SAN FRANCISCO: Audio Engineering Society Conventions are recognized as the industry’s most authorative source for professional audio technologies and techniques. Presented by experts in all aspects of the field, Master Classes and Tutorials represent invaluable opportunities for acquiring and exchanging knowledge. Attendance at these seminars is always at a premium.

121^st AES Convention Chair John Strawn reports that Tutorials & Master Class Co-Chairs Bob Moses and Valerie Tyler have once again exceeded all expectations for meaningful programming. “The depth and quality of this year’s proposals have been extraordinary, which made the selection process all the more difficult,” Strawn says. “Bob Moses and Valerie Tyler have coordinated presentations by more than two-dozen of our industry’s most accomplished leaders. Participants are sure to accrue lasting benefits from these encounters.”

MASTER CLASSES:

Among the highly anticipated Master Classes, What’s All This Analog Stuff, Anyhow? stands as one of the most intriguing titles. Presented by analog guru Robert Pease of National Semiconductor, the program will provide a unique perspective on analog design for audio equipment. In 2002 Pease was inducted into the Electronic Engineering Hall of Fame in the company of such innovators as Guglielmo Marconi and Thomas Edison.

Physical Modeling Today, Julius O. Smith III of the Stanford University Center for Computer Research in Music & Acoustics, will review methods for the design and implementation of efficient real-time digital sound synthesis models based on the physics of traditional musical instruments. Smith will address the issues of faithful preservation of (1) all useful dimensions of expressive control and (2) synthesized sound quality (such synthesis models also have application in audio compression).

TUTORIALS:

Tutorials feature an auspicious faculty and equally stimulating subject matter. These include: Psychophysics and Physiology of Hearing, presented by Poppy Crum of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The session will explore how the ear processes sound, and the psychoacoustic phenomena associated with perceptual experiences e.g. loudness, masking and spatial localization.

Michael Poimboeuf of Digidesign will present Digital Plumbing for Studio, Broadcast, and Live Audio. The seminar will offer an overview of commonly used digital audio interconnection technology, including new systems currently in development.

Gareth Loy, Gareth, Inc. has prepared The Grand Story of Musical Scales, From Ancient To Modern. Beginning with a simple, flexible, convenient method of describing tones and intervals mathematically, this tutorial will provide deep insights into the choices our culture has made about the music we want to hear.

Kelly Fitz, Washington State University and Lippold Haken, University of Illinois will present Techniques for Digital Sound Morphing. Used to synthesize a wide range of sound effects from alien voices to talking fish, Morphing is engaged throughout contemporary sound track and music production. This tutorial will present a variety of techniques for creating hybrid sounds or combining multiple sound characteristics.

Floyd Toole of Harman International Industries will present a tutorial on Loudspeakers and Rooms : Traditional acoustical design methods evolved in large performance spaces such as concert halls. They rely on assumptions that become progressively less valid as rooms get smaller and more acoustically absorptive. What could be a very difficult situation is greatly alleviated by the ability of humans to adapt to the complexities of reflective rooms. At low frequencies, room resonances are a major concern, but Toole will address new techniques for achieving similar and good bass at several listening locations.

Paul Stubblebine, Paul Stubblebine Mastering & DVD (SF) Music Mastering For Stereo Release: This tutorial will provide a brief history of mastering to give some perspective to today's practice. It will attempt to settle once and for all the questions that have plagued philosophers for centuries: Is mastering a technical job or an aesthetic one? The secret to creating a "hit" MIGHT be revealed.

Jeff Levison, DTS, Inc (CA); Brant Biles, Mi Casa Multi Media (Hollywood) and David Glasser, Airshow Mastering (Boulder, CO) will present Surround Mastering – A Discussion of Techniques for Music and Film. This Surround Mastering tutorial will examine multi-channel work in music and the repurposing of motion picture audio for DVD.

Seven-time Grammy-winning engineer Roger Nichols (Steely Dan, John Denver, Joe Cocker, Frank Sinatra, etc.) will present FROM ZERO TO MIX AT THE SPEED OF SOUND: This Master Class will explore the science and art of mixing stereophonic music. Engaging examples from Steely Dan, Tower of Power and other sessions Nichols will illustrate the creative use of the frequency spectrum, panning philosophy and address the question “Can you really fix it in the mix?”

Legendary engineer/producer Frank Filipetti (Elton John, Rod Stewart, Korn and Pavarotti) will present MIXING SURROUND, a tutorial focused on the issue of reconciling the consumers’ desire to have a single home monitoring setup that will work equally well for both home theater and 5.1 DVD Audio. Issues addressed will include proper setup procedures for the surround and LFE channels and how do the new HD DVD and Blu-Ray standards affect an already confusing array of choices for music and film mixers. Examples will include excerpts from a forthcoming 5.1 mix of Frank Zappa.

In the Special ‘Sweat Equity Division,’ Ron Streicher of Pacific Audio-Visual Enterprises will present On-Location Recording of Graham Blyth’s Organ Recital. This “hands-on” tutorial will provide participants with opportunities to work with microphone selection & placement, cable routing and taping, equipment configuration, stereo & surround format choice, and a broad range of experiences and decisions encountered in the real-world of live sound recording. Participants are advised to be prepared to work!

“Tutorials serve an educational role, but they are not just for ‘students,’” John Strawn concludes. “Accomplished professionals are as apt to pick up valuable pointers as are novices. Generally focused on topics with broad appeal, Tutorials detail basic principals and common practice, and provide ample opportunity for Q&A.”