Adams—a musician who played in a local band—was pulled to more artistic pursuits. But poor career prospects and a lack of job security left him doubtful.
That is when he decided to enroll in Humboldt State’s general music studies program. “It allowed me to meld my two favorite subjects—music and science,” he says.
Not long after enrolling in HSU’s music program, Adams was hired as an audio engineer and lighting advisor for C. Crane Company, a local electronics manufacturer. While there, Adams was part of a team that created C. Crane Company’s latest audio product line, Senta.
Last month, C. Crane Company released the Senta Ally, a Bluetooth speaker that Adams helped design and build. The 10-ounce portable device streams audio via Bluetooth from mobile phones, laptops, MP3 players and other Bluetooth enabled devices.
Adams says the concept inspiration came one day after seeing HSU students listen to an old stereo on the art quad. “It made me think, ‘You know what would be cool? One of those portable speakers.’ ”
The entire process—from the initial concept to product release—took a year and a half. He says one of the best parts was collaborating with colleagues at C. Crane and seeking advice from music professors Brian Post and Nicholas Lambson.
“You would think electronics design and music would be completely unrelated fields,” he says, “but my professors had a lot of really good advice that helped me better understand acoustics and music perception,” he says.
This fall, Adams will begin a graduate degree in music technology at the University of Akron in Ohio. Eventually, he would like to pursue a PhD in music cognition.
“I was always hounding my professors and asking them a lot of questions about music and sound perception,” Adams says. “They opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities and set me on a path toward greater knowledge,” he says. “It just speaks to the quality of HSU.”
For more on the Senta Ally, visit C. Crane Company’s website at ccrane.com.