AES News

Audio Engineering Society President David Scheirman recently gave the keynote speech for the 6th International Symposium on ElectroAcoustic Technologies (ISEAT 2017) in Shenzhen, China, held November 4-5. Scheirman’s speech opened the symposium with the topic “Past, Present, and Future: an Overview of Large-Scale Loudspeakers Arrays” and additionally shared perspectives on the worldwide influence of the AES in the field of audio engineering.

ISEAT has been held every two years since 2007 and was initiated by Professor Shen Yong from Nanjing University, who serves as the chairman of the symposium. Aimed to promote technology exchange and learning in electroacoustics and related fields, ISEAT offers attendees a rich technical program with scientific paper presentations, workshops and tutorials. The symposium lays claim to being the most influential and best-attended technology exchange platform in China’s growing professional audio industry. 

ISEAT 2017 brought together dozens of the most outstanding scientists and engineers in audio science and technology from all over the world. AES leaders and members included Scheirman, Past President Sean Olive, Fellow and silver medal recipient David Griesinger and Fellow and silver medal recipient Wolfgang Klippel. Also in attendance were ASA standards director Christopher Struck; Ning Xiang, associate editor of the JASA; Akira Mochimaru, senior specialist from Bose; and many other experts. More than 50 papers were presented, covering five primary technical topics: consumer electroacoustics, micro electroacoustics, professional electroacoustics, smart electroacoustics and architectural acoustics. Attendees streamed through the doors of lecture halls, with a registration of over 6000. The symposium also invited founders of China’s top companies in the electroacoustics industry, well-known entrepreneurs, the Chairman of the China Entertainment Technology Association, the Chairman of the China Electronic Components Association – electroacoustic device branch, the Chairman of the China Audio Industry Association and other industry leaders.

ISEAT has worked with the Audio Engineering Society for over a decade and has invited a number of AES presidents and recipients of AES awards to give paper presentations at previous symposiums. The event organizers have actively developed a platform for deeper communication with AES, with the Society contributing valuable technical knowledge, while enthusiastically stimulating a cross-organizational technical seminar. After his keynote speech at ISEAT 2017, Scheirman discussed various aspects of AES membership and activities, including member profiles; organization and the resulting influence of AES across the range of professional audio disciplines; career development; community and human networking benefits; events (local, regional and international); and standards and recommended practices. Scheirman outlined upcoming AES events to be held in 2018, including the 144th AES Convention in Milan, the 2018 AES International Conference on Music Induced Hearing Disorders and AES@NAMM. He also spoke about the dissemination of scientific research through the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society and the AES’s E-library, as well as by the AES Technical Council and its various topical committees. Scheirman closed his presentation by thanking Professor Shen for his long-time contribution to the international electroacoustic field, also thanking the symposium staff that had supported the event so successfully. At the same time, he noted that the AES would keep in close contact and maintain in-depth cooperation with ISEAT for further expansion of the Audio Engineering Society’s growing influence in China.