145th AES CONVENTION Press Release: Facebook 360 Immersive Media Production Workshop to Be Held at AES New York 2018 Convention

For Release: October 9, 2018

Facebook 360 Immersive Media Production Workshop to Be Held at AES New York 2018 Convention

Facebook 360 Immersive Media Production Workshop to Be  Held at AES New York 2018 Convention

The 145th AES International Convention in New York City will host a number of exciting educational events. One of the most intriguing is a half-day training session in immersive media production using the Facebook 360 platform. The workshop will cover the end-to-end workflow for spatial audio design and asset preparation of 360 and 180 immersive videos using Facebook 360 Spatial Workstation tools. This workshop is the result of a unique partnership between Facebook and the AES to provide hands-on training in 360 audio and video development during AES New York 2018. 

The workshop, led by Abesh Thakur of Facebook 360, and Latin GRAMMY Award-winning mastering engineer and AES Past President Andres Mayo, will be held at the Jacob Javits Center on Friday, October 19. There will be identical morning and afternoon sessions with enrollment limited to 35 attendees for each session. The workshops complement the immersive audio content in the four-day AES New York 2018 Technical Program, taking place October 17 – 20. 

“It's very exciting to see the AES taking the leading role as educators in this field, which is still completely new for most audio engineers and students,” says Mayo.

“As we move into the future, partnerships with major tech companies like Facebook become increasingly important,” adds 145th Convention Co-chair Jonathan Wyner. “They are among the leaders in developing new tech for producing audio, and AES has the membership with expertise to understand what it means to produce great sound.”

The workshop will cover the end-to-end workflow for spatial audio design and asset preparation of 360 and 180 immersive videos using the Facebook 360 Spatial Workstation tools. The content will address the following:

  1. What is spatial audio? Why is it important for Immersive videos?
  2. Formats and standards that are accepted on popular delivery platforms such as Facebook, Oculus or YouTube.
  3. Using plugins in a DAW to author ambisonic mixes that respond to real-time headtracking during runtime.
  4. Basic setup for live-streaming 360 videos with ambisonic audio.
  5. Overview of popular 360 cameras and ambisonic microphones that can be used for linear spatial audio design.

Workshop attendees will be required to bring laptops and to download software assets in advance to bring on the day.

Registration for one of these workshops is only available to convention attendees who are already registered for an All Access convention pass (not Exhibits-Plus) for the 145th Convention valid on Friday, October 19. Preregistration is required; there is an additional registration fee of $50 for AES members and $100 for non-members, covering the specialized assets needed for the seminar.

For additional details and a registration link, please visit aes.org/events/145/fb360

About the 2018 AES New York Convention
All Access registration to AES New York 2018 provides four full days of Technical Program sessions, including all onsite events, papers and posters, workshops and tutorials, including audio for VR, AR and XR and gaming and immersive and spatial audio (October 17-20). AES Members, including student members, enjoy substantial discounts on All Access registration. All Access registration is required before sign-up for one of the Facebook 360 workshops. The Exhibition, exhibition floor sessions and Special Events are open to all AES 2018 attendees, including Exhibits-Plus registrants. For a limited time, AES New York 2018 Exhibits-Plus registration is complimentary for those using the VIP code “AES18NOW” at checkout. Exhibits-Plus passes give attendees three days of Exhibition Floor showcases and demos (October 17-19). If it’s about audio, it’s at AES – the ultimate opportunity for audio professionals of all specialties and future audio pros to listen, learn and connect!

Advance registration has been extended for a limited time. The best possible pricing and options are available when registering online at aesshow.com. Registration at any level for AES New York 2018 includes access to the NAB Show New York exhibition.