Abstract:

Ambisonics has been around as a system since the early 1970s, although its basics in some ways date back to Alan Blumlein’s work on stereo and Harry F. Olson’s development of directional microphones at the start of the 1930s.

Tarred with the same brush as the Quadraphonics debacle of the 1970s, it was kept alive by a small band of enthusiasts who realised the much greater capabilities inherent in the system. This continued to be the case until the advent of low cost digital technology towards the end of the 20th Century meant that it became, at last, accessible to many more people. In the past decade far more papers have been published on Ambisonics and Ambisonics-related subjects than in the whole of the preceding three decades. Does this mean it has finally triumphed?

Dave Malham has written VST plug-ins for Ambisonic processing, the ‘MRC Stereometer, a
K-system metering plug-in, and (with Matt Paradis) the ‘ambilib’ Ambisonic processing library for PD and Max/MSP. He also has a patent, WO02085068, for the Ambisonic Sound Object Format. Dave teaches digital audio, signal preservation, sound spatialisation and recording techniques on the Music Technology MA course at York.

An abstract will be posted shortly

Abstract:

If you’ve ever wondered why audio DSP programming is so hard when the algorithms are so simple, this is the place for you. Hundreds of strange and wonderful audio processors have been developed over the past four decades and the presenter has struggled with dozens of them.

In order to learn from our mistakes this master class will tour examples of gross bad practice (suitably anonymized to protect the guilty) and in doing so we’ll extract some general principles useful to those who will design audio DSPs in the future. As a practical example of what can be achieved, we’ll go from simulator based algorithm development to listening to production quality code in a matter of minutes.

Abstract:

Editing audio to fix timing and tuning problems has now become so commonplace that listeners would be hard-pressed to know when the timing, pitch or other characteristics of a recorded actor or singer have been manipulated to be more accurate or to simply sound better.

However, even with sophisticated software tools, in many situations the editing work required to achieve such polished precision can still be tedious and time consuming, and require considerable skill.

In this talk new processing techniques will be demonstrated which offer automated and precise solutions to certain common situations. These techniques involve automatically extracting, from an accurate ‘guide’ voice or instrument recording, selected characteristics such as timing, pitch, vibrato and loudness, and imposing these features on other less accurate recordings of similar performances.

This approach has many applications in consumer and professional audio processing products, including the following…

For professional applications:
1)     Double and triple (or more) tracks can be made quickly to match, with adjustable precision, an accurate lead vocal.
2)     Alternative performance characteristics can be transferred to a lead vocal.
3)     Prosodic features (including timing, inflection and stress) of recorded dialogue can be transformed to have different but natural sounding features transferred from another recording.

For consumers:
4)     In websites or mobile applications, recordings of amateur singers can be automatically transformed to have the characteristics of a professional vocalist.
5)     A language student’s recording of his or her attempt at mimicking a teacher’s recorded sentence can be modified to make the student’s timing and pitch sound like the teacher’s and provide constructive feedback.

Jeff Bloom – who in 1984 invented the first audio time-alignment algorithms upon which these new techniques are based – will also chart the history of automatic time alignment in dialogue replacement and music applications.

The main studio area, which is a lead-lined, floating room within a room, is equipped with PMC ALM 1 active 7.1 surround sound monitoring and a Studer Vista 8 digital mixing system. All microphone inputs are 24bit/96kHz with full DSP on every channel. RED II can offer simultaneous mixes to a variety of different formats and 40-bit processing.

Recording is carried out via Pyramix, Pro Tools and Logic, and there is also an extensive range of digital effects onboard including a TC Systems 6000 mainframe and Lexicon PCM96 digital reverberation. Uniquely for a vehicle of this type, RED II incorporates an additional production/overdub and video gallery room, which is ideal for broadcast clients who want to set up fly-pack television facilities.

The tour will last approximately two hours. Registration is essential and places are limited so if you would like to attend please register now by e-mailing tech-visits[at]aes-uk.org.

Abstract:

Despite enormous progress in understanding how the human auditory system works, most present day loudspeakers cling to outmoded and discredited techniques that have not changed in decades.

The availability of advanced materials and design tools means that the task of advanced speaker design has never been easier, but the necessary steps simply are not taken.

This presentation will look at the criteria for accurate sound reproduction and will show that these criteria can be met. Demonstrations of some alternative loudspeaker designs will be given.

Abstract:

The lecture will be divided into two parts: the first from Chief Scientist Neil Harris and the second given by the CEO of HiWave Technologies (formerly NXT), James Lewis.

Neil will explore issues relating to multi-modal human-computer interfaces. These employ our senses of sight, hearing and touch in consort. The development of more intuitive user interfaces demands an improved understanding of sensory fusion. The cost-effective provision of tactile feedback in such interfaces brings the emerging field of psychohaptics into focus. Examples will be given of 2D panel-based interfaces that incorporate bending-wave haptics technology.

James Lewis will then talk about the strategy of combining expertise in actuator design and electronics design under one roof. This joined-up thinking opens the door to commercial exploitation of previously unexplored technical synergies. Focusing on the consumer electronics market, examples will be given of audio products and touch input devices that can benefit from such synergies.

Abstract:

Stonehenge is the largest and most complex ancient stone circle known to mankind. In its original form, the concentric shape of stone rings would have surrounded an individual both visually and aurally. It is an outdoor space and most archaeological evidence suggests it did not have a roof. However, its large, semi-enclosed structure, with many reflecting surfaces, would have reflected and diffracted sound within the space creating an unusual acoustic field for the Neolithic Man.

This presentation describes acoustic measurement studies taken at the Stonehenge site in the United Kingdom and at a full size and fully reconstructed replica site in Washington State, USA. The aim of the research is to understand the acoustics of this famous stone circle and discuss whether it would have had striking effects for its users in Neolithic times.

Features such as impulse response, reverberation time, reflections and speech transmission index will be presented and used to discuss the existence or otherwise of audible effects such as flutter echoes, low frequency resonances and whispering gallery effects. A description of an auralisation system based on ambisonic and wave field synthesis technology will be given. A stereo rendition of the sound of Stonehenge will then be presented to the audience.

After the lecture there will be a visit to the Christmas Market in the City Centre.

Abstract:

Digital culture has transformed our world, and is still evolving the way we live. We are surrounded by technology; wireless networks, mobile devices, access to more data and information than we could ever need. One aspect of the government’s Digital Economy act is aimed at ensuring that we make the most of this technology, as many devices are over engineered for the initial design purpose. Mobile and wireless devices are being used for far more than their initial purpose, allowing remote access to technology, art and data. We are surrounded by digital hardware, so it is now possible to rapidly develop applications to generate wealth, improve efficiency and enhance our lives – this is the growing culture of our digital economy.

The hardware and infrastructure is already in place, so the cost is purely in innovating new ways to utilise the technology that surrounds us. We use our mobile systems for global positioning applications, audio and video processing, remote data and information retrieval and even self diagnosis for healthcare and medical applications. The present opportunity for innovation is at the crossroads where technology meets culture and creativity, and government driven research and knowledge transfer funding is available to encourage this.

This lecture, a collaborative venture organised by CoDE, the Audio Engineering Society and Creative Front, will present a number of case studies in fields related to digital culture, to act as a foundation for brainstorming and collaboration between Cambridge innovators from academia and industry. The lecture will be followed by a sponsored wine reception and networking opportunity.

Agenda

18:00 – Registration and seating for lecture
18:30 – Lecture by Dr Rob Toulson
19:45 – Wine reception and networking
21:00 – Close

Abstract:

The lecture will look at the theoretical and practical aspects of making a recording outside the studio environment as well as some of the recording and post-production techniques that are used in classical music production.

Daniel Halford has over 10 years’ experience working as a recording engineer and has made over 40 professional releases with a contemporary classical record label and also for various independent music groups. Several of his recordings have received critical acclaim for their sound quality.

He also lectures in music and sound design technology at the University of Hertfordshire and has taught the same subject at Southampton University. Daniel’s interests in audio and music are wide and varied and, in addition to his work as a recording engineer, Daniel works freelance on a wide range of projects including music technology workshops, video and mixed media work, live sound engineering, composition, radio production and sound design.