AES News

Stanford University’s Music Engagement Research Initiative (MERI) is conducting a study on music collaboration during the Covid-19 pandemic. If you are a music creator (performer, songwriter, composer, arranger, producer, or engineer), are 18 years of age or older, and are fluent in English, you may be eligible to participate.

In this study, we will ask you to fill out a survey, which should take between 30 minutes and an hour. This survey will ask about the following topics:
 

• Your musical practice, style, and inspirations;
• How you collaborate with other musi creators; and
• How you use technologies like social media to make music.

If you are willing, you may also be asked to take part in a recorded video interview, which will cover the same topics as in the survey. The interview will take around an hour.

If you want, you can enter a raffle for one of 50 Amazon gift cards of $10 each. This raffle will be conducted by the research team in Palo Alto, California, 3 days after the survey is closed. Participation in the study is not required to participate in the raffle. You can enter the raffle if you do not start or complete the study task. Your chance of winning a prize is about 1 in 50, and the winners will be notified by email immediately and provided with information on how to receive the prize.

If you’d like to participate, you can find the survey at this link: https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5bwLqwXA6aEjPsV. If you have any questions, please email Noah Fram at [email protected].

— Chowning will detail sound spatialization and synthesis innovations from his 50-plus years of research and development in the industry —

Each AES Convention brings together a worldwide collective of the greatest minds, technologies, and innovations in audio engineering and related fields. The Audio Engineering Society has announced that FM synthesis pioneer John Chowning will deliver the Heyser Memorial Lecture “Realizing a Dream, a Discovery, and Lissajous Figures” at the AES Show Fall 2020 Convention, expounding on his 50-plus years of research on audio spatialization techniques and applications, as well as his inspirations and favorite discoveries over his career. This AES Show Special Event will take place on Tuesday, October 27, at 1:00pm EDT.

Following critical breakthroughs in sound localization and spatialization, inspiration from composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Kontakte, and the acoustic and perceptual research of Jean-Claude Risset, Chowning went on to discover the FM synthesis algorithm in 1967. The following year he went on to program the first generalized surround sound localization algorithm, which he further developed while at Stanford University, where Chowning taught computer-sound synthesis and composition at the University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) from 1964 until 1996. Stanford patented and licensed the algorithm to Yamaha in 1973, where it became the most successful synthesis engine in the history of electroacoustic instruments, being used the Yamaha DX-7 and other widely popular instruments and processors. Since his retirement, Chowning has continued his research related to his own musical compositions.

“While studying music in Paris in 1959,” Chowning shares in the abstract of his talk, “I heard electronic music composed for four loudspeakers surrounding the audience — what today we refer to as ‘quad.’ One of the compositions I heard or heard about was Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Kontakte, in which he created sounds that moved around the audience. He fixed four microphones at the corners of a square table with his electronic sounds emitting from a rotating loudspeaker at the table’s center to produce this effect. Struck by the feeling of space in this quad format, I imagined composing sounds that could move freely in more complicated paths, changing in azimuth and distance as an addition to the traditional parameters of music – pitch, loudness, and timbre.” 

Creating music for playback on loudspeakers became a fascination for Chowning. With further inspiration from a paper from Science, “The Digital Computer as a Musical Instrument” by Max Mathews, and the realization of spectrally complex stereo imaging on LP phonograph recordings in 1964, Chowning dove into computer-based sound creation with a goal of developing music in a quadraphonic sound space. Though he’d never seen a computer and had no background in technology, Chowning dove into a decades-long journey into spatial sound synthesis. His talk will follow his progression of discovery, including the role of reverb in the process. He will conclude by answering the question: “Why do Lissajous figures (named after the 19th century French physicist) have anything to do with moving sound sources?” through sharing what he says are “convincing sound synchronous animations that demonstrate their [Lissajous figures] improbable association with spatialization.” 

Visit AESShow.com to find out more about Special Events, the AES Show Fall 2020 Convention Technical Program, our Partner Showcase, and much more happening during Audio Engineering Month. Free AES Show 2020 Showcase registration is open to all who register before October 1. Showcase registration will remain free for AES Members, while non-members can register for just $25, or for free with a VIP promo code from one of the AES Show Partners. For everything AES Show 2020 has to offer, including the comprehensive Technical Program, All Access Registration starts at just $149. 

Visit AESShow.com for more information and to Register Now.

— The perennially popular Broadcast and Online Delivery Track once again brings the latest technologies and applications into focus including the latest in media networking, virtual online delivery systems and microphone disinfection, while celebrating the rich history of the industry and its impact in broadcasting’s 100th year —

With the recent, vast increase in online and broadcast delivery of a near limitless array of information, entertainment, and social information, the AES Show Fall 2020 Convention’s Broadcast and Online Delivery Track will examine key technologies and applications while taking a look back at broadcast history and a look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead. 

Of utmost importance in professional broadcast applications is the embrace of current and emerging productivity-enhancing standards and developing a working knowledge of their inner workings for the best possible performance and interoperability within the global broadcast realm. The session “Practical Tips for Using Digital Audio in a 2110 Facility” will offer in-depth expertise on IP Architecture and the SMPTE ST 2110 media networking protocol, of which the Audio Engineering Society’s AES3 and AES67 standards are key components, as well as related technologies and workflows. In this featured Broadcast and Online Delivery Track event, moderator Andy Butler (PBS) will host Wesley D. Simpson (Telecom Product Consulting), Robert Welch (Technical Solutions Lead, Arista Networks) and Peter Wharton (Principal Consultant, Happy Robotz, Inc.) to share their tips for media networking success and respond to your toughest questions in the follow-up Q&A.

Track sessions of historical importance include “Pass the Mic,” which will celebrate this year’s 100th anniversary of radio broadcasting and its innovations with host John Holt, and “A Century of Radio: What You May Not Know About the History of Broadcasting,” in which presenters Donna Halper (Associate Professor of Communication & Media Studies at Lesley University, Cambridge MA) and Barry Mishkind (Editor/Publisher of the Broadcasters’ Desktop Resource) will share surprising facts about broadcast history and dispel some of the myths perpetuated throughout the industry.

Microphone hygiene and podcast production are timely topics to be closely examined in the presentations: “Stay Safe: Disinfecting Microphones in the time of Covid-19” with presenter David Prentice and “Podcasts: Telling Stories with Sound” with Rob Byers of American Public Media. Byers will host panelists from Revel: sound designer/composers Jim Briggs and Fernando Arruda, as well as podcast series reporter/producers Laura Starecheski and Ike Sriskandarajah. In addition, two compelling virtual tours will be conducted in the sessions “A Virtual Tour and Discussion: BBC Broadcasting House Studio” led by Jamie Laundon and “A Virtual Tour and Discussion: BBC Wales - Cardiff Central Square IP-based Broadcast Facility” with Adrian Wisbey.

“Even though we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of broadcasting, everything is new,” states AES Show Broadcast and Online Delivery Track chair David Bialik, now in his 36th year of capably curating the Convention’s perennially popular Broadcast Track and events. “The pandemic has added new parameters to getting broadcasts out. With all information out there on the ST-2110 media networking standard being adopted by broadcasters, I find it amazing that there’s so much for so many to learn. The AES Show 2020 Broadcast and Online Delivery Track will explore today’s critical issues, visit showcase facilities and recall the history of how we got to where we are through a deep and diverse list of sessions that promise to educate and fascinate.”
 

Visit AESShow.com to find out more about additional Broadcast and Online Delivery Track sessions, Special Events, our Partner Showcase, and much more happening during Audio Engineering Month. Free AES Show 2020 Showcase registration is open to all who register before October 1. Showcase registration will remain free for AES Members, while non-members can register for just $25, or for free with a VIP promo code from one of the AES Show Partners. For everything AES Show 2020 has to offer, including the comprehensive Technical Program, All Access Registration starts at just $149. 

Visit AESShow.com for more information and to Register Now.

The Audio Engineering Society’s Board of Governors (BoG) has elected Brecht De Man to assume the role of AES Director beginning January 1, 2021. Currently serving as a Governor of the AES, De Man has held various roles within the Society and continues to work as a sound engineer, educator, and member of the AES Education Committee. De Man will replace Alex Case (Past President and Membership Committee Chair) as one of two BoG-elected Directors and will serve on the Board of Directors through December 31, 2022.

AES President Agnieszka Roginska stated “Dr. Brecht De Man's contributions to AES leadership on the Board of Governors and within its committees have been noteworthy and appreciated, evidenced by his election as Director by the Board of Governors. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we welcome Brecht and look forward to working even closer with him! Brecht is taking over the position on the Board of Directors held by Prof. Alex Case, whose term is coming to an end. We are truly grateful to Prof. Case for his leadership, wisdom, and humor.”

“The AES has been a huge part of my audio life, from student to professional,” states De Man.  “My involvement at the section level through to my current position as an AES Governor has been a way to give back to the organization that has given me so much. I am honored to have been elected by the Board of Governors as a Director. I look forward to helping ensure the Society's viability going into the post-pandemic future and to aid in refining and expanding its service to our diverse membership.”

De Man holds a PhD in Audio Engineering from Queen Mary University of London's Centre for Digital Music (supported in part by the AES Educational Foundation), and an MSc and BSc in Electronic Engineering from the University of Ghent, Belgium. He has published, presented and patented research on the perception of recording and mixing engineering, intelligent audio effects, and the analysis of music production practices at AES conventions and conferences, as well as the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society. De Man first took an active role in the AES as Chair of the then-dormant London UK Student Section, helping its membership to increase tenfold. He also (vice) chaired several editions of the flagship student event 'Up Your Output!' and was Student Representative on the British Section's Executive Committee. As elected Chair of the AES Student Delegate Assembly (SDA) he organized the student track at four conventions and represented the 4,000+ AES Student Members across the globe. Since concluding his term, he has been Vice Chair of the AES Education Committee, overseeing the SDA and introducing a system of institutional memory, a remix competition, and a MATLAB plugin design competition. Most recently, he was instrumental in the revival of the Belgian Section as Chair. De Man also sits on a number of Technical Committees and has organized and participated in several AES convention workshops, as well as continuing his work for the company which he founded, Semantic Audio Labs. 

Find out more about the current AES officers and committees at aes.org/about/leadership.

The newly formed Audio Product Education Institute (APEI), an initiative of the Audio Engineering Society (AES), will host a three-day Product Development Symposium as part of the online events of AES Show Fall 2020. Moving the AES Show online has unbound time and place restrictions, allowing the expansion across all of October, now dubbed Audio Engineering Month. This has further made it possible for the traditional Convention Product Development Track to expand into a full AES Symposium format prior to the Convention’s Technical Program. The sessions are scheduled for October 14, 15 and 16. All Access registration for AES Show Fall 2020 is required to attend the Product Development Symposium, available now at AESShow.com. 

Across the three days, multiple sessions will expand from the AES Product Development Track, as the Audio Product Education Institute will promote and illuminate the methodologies, practices and technologies involved in developing and bringing audio products to market, spanning the APEI’s six educational pillars: Interactive Voice and DSP; Supply Chain and Sourcing; Modeling and Measurement; Product Management; Automotive Audio; and Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

The Symposium’s sessions will be chaired and presented by experienced audio product professionals who are experts in each field, and are recommended for those seeking to increase their skills and understanding of what it takes to launch successful audio products. Acoustics, electronics, DSP, software engineering, and product and marketing management will all be addressed through a real-world perspective. A detailed schedule will be available on the APEI and AESShow.com websites soon.

APEI will be offering sponsorship opportunities that provide access to a large audience of product development professionals. There are multiple media and content inclusions in the program available based on the sponsorship level. Please contact [email protected] for details.

APEI is continuously looking for presenters for future events. If you would like to participate, please contact [email protected] to learn more. For more information, please visit audioproducteducationinstitute.org. 

Visit AESShow.com for more information and to Register Now.

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— Leading the world in audio engineering science and education, the AES has re-launched its updated AES Live: Videos site, upgraded for maximum searchability and user experience —

The Audio Engineering Society has announced an exciting update to its AES Live: Videos portal. Extending the content and functionality of the extensive library of video and streaming media presentations gathered from years of AES conventions and conferences, oral history projects, the AES Legends video series, and more – with new videos being produced and uploaded year-round – the new AES Live: Videos portal offers AES members over 365 videos of exclusive content in over 30 browsable categories, in a newly redesigned format designed around the user. The AES’s home for exclusive streamable media, AES Live: Videos delivers rich, quality content from the leading thinkers and practitioners in audio. Links and search options guide viewers easily to videos on their topics of interest and let them explore and discover tantalizing content across the breadth of the audio arts and sciences.

Access to the AES Live: Videos portal is a benefit that is shared by all AES Members, offering deep insights experiences on topics of interest to the audio engineering community and beyond. Painstakingly categorized and tagged, the videos in the library, which span back over 30 years, capture candid stories from many pioneers in the audio industry, as well as topical, timely and timeless educational sessions including workshops, tutorials, and more.

“With 32 topical categories including Recording and Production, Live Sound, Immersive and Spatial Audio, Game Audio and XR, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, Archiving and Restoration, Audio for Cinema and Theater and Audio Networking, this rich member resource truly has something for everyone,” stated AES Director and Membership Committee Chair Alex Case. “The new AES Live: Videos library contains enough videos to offer a new way to connect with the Audio Engineering Society every day of the year – and that’s just the start. We are reviewing new videos and materials on a regular basis to upload to the site and will continue to enhance the portal in support of the AES’s mission to promote advances in audio and disseminate new knowledge and research in a format with great appeal to the YouTube generation. We invite each one of you to join us and spend some time clicking around. You’ll find familiar faces, captivating stories and amazing insights inside AES Live: Videos.” 

The AES Live: Videos library can be easily accessed through the AES.org home page. Non-members can freely explore the portal and sample portions of each video. along with an abundance of audio resources and ways to be a part of the AES community and events. Access is available now for AES Members, and current non-members can join for as little as $125 ($50 for currently enrolled students).

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— Join the AES for our next-in-series Audio Product Education Institute event designed for those seeking to increase their skills and understanding of what it takes to launch successful audio products —

New York, NY, October 13, 2020 — From initial concept to realized production and end-user utilization, product design and manufacture underline the continued technological advances and application in the pro audio industry. The AES Show Fall 2020 Convention will closely examine all aspects of these disciplines with AES’s Audio Product Education Institute (AEPI) Product Development Symposium, October 14 – 16, taking place as part of the AES Audio Engineering Month event series. Sponsored by APEI Symposium Partners COMSOL, DSP Concepts, JJR Acoustics, Menlo Scientific, and Sequent, each multi-session day will promote and illuminate the methodologies, practices and technologies involved in developing and bringing audio products to market, spanning the APEI’s six educational pillars: Interactive Voice and DSP; Supply Chain and Sourcing; Modeling and Measurement; Product Management; Automotive Audio; and Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. The AES Show APEI Symposium is free for AES Show All Access registrants.

The Symposium begins with “Product Management: What It Is and Why You Can’t Live Without It,” an overview of product management, its value, and the role of the product manager, presented by JJ Rorie of Sequent Learning Networks. Scott Leslie, Audio Product Education Institute (APEI) Chair, will present a workshop targeted to current and future product managers, engineering managers, development engineers, manufacturing engineers, and supply chain personal titled “Product Management Modeling.” Further sessions on day one cover topics in the field of Modeling and Measurement, along with two sessions dedicated to product development in the Automotive Audio realm.

Day two takes a closer look at Supply Chain Sourcing with the sessions “Exploring and Expanding Options for Audio Sourcing,” presented by Mike Klasco of Menlo Scientific, and “Understanding Your Supply Chain – A Global Perspective” with Dave Lindberg from DB Enterprises. Modeling and Measurement, along with Automotive Audio topics, again take the spotlight for a series of sessions including “Audio Test and Measurement Tips and Tricks – What You Won’t Find in a Book” and “Testing Voice-Controlled & Smartphone Integrated Infotainment Systems.” The afternoon concludes with a lesson in Interactive Voice and DSP technologies in “Everything You Wanted to Know About Wake Words,” presented by Jeff Rogers, Co-Founder of Sensory. 

Real-world stories of product successes and failures open up day three in the session “Product Management – Do’s and Don’ts (Separating the Best From the Rest),” presented by Steven Haines of Sequent Learning Networks, followed by two sessions focusing again on Interactive Voice and DSP: “Demystifying Beamformers” and “Intelligent Sensing with Piezoelectric Microphones.” Further sessions to close out the day include “Reinventing Speaker Manufacturing in the U.S.” and a final two sessions focusing on AI and Machine Learning: “Commercializing AI-driven Audio Products” and “Delivering Scalable AI-based Processing for Dolby.io.”

Find out more about the AES Show APEI Symposium schedule of events, presenter bios, and more, as well as the full slate of AES Show Fall 2020 Audio Engineering Month events, including the Partner and Exhibitor Showcase, Student and Career events and the world-renowned AES Show Technical Program at AESShow.com. Free AES Show 2020 Showcase registration is open to all AES Members as a member benefit, or complimentary for others with a VIP promo code from one of the AES Show Partners. All Access Registration is just $149 for AES Members ($99 for AES Student Members) and $274 for non-members – the latter including one year of AES membership and benefits.

Register Now at AESShow.com

— Industry leaders and luminaries bring timely and technical insights to AES Show attendees —

With the AES Show Fall 2020 Convention coming up in October, newly announced Technical Program details showcase a variety of sessions covering both audio science and research, as well as topical discussions of key issues in the audio industry. Now in its expanded, virtual format, as Audio Engineering Month the AES Show 2020 offers attendees their own in-house convention, hosting the big names, brands, and networking that attendees have enjoyed in our in-person conventions, with additional new and innovative presentation formats offering a unique experience.

Several recently added sessions have been announced to the AES Show Technical Program. GRAMMY®-winning producer, engineer and mixer Vance Powell will detail some of his most successful mixing and recording techniques with the session “Behind the Mix,” hosted by AES Recording and Production Track co-chair Peter Doell. Powell is a familiar face and popular presenter at AES conventions and is due to offer an insightful and entertaining look at some of the techniques he uses in the studio. Doell further delves into the recording workflows taking place in these uncertain times with the session “Post-COVID Recording Challenges” with guest Warren Huart. While many in the industry have found mounting challenges with online interaction, live streaming, apps, and other technologies, this session aims to examine these issues, while also taking into account the success of those who have found the pandemic has helped streamline their process.  

The AES Show will also look into the complexities and opportunities facing much of our industry and beyond, through several topical and current events-related offerings. “Unlocking the Control Room: Equity Achievements in Audio” will take a look a recent international survey, taken in partnership with AES, which showed that women who work in recording studios experience more microaggressions than those who work in STEM academia. In this session, panelists Amandine Pras, Grace Brooks, Kat Young, Daniel Fox, Mary Mazurek, and Eliot Bates will host an open dialog based on the achievements of AES members who have applied their expertise to prompt actions towards equity in the industry. Examining other current disruptions to ideal industry and educational output, the workshop “The Day School Came Home” will host educators Jim Anderson, Alex Case, Agnieszka Roginska and Alex Ruthmann for a hands-on report on how their concepts of teaching audio theory, mixing, music performance, critical listening, and immersive audio changed to an online university approach within days in March 2020. 

Shifting to the importance of audio in video productions and services, “Are We in Sync? Audio for Video in Classical Music Production” brings together Alex Kosiorek, Benjamin Maas, Roberto Toledo, David Frost, Mark Schubin and John Kerswell to discuss how audio engineers are often performing dual roles in audio and video production, having to understand the importance of artistic temperament while addressing technical considerations for a successful event. “Music Technology in Live Performance” further looks at some of the ways that music technology is incorporated into a live context, assessing the various aspects of using hardware and software to plan and deliver performance from the studio to stage.

AES Show Fall 2020 Convention registration, including four full weeks of live and streaming tech program content, live Q&A’s, networking, and more, is just $149 for AES Members and $274 for non-members – the latter including one year of AES membership and benefits – through the end of August. AES Student Members receive a further discount, taking registration down to only $99 for the entire month of programming. Visit AESShow.com to find out more and Register Now! 

Visit AESShow.com for more information and to Register Now.

— Annual grants and scholarships help fund educational path of promising students in the audio engineering field —

The Audio Engineering Society Educational Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the AES Educational Grants for Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Audio Engineering for 2020. The announcement was made by the new AES Educational Foundation president, Jim Anderson, who took office earlier this year. The Board of the Audio Engineering Society Educational Foundation is pleased to name the scholarship awardees for the academic year 2020/2021:

Audio Precision Tom Kite Advancing Audio Scholarship – Hyunjoung Yang, attending University of Miami, Frost School of Music, Coral Gables, FL, USA

Dolby Institute Scholarship – Jacob Melchi, attending University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA

Genelec’s Ilpo Martikainen Audio Visionary Scholarship – Braden Carei, attending Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

L-Acoustics’ Dr. Christian Heil Future of Sound Scholarship – Dora Filipovic, attending University of Surrey, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Surrey, England

PMC Sound for the Future Scholarship – Ausma Lace, attending McGill University Schulich School of Music, Montreal, Canada

Emil Torick Award – Andrew Bohman, attending the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

John Eargle Award – Matthew Cheshire, attending Birmingham City University, Birmingham, England

Bruce Swedien Scholarship – Mie Hirschfield, attending McGill University Schulich School of Music, Montreal, Canada

Larry Estrin Scholarship – Anthony Hunt, attending University of York, York, England

Mary Lea Simpson Memorial Scholarship – Téa Mottolese, attending Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

AES Educational Foundation Scholarship – Bartlomiej Chojnacki, attending AGH University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland

AES Educational Foundation Scholarship – Alexander Dobson, attending McGill University Schulich School of Music, Montreal, Canada

AES Educational Foundation Scholarship – Ayla Favati, attending New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York, New York, USA

AES Educational Foundation Scholarship – Claudia Nader Jaime, attending University of York, York, England

AES Educational Foundation Scholarship – Julian Neri, attending McGill University Schulich School of Music, Montreal, Canada

AES Educational Foundation Scholarship – Ben Payne, attending University of Plymouth, School of Humanities and Performing Arts, Plymouth, England

AES Educational Foundation Scholarship – Daniela Pardo Quintana, attending Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogota, Columbia

AES Educational Foundation Scholarship – Kathleen Zhang, attending McGill University Schulich School of Music, Montreal, Canada

The AES Educational Foundation receives support from individual benefactors and companies that support education in audio, including in-memoriam contributions. Application forms and additional information are available from the Audio Engineering Society, 551 Fifth Ave., Suite 1225, New York, NY 10176, USA, or on its web site: www.aes.org/education/foundation/.

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There’s still time to register for the AES Show AoIP Summit, coming up on Tuesday, October 13 as part of our Audio Engineering Month events series. This summit will highlight applications and solutions provided by increasingly adopted AoIP technologies, including the latest information on industry standards and trends. Add-on registration for the AoIP Summit starts at $25 for AES Members already registered for the AES Show. Special thanks to our AES Show AoIP Summit partners AIMS, Audinate/Dante, Digigram RME, Focusrite Pro, L-Acoustics, NTP Technology, OCA Alliance, Ravenna, and Sweetwater. More information and registration available here.

Register Now at AESShow.com

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