SAN FRANCISCO: Capitalizing on the multi-faceted nature of San Francisco’s pro audio community, Jim McTigue, AES 121st Technical Tours Chair and Euphonix Director of Electronic and Systems Engineering, has developed a schedule designed to appeal to every quarter of the AES membership.

“Jim McTigue’s insights into the interests of our members coupled with his deep knowledge of our local industry made him an excellent choice for this key position,” said Committee Chair John Strawn. “He’s managed to open up some extremely interesting doors, and tour participants are guaranteed to come away with memorable and worthwhile experiences.”

AES 121^st CONVENTION TECHNICAL TOURS INCLUDE:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5

ALTERA CORPORATION: Tour the Silicon Valley facility of the pioneer in system-on-a-programmable-chip (SOPC) solutions. This is the first tour of a Silicon Valley chip manufacturer offered by the AES. You will learn about the technologies and tools that allow designers to exploit the huge cost/performance potential of FPGAs in audio systems. Specifically you will learn about high performance data path creation for video and image processing systems and the application of DSP co-processing and FPGA soft cores for audio system development. Additionally, there will be a product demonstration of these system benefits by an Altera customer.

DOLBY LABORATORIES: Recognized for over 40 years of audio innovation and leadership, Dolby will showcase its latest audio and video technologies for high-definition packaged disc media and digital cinema. Demonstrations in a world class Dolby listening room will include an introduction of Dolby TrueHD, the latest advance in lossless audio technology providing up to 7.1 discrete channels for today’s optical media i.e. HD DVD and Blu-ray formats. Dolby’s revolutionary Digital Cinema will be demonstrated in Dolby’s state-of-the-art screening room.

MEYER SOUND LABORATORIES: A rare opportunity to tour this premier manufacturer’s Berkeley factory. Recognized world-wide for extraordinary sound quality based on extreme attention to detail, precision and extensive testing. Meyer Sound builds all of its self-powered professional loudspeakers (including drivers), at this plant. Note, a Non-Disclosure Agreement is required for this tour.

FANTASY STUDIOS: One of the Bay Area’s largest and most highly-regarded recording and post-production facilities, Fantasy has been a Mecca for superstar artists since opening its doors in 1971. A short list of credits includes U2, David Bowie, Green Day, Aerosmith, Journey, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans and the Creedence Clearwater Revival.

EX’PRESSION COLLEGE OF DIGITAL ARTS: Offering Bachelor’s degrees in Sound Arts, Animation and Visual Effects & Motion Graphic Design, the 85,000 sq. ft. Ex’Pression campus offers small classes and intensive programs allowing students to graduate in under three years. Programs include analog and digital recording and engineering, game audio, sound reinforcement, DVD authoring and audio post production.


FRIDAY OCTOBER 6

CURRENT TV: Featuring programming supplied (in part) by its own audience, this award-winning TV network personifies the elements that have made the Internet the medium of choice for young adults - customizable content and viewer participation.

LOUISE M. DAVIS SYMPHONY HALL: Home of the San Francisco Symphony, this extraordinary concert hall was built in the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in 1980 to provide a permanent home for the San Francisco Symphony a permanent home. The tour will demonstrate and discuss the technical aspects of the hall’s acoustical design.

PAUL STUBBLEBINE MASTERING & DVD STUDIOS: World-renowned for projects that stretch from The Grateful Dead and Santana to Aidan Hawklee and Tori Fixx, this legendary studio was recently renovated to meet today’s multi-format surround mastering needs


SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7

INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC: A rare opportunity to tour George Lucas’s storied Industrial Light & Magic complex at its new home on the Letterman Digital Arts campus on the Presidio. ILM has won 14 Academy Awards for visual effects for such classic films as Star Wars, Jurassic Park and Forrest Gump. Four hour-long tours, maximum of 20 participants per tour. Check the AES Preliminary Calendar for specific times)

PYRAMIND – THE INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED DIGITAL AUDIO TRAINING: A cutting-edge media and music production facility and a school offering Certified, hands-on Digidesign and Apple training. It is also the home of Outpost Studios, SF’s largest Dolby certified surround mix room, including Foly pits and ADR services.

THE PLANT STUDIOS: A music industry legend since opening in Sausalito in October, 1972, The Plant continues to create music history as it rocks into its fourth decade. Among the artists who recorded and/or mixed Gold and Platinum records at this world-class studio are: Rick James, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Santana, Grateful Dead, Fleetwood Mac, Metallica, Deftones, Mudvayne, Kronos and Dave Matthews.


SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8

CENTER FOR COMPUTER RESEARCH IN MUSIC AND ACOUSTICS: Over the past 30 years, Stanford’s CCRMA has played a key role in the development of FM synthesis, physical modeling and computer music composition. This rich history is underscored by a recent move into a fully-restored facility which includes a recording studio, three project studios, a performance space, teaching facilities, a cutting edge listening room and 40 networked Linux stations.

TALKING HOUSE PRODUCTIONS: San Francisco's newest major studio complex was designed by architect/acoustician John Storyk, (WSDG )to provide the company's in-house producers, composers, artists, film and commercial partners with one of the world's finest recording environments.

NOTE: Technical Tours are made available on a first come, first served basis. Tickets can be purchased during normal registration hours at the Convention Center.