als disease
Ned Mann, who is unable to speak and is paralyzed from the neck down as a result of ALS, spent six months mixing and mastering a two-CD set of music for an ALS Society fundraiser. He used a special computer program operated by movements of his head to produce the CD’s music.
Making tracks despite fighting ALS
Undaunted by effects of disease, musician Ned Mann finds a way to follow his passion
DEL MAR — Ned Mann ?always used his head to make music as a prominent jazz and pop bassist, recording engineer and producer in the 1990s. Now, 11 years after being stricken with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) ?— the debilitating neuromuscular condition known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” — he is again making music with his head. Literally.
No longer able to talk, walk, stand or use his hands and arms, Mann expertly handled all audio mixing and postproduction work on the new album “Finding My Way Home — Help Ned Fight ALS.” He mixed the two-CD release, a remarkable labor of love that benefits the nonprofit ALS Society, completely on his own, using state-of-the-art technology.
