AES News

More Information

— AES@NAMM once again brings high-end, professional education for live sound, recording and audio for the performing arts to Anaheim —

The Audio Engineering Society has opened registration for AES@NAMM Pro Sound Symposium: Live & Studio 2019. The AES returns to Anaheim, CA, for its four-day international symposium, January 24 – 27, in conjunction with The 2019 NAMM Show at the NAMM U Education Center on the 4th floor of the Anaheim Hilton. 

Building on last year’s inaugural event, AES@NAMM will host a series of training academies and related technical sessions provided by a dedicated team of topical specialists and experts. This creates a unique learning format that will appeal to audio professionals and aspiring audio pros. The list of expert presenters includes live sound professionals Robert Scovill, Dave Rat, Dave Shadoan and Ike Zimbel, and studio production professionals Andrew Scheps, Sylvia Massy, Gavin Lurssen, Reuben Cohen and Ron McMaster. The organizers for this year’s AES@NAMM program, also industry leaders, are Mark Frink, Program Director & Manager, Live Sound content; Charlie Hughes, Manager, Scientific & Technical content; and Bobby Owsinski, Manager, Studio Recording content. 

New for AES@NAMM 2019 are the Microphone Academy: Studio & Live on Friday and Saturday, January 25 and 26, and the Digital Audio Networking Academy, taking place all four days. Back by popular demand from last year’s event are the Line Array Loudspeaker System Academy, Live Mixing Console Academy, Entertainment Wireless Academy, In-Ear Monitoring Academy, Control Room Academy, Main Stage: Studio, and Main Stage: Live, as well as a series of Sound System Measurement & Optimization sessions.

“AES@NAMM is an opportunity to expand your knowledge and skills in an intimate classroom setting,” notes Frink. “The presenters for the second annual AES@NAMM Pro Sound Symposium: Live and Studio are some of the best minds in the business, and the program content is tailored to take maximum advantage of their knowledge and experience. For instance, in the new Microphone Academy, Dave Rat will lead a session on double miking, while ‘Coach’ Connor takes us on tour with Paul Simon. The Digital Audio Networking Academy will include Dante Level 2 certification and feature sessions spanning network ownership, AVB, MADI, AES67 and AES70 with presenters including Ethan Wetzell from Bosch and OCA, Yamaha’s Patrick Kilianey and QSC’s Bob Lee.”

Sound Symposium Supporters – manufacturers providing resources for AES@NAMM 2019 – include leading brands Allen & Heath, Alteros, Applied Electronics, Audinate, Auralex Acoustics, Bose Professional, d&b audiotechnik, dB Technologies, DPA Microphones, iSEMcon, KLANG, Lectrosonics, My Mix, Powersoft, Rational Acoustics, RME, Royer Labs, SCHOEPS, Sensaphonics, Studio Six Digital, Townsend Labs, Ultimate Ears, VUE Audiotechnik, Waves and Yamaha Commercial Audio.

The full AES@NAMM Pro Sound Symposium: Live and Studio schedule and registration details are available online now at aesatnamm.com, including significant advance registration and AES member discounts. Attendees can register for all four days or for individual days, with separate registration available to ensure seating for the hands-on sessions in the Line Array Loudspeaker System and Live Mixing Console Academies. 

While AES@NAMM attendees do not need a NAMM Show badge to participate in AES@NAMM or to access sessions onsite, our attendees, members and colleagues are invariably eager to also attend The NAMM Show. The Audio Engineering Society’s special arrangement with NAMM lets individuals obtain a separate NAMM Show Badge for the exclusive discounted price of only $25 through January 9, 2019. Visit namm.org/thenammshow/2019/badges to register. Click “Register for an attendee badge” and enter promo code “AES@NAMM” at the top of the contact information page in your Attendee Profile.

AES@NAMM Access Passes do not include registration for The 2019 NAMM Show and vice versa; separate registration is required for each event. 

To learn more about The NAMM Show and AES@NAMM sessions, please visit namm.org/thenammshow/2019/events/education/aes.

Visit AESatNAMM.com for complete registration and program information for AES@NAMM Pro Sound Symposium: Live & Studio 2019. 

— This year’s theme, “Make Audio Matter,” set the tone for presentations and events hosted by industry professionals —

Audio product research and development are among the leading factors driving the field of audio engineering innovation, and, as in recent years, the AES Convention’s Product Development Track offered four full days of Technical Program workshops reflecting the state of innovation in audio. This year’s theme “Make Audio Matter” provided focus on the importance of audio across several industries and disciplines, and a showcase for the science and magic of what goes into great products. These sessions, open to AES New York 2018 All Access attendees at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, October 17 – 20, hosted an eager audience of those wishing to expand their knowledge in these areas.

“This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Product Development Track at AES.... an education track targeted at the audio product development community,” stated Scott Leslie, AES New York 2018 Product Development Track Chair. “Our goal from the beginning was to help design-engineers, product managers, engineering leadership, supply chain professionals and others to become more successful in bringing great products to market.” 

Leslie continues, “Each year the Product Development Track has a theme, and this year it was ‘Make Audio Matter.’ We had workshops that addressed both sides of ‘matter,’ as in both ‘Where can we make audio more important in any product,’ and ‘what is the “atomic” matter that goes into products today?’ We had two sessions this year led by Mike Klasco, including ‘Next Generation Materials for Audio Products.’ Deep learning was another type of ‘matter’ in two workshops presented on DSP Friday, both standing-room-only. Also on Friday, we had Paul Beckman’s workshop on the topic ‘Voice Input: What Is the Magic and What's Next?,’which addressed the hottest segment in audio products today – the conveniences offered by the likes of Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Microsoft Cortana-based products.”

The Product Development Track at AES Conventions is committed to addressing all areas of product development. This year’s program included sessions on Product Development methods, legal topics, product quality and more. New technologies in loudspeaker processing, Bluetooth and acoustic measurements were also presented. Additionally, Dr. Wolfgang Klippel's session on hardware and software in modern loudspeakers gave a glimpse at the future of loudspeaker design. 

Audio hardware engineer Ananth Raghavendra commented on his experience at the AES New York Convention: “The Product Development Track organized this year at AES New York was highly insightful and practically useful to me, as I work in audio hardware development. Some key topics I found extremely useful were ‘Power Amplification for High Resolution Audio’ by John Dawson, ‘Audio Weaver usage in microphone and playback paths’ from Paul Beckmann, all of Wolfgang Klippel's talks and the glimpse into advancements in material science by Michael Klasco. The insightful component I got out of it all was the one-on-one conversations between the audience and speakers, in addition to the slides presented. When this is organized again next year, I will definitely be there! AES’s Technical Program in general is a great place to learn if you are even marginally working in audio. You will surround yourself with sheer brilliance and realize that there is way more to learn and enjoy as you attend every year!”

“We have been working hard to broaden our audience reach, and this year we had workshops covering the consumer, automotive and pro products segments,” Leslie adds. “There is an ever-growing number of product development professionals in the audio world today, and we strive to make AES Product Development Track at our conventions the destination for learning, participating and networking for all of them. This year we had more audience participation than ever, thanks in part to our very popular interactive workshop format, which resulted in energetic discussions into the depth of the topics presented.”

For complete details on the AES New York 2018 International Convention and Product Development Track, visit aes.org/events/145. All papers and eBriefs presented at the AES New York Convention are also available in the AES E-Library.

- The AES makes its first trip to Dublin, Ireland, for its 146th International Convention, set to “Excite Your Ears” as the preeminent European pro audio event of the year - 

The AES has announced the organizing committee and keynote address for the upcoming AES Dublin Convention, taking place March 20 – 23, 2019, at the Convention Centre in Dublin, Ireland. Featuring four days of dedicated pro audio presentations and events overseen by co-chairs Ben Kok, Mariana Lopez and Enda Bates, the Convention will include such highlights as a Keynote Speech on "Inclusive Sonic Interactions” by Stefania Serafin, professor in sonic interaction design at Aalborg University; hundreds of Technical Program presentations covering all things audio; and three days of the Professional Audio Showcase sessions and audio hardware and software displays and demonstrations.

The theme of the Convention – “Excite Your Ears” – will be  supported by a host of Special Events, exhibition floor event stages and a myriad of opportunities to learn from – and network and interact with – audio pros from around the world.

Forming the core knowledge base of the AES, and at the heart of every AES Convention, the four day Technical Program will feature a variety of ways to listen, learn and connect with the leading minds in audio through Technical Papers, eBriefs, Workshops, Tutorials and other presentations. Papers co-chairs Jamie Angus and Róisín Loughran are calling for volunteer reviewers for Papers in their area of expertise in an effort to broaden the reviewer base in both quantity and diversity. 

Joining the AES Dublin 2019 Convention Committee to craft additional elements of the Technical Program are Workshop & Tutorials Co-chairs Jimmy Eadie, Magdalena Piotrowska and Ana Monte, along with Technical Tours Chair Fiona Smyth. Working to facilitate the technical infrastructure for the Convention and staffing are Facilities Chair Andrew Hines and Student Volunteer Co-chairs Claudia Nader Jaime and Malachy Ronan.  

The Call for Contributions for Convention Papers and Workshops is open and proposals are being accepted until November 19 and eBriefs until January 7. All Papers and eBriefs are made available through the AES E-Library to AES members as a member benefit, and via subscription to universities and other research institutions.

The AES Dublin convention will be Europe’s preeminent professional audio education and networking event of 2019, featuring hundreds of ways to interact with peers and professionals in the fields of Broadcast Audio, Studio and Home Recording, Post-Production and Sound for Picture, Networked Audio, Live Events, Games Audio, VR/AR/XR and much more. A variety of student activities, a career fair and other networking events provide a way for anyone to be a part of action, at whatever stage of their audio engineering journey.

For the latest information on the AES Dublin Convention, the call for contributions and more, visit www.aes.org/events/146/.

— Unique partnership between Facebook and the Audio Engineering Society provided hands-on training on Facebook 360 Spatial Workstation Tools —

The AES hosted two immersive half-day sessions on Facebook 360 media production during the AES New York 2018 Convention. Covering the end-to-end workflow for spatial audio design and asset preparation of 360 and 180 immersive videos using Facebook 360 Spatial Workstation tools, the nearly sold-out events were led by Facebook Product Manager Abesh Thakur and Latin GRAMMY Award-winning mastering engineer and AES Past President Andres Mayo.

“I’m really grateful to AES and especially Andres Mayo and Jonathan Wyner for creating this opportunity,” states Thakur. “Spatial audio production for VR is a nuanced art, and although there are a few production tools in the market, the ecosystem is in its infancy, and a lot of very experienced sound designers still spend a good amount of time researching tools, workflows and platform capabilities. This workshop was a great opportunity for Facebook to showcase some of the aspects of getting up and running with the basics of spatial audio production to create immersive content. It was very useful to meet all the attendees who showed great interest in learning and embarking on promising projects. I hope we can see some fantastic content in the wild that will benefit VR consumers.”

Armed with laptops, headphones and supplied asset files to provide real-time hands-on immersion, an audience of pre-registered attendees eagerly participated in each half-day session. The topics for this first-of-its-kind AES Convention training event ranged from an overview of spatial audio and its importance in immersive videos, to formats, standards and basic production setups. The sessions also included experiential, hands-on learning.

Mayo adds, “The Facebook 360 event was an amazing experience for all of us, presenters and attendees. It was truly the first time that we could have three-hour-long hands-on workshops at an AES Convention. It opens up a new world of possibilities for high-tech companies to show their tools and teach how to use them. Where? At the AES show, of course!”

For complete information on educational workshops and presentations at the AES New York 2018 Convention, visit aesshow.com.

The Journal of the Audio Engineering Society — the official publication of the AES — is the only peer-reviewed journal devoted exclusively to audio technology. Published 10 times each year, it is available to all AES members and subscribers.

The Journal contains state-of-the-art technical papers and engineering reports; feature articles covering timely topics; pre and post reports of AES conventions and other society activities; news from AES sections around the world; Standards and Education Committee work; membership news, patents, new products, and newsworthy developments in the field of audio.

AES Members can download the latest editionn in the AES E-Library at http://www.aes.org/journal/

— Over 300 brands were represented on the AES New York Convention exhibition floor, including over 35 new exhibitors —

 New York, NY, November 6, 2018 — The recent AES New York 2018 Convention, held October 17 – 20 at the Javits Center in New York City, provided a wide array of chances to listen, learn and connect with audio engineering professionals from around the world. A perennial highlight drawing a packed crowd of attendees of all backgrounds and skill levels was the sprawling Exhibition Floor, where over 300 brands of audio equipment manufacturers and service providers were showcased alongside a wealth of free-to-attend events. 

Proving to be not only the education and peer networking event of the year for audio engineers, producers, students and professionals from all audio industry specialties, AES Conventions also provide an invaluable resource for exhibitors and sponsors to reach those end users and industry influencers through a variety of innovative opportunities and events.

“SSL is one of the only console manufacturers in the world that is active in the Studio, Live and Broadcast industries. We always look forward to AES in NY, as it is guaranteed to deliver a great turnout across all segments of our business,” said Piers Plaskitt, CEO of Solid State Logic, Inc. “2018 was no exception, and we were busy right through the last hour on day three. Throughout the show we had a queue of people waiting to audition Fusion, our all-analog stereo outboard processor that we launched at the show, and it got great reviews from the Studio and Live markets. We are looking forward to October 2019 for the next AES NY.”

Universal Audio’s Erica McDaniel, Dir. Of Industry Partnerships & Events, states, “AES is a great way to connect with the core of professional audio recording and a great platform to launch new products that serve this community best. When considering our needs for introducing the new Apollo X Audio Interface, exhibiting at AES New York was without a doubt the best way to accomplish our goals.”

John Monitto, Meyer Sound's Director of Business Development and Sales Manager, Northeast, stated, “This past AES convention at Javits Center in New York drew some of the top audio professionals who we value as a manufacturer. The convention was well attended by those professionals who visited the exhibit booths, demo rooms and the workshop sessions.  Meyer Sound featured a two-channel and 5.1 listening room with our newly patented Bluehorn System, which received a high level of traffic and very positive comments. We were also proud that our co-founder, President and CEO John Meyer, was honored as the Richard C. Heyser Memorial Lecturer."

Mick Olesh, Waves EVP of Sales & Marketing, comments, “Waves experienced a great and valuable show at AES. In addition to the successful revealing of our new Abbey Road TG Mastering Chain plugin and networking SoundGrid servers and host, the vast attendance at our booth for our artist presentations, together with face-to-face meetings with our users and business colleagues, are a vital and fundamental element of our strategy and workflow.” 

Producer/Engineer (and regular attendee of AES Conventions) Russ Long sums it up, saying, “Once again the AES New York convention was an outstanding event. The mood was positive across the board, and it was reflected when I spoke to fellow attendees, visited exhibitor’s booths and demo rooms and attended seminars. It’s exciting to me that after working in this industry for three decades, the AES show is one of the few times I still feel like a kid in a toy store. There are so many fantastic technological developments happening in the audio world, and it’s exciting to have the opportunity to learn about them in single location in just a few days. Highlights of the many impressive products I saw include Audio-Technica’s new wireless system, the SSL Fusion analog stereo bus processor, Yamaha’s Rivage software update (that adds Theatre Mode!), Triad-Orbit’s Starbird mic stand (and their growing list of stand accessories), the Zylia ZM-1 spatial sound microphone, and Rupert Neve Design’s 5211 dual mic preamp - and that’s just the beginning!”

For complete list of exhibitors and sponsors, presenter list, technical program details and more, visit aesshow.com.

The AES looks ahead to 2019, when it will host the 146th AES International Convention in Dublin, Ireland, March 20–23, and its return to New York for the 147th AES International Convention, October 16–19, 2019.  

For complete details on the AES New York 2018 International Convention visit aesshow.com.

October 31, 2018 is the anniversary of a landmark event in U.S. broadcast history. In an exclusive and historic AES New York 2018 Convention event, the presentation the “80th Anniversary of The Mercury Theater’s ‘The War of the Worlds’” was hosted by New York Public Radio on October 19 at New York City broadcast venue, The Green Space. Video of the event is now available online on the AES YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/76ZjJnf8nWw

The event featured Frank Beacham, who worked with “War of the Worlds” director and narrator Orson Welles, discussing the dramatic tricks he used to turn the broadcast into a compelling and believable drama. The event included recordings of the behind-the-scenes story in the CBS Studio that frantic night. Further, SueMedia's Sue Zizza and David Shinn along with the HEAR Now Festival and Voicescapes Audio Theater produced and performed live recreations and interpretations from “The War of the Worlds” alongside playback of the newly remastered recording of the original broadcast, and discussion of the initial reactions to the 1938 broadcast by audience members and the public.

For more details about the event visit http://www.aes.org/events/145/broadcast/?ID=6264 

Celebrating decades of professional audio leadership in its 70^th anniversary year, the Audio Engineering Society raised the bar yet again with its 145th International Convention, the place to be to celebrate and experience the past, present and future of audio engineering technologies and techniques. Contrary to typical event patterns, for the second year in a row in New York City, the Convention’s exhibition floor was still packed at closing time – the Jacob Javits Center staff had to plead for a cleared hall with attendees who did not want their experience to end.

The three days of gear and services exhibition showed the latest innovations from over 300 brands, including 37 new exhibitors – some returning after periods of absence to embrace the renewed enthusiasm of exhibition attendees. These exhibitors included leading brands such as Dell, Sound Devices, Universal Audio, Apogee, Riedel, Zoom, Meyer Sound, Wisycom, Western Electric, Roland, MAGIX and more. Near 14,000 registrants kept the AES New York 2018 exhibition floor bustling, further bolstered by attendees from the co-located NAB New York Show who visited AES to connect and learn about audio.

Alongside the exhibition, the four days of in-depth presentations and insights from the most influential names in professional audio in the October 17-20 Technical Program at AES New York 2018 offered an array of ways to listen, learn and connect with the heart of the professional audio industry, from hundreds of scientific research presentations to technology demonstrations, onstage panels and interviews offering exclusive behind-the-scenes details covering the complete spectrum of audio production. 

“The excitement of the attendees of AES New York 2018 was evident at every turn across the four days of the Convention,” noted Convention Co-Chair Jonathan Wyner. “Time and again we heard how attendees were moved, motivated and educated by the unparalleled Technical Program content. Exhibitors were enthusiastic about the opportunities the Exhibition offered to connect with their customers. AES New York 2018 brought new diversity and innovations – I look forward to seeing more in 2019.”

The Technical Program, built by the team of audio experts assembled and led by AES New York 2018 Co-chairs Paul Gallo, Valerie Tyler and Wyner, also offered a variety of feature presentations, including opening remarks from AES President David Scheirman; the lively and entertaining Keynote address by musician, technologist and educator Thomas Dolby during the Opening Ceremonies; a candid on-stage and in-character discussion with Derek Smalls (“formerly of the band formerly known as Spinal Tap”); and the Heyser Lecture given by sound reinforcement pioneer John Meyer. 

Convention Co-Chair Tyler notes, “We are extremely grateful to our Track chairs and Convention committee members who put together the program and events this year, dedicating their expertise and an enormous amount of time and effort to give life to the convention. In addition, we’d like to thank the amazing and dedicated AES HQ staff, as well as the outstanding presenters and attendees who make the convention possible every year. The 145th AES International Convention has proven once again that there’s no better experience for audio professionals of today and tomorrow than the Audio Engineering Society.”

Attendees and featured presenters at this year’s show included Stevie Wonder, guitarist/songwriter Danny Kortchmar, renowned bassist Will Lee and legendary engineers/producers Al Schmitt, Bob Ludwig, Prince Charles Alexander, Chuck Ainlay, Jeff Balding, Frank Filipetti, Leslie Ann Jones, George Massenburg, Elliot Scheiner, Chris and Tom Lord-Alge, Marcella “Ms. Lago” Araica, Michael Brauer, Andrew Scheps, Tony Maserati, Joe Chiccarelli, Jack Joseph Puig, Piper Payne, Jimmy Douglass, Greg Wells, CJ Vanston and more.

The AES looks ahead to 2019, when it will host the 146^th AES International Convention in Dublin, Ireland, March 20–23, and its return to New York for the 147^th AES International Convention, October 16–19, 2019.  

For complete details on the AES New York 2018 International Convention visit aesshow.com.