AES Student Blog

 One of the best reasons to attend AES conventions is the opportunity to make important connections with your fellow educators and potential students from around the globe. A great place to do this is at the 136th AES Convention's Education & Career Fair.  This is  where you will find academic institutions offering studies in audio (from short courses to graduate degrees) represented in a “table top” session.  Information on each school's respective programs is made available through displays and academic guidance. There is no charge for schools/institutions to participate. Admission is free and open to all convention attendees.

  

 Attention Student Members from Europe and International Regions: 

 Entries are now being accepted for the AES 136 Student Recording Competition and AES 136 Student Design Competition!

The uploaders are open and opportunity awaits. Entry deadline is March 25. Type up your report NOW and submit your project!

For the AES 136 Recording Competition:

1. Read the rules here:  http://www.aes.org/students/awards/recording/reccomp_rules.cfm
2. Register for the convention here:  http://www.aes.org/events/136/
3. Then complete the entry form here:   http://www.aes.org/students/awards/recording/

For the AES 136 Design Competition:

1. Read the rules here:  http://www.aes.org/students/downloads/competitions/AES_DesignCompetitionRules.pdf
2. Register for the convention here:  http://www.aes.org/events/136/
3. Then complete the entry form here:  http://www.aes.org/students/awards/design/

GOOD LUCK!!!

From April 26th to 29th Berlin will be the epicentre of everything related to audio. The AES Student Delegate Assembly invites everyone to come the 136th AES convention to spend a great few days in Germany's capital to immerse themselves in a pool of professional audio engineers, academics and students. 

Registration to Student Recording and Student Design Competition is open until March 25th!
In order to register, visit http://aes.org/students/awards

Please like our Facebook page: http://facebook.com/AESsda
Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/AESsda

We are looking forward to seeing you in Berlin!

Meet Diego Fagundes from London, UK, who won the Silver Award in Category 3: Modern Studio Recording

Tell us a little bit about yourself: Where are you from? What do you study? How did you discover your passion for audio?

I had my first experience with sound recording in 1994, at the age of 12, in my hometown Bagé in Southern Brazil. As a piano player, I formed a band with my two brothers and started recording rehearsals with a Tascam Porta One four-track cassette tape recorder given to me by my father. During the following years we wrote and recorded a number of tracks and submitted them to several record labels, which helped us to secure a deal with Antídoto/Polygram Records in 1996. Later that year, I did my first recording at ACIT studios in the city of Porto Alegre. That was a huge learning experience as I had the opportunity to observe and learn about recording techniques, microphones, analogue consoles and tape recorders, and got to work with professional sound engineers and music producers in a professional recording studio environment. In 2000, I started a degree in Marketing and Advertisement at URCAMP University in southern Brazil and simultaneously set up my own recording studio, called SG Studio, where I recorded local bands, produced jingles and created commercial audio content for radio and television.

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

The track “Glimpse of light” by the band Chapa was my first entry into an AES recording competition. It was recorded during my degree in Sound Engineering at the SAE London in 2012. It consists of a combination of real and virtual instruments, including drums, guitar, piano and different types of synthesizers and effects. The idea was to create unusual sound textures, like the vocoder line used in the introduction and chorus of the track. The song was recorded over of a month in four sessions. Drums and bass were recorded simultaneously. Then the acoustic guitar, electric guitar, Wurlitzer electric piano and acoustic piano were recorded. Finally the synthesizers and vocoder lines were created and the vocals were tracked. During the editing and mixing process, programming of samples and loops was also performed and applied to the track.

What were your most significant, funny or inspiring experiences as an audio engineer?

It was in 2004, when I worked as the main tracking and mixing engineer for an entire album for the first time, recording Chapa’s third studio album. The project was challenging and despite the gear limitations and lack of a deep technical understanding, the accomplishment motivated me and gave me the confidence to pursue a career in sound engineering.

Accidents happen: What was your biggest mistake in a production and what did you do to redeem the situation?

In one of my early recordings I decided for the first time to record a snare drum with two microphones. However, I didn’t reverse the polarity of either of the microphones. As a result, they totally cancelled each other out. It took me a while to recognise the mistake.

What’s your advice for engineers who are just starting out?

Work hard and be patient.

Tech talk: What are your favourite pieces of equipment?

Condenser microphone: Neumann M149

Dynamic microphone: Shure SM57

Studio monitors: KRK-V8

Plug-in: Waves V-EQ4

What is your favourite recording or production?

“Pet Sounds” by The Beach Boys.

What do you like about the AES? How does it help you to become a better and more successful audio engineer?

The AES Conventions, where we can meet other members of the audio industry, have access to the latest research developments and the opportunity to learn directly from experts.

Tell us about your favourite experiences at the 134th AES Convention in Rome!

It was to present my work and to win in both recording competition and design competition. This also gave me the opportunity to receive feedback from audio industry professionals.

What is your favourite frequency?

4Khz

What do you do when you’re not in the studio or doing anything music related?

I like being with my family and friends, reading, exercising and travelling.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

In the recording studio.

To get an impression of Diego's work follow this link to watch a video filmed during the drum recording for his submission "Glimpse of Light" by Chapa.

If you want to get in touch with Diego, connect with him on LinkedIn.

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Would you like to be interviewed for our blog as well? Take part in the student competitions at the next AES Convention in Berlin in April and make use of this amazing opportunity! For more information, follow this link! 

As the 136th AES Convention approaches we're calling for your submissions for the Student Recording Competition and the Student Design Competition. 

If you are an AES student member you are eligible to enter our student competitions, which are going to be held during the next AES Convention in Berlin between April 26th and April 29th. Our student events offer the chance to compete in a number of different categories, get direct feedback from our panel of renowned industry professionals, and win amazing prizes.  

The registration deadline for the competitions is March 25th, 2014 - so if you have any great projects in the pipeline, get them ready for submission and make use of this great opportunity! We will inform you as soon as the registration opens, so keep checking this blog, follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page. 

The Student Recording Competition consists of four different categories: Traditional Acoustic Recording, Traditional Studio Recording, Modern Studio Recording, and Sound for Visual Media.

The Student Design Competition consists of two different categories for Undergraduate Level and Postgraduate Level projects. 

For more information and the complete rules and policies, visit our Student Competition page or contact us.

AES 135 Student Competition Finalists Announced!

STUDENT RECORDING COMPETITION  

Complete AES 135 Calendar of Events

  Here we are with yet another great name of audio and also a kind sponsor to the upcoming Student Recording Competition at AES135 in New York. We are deeply grateful for their support and very exited to give away some awesome prizes to the winners!  

www.coproaudio.com

 CharterOak Acoustic Devices creates high quality microphones and signal processors that rival many higher priced products in the industry. We're not recreating the old classics, we're "Creating the Classics of Tomorrow ®" at a price for everyone to enjoy the detail, durability, consistency, and surreal sound quality that all CharterOak products exhibit. Additionally, you can expect personalized customer support including microphone placement tips and techniques and our revolutionary ADAPT SM; "create your own classic" program, that allows you to customize your CharterOak to suit your studio environment. Each product is hand assembled and quality checked in our CT-based facility and recording studio. ALL CharterOak products are GUARANTEED FOR LIFE.

  Here we are with yet another great name of audio and also a kind sponsor to the upcoming Student Recording Competition at AES135 in New York. We are deeply grateful for their support and very exited to give away some awesome prizes to the winners!  

www.earthworksaudio.com

  Here we are with yet another great name of audio and also a kind sponsor to the upcoming Student Recording Competition at AES135 in New York. We are deeply grateful for their support and very exited to give away some awesome prizes to the winners!  

REAPER is digital audio workstation software: a complete multitrack audio and MIDI recording, editing, processing, mixing, and mastering environment. Record audio and MIDI from multiple inputs simultaneously. Layer recorded tracks and takes over previous recordings. Edit recordings in almost any imaginable way. Hundreds of audio and MIDI processing effects included, or choose from thousands of third-party effects. All editing and effects are completely non-destructive. REAPER works with almost any hardware and can be used in combination with a vast universe of other software and plug-ins. Take advantage of REAPER's full functionality using only your current computer and a microphone, or use REAPER to drive an entire professional recording studio. Want know more about Reaper? Visit their website! www.reaper.fm