AES Students

1. Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from and what do you study?

   My name is Alex Bohn. I am a Métis Canadian from Calgary, Alberta. I recently graduated from McGill University with a masters of music in Sound Recording. 

2. What initiated your passion for audio? When did it start?

   My passion for audio came around 2011. The group I was in was recording our first album, and I was more interested in process of recording and tracking than I was actually playing the music. From that point on, I got more involved in the technical aspects of music, eventually going to school to really learn.

3. Tell us about the production of your submission. What is the story behind it? What inspired it? How long did you work on it? Was it your first entry?

   This submission was not my first in the recording competition, but was my first nomination as a finalist. I felt this track was a culmination of my growth as an engineer during my studies. The track was recorded as part of a class assignment for myself and the musicians. It was mainly live off the floor with a few overdubs and punches in to correct any issues or mistakes. The production on this track didn’t take too long to get to a place where I was happy, but took time by me continuing to tweak it. 

4. What/Who made you join AES?

   I first joined the AES in about 2013/2014 during my undergrad. Our school had a small audio program but no AES section. A small group of us and our professor started a student section so we could talk about audio engineering, bring in experts to our university, and attend provincial talks/lectures. Thanks to The University of Lethbridge and Thilo Schaller, as well as the talks put on by Theresa Leonard in Alberta.

5. Tell us about your favorite experiences at the 148th AES convention online.

   I think the whole experience and convention was a marvel of people’s skills and ability to adapt. It was extremely impressive the amount of work and effort that must have gone into planning and organizing the convention into an online format. It is marvellous what everyone has accomplished during this conference, and I am glad to even be a part of it in my small way.

1. Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from and what do you study?

   I live in a little town outside of Salzburg, Austria and was born and raised here. At the moment I am in the Bachelor's Degree for Information Technology and Systems Management at the Fachhochschule Salzburg, University for applied Science

2. What initiated your passion for audio? When did it start?

   I was always fascinated by music. My first school had an emphasis on music. When I was 13, my brother gave me music software like Fruity Loops. After getting familiar with music production methods I developed a passion for all the technical details and soon started to develop little circuits and was hooked ever since.

3. Tell us about the production of your submission. What is the story behind it? What inspired it? How long did you work on it? Was it your first entry?

   The whole project is a combination of many things I have learned over the past years. The first idea was planted in my head by a friend of mine who asked me if I could build a PWM compressor. It took me a while to really understand the advantages but from the minute it clicked, I really wanted to realize the project. I had already gained knowledge in DSP and microcontroller programming. It seemed obvious to combine the analog signal path with the digital sidechain. A lot of different behaviours can be realized like that and it is even possible to behave like other compressors. At the same time, I learned to program VST plugins. After writing an Ethernet TCP Server on a microcontroller I was able to communicate with the DSP from the DAW. The goal was to develop a versatile and modern studio compressor but while doing it I realized how many possibilities are in the whole design.

4. What/Who made you join AES?

   I have always dreamed of joining the AES. The e-library alone is a treasure trove for me, let alone all the people who contribute to this wonderful society. I hope I can contribute one day too.

5. Tell us about your favorite experiences at the 148th AES convention online.

   My personal favourite experience was the feedback session with the judges. It really helped me a lot and gave me different opinions. Some of them really led to great improvements. Also I watched every talk that I could. It was so much great information.

1. Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from and what do you study?

   My name is Alla Evdokimova. I am a student of Den Haag Royal Conservatory in The Netherlands. My main direction in the department Art of Sound - Music Production.

2. What initiated your passion for audio? When did it start?

   I realised that I want to learn about audio when writing music in LogicX as demo examples of my compositions for the band "Umbra Falstrwti" which had been formed from students of jazz department of Amsterdam Conservatory .  I always felt that, for me, the music world had always been something I could embrace from so many sides and sound itself became the most powerful source of inspiration for me.

3. Tell us about the production of your submission. What is the story behind it? What inspired it? How long did you work on it? Was it your first entry?

   I didn't choose the category right away. When I thought about the application, I had recently returned from Singapore exchange and passed by my house in Russia, where I met a group of DJ enthusiasts who taught  me the important basics about this culture and techniques. As simple as that, right after my return I thought that "Remix" will be a great experience to try. I worked on the track for 2 months, customising it with AbletonLive Plug-ins and authentic sound design. It was my first entry.

4. What/Who made you join AES?

   My tutor and great friend Bert Kraaijpoel!Thanks to him I am where I am now in my audio path!

5. Tell us about your favorite experiences at the 148th AES convention online.

I loved the presentation and work of Sound for Visuals Category. It showed an incredibly high level of professionalism and creativity from students.