Society for Music Production Research (SMPR) – 3rd Annual Conference Society
Producing Music, Producing Knowledge: Practice, Technology, and Culture in Music
Event details
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Venue: University of Huddersfield, UK
Contact information
For enquiries related specifically to the conference, please contact:
Dr Austin Moore
01484 472205
A.P.Moore@hud.ac.uk
For general Events enquiries, please contact:
Events Team: Events@hud.ac.uk
Event Description
The 2026 SMPR Conference, Producing Music, Producing Knowledge: Practice, Technology, and Culture in Music Production, takes place 9–11 September at the University of Huddersfield. The conference theme, Producing Music, Producing Knowledge, addresses the relationship between practice and research in music production: how knowledge is made, shared, and understood within and around the studio. The University of Huddersfield is home to one of the world's largest communities of music production and popular music researchers, and has an established record of hosting major international conferences in the field, including the AES 2023 International Conference on Spatial and Immersive Audio, Dancecult 2023, and Crosstown Traffic 2018, a joint conference organised by IASPM UK&I, ASARP, Dancecult, and ISMMS. SMPR is an international society dedicated to building knowledge and dialogue among practitioners and scholars of music production, spanning creation, technology, pedagogy, aesthetics, and reception.
Conference Structure
The conference will include:
- Parallel paper presentation sessions
- Poster sessions
- Keynote addresses
- Panel discussions and workshops
- Networking opportunities, including a drinks reception and conference dinner
Confirmed so far: an academic keynote from Professor Jan Herbst; a keynote from engineer, producer, and score editor Fiona Cruickshank, a three-time Music Producers Guild Award winner whose credits include Jacob Collier's Djesse Vol. 2, Coldplay's Everyday Life, Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli, Paul Weller's On Sunset and Fat Pop, The National, and The Last Dinner Party's From The Pyre; a mastering workshop with Cicely Balston, whose credits include David Bowie, Ludovico Einaudi, Witch Fever and Charlotte Plank; a spatial audio music production workshop with Hans Martin Buff, who recently won Best Immersive Audio Album at the 2025 GRAMMYs for Peter Gabriel's i/o, and Professor Hyunkook Lee, founder of APL; and a panel discussion on music production and AI featuring Joe Kearns alongside other panellists. Joe is a songwriter and producer whose credits include Ellie Goulding's Brightest Blue, Zara Larsson, Lauv, Griff and many others. He began his career as an engineer at Mark Knopfler's British Grove Studios. Further panels and speakers will be announced shortly.
The full programme will be published in July 2026.
Registration now open
Early-bird rates apply until July 24th, after which normal rates will apply.
Ticket prices
Early‑bird rates
- Student — £99
- Independent / Self‑funded — £198
- Standard — £297
Normal rates
- Student — £125
- Independent / Self‑funded — £245
- Standard — £370
Tickets now available
- Student
- Independent/Self-Funded (freelance practitioners and those not affiliated with an institution)
- Standard Academic
What registration includes
Registration includes daily refreshments, lunch, and the conference social/dinner.
Conference committee
- Austin Moore, Conference Chair, University of Huddersfield — A.P.Moore@hud.ac.uk
- Adam Martin, Programme Chair, University of Huddersfield — A.Martin2@hud.ac.uk
- Andrew Bourbon, Track Chair, University of Huddersfield — A.J.Bourbon@hud.ac.uk
- Gabi Kielich, Track Chair, University of Huddersfield — G.E.Kielich2@hud.ac.uk
- Ivan Mouraviev, Track Chair, University of Huddersfield — I.Mouraviev@hud.ac.uk
- Sangheon Lee, Posters and Demo Chair, University of Huddersfield — S.Lee3@hud.ac.uk
- Mark Wendl, Technical Coordinator, University of Huddersfield — M.Wendl@hud.ac.uk
- Kirk McNally, Advisory Chair, University of Victoria — kmcnally@uvic.ca
Accommodation
We recommend booking early, as September is a busy period in the region.
The following hotels are close to the University of Huddersfield campus:
- Premier Inn Huddersfield Central
- Travelodge Huddersfield
- Cedar Court Hotel
- Fortune Hotel
- Cambridge Hotel
- Briar Court Hotel
- Stay Hotel
- Plover Cottages
Leeds is approximately 15 minutes from Huddersfield by train and offers a wider range of accommodation. Delegates wishing to stay in Leeds will find a number of large hotels within walking distance of Leeds train station. Delegates are welcome to explore other accommodation options to suit their needs and budget.
Getting to Huddersfield
Huddersfield is in West Yorkshire, conveniently located between Leeds and Manchester. The University of Huddersfield is at a 10-min walking distance from the train station.
- Manchester Airport to Huddersfield: there is a fast train service every half an hour, which takes around 50 minutes.
- (The Leeds/Bradford Airport to Huddersfield route: there is no train or direct bus service from the airport to Huddersfield, so this route is not recommended).
- London to Huddersfield: A train journey (from Kings Cross or Euston station) via Leeds or Manchester usually takes around 3 hours.
Tickets now available
- Student
- Independent/Self-Funded (freelance practitioners and those not affiliated with an institution)
- Standard Academic