AES Show 2024 NY

In this enlightening panel, technologists from the Xbox platform and creatives from Xbox studios will join us to discuss how they are driving audio innovation and game sound design towards the vision of gaming for everyone. The discussion will focus on how personalized spatial audio can foster inclusivity by accommodating the unique auditory profiles of different ethnicities, genders, and age groups of gamers. By integrating these personalized Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs) into audio middleware, we aim to enhance the Xbox gaming experience for all gamers. This approach not only enriches the auditory landscape but also breaks down barriers, making immersive gaming a truly inclusive experience. Join us as we explore the future of spatial audio on Xbox, where every gamer is heard and can fully engage with the immersive worlds we create.

Abstract: Humans and machines interact to create new and interesting music content. Here we look at video excerpts from a particular recording session where the behind-the-scenes action comes to the forefront. Artists working with each other, artists working with the producer and engineer, and the influence (good or bad) of the technology with which they work will all be discussed during the workshop.

Summary:
The workshop will center on a discussion of using recording studio sessions to study creativity as a collaborative, but often complex and subtle practice. Our interdisciplinary team of recording engineers/producers and musicologists aims to understand how the interactions of musicians, engineers, recording technology, and musical instruments shape a recording’s outcome. Statements by participant-observers and the analysis of video footage from recording sessions will provide the starting point for discussions. In addition to first-hand recollections by members of our team, we are interviewing musicians who participated in the sessions. The workshop will focus on both musical interactions and on the interpersonal dynamics that affect the flow of various contributions and ideas during the recording process. Technology used also plays a role and will be analyzed as part of the workshop. The first workshop of this kind was a huge success in Helsinki at the 154th AES Convention. The room was packed, and we had an engaging discussion between panelists and audience members. Part II took place last week in Madrid (156th Convention), with many attendees saying it was “one of the highlights of the convention”. The workshop room was quite full, even though it was in the last timeslot of the last day. For this third workshop we plan on looking under the hood of a recording session involving a funk band with full horn section, and three lead singers. We plan to dig deeply into analyzing underlying events that percolate over time; the “quiet voices” that subtly influence the outcome of a recording session.
Along with our regular team of experts we are very excited to invite a guest panelist this time around – a venerable expert in music production, collaboration, and perception, Dr. Susan Rogers. This workshop was also proposed for AES 155th New York last fall but was declined due to lack of presentation space. Our requirements are simply a PowerPoint video presentation with stereo audio playback.

The rapid evolution of live media networking has brought it closer to converged networking, where robust and efficient communication is paramount. While protocols such as MILAN/AVB, Dante and AES67 are staples, significant opportunities exist to enhance live media networking by adopting architectural blueprints, tools, and widely used protocols from the Information Technology (IT) sector. This workshop explores the specific requirements of live media networking, identifies potential learnings from IT workflows, and examines how other industries, particularly broadcast and video markets, have successfully integrated IT principles to propose technical recommendations.
Live media networking, encompassing audio, video, and control signals, demands high precision, low latency, and synchronization. Unlike traditional IT networks, which prioritize data integrity and security, live media networks must ensure seamless real-time transmission without compromising quality. The workshop will delve into these specificities, highlighting the challenges unique to live media and how they differ from typical IT networking scenarios and the use of Time Sensitive Networking (TSN)..
A significant challenge in this transition is the learning curve faced by sound technicians. Traditionally focused on audio-specific knowledge, these professionals now need to acquire IT networking skills to manage complex media networks effectively. This gap in expertise necessitates a new role emerging in the industry: the "Live Media Network Manager," a specialist who bridges the knowledge gap between traditional sound engineering and advanced IT networking.
A key focus area will be examining IT architectural blueprints and their applicability to live media networking. IT networks often leverage scalable, redundant, and resilient architectures to ensure uninterrupted service delivery. By adopting similar principles, live media networks can achieve greater reliability and scalability. The workshop will discuss how concepts such as network segmentation, redundancy, and failover mechanisms from IT can be tailored to meet the stringent requirements of live media.
Additionally, we will explore the tools and protocols widely used in IT that can benefit live media networking. Network monitoring and management tools, such as SNMP and Syslog, offer comprehensive insights into network performance and can aid in proactive maintenance and troubleshooting. Furthermore, protocols like QoS can be adapted to prioritize media traffic, ensuring that critical audio and video streams are delivered with minimal delay and jitter.
The workshop will also draw parallels from the broadcast and video markets, which have already embraced IT-based solutions to enhance their networking capabilities. These industries have developed technical recommendations and standards, such as SMPTE ST 2110 for professional media over managed IP networks, which can serve as valuable references for the live media domain. By examining these examples, participants will gain a broader perspective on how cross-industry learnings can drive innovation in live media networking.
This workshop will provide a comprehensive overview of the specific needs of live media networking and present actionable insights from IT workflows and other industries. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how to leverage IT principles to enhance the efficiency, reliability, and scalability of live media networks, paving the way for a more integrated and future-proof approach.

What happens when you realize in the middle of a mass digitization project that most of your video assets have multi-track production audio instead of finished mixed audio, and your vendor doesn't offer a service to address the issue? Digitizing the Carlton Pearson Collection for the Harvard Divinity School produced just such a conundrum. This workshop will walk through a case study of the process of identifying problems from vendor work, QC and production workflows that had to be put into place to correct the issues that were surfaced as the project progressed, including a look at the technology stack that was developed internally in response to these issues and the necessary solutions, including a full GUI video editor that was developed for QC of audio and video and for implementing mass top/tail editing of assets while offering individual edit decision points. From problem identification to audio mix to video trimming to close captioning using AI solutions and project deposit to preservation repositories, the project team had only 3 months to complete the work on just shy of 4000 assets.

3D audio has enormous potential to emotionally touch the audience: The potent effect occurs when the auditory system is given the illusion of being in a natural environment. When this is the case with impressive music, everyone gets goosebumps. Psychoacoustics forms the basis for remarkable results in music productions.
In the first part, Konrad Strauss explains the basics of psychoacoustics in the context of music production:
• How immersive differs from stereo
• Sound localization and perception
• The eye/ear/brain link
• Implications for recording and mixing in immersive
• Transitioning from stereo to immersive: Center speaker, LFE, working with the diffuse
surround field and height channels.
In the second part, Lasse Nipkow introduces the quasi-binaural spot miking technique he uses to capture the beautiful sound of acoustic instruments during his recordings. He explains the strategy for microphone placement and shows, using stereo and 3D audio sound examples, the potential of these signals for immersive productions.
This first contribution is linked to a second, subsequent presentation by Lasse Nipkow and Ronald Prent: ‘Tools for Impressive Immersive Productions’.