SAN FRANCISCO: A substantial increase in EE-focused programming for the upcoming Audio Engineering Society Convention (Oct. 5 – 8), signals an AES effort to reach out to Electrical Engineers. “Our 2006 convention presents an ideal platform for leaders in the EE field to share their expertise with our members,” reports 121^st Convention Chair John Strawn. “To accomplish that goal 121^st Committee Tutorial and Master Class co-chairs Bob Moses and Valerie Tyler have coordinated a variety of EE-centric presentations by preeminent members of the EE community, including: Robert Pease, Henry Ott, Bill Whitlock, Marina Bosi and Karlheinz Brandenburg.”

MASTER CLASSES:

WHAT’S ALL THIS ANALOG STUFF ANYHOW? One of the most intriguing titles and one of the most anticipated 121^st Convention events will feature analog guru Robert Pease (National Semiconductor) presenting his unique perspective on analog design for audio equipment. A legendary scientist and prolific author, Pease was recently inducted into the Electronic Engineering Hall of Fame in the company of such innovators as Guglielmo Marconi and Thomas Edison.

PARTITIONING AND LAYOUT OF A MIXED SIGNAL PCB - Henry W. Ott (Henry Ott Consultants) will address the issue of inherent problems found in controlling noise on a mixed-signal PCB. The presentation will demonstrate that component placement, partitioning, proper board topology and routing discipline, are the keys to laying out a quiet mixed-signal PCB.

TUTORIALS:

AUDIO DATA COMPRESSION –Presented by former AES President Marina Bosi, (MPEG LA - Denver, CO,) and Karlheinz Brandenburg, (Fraunhofer IIS/AEMT - Ilmenau, Germany): MP3 and other audio coders have become an intrinsic part of our daily lives. Applications range from Digital Radio and TV to Digital Sound on Film, DVD and Multimedia/Internet Audio. Demonstrations will allow participants to evaluate different aspects of the audio coding process, potential artifacts and state-of-the-art implementations.

Bill Whitlock-(Jensen Transformers, Inc.-Chatsworth, CA) will present two Tutorials:

GROUNDING AND SHIELDING: Many audio/video system designers and installers think of grounding and interfacing as a “black art.” Do signal cables really “pick up” noise, from the air like a radio receiver? Equipment manufacturers, installers, and users rarely understand the real sources of system noise and ground loop problems and they routinely overlook or ignore basic laws of physics. Cutting through myth and misinformation, this tutorial will bring insight and knowledge to the subject.

BALANCED INTERFACES: One goal in the design of audio equipment is to maintain a high signal-to-noise ratio. Balanced interfaces are capable of conveying wide dynamic range analog audio signals while providing them with unrivaled immunity to interference. Realizing this full capability in real-world, mass-produced equipment need not be costly. Whitlock will address several common mistakes made by equipment designers and discuss methods of effectively compensating for them.

“Over the past fifty-eight years, Audio Engineering Society members have created a vast library of research papers documenting every aspect of the field, from digital filtering to speaker design and acoustic treatment,” remarked AES 121^st Convention Tutorials & Master Class Co-Chair Bob Moses. “The AES has also pioneered the acceptance of many important standards for digital audio connectivity: AES3, FireWire, Audio Over Ethernet, audio measurements, Metadata and many others have been AES-tested, examined, debated and ultimately passed into the day-to-day vocabulary of audio professionals.”

AES Executive Director Roger Furness adds that AES Conventions, Technology Expos and Forums attract the participation many of the international organizations 14,000+ members. “Attendees include scientists, educators, systems designers, leading manufacturers such as Dolby, Fraunhoffer, Apple, Harman and Sony, along with Grammy and Academy Award-winning recording engineers, producers and artists. It is clearly to the benefit of every audio professional that members of the EE community take a more active role in AES Conventions. We hope this year’s event will inspire them to do so,” Furness concludes.