About

Mercer M. Aplin

Portrait of Mercer M. Aplin.
Mercer M. Aplin · Chicago, IL

Mercer Aplin draws from a strong background in live event management, theatrical sound design, and audio production to inform his current audio-video system designs. He spent nearly a decade at Threshold Acoustics in Chicago, contributing to more than 150 projects with significant design responsibility on over fifty — in the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada. He now brings that practice into the classroom as Clinical Assistant Professor of Audio Technology at Purdue University.

§ Academic record

Education

MFA, Theatre Design and Production — Audio Technology
Purdue University · 2011–2014
BFA, Theater Design Technology
University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point · 2007–2011
§ Professional record

Appointments

Clinical Assistant Professor of Practice — Audio Technology
Purdue University · 2024 – Present
Senior Audio Video Consultant
Threshold Acoustics · 2022 – 2024
Audio Video Consultant
Threshold Acoustics · 2015 – 2022
Staff Audio Engineer
Baltimore Center Stage · 2014 – 2015
Head Audio Engineer
Theatre Aspen · 2013 – 2014
Graduate Assistant — Audio Technician
Hall of Music Productions, Purdue · 2011 – 2014
§ Awards

Honors

2014 USITT Robert E. Cohen Sound Achievement Award — Medea

Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival — Excellence in Sound Design (Region III), Never The Sinner — advanced to National Competition

§ Industry

Certifications

QSC Q-SYS — Level 1

Audinate Dante — Levels 1–3

§ Competencies

Areas of Practice

Immersive audio: L-Acoustics L-ISA, Meyer Sound Spacemap Go, d&b Soundscape

Production networks: Dante / AES67, Q-LAN, AVB / Milan, NDI, Extron NAV, Crestron NVX, SDVoE

Documentation & modeling: AutoCAD, Revit, VectorWorks

Prediction & measurement: Smaart, MAPP 3D, d&b ArrayCalc, L-Acoustics Soundvision

Playback & post: QLab, MOTU Digital Performer, Logic Pro