AES News

 Join us, July 22-24, for three days of workshops, papers and events focused on audio education, including curricular resources, teaching strategies and professional development for—and from—industry trainers, faculty and staff who are active instructors at the high-school, undergraduate, graduate and professional levels.

The pace of industrial, technical and social change has only accelerated since MTSU hosted the first AES Education Conference in the summer of 2013.  Distance and online learning are no longer niche practices.  Machine learning and intelligent automation influence many aspects of media production.  The economics and underlying technologies for entertainment and communication continue to evolve rapidly, affecting our students and their career prospects.  In this environment, there's a lot for us to discuss and learn from each other.  

The 2020 workshop and paper program was very strong when we made the decision to reschedule the conference.  Inevitably, there will be changes to the details of contributors and events next year, but we are certainly not starting over from scratch.   

• Workshops: We aim to retain as many panelists, moderators and guest presenters as possible.  The organizers will be in touch with all current contacts, and we will reopen the opportunity for new proposals in the near future.  
• Papers: Current paper proposals that have been reviewed will remain eligible for presentation in 2021 and publication in the proceedings.  There will also be an updated schedule for revisions, manuscript completion and new submissions based on a 2020-2021 timeline.   
• Registration: AES headquarters will assist all current registrants with rebooking or refunds as needed.  
• Sponsors: Our current sponsors already know how valuable their support has been, and we look forward to maintaining these relationships wherever possible.  New partners who are interested in supporting the 2021 conference should contact the chairs ([email protected]).  

Find out more and register now at AESShow.com/EduConference21

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— In its April 27 event, the APEI will present a new webinar addressing a key perspective on the role of audio in electric vehicles —

The AES Audio Product Education Institute (APEI) will host the Automotive Audio webinar “Vehicle Alert Systems and Automotive Sound Design” on Tuesday, April 27 at 11:00am EDT. Expanding on the topic of automotive audio applications, the Audio Product Education Institute (APEI) is proud to present a new webinar addressing a key perspective on the role of audio in electric vehicles. Warning sounds designed to alert pedestrians to the presence of electric drive vehicles are an industry requirement for more than 10 years and are now mandatory for all new electric and hybrid electric vehicles. European Regulation approved in 2014, determines that, "The sound should be easily indicative of vehicle behavior and should sound similar to the sound of a vehicle of the same category equipped with an internal combustion engine." But how are car manufacturers and technology providers addressing those requirements? 

This new APEI Automotive Audio webinar will offer the first open discussion in the audio community of Acoustic Vehicle Alert Systems (AVAS) and external Sound Design of automobiles. This session will discuss the main features to consider in audio processing in automotive audio applications and also how connectivity and network protocols are being a factor in the choice of platform. The session will also explore further DSP choices and emerging requirements such as for voice interactions, AI/ML, and spatial processing.

As automotive OEMs race to define their own individual audio identity, Roger Shively (JJR Acoustics, LLC) APEI's Automotive Pillar Chair will welcome presentations and a panel discussion with three automotive industry experts, sharing their experiences in automotive brand sound, and the overall development process. In this session we will hear from Jeroen Lanslots (Product Manager) and Agnieszka Oltarzewska (Product Manager Acoustics) at Siemens Digital Industries Software, in Belgium, together with Dr. Markus Bodden, the founder and CEO of Neosonic, a German company active in the field of Active Sound Design for the automotive industry. 

All the panelists and presenters have extensive experience in experimental acoustics for automotive applications, managing hardware and software solutions for acoustical analysis, sound quality and material testing. The webinar will address the different perspectives of vehicle audio, from sound for electric vehicles to audio brand identity.

Webinar registration: audioproducteducationinstitute.org/acoustic-vehicle-alert-systems-avas-and-automotive-soun...

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In an isolated world, it’s more important than ever to stay on top of technology and in contact with colleagues. Whether you are an end user, researcher, educator or student, whether your interests include Studio Recording, Live Sound, Networked Audio, Broadcast & Streaming, Music Production, Post Production, Game Audio, Spatial Sound, Audio for AR/VR/XR and Product Development, the comprehensive Technical Program of the AES Show Spring 2021 International Convention is a single source solution to staying informed and staying in touch, available where you live and work.

Register Now at AESShow.com/Spring2021 and save on your All Access registration through April 26!

The AES is hosting a new virtual event series which will allow AES Members to ask questions directly to authors of the AES Journal which will be answered during dedicated streamcast events, with the first occuring April 22 at 11:00am EDT. AES Members can sibmit questions to [email protected].

View the latest edition oft he AES Journal here.

Register Now to Join Us here.

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— Three-day event will highlight developing challenges and opportunities in providing top-grade audio education while uniting educators for peer-to-peer discourse —

The Audio Engineering Society International Audio Education Conference 2021 is set to take place online, July 22 – 24 (U.S. Central Daylight Time), bringing together over 100 of the brightest minds in audio education and teaching technology to present sessions in both live and on-demand formats. Featured Conference events include a keynote address by iZotope CEO and co-founder Mark Ethier, topical workshops and panel discussions, research presentations and more, curated by event co-chairs Bill Crabtree and Michael Fleming of the virtual host venue, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). Complete event program information and registration is available online at aesshow.com.

Whether working towards simple refinements in audio education facilities and programs, or looking to make radical changes to make the most of the latest technologies or to introduce completely new areas of study, audio educators currently share a unique mission that requires core standards, flexibility and the ability to connect with peers on a global scale. The AES Audio Education Conference will help sustain that mission, offering focused sessions on topics ranging from teaching both digital and analog workflows to developing dynamic curriculum, from the illumination of career paths and goals to increasing diversity within the industry and much more. 

“Building on the AES Education Conference model from 2013 and on subsequent live and online AES Education events,” says co-chair Fleming, “we are confident that this year’s conference will make further contributions to audio education fundamentals and best practices while also addressing current challenges and the latest concepts thanks to authors and presenters who are among the very best minds in the field."

“While we regret that we can’t yet assemble in-person,” adds co-chair Crabtree, “over the past two years the AES has learned how to present compelling and engaging content in an online venue. We’ll also have opportunities for peer-to-peer networking and collaboration between the attendees. In 2013 we had attendees from around the world, and their contributions greatly enhanced the Conference. This year, the format will allow anyone with an internet connection to participate and contribute from anywhere in the world. We look forward to having an even greater diversity of participants who will undoubtedly further enrich the program”

Over 60 sessions will be presented in a variety of formats, with opportunities to network with fellow attendees along the way. Presentations range from “Back to the Future: Reintroducing Analog and Vinyl Audio Production to Digital Natives” and “The Business of Audio,” to “Embedding Environmental Sustainability in the Audio Curriculum,” “Educational Studios: Design and Development,” “Zen of Critical Listening: What is the true goal of technical ear training” and dozens more. Additional support and presentations come from event Gold Partners Avid, Dolby, IMES (Iron Mountain Entertainment Services), The Recording Academy Producers and Engineers Wing and VEVA Sound; Silver Partners Eventide, Focusrite, Genelec and SoundcheckPro; and Bronze Partner Sweetwater Sound. 

Interested individuals should visit AESShow.com/EduConference21 now to register and begin planning their AES International Audio Education Conference experience.

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— AES organizers are gearing up to celebrate “Global Resonance” with all attendees during this milestone Convention —

With the Audio Engineering Society’s 150th International Convention rapidly approaching, a team of audio professionals assembled by Convention co-chairs Ruud Kaltofen and Bert Kraaijpoel is hard at work on delivering a deep and comprehensive AES Show Spring 2021 Audio Engineering Convention Technical Program to a global audience of attendees. Under the theme “Global Resonance,” the AES Show Spring 2021 is set to take place online, May 25 – 28, and streamcast in Central European time. The Convention will offer numerous ways to listen, learn and connect with peers and pros from around the world in a variety of interactive and on-demand formats that build on AES’s growing online event prowess. AES Show Spring 2021 registration is now open with discounted Early Bird pricing available through April 26. Preliminary program information has just been released online and, along with registration details, can be found at https://aesshow.com/spring2021/.

The AES Show 150th Convention Committee, composed of some of the top names in audio engineering and related fields, are assembling a program that will cover a broad range of timely and relevant topics and events to educate and inform the worldwide community of audio engineers, students, educators and enthusiasts. Joining Kaltofen and Kraaijpoel on the Committee are Papers Co-Chairs Jamie Angus and Remy Wenmaekers; Workshops & Tutorials Chair Rafael Kassier; Diversity and Inclusion Chair Leslie Gaston-Bird; Education Chair Gabe Herman; Student Recording Competition Chair Miles Fulwider; Student Delegate Assembly Chair Kamila Pietrusinska; Tech Tours Co-Chairs Antal van Nie and Sander van der Heide; and AES Events Coordination Committee Vice Chair, Conventions, Cesar Lamschtein.

AES members can register now at a special discounted rate of just $89 ($49 for AES student members) through April 26. Find out more about the AES Show Spring 2021 Convention and register now at AESShow.com/Spring2021. 

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— AES initiative hosts online session with two Silicon Valley product development firms to discuss their role and contributions in bringing new audio products to market —

The AES Audio Product Education Institute (APEI) will host the webinar “Working with Product Development and Design Houses to Bring Audio Products to Market,” APEI’s seventh online event addressing Supply Chain & Sourcing, on Wednesday, April 21 (12:00pm EDT). In this new webinar, moderated by supply chain and sourcing experts David Lindberg (DB Enterprises) and Mike Klasco (Menlo Scientific), the focus will be on the decision to hire an experienced product development and design team to ensure that a concept turns into a robust, market-ready project. Addressing this topic and sharing their experience working with some of the most cutting-edge technology companies will be Tom Keegan (Program Manager, Tact Product Development), Chris Fruhauf (Partner, Alloy Product Development) and Kaethe Henning (Director of Business Development, Alloy Product Development).

The session will discuss the role of product development and design houses as a resource to the audio industry and manufacturers, and how these leading companies’ expertise helps support both SMEs or large corporations in “filling in the gaps” that are missing internally in their product development resources. For many companies, the essential component for market success is working with an experienced company to optimize product design, share engineering and manufacturing expertise, manage quality, reduce cost and address time-to-market challenges. The product development consultants in this session will address the specificities of their business and how to bring products to market in 2021, as well as share their experiences in launching new products at scale.

The two companies presenting in this webinar – Tact Product Development and Alloy Product Development – are located in the heart of Silicon Valley, and both work with some of the largest consumer electronics and technology corporations while also helping to support exciting and innovative startups. Both firms have worked on some of the most cutting-edge, high-volume audio products recently launched in the market and fully understand the requirements of today's product definition and architecture development. Both companies also provide worldwide supply chain management and manufacturing operations consulting.

Tom Keegan is program manager at Tact (www.tactpd.com), a product development, engineering and manufacturing firm based in Palo Alto, CA. An experienced industrial designer with extensive experience gained in product development for the consumer electronics industry, Tom joined Tact in 2017. For the past two decades, his company has worked with the finest industrial design firms, creative start-ups and leading corporations to develop a broad range of innovative products from consumer electronics to highly stylized commercial products. The products Tact worked on have won over a hundred design and innovation awards for their clients and have been the flagships for many successful companies.

Chris Fruhauf is a partner of Alloy Product Development (www.alloypd.com), an engineering consultancy company he co-founded in 2008 with long-time collaborator Arturo Meuniot. Alloy has brought the vision of numerous clients to life by applying creativity, experience, and sound engineering principles to solve difficult problems. Focusing on product engineering, Alloy offers mechanical concepts, electrical engineering, firmware development, detailed design for manufacturing, industrial design integration, mathematical analysis and computer simulations, prototyping, testing and vendor liaison.

Kaethe Henning is director of business development at Alloy. A consummate program management professional, with experience working with startups, small businesses, and new product initiatives within larger organizations, she joined Alloy in 2021 and brings extensive knowledge of new product introductions and high-volume manufacturing to support the development efforts of clients in the consumer electronic and related industries. During her tenure as Program Director for hardware startup accelerator Highway1, she supported over 85 venture-funded early- and mid-stage startup companies developing hardware products in the electrical and electronic manufacturing industry.

The AES Audio Product Education Institute’s Supply Chain and Sourcing Webinar #7 is part of an ongoing and multi-faceted event series that underscores the AES’s commitment to providing its membership and the industry at large with timely real-world information. Guest presentations will be followed by Q&A discussion time with attendees.

Webinar registration: audioproducteducationinstitute.org/working-with-product-development-houses-to-bring-audio-... 

— Delving into the current and ever-evolving landscape of new technologies, workflows and ways to enjoy audio, the AES Modern Music Production Symposium aims to both unite the growing producer and engineer community, and encourage and inspire attendees to push the envelope into new realms of possibility —

One of the biggest game-changers in modern music production is the rapidly evolving arsenal of technological tools available to end users and how the exchange of ideas and innovations influences their use, guided in part by the unitive organizations such as the AES that foster such conversations. The Audio Engineering Society invites you to explore the evolution of production tools and techniques at the AES Modern Music Production Symposium, taking place online, July 7 – 8, from 12pm – 4pm ET. Featuring presentations from a diverse group of cutting-edge producers, engineers and artists, the event will explore technical, social and musical aspects of production from a variety of industry perspectives. Multi-platinum, GRAMMY®-winning engineer/producer Young Guru will give a keynote address moderated by Maureen Droney, Recording Academy® Producers & Engineers Wing® Senior Managing Director, offering insights from his decades-long career as a pioneer of the sound of modern music. Registration for the entire two-day event is $20 for AES members ($40 for non-members) and includes on-demand replay for a limited time after the streamcast. The AES Modern Music Symposium is chaired by Paul “Willie Green” Womack and the event is sponsored by Gold Partner The Recording Academy Producers and Engineers Wing.

“What excites me about new audio technology,” states Womack, “is that I can create things that originate in my head, using tools that we couldn’t even have imagined a few years ago. Part of being creative is creating new ways to do things, and there are more new offerings available now to work with than ever before. As the AES and other forces continue to unite the industry, lifestyle and passions of myself and other creators and innovators, I see it as a situation of infinite possibilities.” 

Multiple facets of popular production techniques and workflows will be discussed throughout the two-day event, such as in the session “Relationship Goals: Exploring the Relationship Between Engineer and Vocal Producer” in which Gloria Kaba, Simone Torres and moderator Jeanne Montalvo Lucar, will investigate the engineer/artist experience and how the interaction of the production team can make or break a record. Another session, “Classic Pedigree Modern Techniques: Bad Boy Records,” will take a case-study-style approach in examining one of the most successful record labels in modern music in a discussion with Stephen Dent and Prince Charles Alexander, moderated by Symposium Chair Womack. Alexander and Womack will further discuss changing trends in music and connected technologies, as well as ways to open up further discovery and innovation for both producers and consumers, in the session “Connectivity Issues: Who Is Listening to Hip-Hop?”

The session “Modern Software for Audio Manipulation” will bring together a panel of experts featuring Michael Hetrick, Mike Scheibinger and Sara Simms in a discussion also moderated by Womack, offering their take on software processing in their approaches to production, editing and mixing. Further aesthetical and societal roles of audio will be revealed in the session “Art Installation, Immersive Audio and Avant Garde Hip-Hop” featuring Jawwaad Taylor, Leslie Gaston-Bird and others to be announced, as they look at new venues of opportunity to create enhanced sonic experiences, with a special look at Hip-Hop and R&B.

About Young Guru
Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton is a GRAMMY-nominated sound engineer to the stars, having worked closely with musical artists including Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G., Beyoncé, Rihanna, Mariah Carey and Ludacris. His visual approach to sound-as-storytelling has him in demand at Google, MIT, USC, Red Bull, and more. He also scored the Warner Bros. film The Great Gatsby. An April 2015 Wall Street Journal profile called him "the most famous and successful engineer in the history of Hip-Hop."

AES Modern Music Production Symposium program information and registration available at AESShow.com/ModernMusic. 

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The Audio Engineering Society, celebrating over 70 years of audio excellence, has announced plans for its 150th International Convention, taking place online May 25 – 28, 2021 (previously June 1-4, 2021), to be streamcast in Central European time. Centered around the theme of “Global Resonance,” the AES Show Spring 2021 Convention will celebrate the Society’s rich history and diverse global membership, which continues to shape audio innovations and standards worldwide. Convention co-chairs Ruud Kaltofen and Bert Kraaijpoel have begun planning with the pan-European committee of industry luminaries, and the Technical Program Call for Proposals is open through March 15 for those who wish to present Papers, Workshops and Tutorials during the Convention. AES member early registration and information available at AESShow.com/spring2021.

For the end user, researcher, educator or student, the comprehensive AES Show Technical Program is a single-source solution for staying informed and in touch with the professional audio community, available where you live and work. With enhanced networking and interactive tools afforded by the convention’s online presentation and communications formats, attendees will have various opportunities to “Listen, Learn and Connect” with breaking technologies and industry experts in all things audio, including Studio Recording, Live Sound, Networked Audio, Broadcast & Streaming, Music Production, Post-Production, Game Audio, Spatial Sound, Audio for AR/VR/XR, Product Development and more.

AES members can register now at a special discounted rate of just $89 ($49 for AES student members). Find out more about the AES Show Spring 2021 Convention and other Audio Engineering Society events going on year-round at AESShow.com.

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— New initiative from the AES Standards Committee shines a light on Audio Standards development, while seeking input and experience from the global audio community —

The Audio Engineering Society has announced a series of webinars hosted by the AES Standards Committee that will illuminate the inner workings of the often complex, yet necessary, set of rules by which engineers and equipment manufacturers abide and the increasingly important role of the AES and its work to establish audio standards and practices that ensure interoperability worldwide. AES members may register for the Zoom webinar for live interaction with the presenters, while non-members may watch a live stream of the event on the AES YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/AESorg. The webinar will also provide opportunities for individuals to become involved in the ongoing proposal and establishment of working audio protocols. 

“Across decades, AES Standards have fostered gear interoperability, improved workflows, streamlined the adoption of new technologies and quantified and improved performance of hardware and software tools,” said AES Standards Committee Chair Bruce Olson. “This series of webinars will help demystify the AES Standards development process. As so much of standards work is conducted online in a pandemic world, the opportunity for involvement is now practical for a wider number of the Society’s members and other interested parties with experience, perspectives, and insights to share on Standards work in progress. We invite everyone interested to join us for these webinars as an open door into active participation in AES Standards creation and refinement.”

The first three webinars in the AES Standards series have been announced, each outlining a different AES standard currently in development. The first event will take place on March 29 at 12:00 noon, ET, and will discuss the current development of a procedure for loudspeaker test and measurement using a music simulation test signal called M-Noise. Presenters Merlijn Van Veen and Roger Schwenke, co-chairs of the SC-04-03-A Task Group, will briefly explore the background and impetus for this project. The AES Standards procedure will be explained and demonstrated, including challenges faced by the SC-04-03-A Task Group and how the Group’s activities have inspired development within other standard bodies. The session will close with a description of the remaining development steps and how interested individuals can get involved.

In the second event, taking place May 17, Nicolas Sturmel will discuss using AES67 over wide area networks – the focus of the SC-02-12-M Task Group. On July 26 Bill Whitlock will discuss ongoing initiatives on analog system interconnection standards in the SC-05-05 Working Group. In the fourth webinar on September 20, Anthony Kuzub will discuss the new AES72 standard from SC-05-02 for transporting either analog or digital audio over quad twisted pair cable, including documentation of RJ45 connector pin-outs.

What are Audio Standards?
Standards are universal “rules” by which technology and its operators can ensure interoperability across compliant devices, platforms, and workflows. In audio, this means, for example, that analog signals employing XLR connectors will maintain absolute polarity with all XLR-equipped devices (AES14), that your Dante-enabled device can seamlessly share audio with a Ravenna, Q-SYS, LiveWire, or other digital audio networks that implement the AES67 standard, and that a digital audio file will transfer accurately within networks (AES31, AES47) with accompanying audio data description and control metadata (AES41). These are just a few of the standards developed and overseen by the Audio Engineering Society Standards Committee, composed of over 1200 members across 11 working groups in the fields of Digital Audio, Acoustics, Interconnections and Metadata for Audio. To learn more about participating in the development of AES Standards visit www.aes.org/standards/development/. AES Standards documents are available in the AES Standards Store and are free for download for AES members.

Visit the AES Standards Blog for Standards news, Working Group status reports, the schedule of upcoming events, webinar registration and more.