, sons of David Grisman and the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart.
Twisting the knobs just the right way led to stints touring with Mickey Hart, The Gyuto Monks, Clarence Clemons, as well as cutting his teeth and running the board with David Grisman at gigs at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall.
His first session with Grisman was as assistant engineer to Tom Anderson on Dawg 90. “It was during this time,” says dB, “that I asked why he and Jerry Garcia didn’t play together anymore. Within that week, I got a call one night to come over and record him and a “buddy.”
Sure enough, I came over, and his “buddy” was Jerry. The magical relationship was rekindled. While working with Grisman during 1989-1995, Dave recorded the Grammy Award-winning album Garcia/Grisman.
Although dB has a successful career at Dawg Studios, there’s more to his story. He is also in charge of taking incoming venue blueprints, and designing complementary speaker arrays for clients of Meyer Sound a Berkeley, Ca based producer of PA loudspeakers and stage monitors.
Dave has also worked as technical director for the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, doing front of house sound. Others who have put him to work include B.B. King and Eddie Van Halen. As for sharing some of his secrets, dB says, “simplicity and mic placement is vital and long live analog.”
dbDave is Currently Meyer Sound’s Technical Support Consultant.
As a live and studio engineer by trade, Dave has accumulated over 18 years of sound mixing experience. While working with Jerry Garcia during 1989-1995, Dave recorded the Grammy Award-winning album Garcia/Grisman with Garcia and mandolinist, David Grisman.
He toured as Audio Engineer with Mickey Hart’s Planet Drum Orchestra, and the Gyuto Monks Tantric Choir and has over 16 albums to his credit.