Rate My Professor Matthew Barnes

Matthew Barnes serves as Associate Lecturer and Senior Technical Officer in the School of Music at the Australian National University, within the College of Arts and Social Sciences. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the crossroads of music technology and social science. Barnes holds a Bachelor of Music Technology (BMus Tech) and a Bachelor of Music (Hons) from the Queensland Conservatorium. Prior to joining ANU, he freelanced globally as a recording engineer in studios including Abbey Road Studios in London, as well as in New York and Nashville. A member of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) and certified Pro Tools trainer and operator, Barnes has attended multiple AES Conventions and presented on topics such as dual-output microphones, technique, and recordist agency in collaboration with European microphone manufacturer Austrian Audio.

His academic interests center on music production, microphone technique and recordist agency, and psychology in the recording studio. Notable publications include the conference paper "Dynamic Polar Patterns: Advancing Recordist Agency via Dual-Output Microphones" (2023, co-authored with C. Frank), "The music studio producer-sound engineer: motivator or demotivator" (2023, meeting abstract with S. Walker), "The ANU School of Music Post-Production Suites: Design, Technology, Research, and Pedagogy" (2019, with S. Bennett), and "The ANU school of music recording studios: Design, technology, research and pedagogy" (2017, with S. Bennett). He also contributed to the non-textual work "Living Poems of the Sea" (2025, with S. Walker, L. Chan, M. Farrell, C. Sainsbury, and others). At ANU, Barnes acts as Course Convener and Lecturer for Advanced Music Recording and Post-Production Techniques (MUSI3330) and Music Performance 1 (MUSI1101). He coordinates the Song to Studio program as Tutor in the Community Music Centre and serves as Technical Service Coordinator, supporting music technology facilities, research, and pedagogy.