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Student Recording Competition Winner Interview - Bo Pang

Bo Pang accepts her Gold Award in the Sound for Visual Media category.

Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from and what do you study?
My name is Bo Pang. I grew up in Qingdao, an upper east coast city in China known for its rich artistic environment film industry. I grew up with music and film and knew I wanted to do something with both of those areas, so I applied to the Beijing Film Academy. I received my foundational knowledge of filmmaking there, specializing in skills regarding sound, gaining hands on experience in shooting film and nurturing my passion. During the last year of school I went to London to study sound arts and design. The artistic environment of national museums and galleries and sound installations expanded my imagination. They helped me overcome language barriers and realize that filmmaking is a universal concept. I became more confident in my skills and determined to come to the United States to further my education, continuing my journey at Chapman University where I completed my MFA in sound design this year.

What initiated your passion for audio? When did it start?
Music has always been a part of my life since a young age when I started playing the piano. Pictures would always come to my mind when playing different melodies. This not only helped me develop my sensitivity to sound, but also encouraged me to explore my imagination. I became interested in sound design in primary school. One of my favorite things to do was close my eyes and listen to the sounds on my grandma’s balcony. It brought everything to life; happy birds in the spring, cicadas in the summer, dry leaves rustling in the autumn, and the cold wind in winter. I remember how dramatic it felt during a storm when the rolling thunders came with low-end rumbling and how raindrops brightened everything when they hit the tin roof. Sound is very important to me because it makes my memories so vivid. As I learn more about audio and have more experiences, I am discovering how much it is already a part of my life and engrained in my heart.

Tell us about the production of your submission. What is the story behind it? What inspired it? How long did you work on it? Was it your first entry?
My submission is from a sci-fi short film that I worked on during my time at Chapman as sound designer, supervising sound editor, and re-recording mixer. The film tells the story about a young shipping pilot, searching for his missing wife. It was a new world with hundreds of visual effects, challenging me to explore my imagination to create good storytelling. One of the most interesting parts of this project was to record as many sound as possible for the sound design. I did several Foley sessions to record and experiment different sound elements ranging from something as tiny as a water drip to as loud as thunder. I went into the field and recorded more elements, including metal chains on a train and the whirring of plane engines. As there were many sound effects everywhere in this film, it was challenging for me to find the right balance for dynamic mixing. I learned a lot while using my technical skills to make my ideas come alive. I worked on this film for two months. It was my first entry.

What/Who made you join AES?
The first time I was introduced to AES was in 2018 when one of my friends told me of the many opportunities this organization provided for learning in classes, events, and journalism. After I found out more information I applied for student membership. During my time as a member I was able to volunteer for AES at the 2019 NAMM Show. I felt very appreciated like I was part of a family.

Tell us about your favorite experiences at the 147th AES Convention in New York!
I had two favorite experiences at the 147th AES. The first was the student competition panel, which allowed me to show my work and also learn from industry professionals and other students. The second moment was the amazing classes AES had. I learned many new specialized skills and techniques, as well as having the chance to meet many people from all over the world who were passionate in audio, sharing our experiences and ideas with each other.

Posted: Tuesday, December 3, 2019

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Student MATLAB Plugin Competition Winner Interview - Sean Newell

Sean Newell stands with fellow winner Russell Scarborough and several Belmont University colleagues.

1) Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from and what do you study?

My name is Sean Newell, originally from Miami, Florida, I moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2016 to pursue a degree in Audio Engineering Technology. I quickly fell in love with the software and DSP side of audio, and thus, took a lot of computer science and signal processing classes.

2) What initiated your passion for audio? When did it start?

I have always loved music and always wanted to be a part of it. It began with me learning an instrument, and lead to me becoming interested in audio tech.

3) Tell us about the production of your submission. What is the story behind it? What inspired it? How long did you work on it? Was it your first entry?

I submitted a VST plugin for the MATLAB competition. I loved the process of creating it as I learned so much. It was inspired from a school assignment where I had to create a parallel distortion effect with two algorithms, each bringing out different harmonics. It took me about 1.5 months to complete. This was my first AES submission.

4) What/who made you join AES?

Many audio professors at Belmont lobby for AES memberships.

5) Tell us about your favorite experiences at the 147th AES convention in New York!

My favorite experience was during the plugin demo session where I got to show off something I made, and received great feedback for.

Posted: Monday, November 25, 2019

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AES147 SDA Officer Elections

Dear all AES Student Members!

On every convention AES SDA is electing new SDA Officer as their representative in AES structures. If you wold like to apply click here to check all detils!

Posted: Sunday, September 22, 2019

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Student Recording Competition Rules

As the deadline for submissions is coming closer be sure that you are familiar with rules for Student Recording Competition. Check them here.

At the upcoming 147th, AES Convention in New York students will be able to compete in a new category which is Immersive!

We wish you all good luck! Remember we are waiting for your submissions till the 18th of September 2019!

Posted: Thursday, August 22, 2019

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AES Student Competition: Matlab Plugin - New York AES 145th convention follow-up

MATLAB Plugin Student Competition was first time hosted on 145th AES New York Convention. From the 4 submissions qualified to the final presentation, Judges selected one gold, two silver and one bronze award winners. For the 147th Convention Matlab Competition is going back – you are invited to participate, keep the deadlines! Updated competition rules are available here:

http://www.aes.org/students/awards/mpsc/

For this competition cycle, Mathworks provided special mentoring list for students interested in taking part in competition. Please sign up for the newsletter by sending the mail to [email protected]. AES MATLAB Plugin competition have separated page on MathWorks site, everyone interested in the competition updates and future webinars/tutorials should be updated with the information on the page:

https://www.mathworks.com/academia/student-competitions/aes-matlab.html

All previous submissions are available on MatlabCentral (https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/) by searching for tag: “aescomp”.

One of the competition rules is to upload short video presenting your project possibilities. Now it is a great opportunity for you to take a look at it before submitting to get the knowledge about Matlab possibilities in plugin creation. Please take a look on previous submissions videos on youtube:

1st place – Plate reverb –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lSVdCZhfrk

[Aalborg University, Denmark]

2nd place ee – Neural Reverberator – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gJ-e1SsPkE

[Clemson University, US]

2nd place ee – Binaural Piano – https://youtu.be/HUh6qq0oPyk

[RWTH Aachen, Germany]

3rd place – Escalator – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_vV2ysFgX4

[York University, UK]

More Information about competition

Posted: Tuesday, July 9, 2019

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Ian Corbett Visits Student Section in Gdansk

At the beginning of June, prof. Ian Corbett was invited to Gdansk by the AES Student Section from the Gdansk University of Technology. The event’s success was facilitated by the cooperation of the Multimedia Systems Department of the University, with special assistance from Prof. Bozena Kostek.

During his visit Ian Corbett conducted several lectures for students interested in audio and recording technology and he led a session of Recording Critiques. During his lectures, students were able to learn about the fundamentals of audio engineers’ work and got to know how to improve their mixing and recording skills. This lecture was inspired by Ian Corbett’s book Mic it!. Such events are a considered a good opportunity to teach students about the specifics of audio related jobs and inform them about the mission and initiatives undertaken by the Audio Engineering Society.

The Student Section of Gdańsk University of Technolog reports that they are very happy that their collaboration with such an incredible AES Member and Educator as Ian Corbett took place, hoping that it will encourage other Students Sections to hold similar events in the future.

Posted: Thursday, June 27, 2019

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Student Recording Competition Finalist Interview - Bastian Striepke

1) Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from and what do you study?

My name is Bastian, I'm from Germany and I study Media Technology at the HAW Hamburg.

2) What initiated your passion for audio? When did it start?

For me, it was always there in some form. However, my passion for music really came through when my older brother gifted me his old acoustic guitar - I think I was 13 at the time. I played for 10 hours straight every day when I got it. Later, when I was around 16, he started studying audio engineering at the SAE institute for fun. Because of this, I discovered another passion for the engineering side of things. He used to take me to the studios, showed me around and played me his mixes. I quickly realized, that's what I wanted to do as well. So I bought some beginner audio equipment and started producing stuff in my bedroom. My love for audio only ever grew from there.

3) Tell us about production of your submission? What is the story behind it? What inspired it? How long did you work on it? Was it your first entry?

I mixed the song "melancholie" from the german Indie-Pop band "gleich da". It's an upbeat song about the ups and downs in life, looking back and reflecting on the hard times and then moving on from that. It uses water and tides as a metpahor for this concept, and so the entire song revolves around a wave-like structure, going up and down in intensity, with piano and organ sections flowing in and out - just like the rising tides. The production is centered around this element and I tried to complement the song structure by mixing it in a wave-like fashion aswell. We spend a good half year start-to-finish on this production. This is including a high amount of pre-poduction - visiting the band on live concerts and during practice-sessions, talking about lyrics, arrangements, instruments and making sure the song itself was in the right state to be recorded in the first place. For me it's very important to spend time with the musicians I want to record, get to know them, know how they work and to make sure that we have great song. After all - no amount of production can turn a bad song into a good one.

4) What/who made you join AES?

We have a very strong student section in Hamburg, Germany - with regular study trips, workshops, lectures and events. I wanted to be part of it, so I joined it pretty much immediately when I started studying there. Now I can help to shape the section as vice chair and hopefully attract new members the same way I was attratced back then.

5) Tell us about your favorite experiences at the 146th AES convention in Dublin!

The best experience of any AES convention is talking to all the amazing people, professionals and students attending the event and getting to know them. Forging these connections is incredibly valuable. But I also really enjoyed all the student offerings this year, which seemed particularly abundant. And the Heyser lecture, as always, was a real highlight aswell.

Posted: Sunday, May 12, 2019

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Student Design Competition winner interview - Kamil Piotrowski

1) Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from and what do you study?

I am from Poland. More precisely from Bydgoszcz but currently I live in Cracow - the city I have started studies almost 5 years ago. I am finishing master's degree in acoustic engineering now and thinking about nearest future.

2) What initiated your passion for audio? When did it start?

From a little child I always have been interested in music. With aging it turned into hobby and the things went on. Making a decision about field of studies there were no doubts what to choose. I can say that my passion was born then

3) Tell us about production of your submission? What is the story behind it? How long did you work on it? Was it your first entry? What kind of problem can it solve or improve?

The story is pretty simple. Realising how interesting ambsionics technique is, I started studying the topic and conducted first research. Of course they finished successfully and then I started developing my next ideas much more seriously. The result brought me to 146th AES where I presented my own measurement system regarding improving listening conditions in small rooms using Higher-Order Ambisonics. Measuring room impulse responses using III order ambisonic microphone and providing them to analysing tool, the software determines direction of arrival of early reflections that need to be attenuated. The base were recommendations EBU Tech. 3276-E and ITU-R BS.775-3. Let's say it is a product of nearly half a year studies.

4) Did you considered commercializing your project? Are there any business or product possibilities?

Actually, application of ambisonics in audio science is a really hot topic. I have met many people interested in my work and that led me to thoughts of commercialising the project. Range of possibilities is hugely wide. I am in contact with some people and next publications might be just a matter of time

5) Do you know or consider any future steps? Will it be linked with the project you’ve presented?

As I mentioned above, there are many ways of developing my work. I have to carry out little brainstorm and then decide what to do next. Few ideas are waitng but, like always, the question is do they meet the needs of audio society. Anyway, I am sure it is going to be a combination of room acoustics and ambisonics.

6) Tell us about your favourite experiences at the 146th AES convention in Dublin!

Of course the most lovely one is the moment I was awarded. Speaking about something less obvious, what positively hit me the most was a student society. A number of students participated in the conference, including many friends of mine, and I like it.

Posted: Saturday, May 11, 2019

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Student Design Competition winner interview - Adam Szwajcowski

1) Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from and what do you study?

I'm from southern Poland, currently enjoying my last semester of MSc course of Acoustic Engineering at AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków.

2) What initiated your passion for audio? When did it start?

I've always been interested in sounds, particularly the musical ones. Getting into acoustics and then audio engineering was a natural next step of my technical progress, combining passion for music and science.

3) Tell us about production of your submission? What is the story behind it? How long did you work on it? Was it your first entry? What kind of problem can it solve or improve?

My entry was an extension of a research I carried out some time ago on using spherical harmonics for directivity pattern representation. I was curious if going one dimension higher than commonly used 3D functions can be beneficial and so far it turned out to do so. I only did simple tests before AES and there is a ton more to develop in this direction, however I believe that the way of dircetivity representation I came out with can solve some problems of spatial resolution and computational complexity in stuff like geometric method room acoustics simulations or immersivity in VR.

4) Did you considered commercializing your project? Are there any business or product possibilities?

No, not really. I'd rather keep the algorithm open and let everyone benefit from it for the better good. It's rather hard to commercialize a thing like this anyway, I guess.

Posted: Friday, May 10, 2019

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Student Design Competition winner interview - Charles Holbrow

1) Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from and what do you study?

I am a PhD. Candidate at the MIT Media Lab, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (right next to Boston). My dissertation focuses on the affordances of the internet for music and media. If we build internet technology in service of music, instead of in service of the major internet platforms, what can we do differently, and how can media content evolve? If Sgt. Pepper's illustrates what sound recording technology did for music, what can internet technology do for music? I love to build technology that extends and complements human musicianship and composition, and have been doing this professionally and as a graduate student for the past decade.

2) What initiated your passion for audio? When did it start?

When I was a teenager, I loved playing music! But I also loved writing code, and have been building technology since I was very young.

3) Tell us about production of your submission? What is the story behind it? How long did you work on it? Was it your first entry? What kind of problem can it solve or improve?

A friend of mine who is a composer told me that she had been trying to compose polytempic music, but the limitations of her DAW (and all DAWs really) made it impossible to do with precision. I became fascinated with trying to understand how multiple simultaneous tempos could accelerate and decelerate relative to each other, and synchronize at carefully composed times. I asked everyone I knew how this could be done, and no would could figure it out. The problem turned out to be very difficult to explain, so along the way I learned a lot about communicating the idea. Finally with some help from my grandfather, who is a professor of physics, we figured out a solution using integral calculus.

I simplified the equations, and arrived at what I think is a very elegant solution. Several years later, I wrote a software interface for composing with many simultaneous tempos. It is quite a strange idea, and it was mostly completed in little bits of spare time over the last years. I think we first started working on it around 2015.

In preparation for the convention I did a literature review of other polytempic music projects. It turns out I am not the first person to use integrals to calculate tempo curves. I think my solution is the most elegant, but I'll leave that to your judgement! I believe I am the first person to really use fully constrained polytempic swarms, and make an interface for composing with them. Nancarrow and Xenakis had similar ideas, but didn't solve the tempo equation. Read the full project description if you are curious about the history.

4) Did you considered commercializing your project? Are there any business or product possibilities?

I am not interested in commercializing this project. I am proud of it, but it is loosely related to my longer term interests and research goals. The idea is unusual and experimental enough that I do not think commercializing it is the right move at the moment. However, I do think that the underlying mathematics are useful for some other audio applications that could have commercial value. In the meantime, I'd be happy to share the software with anyone who is interested in composing with swarms of polytempos - know that in its current form, the interface is not ready for casual users.

5) Do you know or consider any future steps? Will it be linked with the project you’ve presented?

Next steps: survive the PhD process. While I don't think commercializing this project is the right move, I love building technology for artists and musicians, and I'm looking for the right way to continue this work after graduation in 2020. Please reach out if you think it might be fun and productive to work together!

6) Tell us about your favourite experiences at the 146th AES convention in Dublin!

My favorite part was meeting other Students! I was the only current student from MIT, but I did meet an alum from the Media Lab, and lots of other current students and of course the SDA officers. I loved how international the conference was. With so much political turmoil in the world it felt great to be surrounded by others who just want to geek out about audio together. I left the conference with new friends, and excited for the next one.

See Charles's project description

Posted: Thursday, May 9, 2019

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