L to R: Alan Clayton; Dr. Henry Pajooman; Ross Whitney; Tristan Miller; Bill Whitlock; Jim Hayward — Toronto AES Section -- January 23 2018
Toronto AES Chair Alan Clayton introduced Vice-Chair Anthony Kuzub to make the first introduction. Tristan Miller was the first speaker and Anthony provided his background.
Tristan's talk covered the Canadian Electrical Code; grounding and bonding; simplified explanations of voltage; transformers; and power transmission.
What does this have to do with audio and studio power?
The average electrician does not put clean power distribution into consideration as they're far more concerned with maximum circuit loading. The average private studio is unaware of this, since they trust that their average electrician is aware of the consideration required for low-noise power.
At the conclusion of Tristan's talk, Alan introduced Ross Whitney (also a member of the Toronto AES Executive Committee) who was joined by Dr. Pajooman. They spoke about the importance of clean power and distribution. Their talk included discussion of different loads and properly isolating them from each other.
An extensive Q&A session followed.
After the break Committee Member Earl McCluskie talked about the joint AES/SMPTE meeting in February, as well the annual member's showcase meeting that same month. He noted the importance for prospective presenters to submit early.
Member Secretary Blair Francey thanked attendees and members, and encouraged guests to join the Toronto chapter.
Executive Member Jim Hayward introduced Bill Whitlock and shared personal recollections and background.
Bill's talk was down to earth and supported by the basics, facts and experience. It was titled "AC Power and System Noise — Let's Get Real".
Some topics included basic circuits (Ohm's Law), wire impedance, and the meaning of ground. He discussed some common myths.
The talk continued with noise, harmonics, sources of noise, leakage current, signal interfaces & noise coupling, and cabling issues. He noted "'high-end' audio is awash in pseudo-science, anti-science, and mysticism". Truly high-performance unbalanced audio cables combine very low shield resistance, low capacitance, and reliable connectors. Bill's preference is Belden 8241F for all those reasons, and its high flexibility.
Further topics looked at CMRR (Common-Mode Rejection Ratio), the "Pin 1" problem, safety concerns, meaningful specs, and preferred measuring tools.
Another Q&A session followed Bill's talk.
This meeting was streamed at:
https://www.facebook.com/TorontoAES/videos/1794895933855900/
(Presentation starts at approximately 35:00)
At the end of the meeting Alan gave the presenters a Toronto AES Certificate of Appreciation and AES coffee mug.
