Arden, North Carolina (August 6, 2024) — Mountain Home Music Company and Crossroads Studios congratulate Scott Barnett and Clay Miller on their nominations for the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Industry Award for Sound Engineer of the Year.

Scott Barnett has recorded, mixed and/or mastered a significant portion of recordings released in the bluegrass genre during the eligibility period, including a number of top charting singles by some of the industry’s most popular artists.

He has been a trailblazer in integrating bluegrass music with the cutting-edge Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio format, highlighting the genre’s rich tones, dynamic range, and exceptional musicianship. As a pioneer in the world of spatial audio, he was among the first to have a Dolby Atmos bluegrass playlist featured on Apple Musicand TIDAL, significantly enhancing the genre’s reach and introducing bluegrass listeners to an immersive audio experience.

“I am truly thrilled to be included in this group of exceptional engineers and extremely thankful to get to work in a genre with such amazing songwriters and musicians,” says Barnett. “Thank you to the International Bluegrass Music Association and the nomination committee for this incredible honor.”

Clay Miller is a mixing engineer and the main tracking engineer for Mountain Home Music Company and Organic Records, and one of the most widely heard in the genre.

Songs he has worked on consistently appear in the top 10 of Bluegrass Today’s radio charts and on streaming platforms’ bluegrass playlists. Clay is known among artists for being an efficient and engaged engineer who can listen to their goals and creatively contribute to realizing them.

“It’s super exciting to be nominated for the Sound Engineer of the Year,” says Miller. “I love being in the studio with all the amazing bluegrass artists I am lucky enough to work with. Playing a role in capturing the magic in the studio and seeing each artist’s different process is something I will never take for granted.”