AES News

— The Audio Engineering Society’s first Audio Product Education Institute event will address real-world experiences in Voice Integrated Product Development with the theme “Successful Smart Speakers and Voice-Enabled Products” —

"Today, some of the most sophisticated voice processing is already in our pockets. Smartphone production numbers are hard to beat in the consumer electronics industry,” says Mike Klasco, CEO, Menlo Scientific, and committee member of the Audio Product Education Institute (APEI), a new Audio Engineering Society initiative. “This fiercely competitive market is driving continuous product design improvements, but many companies are also repeating many painful mistakes and are forced to re-learn audio fundamentals long recognized by the audio industry. I’m faced with highly instructive examples of that in my consultancy business,” continues Klasco. In the APEI’s free introductory webinar, the first in its Interactive Voice Con event series and conceived to share real-world experiences in voice integrated product development, Klasco and fellow industry veteran and APEI founding member Paul Beckmann, CTO, DSP Concepts, will share challenges they have faced in developing sophisticated interactive smart speaker products.

Themed “Successful Smart Speakers and Voice-Enabled Products,” the Interactive Voice Con webinar will be held July 9, 4:00PM – 6:00PM Eastern Daylight Time. Topics addressed will cover disciplines in voice-integrated products, from acoustics to microphones, electronics, DSP and output transducers. Free registration for the event is now open at https://tinyurl.com/AES-APEI.

“As voice interfaces expand to new product categories and the smart home,” adds Klasco, “there's a lot to be considered in the audio chain. In my presentation I’ll be addressing some examples of companies that supply key components for successful voice products, illustrated with some examples of vendors that might not be in everyone's radar.” 

Beckmann will be presenting on the theory and practice of building voice-enabled products. “I’ll describe system architecture, design recommendations, expected performance,” he says, “how to select a processor, and pitfalls to avoid in development and production. Attendees will be equipped to add voice to a wide variety of products including smart speakers, appliances, soundbars, TVs, and set-top boxes."

The AES’s newly formed APEI initiative is focused on promoting methodologies, practices and technologies involved in developing and bringing audio products to market. The Interactive Voice Con event is the first in APEI’s roadmap that will address six foundational “pillars” – Voice Integrated Product Development, Supply Chain and Sourcing, Modeling and Measurement, Product Management, The Legal World, and Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

“Even a brand-new initiative like APEI has to change when the world changes. Our original vision of putting on three-day intense training sessions containing labs and lectures as well as sponsor’s exhibit events has been postponed because of COVID-19. We are planning online webinars and online classes for each of our six pillars,” explains Scott Leslie, Chair of APEI, founder and chair of the AES Conventions’ Product Development Track since 2016, and Chief Architect at PD Squared, a product development consulting organization. The AES APEI webinar series will directly appeal to all professionals involved in audio product development, as well as all those integral in product lead, design, production, and supply chain processes. 

To register, visit https://tinyurl.com/AES-APEI.

Learn more about the AES APEI here: audioproducteducationinstitute.org/

Interactive Voice Con Free Webinar

When: July 9, 4:00PM — 6:00PM Eastern Daylight Time

Format: Online streaming from Santa Clara, CA. 

Two 45-minute sessions, plus Q&A after each session.

Registration: Visit https://tinyurl.com/AES-APEI

APEI Presenters:

Paul Beckmann, CTO, DSP Concepts, Santa Clara, California

Link to Bio: https://dspconcepts.com/about/leadership-team

Mike Klasco, APEI Sourcing and Supply Chain Pillar Director and CEO of Menlo Scientific, Richmond, California

Link to Bio: https://www.menloscientific.com/team 

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