It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Neil Gilchrist, an early leader in AES Standards development.
Neil joined the BBC after graduating from Manchester University in 1965 with a B.Sc. honors degree in physics and electronic engineering. He was a long-standing Lead Engineer at BBC Research, based at Kingswood Warren. There he worked on broadcast audio, PCM for national radio distribution, and NICAM for television sound. He was a world-renowned expert on audio and was considered to be one of R&D's 'golden ears'.
He participated in the EUREKA 147 (Digital Audio Broadcasting) project, and towards the end of his BBC career led the European ACTS ATLANTIC project to a successful conclusion in its final year. From 1981 to 1996 he represented the UK in the former CCIR, including chairmanship of CCIR Interim Working Party 10/6 (international exchange of sound programs). He represented the BBC on Sub-group V3 (Sound) of the EBU and served on both the AES and the EBU groups, which prepared the specification for the AES/EBU digital audio interface. He left the BBC in 2002 to work as a consultant in audio and broadcasting.
His AES activities have included frequent contributions to papers and workshop sessions at AES conventions and with Christer Grewin of the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation he assembled and edited the AES special publication Collected Papers on Digital Audio Bit-rate Reduction. In 1995 the AES awarded him a Fellowship for "important contributions to digital audio technology and standards activities." Neil was chairman of the AES British Section from 1990 to 1991 and he served as governor on the AES Board from 1999 to 2001 and 2008 to 2009. He served as President of the Society in 2006.
Neil was always an active member of any committee he was part of and was known for being meticulous about detail. He often referred to himself as the "Ship's Lawyer" and could be relied upon to keep things moving in the right direction. He was good company and had a great sense of humor.
In 1967 he married Susan Bixley a professional musician and they had two children Lizzie and Stephen. Neil's great interest in life as well as his family and electronics was music. He was an excellent amateur bassoon player who had been a member of the National Youth Orchestra and occasionally played professionally. Neil played in the Surrey Philharmonic Orchestra and was the orchestra's administrator for many years until his death. Neil was also a keen gardener, particularly growing vegetables and he used his scientific mind to ensure everything was grown to its full potential.
Neil died suddenly from a heart attack, aged 80, on 17 September 2024 while walking to the local shops. He leaves his wife Susan, children Lizzie and Stephen and two grandchildren Charlotte and James.
Posted: Monday, December 30, 2024
