As much as his career has been characterized by technological innovation, when asked what he’s most proud of, he takes a much different tack: “That, at 70, I’ve had a fairly full life, that I’ve been lucky enough to have children and grandchildren, and that I have basically been a happy person.”
Miller also speaks enthusiastically of the many people he worked with at Stanal who later went on to achieve so much in their own right in audio. “They’re numerous,” he says, “and I’m quite proud of them.”
More than the advances he’s made, more than anything, his relationships with others top the list. Paramount among them, he says, is his ex-wife, Linda, with whom he maintained a close friendship with until her recent passing, his two grown children, and his life partner of 22 years, Thomas Bicanic.
Though Miller sold Stanal in the 1990’s, he only did so when it became an impediment to, rather than an outlet for, innovation. Since, he has continued to push the envelope, ultimately realizing his dream of bringing Diamond’s show to the point of being 100 percent digital on stage and off.
Still Moving Forward
Even after he and Bicanic grew tired of living in LA, relocated full time to the comparatively sleepy town of Big Bear Lake, and purchased the Knickerbocker Mansion in 1998, it’s not as if Miller has slowed down. Although the property had already been converted to a B&B in the 1980s, Miller saw room for improvement.
Correspondingly, the two renovated the property extensively, adding new buildings and a restaurant – providing Bicanic a venue for his talents as a chef, and Miller an opportunity to indulge his passion for pairing fine wines with his partner’s creations.
Even with all of the work to be done at the mansion, Miller doesn’t intend to stop touring or innovating any time soon. He remains as excited about audio as ever, and plans to continue exploring the possibilities computer and tablet based control systems offer for the creation of powerful, virtual work surfaces for sound system design and operation.
“As I told Neil some years ago, as long as he keeps going I’ll try to keep up. I tell people, he rocks and I roll.”