The Call for Comment on DRAFT AES69-2020, " AES standard for file exchange – Spatial acoustic data file format " was published 2020-12-08.
Binaural listening is growing fast, because of growing sales in smartphones, tablets and other individual entertainment systems. The lack of a standard for the exchange of head-related transfer functions (HRTF) means each company keeps its binaural capture and rendering algorithms private. 3D audio is arising, and binaural listening could be the very first 3D audio vector with sufficient fidelity of HRTF.
The use of convolution-based reverberation processors in 3D virtual audio environments has grown with the increase in available computing power. Convolution-based reverberators guarantee an authentic and natural listening experience, but also depend on the acoustic quality of the applied spatial room impulse response (SRIR).
With a standardized file format for HRTF and SRIR data, each company can contribute its best algorithms, providing good personalized capture and/or rendering, allowing the consumer to choose a combination of technologies for the best quality of experience.
This document standardizes a file format to exchange space-related acoustic data, such as binaural listening parameters in the form of head related transfer functions. The format is scalable to match the available rendering process and is designed to include source materials from different databases.
Posted: Sunday, December 6, 2020
The AES has launched a survey on AES74 Conformance. This survey will assess the conformance of various media network directory schemes with AES74, the recently-published AES standard that sets forth technical requirements for media network directories and related services.
The survey is based on a downloadable questionnaire that may be filled out by proponents of directory schemes, by AES standards workers, or by a collaboration of the two.
The completed questionnaires will be collated and summarized by AES standards workers. Survey conclusions will be published in an AES Report. AES Reports are non-normative documents that provide information.
The survey will not evaluate, review, or compare directory schemes or their implementations. It will simply report on the AES74 conformance of each.
The results will be of interest to network media equipment manufacturers, to media system designers, and to media company technical architects and strategists.
Proponents of all media network directory schemes, whether public or proprietary, are encouraged to download and complete the survey instrument and forward the results to the AES according to the instructions given in the document.
If you make, use, or know of a directory scheme that should be included, please email [email protected].
The AES Standards Committee has identified a list of well-known directory schemes it believes should be represented in the survey. Members of AES Standards Task Group AES-SC-02-12-N will be explicitly contacting the owners of these schemes to ensure their representation in the final report.
The closing date for completed questionnaire submission is February 28, 2021.
Posted: Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Several reports of the October AES Standards Working Group meetings are now online.
SC-02-01 on Digital Audio Measurement
SC-02-02 on Digital Audio Input/Output interfacing
SC-03-12 on Forensics
SC-04-04 on Microphone Measurement and Characterization
SC-04-08 on Measurement and Equalization of Sound Systems in Rooms
SC-05-02 on Audio Connectors
Additional reports will be posted as they become available.
Posted: Monday, November 2, 2020
The New York AES Convention in October 2020 has been converted to a virtual format as a consequence of the COVID19 pandemic. Therefore the concurrent AES Standards meetings will be online as well.
Since physical attendance is not required, the Standards meetings will not be held on the same dates as the technical sessions. Standards meetings will be held before the technical sessions, to reduce schedule conflicts for attendees.
Since attendees will no longer all be in the same time zone, as happens with physical meetings, the meeting schedule will be different. Meetings will occur over 5 days beginning October 5 with the Plenary session on Saturday October 10. Meetings have been limited to 3 hours in any single day to allow meeting times which span the widest number of waking time zones.
Since all active Task Groups hold regular online meetings, usually biweekly, they will not hold special meetings associated with the online convention.
Posted: Monday, September 7, 2020
The AES has just published a request for comments on an AES74 Conformance Questionnaire.
This questionnaire will be the instrument of an upcoming AES survey of network media directory schemes. The survey will assess the conformance of each scheme with AES74, the recently-published standard requirements specification for media network directories and related services.
The survey will not evaluate, review, or compare directory schemes or their implementations. It will simply report on the AES74 conformance of each.
The survey will be done collaboratively with the proponents of the various schemes surveyed.
The survey's conclusions will be published in an AES report that will be of interest to network media equipment manufacturers, to media system designers, and to media company technical architects and strategists.
The survey aims to be inclusive: If you make, use, or know of a directory scheme that should be included, please inform the AES via email to [email protected].
Comments are invited from anyone. Comments received will be incorporated into the final copy of the questionnaire. Instructions for submitting comments are in the download page.
The closing date for comment submission is September 30, 2020.
Posted: Tuesday, August 18, 2020
The AES Standards Committee is starting a project to update terminology in AES Standards which may be culturally insensitive. Use of the terms "master" and "slave" are specifically being examined, but others may be as well. This is a general issue for all products, systems, architectures, and standards that have used those terms heretofore.
The committee hopes that in due course it can arrive at a uniform replacement that will work gracefully for the majority of cases, to avoid both opposing extremes:
2. having generic but impossibly awkward terms.
The committee welcomes input on this topic. Please address all comments and submissions to the Standards Manager.
Posted: Friday, July 31, 2020
Several reports of the May AES Standards Working Group meetings are now online.
SC-02-01 on Digital Audio Measurement
SC-02-02 on Digital Audio input/output interfacing
SC-03-12 on Forensics
SC-04-04 on Microphone Measurement and Characterization
SC-04-08 on Measurement and Equalization of Sound Systems in Rooms
SC-04-09 on Assessment of Acoustic Annoyance
Posted: Wednesday, July 1, 2020
The AES Standards Sustainer program is a way for companies to financially support the AES Standards Committee activities. Unlike other technical societies with standards programs, the AES does not charge participation fees. The Society believes that a completely open process ultimately produces better and more widely accepted standards. Consequently we depend on other sources of revenue.
In the past year, Standards Sustainer's generous contributions helped fund ongoing Standards activities and our liaison relationships with other societies. It also allowed the AES to launch new standards development projects, including new projects in networked audio, loudspeaker measurement, and the restarting of our standardization efforts in forensic audio. We could not have accomplished these things without that support.
Besides enabling the development of standards that underlie fundamental technology in the audio industry, the program offers significant exposure and valuable marketing / public relations avenues.
Posted: Wednesday, July 1, 2020
The AES SC-03-06 Working Group on Archiving and Restoration is restarting. Nadja Wallaszkovits and Brad McCoy have agreed to be Chair and Vice Chair.
The Working Group addresses the application of digital technologies for media preservation and access. Among the topics covered are strategies for content conversion and migration, content integrity, methods of access and distribution, storage systems and media, formats for preservation and distribution, and metadata and documentation. The working group will take account of the work of other organizations in this and related fields, and will liaise and work in conjunction with them.
Individuals interested in participating in group meetings should contact the Standards Manager at [email protected].
Posted: Wednesday, June 10, 2020
The AES SC-03-12 Working Group on Forensic Audio met online after a multi-year hiatus. Attended by 22 people, the group reviewed progress on project AES-X253. The project is to develop speech collection guidelines for speaker recognition, specifically audio collection at a temporary location. The group reviewed the first draft of the working document.
John Hansen is the interim chair. The group is soliciting permanent Chair and Vice Chair candidates. People interested in serving on the working group or who want to serve as Chair or Vice Chair should contact the Standards Manager at [email protected].
Posted: Wednesday, June 10, 2020
