The Cinema Audio Society has announced the inaugural Jeffrey S. Wexler Award for Advancement in Sound Technology, which honors individuals, companies or products whose innovations have significantly improved existing methods or are so innovative in nature that they have changed how sound is recorded, edited, mixed or delivered.

This year’s award will honor achievements in nonlinear technology for sound recording, editing and mixing. Recipients will be honored at the CAS Awards on March 7 at the Beverly Hilton.

Recipients of the 2026 Jeffrey S. Wexler Award for Advancement in Sound Technology are:
Evan Brooks, who cofounded Digidrums with Peter Gotcher in 1983. The company was incorporated in 1984 as Digidesign. He developed the audio editing software package Sound Designer, and then Sound Tools, an affordable and professional DAW, paving the way for the introduction and success of Pro Tools.

Gotcher co-founded Digidesign with Brooks and served as its president, CEO and chairman. Digidesign became the leading manufacturer of DAWs. After Digidesign was acquired by Avid in January of 1995, Gotcher remained as EVP of Avid until 1996. He currently serves as chairman of Dolby Laboratories.

Glenn Sanders, founder and president of Zaxcom. In the 1990s, he worked closely with Zaxcom’s engineering team to develop the Deva portable digital audio disk recorder, a multi-track, file-based recording system designed for location sound.

Howard Stark, chief engineer at Zaxcom. Stark made enduring contributions to the design and development of professional audio technologies used throughout film and television production. He led the engineering design for the Deva portable hard disk recorder.

The award is named in honor of the late Jeff Wexler, CAS, a revered production mixer, leader, educator and sound professional whose career exemplified both technical excellence and forward-looking innovation. He died on December 9, 2025. His career spanned more than 40 years and included a resume of more than 70 feature films, hundreds of commercials and numerous documentaries. Wexler earned a BAFTA Film Award for Best Sound for Almost Famous, was a two-time Academy Award and CAS Award nominee for his work on The Last Samurai and Independence Day, and was nominated for an Emmy for the HBO film 61*. In 2011, he received the CAS Career Achievement Award.

Wexler was among the first to use digital audio tape (DAT) and was at the forefront of file-based production recorders, which ushered in the next major technical transition in motion picture sound recording and the way virtually all sound is recorded today.

CAS president Peter Kurland notes, “Honoring Jeff with an award that celebrates technological advancement is especially fitting. Throughout his long and deeply respected career, Jeff was always on the cutting edge, embracing new tools, improving established practices and adopting new and better ways of working. Innovation is the foundation of this award, and we are proud to recognize four individuals who embody that same ingenuity. Congratulations Evan, Peter, Glenn and Howard. Your contributions have elevated audio quality and revolutionized the workflow of every sound professional.”

Applications for the 2027 Jeffrey S. Wexler Award will begin early in the second quarter of 2026. Rules, entry guidelines and a detailed timeline will be announced shortly. Applications may be submitted by committee members, CAS members, product manufacturers and individual inventors. Awards may be given to a specific technology, individual or product or to multiple recipients honoring a broader category of contribution.

Main Image: (L-R) Peter Gotcher, Howard Stark, Evan Brooks and Glenn Sanders