LA HABRA, Calif., Oct. 2, 2012-The MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA) today announced a partnership with the Audio Engineering Society (AES) to support the MMA’s upcoming “MIDI Makes Music” 30th anniversary celebration designed to educate consumers about the benefits of MIDI technology for anyone interested in learning, writing or playing music.

MIDI dramatically changed music-making 30 years ago-and it remains a key technology for music-making today. AES played a key role in MIDI’s history as the idea for the standard was first proposed at the 70th AES Convention in 1981.

At the upcoming 133rd AES Convention in San Francisco, the MMA will exhibit in booth 537 and host a session during AES’ “Project Studio Expo”. Developed in partnership with Sound On Sound and Craig Anderton, the Project Studio Expo (PSE) brings the latest recording techniques, best practices, and practical tips from leaders in the recording business.

“Our Project Studio Expo is focused on the very market that grew from the seeds MIDI planted 30 years ago”, said Bob Moses, AES Executive Director. “As someone who was there, actively participating in the MMA and developing early MIDI products in the 1980′s, I’m thrilled to welcome the MMA to our party as they begin their celebration.”

The MMA will formally launch its “MIDI Makes Music” campaign in 2013 at the NAMM Show.

“It takes broad industry-wide support to make MIDI a successful industry standard,” said Tom White, president, MMA. “We are grateful to AES for helping all of us celebrate this important milestone.”

About the MMA
The MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA) is the publisher and authoritative source of MIDI specifications. Manufacturers achieve interoperability through compliance with MMA Recommended Practices. We provide forums for developers to coordinate changes to the MIDI specification, which today remains one of the most relevant standards in the entertainment industry. For more information, please visit www.midi.org

About the AES
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

Provides Universal Convention Details + Total Connectivity

SAN FRANCISCO: The 133rd AES Mobile Convention will empower exhibitors and attendees with virtually unlimited connectivity and flexibility. Coordinated by AES CIO Steve Johnson, this ‘must have’ App delivers instant access to every aspect of the event, from fast breaking program updates to comprehensive details on technical programs, tours and special events. The App also features a user-friendly option for locating exhibitors on the show floor, even when Internet access isn’t available.

“Another new feature is clickable presenter names, enabling rapid access to background credits for every session participant. Changes for the exhibition are even more dramatic,” Johnson says. “The App provides detailed information on each exhibitor, and accelerates downloading of brochures, videos and news releases. Another new button jumps users directly to specific booth locations on the show floor map. It also provides convention news bulletins, a Twitter feed following the #AESorg hashtag, and much more,” Johnson adds.

The AES 133rd Mobile Convention is available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Android. Blackberry and other Smartphone users can utilize a mobile web version optimized for those devices. The app is available immediately, and can be downloaded free from the AES website.

In addition, the AES has developed a wide range of Exhibitor opportunities designed to help their companies stand out from the crowd. Options range from uploading logos and brochures, to banner ads and video presentations. More information can be found on the San Francisco exhibitor website.

Photo: The 133rd AES Mobile Convention App

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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

New Tracks, Comprehensive Event/Exhibitor/Registration Details Online Now!

NEW YORK: With just five weeks to go until “Show Time,” the AES continues to update the Preliminary Event Calendar. Packed with vivid abstracts, dates, times and presenter details, the AES/PEC is the culmination of an intensive year of activity. The 133rd Convention looms as the most colorful, informative, timely and far-ranging AES event ever. From Broadcast/Streaming to Education, Game Audio, Historical, Live Sound, Papers, Platinum, Product Design, Special Events, Tech Tours, Tutorials and Workshops, the 133rd AES Convention is the definitive crash course on everything audio.

“In addition to our traditional program, this Convention marks the introduction of three timely new tracks,” reports Committee Co-Chair Jim McTigue. “We are extremely enthusiastic about the 3-Day Project Studio Expo developed in partnership with UK-based Sound On Sound editors and Craig Anderton to explore issues and innovations that make Project Studios a pivotal trend in today’s recording environment. We are also extremely pleased with our Sound For Pictures and Networked Audio Tracks. These events epitomize the AES mandate as the industry’s most authoritative platform for addressing critical issues of technical concern,” McTigue says.

“As with our totally upgraded Mobile App, our Preliminary Calendar has been carefully fine-tuned to make it the most comprehensive and user-friendly edition ever,” reports Committee Co-Chair Valerie Tyler. “Attendees will find it much easier to navigate. The color-coded grid provides instantly accessible drop-down abstracts. Dates and times are clearly illustrated. While we make a point of emphasizing the fact that this is a ‘Preliminary’ Although Calendar changes continue to be posted right up to October 26, the site will be enormously helpful to attendees in strategizing their show schedules.”

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Visit these links for more details:

* http://www.aes.org/events/133/calendar/calendar.cfm
* http://www.aes.org/events/133/hotels/
* http://www.aes.org/events/133/registration/
* http://www.aes.org/events/133/exhibitors/exhibitors.cfm
* http://www.aes.org/mobile/

PHOTO: The 133rd AES Convention will be held in SF’s Moscone Center Oct. 26 – 29.

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

Featuring Apple AAC iTunes Plus Codec And MPEG Surround Support

Oxford, UK – September 13, 2012: Fraunhofer IIS, the world’s renowned source for audio and multimedia technologies, and innovative plug-in designer/manufacturer Sonnox Ltd. today announce the second generation Sonnox Fraunhofer Pro-Codec Plug-In. Initially released in 2011 to global praise, the Pro-Codec Version 2 introduces the ability to master for iTunes and supports the latest multi-channel audio codecs.

For the first time, the Pro-Codec Plug-In enables engineers to use Apple’s iTunes Plus codec for real-time auditioning, making it a powerful time-saving tool to efficiently mix directly for the “Mastered for iTunes” program. Sonnox has added Apple’s iTunes Plus codec to the Plug-In to enable the exact clipping behavior of the iTunes encoding chain to be monitored, and levels corrected if necessary, saving time and ensuring high quality output during the mixing process.

In addition, Sonnox and Fraunhofer have integrated the latest MPEG Surround codec along with Advanced Audio Coding Low Complexity (AAC-LC) multi-channel and High Efficiency Advanced Audio Coding (HE-AAC) multi-channel support, making the codecs conveniently available for producers of surround music. These codecs provide superior audio quality for surround sound mixing and are used in surround broadcasting and streaming.

The Pro-Codec Version 2 continues to provide Fraunhofer implementations of all major MPEG audio codecs and lossless codecs such as mp3 High Definition (mp3HD) and High Definition Advanced Audio Coding (HD-AAC). This establishes the Pro-Codec as the most powerful codec plug-in available for digital audio workstations.

Version 2 of the Sonnox Fraunhofer Pro-Codec Plug-In is available now at the same price as Version 1 at $495. A free upgrade will be available for Version 1 owners.

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For more information, click here: http://bit.ly/QIJuzX

(or visit www.sonnox.com)

About Fraunhofer

The Fraunhofer IIS Audio and Multimedia division, based in Erlangen, Germany, has been working in compressed audio technology for more than 20 years and remains a leading innovator of technologies for cutting-edge multimedia systems. Fraunhofer IIS is universally credited with the development of mp3 and co-development of AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) as well as technologies for the media world of tomorrow, including MPEG Surround and the Fraunhofer Audio Communication Engine.

Through the course of more than two decades, Fraunhofer IIS has licensed its audio codec software and application-specific customizations to at least 1,000 companies. Fraunhofer estimates that it has enabled more than 5 billion commercial products worldwide using its mp3, AAC and other media technologies.

The Fraunhofer IIS organization is part of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, based in Munich, Germany. Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is Europe’s largest applied research organization and is partly funded by the German government. With 20,000 employees worldwide, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is composed of 60 Institutes conducting research in a broad range of research areas.

About Sonnox

Sonnox Ltd. is the leading designer of innovative, high quality, award-winning, audio processing plug-ins for professional audio engineers. Oxford Plug-ins are used in an extraordinary range of audio applications including mixing for music production, live sound, broadcast, TV & feature film audio post production, and even scientific and forensics projects.

Sonnox Oxford Plug-ins include: The SuprEsser, a highly efficient de-esser and dynamic EQ; The Restore Suite for sophisticated audio restoration; and most recently, the revolutionary Fraunhofer Pro-Codec, a real-time plug-in for auditioning and encoding audio to multiple formats including iTunes. Sonnox continues to embrace new technology, supporting both Avid’s ProTools | HDX and Universal Audio’s UAD-2 platforms as well as most popular native workstations.

Social Media For Engineers – Large & Small Room Acoustics – Mastering For Vinyl

SAN FRANCISCO: “The 133rd AES Convention is focused on ‘Listening, Learning and Connecting,’ reports Convention Co-Chair Valerie Tyler. Our Tutorial Program is particularly attuned to that goal. Co-Chairs Vene Garcia and Mike Wells have devoted extensive time and energy to developing a diverse and vigorous program. Their work is bound to have a lasting impact on attendee careers.”

“Our game plan was to cover as many significant issues as time would allow,” Vene Garcia remarked. “We also tried to balance the presentations with traditional and contemporary subject matter. This approach is exemplified by Bobby Owsinski’s Social Media event and Scott Hull’s Vinyl Mastering presentation.”

“Presentations on Large and Small Room Acoustics and Sound System Intelligibility actually represent a mini-track on room acoustics,” Mike Wells adds. “We believe this year’s Tutorials will genuinely benefit attendees.”

133rd AES Convention Tutorials Include:

Social Media For Engineers And Producers: Bobby Owsinski (producer/best-selling author – Facebook, Google+, Twitter and YouTube are important for developing a fan base or client list, but without the proper strategy they can prove time consuming and ineffective. Engineers, producers, and musicians will find invaluable techniques for efficiently utilizing social media as a promotional tool. Topics include: Your mailing list – old tech, new importance; Social Media management strategies; Optimizing your YouTube presence; The secret behind successful tweets and …What’s next?

Small Room Acoustics: Leading acoustic consultants Peter Mapp and Ben Kok will discuss basic small room acoustics. Issues related to absorption, reflection, diffraction, diffusion and how to use it, along with details on low frequency treatment. Recording and control room specifics and differences will be identified, including considerations for loudspeaker and microphone placement.

Large Room Acoustics: Diemer de Vries, Delft University of Technology Netherlands, (ret) & AES past president – Traditional and modern methods for describing the acoustical properties of ‘large rooms’ will be discussed. Theoretical models, measurement techniques, and the link between objective data and human perception will be covered. What issues need be addressed for a superior assessment? Reverberation time, the impulse response? Or, is there even more to take into account?

Sound System Intelligibility: Peter Mapp. Ben Kok – This comprehensive assessment of speech intelligibility and measurement will encompass how room acoustics can affect intelligibility, and measures that can optimize sound system intelligibility. Practical real world problems and solutions will be discussed in depth.

Mastering For Vinyl – Today’s Challenges: Scott Hull, Masterdisk – What has to be considered when you mix/master your music for vinyl? This Tutorial will dig deep into quality control issues and introduce sure ways to sound great on your first pressing. Topics include: Why contemporary CD mastering techniques do not produce the best sounding vinyl records; Long Sides; The relationship between Volume, Duration and Quality; The Turntable; Quality control: mixing – mastering – pressing; and, the realities of the current vinyl market.

Binaural Auditory Models: Ville Pulkki, Aalto University, Helsinki: The principles of brain mechanisms of binaural hearing have been debated extensively. In the 1990′s, common thinking was, that human binaural decoding is based on delay lines and coincidence counters. Subsequent neurophysiological findings questioned the existence of such delay lines. This tutorial will introduce the basic principles of most common binaural auditory models, and review recent improvements in the models.

Noise on the Brain Part II – Higher Fidelity: Poppy Crum, Dolby – Did you know that drinking a glass of orange juice every day might protect your hearing? Most discussions of hearing damage focus on what happens to the cochlea and inner ear. While this understanding is crucial to avoiding trauma that can lead to hearing loss, acoustic and chemical stimuli can also significantly affect higher brain areas. This session will explore new research into how this damage manifests throughout the auditory pathway as changes in hearing sensitivity, cognition, and the experience of tinnitus.

Getting the Sound Out Of (And Into) Your Head – The Practical Acoustics of Headsets: Christopher J. Struck (CEO/Chief Scientist CJS Labs, SF – Exploring the electroacoustics of headsets and other head-worn devices, this presentation will review issues ranging from Insertion Gain, to appropriate instrumentation, including ear and mouth simulators. Boom, close-talking, and noise-canceling microphone tests will be addressed, as will relevant standards, and USB, and Bluetooth wireless devices.

An overview of Audio System Grounding And Interfacing: Bill Whitlock, President/Chief Engineer, Jensen Transformers, Inc.- Equipment makers like to pretend the problems don’t exist, but unbalanced interfaces are vulnerable to noise due to an intrinsic problem. Although balanced interfaces are theoretically noise-free, they’re widely misunderstood by equipment designers, which can result in inadequate noise rejection in real-world systems. Unbalanced-to-balanced connections, RF interference and power line treatments will be discussed. Some “cures” are both illegal and deadly.

Photo 1 AES 133rd Convention Tutorial Co-Chair Vene Garcia
Photo 2 AES 133rd Convention Tutorial Co-Chair Mike Wells

The 133rd Audio Engineering Convention is set for SF’s Moscone Convention Center Friday, October 26 thru Monday, Oct. 29. For a detailed Preliminary Calendar of Events please visit: http://www.aes.org/events/133/calendar/calendar.cfm

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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

iPhone Apps, Digital Cinema, Loudness Standards, “Up-Sampling…” & More

SAN FRANCISCO: Paramount on the ‘not to miss,’ lists of AES Convention regulars, the Workshops Program epitomize pro audio’s extraordinary diversity. Thanks to Workshops Co-Chairs David Bowles and Jeffrey McKnight, 133rd Convention attendees will benefit from a particularly robust program. “Dozens of worthwhile proposals are submitted each year,” says Committee Co-Chair Valerie Tyler. “Our Workshops Co-Chairs final picks will challenge visitors to budget their time in order to maximize their opportunities to expand their knowledge.” The 133rd AES Convention will be held in SF’s Moscone Center, Oct. 26-29.

Highlights of the 133rd AES Convention Workshop Program include ‘mini-tracks’ on Digital and 3D Cinema Sound, Loudness and on Height Channel (an AES 1st):

Cinema Sound in 3D: Chair, Christof Faller, author/co-principal IIusonic, Switzerland – Enlisting many key players currently involved with 3D cinema sound, this panel will outline their 3D Sound strategies, including impact on production and compatibility with legacy equipment, content, and signal format/coding. The workshop will include a discussion on MPEG’s efforts on 3D Sound compatible formats.

Reconsidering Standards for Cinema Sound – Alternatives to ISO 2969: Chair, Brian McCarty, Coral Seas Studios, Australia – ISO 2969 (aka, SMPTE S202), has been a cornerstone of the audio reproduction ‘B-Chain’ for many years. Like the RIAA curve, it was originally implemented to compensate for delivery defects. What are the implications for these standards and the B-Chain, as film shifts to Digital Cinema delivery, with full bandwidth soundtracks?

Post Production Audio Techniques for Digital Cinema and Ancillary Markets: Chair, Brian McCarty, head of the AES Technical Committee on Sound for Digital Cinema & TV – With the film industry’s rapid move to audio distribution in full-bandwidth, multi-channel, discrete format, post-production techniques to provide high-quality audio continue to evolve. This workshop will feature four leading sound post mixers (music, dubbing, and DVD-Audio) discussing changes being implemented.

Loudness Wars – The Wrong Drug? Presenter, Thomas Lund, HD Development Mgr. TC Electronics – Newly produced music rarely sounds good on fine speakers. Could the wrong mastering ‘drug’ have been used for decades, affecting Dynamic Range (DR) instead of Loudness Range (LRA)? Addressing the grim side effects of this question, the panel, will provide a unique perspective on the difference between DN and LRA from a technical, perceptual & practical POV.

Broadcasters Experiences In The Use of Loudness Standards: Lars Jonsson Swedish Radio – With the recent U.S. adoption of the CALM Act, Loudness Standards have reached the tipping point in audience awareness. This Workshop will bring together a group of leading international broadcasters to address the use of new EBU and ATSC standards on loudness.

Acoustics & Audio iPhone Aps: Peter Mapp, Acoustic Consultant, PMA – has designed this Workshop to survey the range of audio and acoustic measurement, calculation and related apps currently available for the iPhone, iPad and other smart phones. A member of the AES Technical Committee on Acoustics & Sound Reinforcement (TCASR), Mapp will review current apps, their uses and limitations

Mastering for Specific Music Genres: Andres Mayo Vice Chairman TC Arms – Mastering projects occasionally require an expert in a music style which has very specific parameters (dynamics, color, warmth, S/N ratio, etc.). Examples include, classical and regional music e.g. Tango, and powerful ‘bassy’ tunes created for clubs. This workshop will review those unique features, and also address mastering for vinyl and iTunes.

The Controversy over ‘Up-sampling,’ Boon or Scam? Vicki Melchior Audio DSP Tech Consultant, Boston – Many ‘high resolution’ Blu-ray, DVD releases, and HD download files are created by ‘up-sampling’ Redbook or 48kHz data. A practice that frequently draws vehement outcries of ‘fraud.’ And yet, ‘up-samplers,’ both hardware and software, are commonly marketed to consumers and professionals with the promise of boosting Redbook Sonics to near-equality with high resolution. What’s going on? A panel of top mastering engineers, DAC and DSP designers will discuss in depth.

Other 133rd Convention Workshop Program Highlights Include:

*Sound Design Tools for Multichannel Audio With Height: Wieslaw Woszczyk McGill U. Center For Interdisciplinary Research In Music Media.

*Recording Music In 9.1 Height Surround: Presenter, Morten Lindberg, Engineer/Producer Lindberg, Lyd.

*3D Audio Formats (Multichannel Sound With Height) Channel or Object Based? Presenter, Bert Van Daele

*Height Channel – Adding The Vertical Dimension To Surround Sound: Chair, Paul Geluso, Teacher, Chief Recording Engineer NYU Steinhardt

Multi-Microphone Applications & Testing In Telecommunications Systems: Bob Zurek Motorola

Spatial Audio Evaluation: Sean Olive, Director, Acoustic Research Harman Intl.

What Does an Object Sound Like? Towards a Common Definition Of A Spatial Audio Object: Frank Melchior, BBC R&D

MUSHA Reloaded: Presenter, Judith Liebetrau, Fraunhofer IDMT

What Every Sound Engineer Should Know About The Voice: Eddy Brixen EBB Consultant

New Delivery Mediums & How To Get There Safely… Or, Jumping On The New Media Express: Jim Kaiser Educator, Belmont U/Engineer, MasterMix, Nashville

Forensic Authentication of Digital Audio: Jeffrey M. Smith

*The Height Channel ‘Mini-Track’ will be held at Pyramind Media & Music Production School/Studio in the Bay Area’s trendy SoMa neighborhood.
In-depth descriptions of all the 133rd AES Conventions are posted on the Preliminary Calendar of Events http://www.aes.org/events/133/calendar/calendar.cfm

Photo: 133rd AES Convention Workshop Co-Chairs Jeffrey McKnight & David Bowles

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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

Common Goal – Interoperability

NEW YORK: AES Standards Committee Chair Bruce Olson reports an important step forward in the development of Audio over IP in broadcasting: The Audio Engineering Society and the EBU have announced a collaboration with the goal of producing a new common packet-based network standard for linear PCM audio. This liaison is officially entitled “Next generation AES/EBU Interface Based On IP Technology.”

These two organizations have a history of fruitful collaboration. First published in 1985, the AES3 standard, also known as the AES/EBU interface, is a fundamental standard for the transport of digital audio signals between professional devices. The new liaison is a continuation of this work, which will benefit the whole professional audio industry.

The primary AES/EBU focus is on audio interoperability over high-performance IP networks, with the further goal of interoperability with the EBU’s common framework for audio contribution over IP, ACIP. The initiative is partially inspired by the ACIP project group’s interoperability recommendations for audio over wide-area IP networks. Through the ACIP2 group, chaired by the IRT’s Sonja Langhans, the EBU represents the technical interests of a key user group for the new standard, the public broadcasters of Europe.

Within the AES, the work has already started, with the project known as AES-X192. The group is chaired by Kevin Gross. A recently published draft is now being discussed among project participants, including some ACIP2 members.

New project participants are welcome. EBU Members or manufacturers working in the broadcast domain can start by joining the ACIP2 project group. Others can directly contact AES task group SC-02-12-H, which is open to any directly and materially affected individuals.. For further information visit www.X192.org. To participate, please follow the links at www.x192.org/join/; membership in SC-02-12-H is open to any directly and materially affected individuals.

It should also be noted that the 133rd AES Convention, scheduled for Oct. 26 – 29 at SF’s Moscone Center will introduced a dedicated, Networked Audio Track Chaired by noted engineer and long-time AES member, Tim Shuttleworth, the six Workshops and Tultorials developed for this event will feature participants including Sonja Langhans and Kevin Gross. They will address many of the Workflow issues and related concerns currently acting as ‘stumbling blocks’ in the path of interoperability.

Photo: AES Standards Committee Chair Bruce Olson

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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

Social Media For Engineers – Large & Small Room Acoustics – Mastering For Vinyl

SAN FRANCISCO: “The 133rd AES Convention is focused on ‘Listening, Learning and Connecting,’ reports Convention Co-Chair Valerie Tyler. Our Tutorial Program is particularly attuned to that goal. Co-Chairs Vene Garcia and Mike Wells have devoted extensive time and energy to developing a diverse and vigorous program. Their work is bound to have a lasting impact on attendee careers.”

“Our game plan was to cover as many significant issues as time would allow,” Vene Garcia remarked. “We also tried to balance the presentations with traditional and contemporary subject matter. This approach is exemplified by Bobby Owsinski’s Social Media event and Scott Hull’s Vinyl Mastering presentation.”

“Presentations on Large and Small Room Acoustics and Sound System Intelligibility actually represent a mini-track on room acoustics,” Mike Wells adds. “We believe this year’s Tutorials will genuinely benefit attendees.”

133rd AES Convention Tutorials Include:

Social Media For Engineers And Producers: Bobby Owsinski, producer/best-selling author – Facebook, Google+, Twitter and YouTube are important for developing a fan base or client list, but without the proper strategy they can prove time consuming and ineffective. Engineers, producers, and musicians will find invaluable techniques for efficiently utilizing social media as a promotional tool. Topics include: Your mailing list – old tech, new importance; Social Media management strategies; Optimizing your YouTube presence; The secret behind successful tweets and …What’s next?

Small Room Acoustics: Leading acoustic consultants Peter Mapp and Ben Kok will discuss basic small room acoustics. Issues related to absorption, reflection, diffraction, diffusion and how to use it, along with details on low frequency treatment. Recording and control room specifics and differences will be identified, including considerations for loudspeaker and microphone placement.

Large Room Acoustics: Diemer de Vries, Delft University of Technology Netherlands, (ret) & AES past president – Traditional and modern methods for describing the acoustical properties of ‘large rooms’ will be discussed. Theoretical models, measurement techniques, and the link between objective data and human perception will be covered. What issues need be addressed for a superior assessment? Reverberation time, the impulse response? Or, is there even more to take into account?

Sound System Intelligibility: Peter Mapp. Ben Kok – This comprehensive assessment of speech intelligibility and measurement will encompass how room acoustics can affect intelligibility, and measures that can optimize sound system intelligibility. Practical real world problems and solutions will be discussed in depth.

Mastering For Vinyl – Today’s Challenges: Scott Hull, owner Masterdisk – What has to be considered when you mix/master your music for vinyl? This Tutorial will dig deep into quality control issues and introduce sure ways to sound great on your first pressing. Topics include: Why contemporary CD mastering techniques do not produce the best sounding vinyl records; Long Sides; The relationship between Volume, Duration and Quality; The Turntable; Quality control: mixing – mastering – pressing; and, the realities of the current vinyl market.

Binaural Auditory Models: Ville Pulkki, Aalto University, Helsinki: The principles of brain mechanisms of binaural hearing have been debated extensively. In the 1990′s, common thinking was, that human binaural decoding is based on delay lines and coincidence counters. Subsequent neurophysiological findings questioned the existence of such delay lines. This tutorial will introduce the basic principles of most common binaural auditory models, and review recent improvements in the models.

Noise on the Brain Part II – Higher Fidelity: Poppy Crum – Did you know that drinking a glass of orange juice every day may protect your hearing? Most discussions of hearing damage focus on what happens to the cochlea and inner ear. While this understanding is crucial to predicting and avoiding trauma that can lead to hearing loss. Acoustic and chemical stimuli can have significant effects on higher brain areas. While this understanding is crucial to predicting and avoiding trauma that can lead to hearing loss, acoustic and chemical stimuli can have significant effects on higher brain areas. This session will explore new research into acoustic and chemical trauma, how this damage manifests as changes in hearing sensitivity, cognition, and the experience of tinnitus.

Getting the Sound Out Of (And Into) Your Head – The Practical Acoustics of Headsets: Christopher J. Struck (CEO/Chief Scientist CJS Labs, SF – Exploring the electroacoustics of headsets and other head-worn devices, this presentation will review issues ranging from Insertion Gain, to appropriate instrumentation, including ear and mouth simulators. Boom, close-talking, and noise-canceling microphone tests will be addressed, as will relevant standards, and USB, and Bluetooth wireless devices.

An overview of Audio System Grounding And Interfacing: Bill Whitlock, President/Chief Engineer, Jensen Transformers, Inc.- Equipment makers like to pretend the problems don’t exist, but unbalanced interfaces are exquisitely vulnerable to noise due to an intrinsic problem. Although balanced interfaces are theoretically noise-free, they’re widely misunderstood by equipment designers, which often result in inadequate noise rejection in real-world systems. Also discussed are unbalanced-to-balanced connections, RF interference and, power line treatments. Some “cures” are both illegal and deadly.

Photo 1 AES 133rd Convention Tutorial Co-Chair Vene Garcia
Photo 2 AES 133rd Convention Tutorial Co-Chair Mike Wells

The 133rd AES Convention will be held in SF’s Moscone Center, Oct. 26-29.

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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

TRI, 25th Street, Ex’Pression, + Fenix, The Bay Area’s Hottest New Club

SAN FRANCISCO: “A Bay Area native with a solid background in all things audio, 133rd AES Convention Tech Tours Chair Jessica Livingston has proven herself an invaluable resource in ferreting out our town’s most interesting and ‘happening’ highlights,” says Convention Co-chair Valerie Tyler. “The depth of Jessica’s connectivity, coupled with her instinctive grasp of what would most appeal to our Tech Tour aficionados has shaped a particularly well rounded schedule this year,” Tyler adds.

“My goal was to profile the diverse range of SF’s pro audio community,” Livingston says. “From a cutting edge video game creative campus, to a top-flight school and SF’s latest live performance venue, these tours are designed to be instructive, colorful and entertaining.”

133rd AES Convention Technical Tours include:

Tamalpais Research Institute (TRI) Created by Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir, TRI is a $5+ million, state-of-the-art recording and broadcast facility located in San Rafael. The 11,500-square-foot complex features a 2,000-square-foot main studio, a smaller studio, two mixing rooms and five additional isolation rooms. The entire facility is interconnected, for audio and HD video recording. In addition to its broadcast and recording capabilities, the complex is a showcase for the Meyers Sound Constellation System, a revolutionary new concept in public audio.

Electronic Arts: The world’s largest video game publisher, features a host of high tech development and production studios. In addition to sophisticated design and production technology, the 22-acre campus-like environment is equipped with a number of employee-friendly amenities including sports fields, and basketball courts. The tour will visit each of EA’s four buildings and include a presentation in their state-of-the-art auditorium, a ‘Visceral Studio’ demonstration illustrating the audio focus of game development. And, a web audio API sound engine demo.

25th Street Recording: Distinguished by a 1,400 square-foot tracking room, and 17-foot-high ceilings, this new Fran Manzella-designed complex represents a rare example of a large-scale studio launch in our current ‘project studio’ era. Outfitted with a massive collection of analog outboard gear and a 64-channel API Vision console, 25th Street also boasts a number of cool (and green) aesthetic accoutrements, including floors fashioned from wood reclaimed from stadium benches.

Polarity Post Production: This 5-studio, full service, audio post house represents the penultimate environment for creative sound design and mixing. Clients range from Disney Channel, to many national ad campaigns. Outpost Studios: Creators of Sound Design, Music, Dolby Mixing, Voice-Over/ADR and Foley for feature films, TV and Gaming. Recent Outpost projects include the new Robert Redford feature “The Company You Keep,” and Kiefer Southerland’s “Touch” for FOX. Thanks to dual occupancy in the same Embarcadero District building, participants may attend both tours concurrently.

Ex’Pression College For Digital Arts: One of SF’s largest and most comprehensive cutting edge educational campuses, Ex’Pression features an Interactive Audio Program focused on preparing students for careers in video games, mobile phone technology, hand-held multimedia devices and many more contemporary creative options. The ultra modern school features multiple studios, control rooms, editing suites, gaming stations, a theater, MDG Labs and a Stop Motion Room. Among the guides for this tour will be legendary multi-Grammy-winning producer/engineer Jack Douglas, who is now a guest lecturer on Sound Arts for Ex’Pression.

Fantasy Recording Studios: is celebrating its 40th year as one of the world’s premiere studios. With credits ranging from Creedence Clearwater to U2 and Estelle, Fantasy continues to attract crème de la crème artists and producers. The three-studio complex boasts a total Studio D upgrade, completed early this year.

The Fenix Club: The latest addition to San Rafael’s cool but low key night life scene, this new, 200 seat, 8600 sq. ft. showcase performing venue/restaurant features outstanding acoustics. Just 25 minutes from the Moscone Center, The Fenix is distinguished by a whimsically elegant design, and accented by a striking backlit wall. This tour will be conducted by architect/acoustician, John Storyk, whose Walters-Storyk Design Group designed the club.

Dolby Atmos Demo: Considered the most significant new development in audio since surround sound, Dolby Atmos delivers a more natural and realistic soundfield. It transports the audience into the story with a ‘lifelike sensory experience.’ Developed with input from highly respected feature film professionals, this new concept in sound represents a dynamic reinvention of traditional surround sound methodology. This demo will be held at the Dolby Headquarters Theater in SF.

*PLEASE NOTE: Tickets for Technical Tours are only available on site at the Moscone Center. A Preliminary Calendar of Event dates and times will be posted on the www.aes.org website soon. Tickets will be sold at the Reception Desk in the main lobby well in advance of departure.

Photos: 1. Electronic Arts
2. 25th Street Studios Live Room
3. TRI Studios Control Room

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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

Interoperability! The “Holy Grail” For Audio Transport Over IP-Based Networks

SAN FRANCISCO: Networked Audio presents a host of technological and operational advantages, and an equal number of Workflow issues and potential quagmires. 133rd AES Convention Co-Chair Jim McTigue reports that Networked Audio Track Chair, Tim Shuttleworth’s collaboration with the late Nathan Brock has produced a comprehensive program of Workshops designed to ameliorate many of these concerns.

“Before his untimely death this summer, Nathan Brock was an international leader in the field of networked audio,” McTigue said. “We mourn his loss, but his collaboration with Tim Shuttleworth will stand as an invaluable addition to the AES Convention. Tim Shuttleworth, is a master engineer with a special focus on high performance analog and networked audio. During the course of his 30+-year association with the AES he has served in many key roles including editing the Emerging Trends Report for the AES Technical Committee on Networked Audio Systems. ”

Networked Audio Track Workshops Include:

Audio Network Device Connection And Control: Chair, Richard Foss, Rhodes University; Panel: Jeff Koftinoff: MeyerSound; Robby Gurdan , UMAN; Andreas Hildebrand, ALC NetworX; Kieran Walsh, Audinate – Leading industry experts will demonstrate how they have enabled the discovery of audio devices on local area networks, their connection management, and control over their various parameters. Issues related to streaming audio, such as bandwidth management and synchronization, and connection management and control protocols will be discussed.

The Unified AV Network: Chair Rob Silfvast, AVID: This panel discussion will provide an overview of the AVnu Alliance, a consortium of audio and video product makers and core technology companies. Committed to delivering an interoperable open standard for audio/video, networked connectivity, AVnu offers a logo-testing program that allows products to become certified for interoperability. Representatives from several different member companies will provide insights about AVB technology and participation in the AVnu Alliance.

Interoperability Issues In Audio Transport Over IP Based Networks: Chair, Tim Shuttleworth; Panel: Lee Minich, Lab X Technologies/AVnu Alliance; Kevin Gross, AVA Networks/AES X-192; Sonja Langhans, IRT Munich; Greg Shay, Telos/Axia – This Workshop will focus on two key areas of audio/media transport over IP based networks: Multichannel Audio distribution over Ethernet LANs for low latency, high reliability interconnections in home, automobile and commercial environments; and, the interoperability of audio contribution, over Internet Protocol (ACIP and ACIP2). These issues will be addressed, from both the European and US perspectives. Issues include challenges and solutions in achieving reliable content distribution.

Audio Networks – Paradigm Shift For Broadcasters: Chair, Stefan Ledergerber, Lawo, Germany; Panel: Sonja Langhans, IRT Munich; Andreas Hildebrand, ALC Networx; Lee Minich, Lab X Technologies/AVnu alliance; Greg Shay, Telos/Axia; Kevin Gross, AVA Networks/AES X-192 – With the emergence of a variety of audio networking technologies, many broadcast organization workflow-related questions remain unanswered. This panel will address a number of these hot topics e.g. Will traditional cross-point, matrix switches (routers) be replaced by networks? Which component will deal with signal processing, currently accomplished within audio routers? Which department is best equipped for handling audio networks: audio or IT? And, how do we educate personnel to deal with audio networks?

Error-Tolerant Audio Coding: Chair, David Trainor, CSR; Panelists: Gary Spittle, Dolby; Deepen Sinha, ATC Labs (tbc) and Juergen Herre, Fraunhofer IIS (tbc) – Two key, observable trends are: The increasing delivery of real-time audio services over the Internet or cellular networks; and, the variable capacity and reliability of these networks for real-time audio streaming. This workshop will discuss the capabilities of error-tolerant audio coding algorithms and, recent advances in the state of the art.

Open IP Protocols For Audio Networking: Chair: Kevin Gross, CobraNet, QSC – This Tutorial will address the conundrum resulting from the networking and telecommunication industry’s multiplicity of protocols for carriage of audio and video over IP networks. These protocols have been widely deployed for telephony and teleconferencing applications, Internet streaming and cable television. A variety of these protocols and their capabilities and limitations will be addressed. Including: IP, VoIP, IPTV, HTTP streaming, Real-time transport protocol (RTP), RTCP, and RTSP, and IEEE 1588 Precision time protocol (PTP). An overview of AES standards work, X192, adapting these protocols to high-performance audio applications will also be presented.

“We have attempted to make this initial Networked Audio Track as timely and inclusive as possible,” Tim Shuttleworth said. “Attendees will find invaluable information here. And in keeping with the AES goal for the Convention to serve as a forum to ‘Listen, Learn and Connect,’ the opportunities for traditional networking and information exchange will be manifest.”

Photo: Tim Shuttleworth, 133rd AES Convention Networked Audio Track Chair

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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