For Release: October 10, 2011
“Where Did The Negative Frequencies Go?”
NEW YORK: 131st AES Convention Chair Jim Anderson (and long time Stereophile reader), has announced that Stereophile Magazine editor and distinguished musician, recording engineer and audiophile John Atkinson, will present this year’s Richard C. Heyser Lecture. Entitled “Where Did The Negative Frequencies Go?” the lecture will be presented on Friday, October. 21, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm, at NY’s Javits Center.
The title of Mr. Atkinson’s lecture is a metaphor: All real numbers have two roots, yet we routinely discard the negative root on the grounds that it has no significance in reality. When it comes to understanding the perception of music, perhaps some of the things we discard as audio engineers merit further examination. This lecture will cover both audio recording and playback technologies; while it might not offer definitive answers, perhaps it will raise some interesting questions
John Atkinson graduated from University of London in 1972 with an honors degree in physics and chemistry, and from the University of London’s School of Education in 1974 with a postgraduate qualification in the teaching of high-school science. A musician, sound recordist, and audiophile, Atkinson pursued all three areas simultaneously, before settling down in magazine publishing in 1976, at UK’s Hi-Fi News & Record Review. He became HFN/RR’s editor in 1982. In 1986 he moved to the US to become editor of Stereophile, the position he still occupies. By 1998, when he and his business partner sold the magazine to Petersen Publications, they had tripled its circulation. In 1989, Atkinson introduced a program of measuring the components reviewed in Stereophile, and since then has measured 750 loudspeakers, 500 amplifiers and almost 300 digital products, all under standardized conditions. He has also continued his recording activities, and to date has produced, engineered, edited, mastered, and/or performed on more than 40 commercially released recordings. Atkinson has been a member of the AES since 1981; a committed generalist, he is very likely the only audio magazine editor who has also panned for gold and made his own transistors.
Photo: Stereophile Magazine editor John Atkinson will present the AES Convention Heyser Lecture on Friday evening, Oct. 21 at NY’s Javits Center
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The 131st Audio Engineering Convention will be held in NY’s Jacob Javits Convention Center Thursday, October 20 thru Sunday, Oct. 23. For an in-depth preliminary calendar of events please visit: http://www.aes.org/events/131/calendar/calendar.cfm
The Audio Engineering Society was formed in 1948 by a group of concerned audio engineers. The AES counts over 14,000 members throughout the U.S., Latin America, Europe, Japan and the Far East. The organization serves as the pivotal force in the exchange and dissemination of technical information for the industry. For additional information visit http://www.aes.org
