AES Berlin 2014
Workshop Details
Saturday, April 26, 11:15 — 13:00 (Estrel Hall A)
W1 - Challenges and Opportunities in Audio for Ultra-High-Definition Television
Chair:Brian McCarty, Coral Sea Studios Pty. Ltd - Clifton Beach, QLD, Australia
Panelists:
Ton Kalker, DTS - Mountain View, CA, USA
Frank Melchior, BBC Research and Development - Salford, UK
Kazuho Ono, NHK Engineering System Inc. - Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Abstract:
Standards organizations are currently looking into the next generation of television - known as Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV). 4K? 8K? Dolby Vision? High frame rate? All are interesting topics for picture. As sound engineers, we too want to bring our best work to the home. This panel of audio engineers will discuss the opportunities that await the next generation of television.
 | This session is presented in association with the AES Technical Committee on Audio for Cinema |
Saturday, April 26, 14:30 — 16:30 (Estrel Hall A)
W2 - World-Class Cinema Sound Mixers Discuss Their Craft
Chair:Brian McCarty, Coral Sea Studios Pty. Ltd - Clifton Beach, QLD, Australia
Panelists:
Christian Beusch, Tonstudio Beusch TSB - Egg b. Zurich, Switzerland; Magnetix Tonstudio AG - Zurich, Switzerland
Lars Ginzel, Freelancer - Berlin, Germany
Branko Neskov, Loudness Films - Lisbon, Portugal
Martin Steyer, Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen "Konrad Wolf" - Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany
Abstract:
Germany's leading cinema sound mixers discuss their craft - for both the professional doing Sound for Picture as well as students thinking about this for a career.
| This session is presented in association with the AES Technical Committee on Audio for Cinema |
Saturday, April 26, 17:00 — 18:30 (Estrel Hall A)
W3 - Practical Techniques for Recording Ambience in Surround
Chair:Helmut Wittek, SCHOEPS GmbH - Karlsruhe, Germany
Panelist:
Michael Williams, Sounds of Scotland - Le Perreux sur Marne, France
Abstract:
In this workshop microphone recording techniques for ambience in 5.1 Surround are presented and discussed in theory and practice. Various simultaneous recordings were done in preparation of the workshop. Theses audio samples from six different techniques in five different venues are perfectly suitable for demonstrating the principal differences between the techniques and the perceptual consequences on immersion, localization, sound color, stability, etc. The differences are not only valid for ambience and for 5.1 Surround as they show the basic differences between level/time difference stereophony and as they confirm theories on correlation between channels and their consequence for the perceived spatial image.
During the workshop, the audio samples are compared in an A/B manner and differences are discussed. The audio samples as well as the full documentation can be downloaded for free use on www.hauptmikrofon.de. They are particularly useful in education but also for sound engineers that have to choose an ambience setup in practice.
| This session is presented in association with the AES Technical Committee on Recording Technology and Practices |
Sunday, April 27, 09:00 — 11:00 (Estrel Hall A)
W4 - Creative Dimension of Immersive Sound — Sound in 3D
Chair:Brian McCarty, Coral Sea Studios Pty. Ltd - Clifton Beach, QLD, Australia
Panelists:
Lars Ginzel, Freelancer - Berlin, Germany
Branko Neskov, Loudness Films - Lisbon, Portugal
Rune Palving, Tonemestrene Studio - Copenhagen, Denmark
Abstract:
As more producers are interested in Immersive Sound mixes for their films, this new technique is starting to find a niche. Experienced Immersive Sound mixers discuss and demonstrate their techniques.
| This session is presented in association with the AES Technical Committee on Audio for Cinema |
Sunday, April 27, 10:45 — 12:15 (Estrel Hall B)
W5 - Mastering Our Future Music
Chair:Rob Toulson, Anglia Ruskin University - Cambridge, UK
Panelists:
Andreas Lubich, Calyx Mastering, Dubplates & Mastering (until 2013) - Berlin, Germany
Mandy Parnell, Black Saloon Studios - London, UK
Jonathan Shakhovskoy, Script - London, UK
Abstract:
Emerging technologies are impacting the way in which music is captured, packaged, and delivered to the listener. Communications and working practices are evolving, bringing new challenges and opportunities for producing a high quality final product. Technical initiatives including Mastering for iTunes, high resolution playback, streaming services, dynamic range control and advances in metadata require mastering engineers to continuously modernize their methods. Additionally, the methods and systems for music delivery are evolving, with artists exploring new avenues for engaging their audience. In particular the “Album App” format has been considered with regards to high resolution audio, secure digital content and the inclusion of album artwork and interactive features. Furthermore, we have seen a resurgence of vinyl as a preferred listening format for audio, which has reassured the commercial importance of high-fidelity audio and rich artistic content. Each of these contemporary initiatives has an impact on the way the audio is mastered, finalized, and distributed to the listener.
The Mastering Our Future Music workshop will involve presentations and interactive discussions with a panel of experts who are fundamentally engaged in these contemporary practices for audio mastering and delivery to the listener.
| This session is presented in association with the AES Technical Committee on Recording Technology and Practices |
Sunday, April 27, 12:45 — 14:15 (Estrel Hall A)
W6 - DSD vs. DXD: Extreme DSD and PCM Resolutions Compared
Chair:Dominique Brulhart, Merging Technologies
Panelists:
Morten Lindberg, 2L (Lindberg Lyd AS) - Oslo, Norway
Everett Porter, Polyhymnia
Abstract:
With the recent release of 11.2 MHz Quad-DSD production tools, more than a decade of DSD and DXD productions and the rapidly growing availability of DSD and DXD material available for download on the market, there is a constant debate in both the professional and the audiophile sector about the difference between DSD and PCM and ultimately which one “sounds better.” This panel would like offering the opportunity to two known specialists of these formats, Everett Porter from Polyhymnia and Morten Lindberg from 2L to present some of their recordings and discuss their experience making productions in DSD and DXD. Recent recordings in DSD and DXD will be presented and recording, editing, mixing, and mastering techniques and considerations using DSD and DXD will be discussed and compared.
Sunday, April 27, 16:30 — 18:30 (Estrel Hall B)
W7 - Cinema Sound—Theater Loudness and Standards Issues
Chair:Brian McCarty, Coral Sea Studios Pty. Ltd - Clifton Beach, QLD, Australia
Panelists:
Eelco Grimm, Grimm Audio - Utrecht, Netherlands
David Murphy, Krix Loudspeakers - Hackham, South Australia
Abstract:
Technical Committee Sound for Digital Cinema and Television has a subgroup on Cinema Loudness issues working under the direction of Brian McCarty and Eelco Grimm.
This workshop will present the current data gathered by the committee and prepare suggestions for continued Standards work by the Society.
| This session is presented in association with the AES Technical Committee on Audio for Cinema |
Sunday, April 27, 17:30 — 18:30 (Estrel Hall A)
W8 - Mastering in the Modern Age
Chair:Gavin Lurssen, Lurssen Mastering - Los Angeles, CA, USA
Panelists:
Andrew Mendelson, Georgetown Masters - Nashville, TN, USA
Mandy Parnell, Black Saloon Studios - London, UK
Darcy Proper, Wisseloord Studios - Hilversum, The Netherlands
Michael Romanowski, Michael Romanowski Mastering - San Francisco, CA, USA; Owner Coast Recorders
Abstract:
Despite the industrial infiltration of low-grade listening, the mastering field has maintained its relevance and progress of precision. Without this finalizing step from birth of an idea to its sonic realization, the energy and excitement that is most desired in music would be lost. Mastering's essentiality is heard in the refined grooves of a vinyl record and the restrained output of an mp3 format alike. This panel, comprised of world-class mastering engineers, explores how to get the most out of mastering in today's world of changing formats, music business models, and evolving technology.
Monday, April 28, 09:00 — 10:30 (Estrel Hall A)
W9 - Semantic Audio Production
Chair:Christian Uhle, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS - Erlangen, Germany
Panelists:
Stefan Ledergerber, Lawo Group - Zurich, Switzerland; LES Switzerland GmbH
Bryan Pardo, Northwestern University - IL, USA
Joshua D. Reiss, Queen Mary University of London - London, UK
Abstract:
Semantic audio production aims at developing tools to assist a creative person producing, editing, or mixing audio. Computational methods can perform more routine tasks, manage large amounts of data, and enable new functionalities. Examples of applications are editing single notes and objects in a mix, editing multitrack audio, live sound mixing, intelligent digital audio effects, DJ software for automatically syncing, and recommending tracks and score/audio alignment.
| This session is presented in association with the AES Technical Committee on Semantic Audio Analysis |
Monday, April 28, 09:00 — 10:00 (Estrel Hall C2)
W10 - The Immersive Sound Format: Requirements and Challenges for Tools and Workflow
Chair:Bert Van Daele, Auro Technologies NV - Mol, Belgium
Panelist:
Sven Mevissen, Auro Technologies - London, UK
Abstract:
The Digital Cinema world has recently seen the advent of several new audio formats, each claiming to bring a new three-dimensional, immersive sound listening experience to the movie-going audience. As a result, several organizations, such as NATO (National Association of Theatre Owners) and DCI (Digital Cinema Initiative) have described a set of requirements, effectively requesting for a single, royalty-free, open interoperable standard for Immersive Sound, incorporating object-based audio capabilities.
The introduction of this new standardized format brings a few new challenges for content creators, such as movie studios and post-production facilities. Indeed, although the introduction of the standard simplifies the distribution of content with Immersive Sound, several challenges still remain, such as creating the standard 5.1 (and 7.1) Surround versions, as well as optimizing the object-based elements of the Immersive Sound standard for reproduction on a plethora of reproduction systems, each with a number of common as well as unique features.
This presentation discusses a unified workflow that enables the simultaneous creation of content in various audio formats for cinema, including the Immersive Sound format. Several attention points are highlighted such as the compatibility between deliverables, creative possibilities and limitations, playback in theaters and at home. Finally, a set of software tools is presented supporting this workflow.
Monday, April 28, 10:30 — 12:00 (Estrel Hall C2)
W11 - Applications for Object-Based Audio
Chair:Bert Van Daele, Auro Technologies NV - Mol, Belgium
Panelists:
Richard Furse, Blue Ripple Sound - London, UK
Ton Kalker, DTS - Mountain View, CA, USA
Frank Melchior, BBC Research and Development - Salford, UK
Abstract:
Recently, the concept of object-based audio has received quite a lot of attention. Although not completely new - it has been used for gaming applications for many years - the use of audio objects in audio systems for digital cinema, home entertainment and broadcast is in its infancy. In this panel session, experts from various industries explain their view on the use of object-based audio in their field. Similarities and differences are highlighted, as well as considerations such as bandwidth, rendering, compatibility, creative options, etc. An overview is given of the various activities and the relations between them, as well as the value chain from creation to the home.
| This session is presented in association with the AES Technical Committee on Spatial Audio |
Monday, April 28, 10:45 — 12:45 (Estrel Hall A)
W12 - Mastering Tips for Engineers and Studio Owners
Chair:Andres A. Mayo, Andres Mayo Mastering & Audio Post - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Panelists:
Stefan Bock, msm-studios GmbH - Munich, Germany
Darcy Proper, Wisseloord Studios - Hilversum, The Netherlands
Abstract:
The presenters will "role play" the real situation with a client in a mastering session. All the issues that may come up in real life will be addressed in order to demonstrate how important it is as engineers (and/or facility managers) to make clients feel confident and at ease but still keeping control of the situation. In other words, how to develop interpersonal skills that are crucial to the music production business.
Monday, April 28, 13:30 — 15:30 (Estrel Hall C2)
W13 - How Do We Make the Sound for Headphones?
Chair:Toru Kamekawa, Tokyo University of the Arts - Adachi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Panelists:
Bob DeMaa, DTS, Inc. - Santa Monica, CA, USA
Sean Olive, Harman International - Northridge, CA, USA
Ville Pulkki, Aalto University - Espoo, Finland; Technical University of Denmark - Denmark
Bob Schulein, RBS Consultants - Schaumburg, IL, USA
Abstract:
Although the headphones listening became popular with the advent of portable audio playback systems such as Walkman and iPod, most of the music production are done using traditional loudspeaker systems. With this discrepancy in mind, the workshop will discuss following points: What is the difference between headphone listening and loudspeaker listening? Can we make the suitable sound for headphone listening through loudspeaker playback? Whether we should change the recording technique to adapt headphone listening? How a dummy head or HRTF technique used in actual recording? Panelists will introduce actual examples and discuss how we make the sound for headphones playback.
| This session is presented in association with the AES Technical Committee on Loudspeakers and Headphones and AES Technical Committee on Recording Technology and Practices |
Tuesday, April 29, 09:00 — 11:30 (Estrel Hall B)
W14 - Myth Busting Microphone Specifications
Chair:Eddy B. Brixen, EBB-consult - Smorum, Denmark; DPA Microphones /A/S - Allerød, Denmark
Panelists:
Jürgen Breitlow, Georg Neumann Berlin - Berlin, Germany
David Josephson, Josephson Engineering, Inc. - Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Martin Schneider, Georg Neumann Berlin - Berlin, Germany
Helmut Wittek, SCHOEPS GmbH - Karlsruhe, Germany
Joerg Wuttke, Joerg Wuttke Consultancy - Pfinztal, Germany
Abstract:
There are lots and lots of microphones available to the audio engineer. The final choice is often made on the basis of experience or perhaps just habits. (Sometimes the mic is chosen because of its looks.) Nevertheless, there is essential and very useful information to be found in the microphone specifications. This workshop will present the most important microphone specs and provide the attendees with up-to-date information on how these data are obtained and understood. Each member of the panel—all related to industry top brands—will present one item from the spec sheet. The workshop takes a critical look on how specs are presented to the user, what to look for and what to expect. If you have questions regarding microphones, this is definitely the place to ask them! The workshop is organized by the AES Technical Committee on Microphones and Applications.
| This session is presented in association with the AES Technical Committee on Microphones and Applications |
Tuesday, April 29, 09:00 — 10:30 (Estrel Hall C1)
W15 - Audio Loudness for Audiovisual Archives
Presenter:Stefano S. Cavaglieri, Fonoteca Nazionale Svizzera - Lugano, Switzerland
Abstract:
Explaining audio loudness in a few words is not obvious. This workshop is aimed to address some basic questions, such as “What is the difference between loudness and level?” “Does loudness affect our listening habits?” “Does it affect archiving?” “And what about dissemination?” approaching the topic from a technical perspective, with improved listening quality as a target. After watching an introductory short Loudness War video, we will define a proper setup for the digitization/transfer process in the analog and in the digital domain, we will have a closer look at existing international standards, the issue of metering, and the importance of the working environment.
| This session is presented in association with the AES Technical Committee on Archiving Restoration and Digital Libraries |
Tuesday, April 29, 12:45 — 14:15 (Estrel Hall A)
W16 - Loudness Wars: Give Peaks a Chance
Presenters:Thomas Lund, TC Electronic A/S - Risskov, Denmark
Florian Camerer, ORF - Austrian TV - Vienna, Austria; EBU - European Broadcasting Union
Abstract:
Music production, distribution, and consumption has been caught in a vicious spiral rendering two decades of our music heritage irreversibly damaged. Today, new tracks and remastered ones typically sound worse than what could even be expected from compact cassette. As a professional society, do we just sit by and let that happen on our watch?
Florian and Thomas are at the helm of two European initiatives to reverse this spiral: EBU R128 and EU legislation to prevent early hearing loss from listening to personal music players. That combination will soon make even the most ignorant A&R manager realize that it's futile to master music louder than –16 LUFS.
Tuesday, April 29, 13:30 — 15:00 (Estrel Hall C1)
W17 - AES 67 Audio Networking
Chair:Greg Shay, The Telos Alliance - Cleveland, OH, USA
Panelists:
Kevin Gross, AVA Networks - Boulder, CO, USA
Andreas Hildebrand, ALC NetworX - Munich, Germany
Gints Linis, University of Latvia - IMCS - Riga, Latvia
Abstract:
The AES67 standard was published in September 2013. This standard provides comprehensive interoperability recommendations for professional audio over IP networks in the areas of synchronization, media clock identification, network transport, encoding and streaming, session description, and connection management.
The convenience and installation-cost benefits of IT-style networking have been recognised for many years, and basic networking technology has also increased in speed and capacity. The most recent generation of media networks use a diversity of proprietary and standard protocols. Despite a common basis in Internet Protocol, the systems do not interoperate. In 2010 a project was set up in cooperation with the EBU to specify a set of existing IP networking parameters to ensure a more general interoperability of professional audio in all applications, including synchronization with film and television pictures. This workshop will explore the choices that were made in AES67 and the underlying logic.
Tuesday, April 29, 15:00 — 16:30 (Estrel Hall C1)
W18 - Using AES67 Networking
Chair:Mark Yonge, AES - Blakeney, Gloucestershire, UK
Panelists:
Kevin Gross, AVA Networks - Boulder, CO, USA
Stefan Heinzmann, Heinzmann - Konstanz, Germany
Andreas Hildebrand, ALC NetworX - Munich, Germany
Gints Linis, University of Latvia - IMCS - Riga, Latvia
Greg Shay, The Telos Alliance - Cleveland, OH, USA
Abstract:
The AES67 standard provides comprehensive interoperability recommendations for professional audio over IP networks in the areas of synchronization, media clock identification, network transport, encoding and streaming, session description, and connection management.
This workshop will discuss the practical issues that will arise when AES67 is deployed in small- and large-scale installations, including physical media, switches and routers, and timing and latency.
