AES Show 2024 NY

Students! Joins us so we can find out where you are from, and tell you about all the exciting things happening at the convention.

The upcoming 2025 AES International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Audio (AIMLA) aims to foster a collaborative environment where researchers and practitioners from academia and industry can converge to share their latest work in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for Audio.

We want to advertise the upcoming AIMLA at the AES Show, to encourage early involvement and awareness from the AES community. To better accommodate the central themes of the conference, we propose new additions to the typical AES proceedings, such as challenges and long workshops, that can more appropriately showcase the rapidly growing state of the art. In this presentation, we plan to give an overview and a discussion space about the upcoming conference, and the changes we want to bring into play, tailored for AI/ML research communities, with references to successfully organized cases outside of AES. Finally, we propose a standardized template with guidelines for hosting crowdsourced challenges and presenting long workshops.

Challenges are a staple in the ML/AI community, providing a platform where specific problems are tackled by multiple teams who develop and submit models to address the given issue. These events not only spur competition but also encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing, ultimately driving forward the collective understanding and capabilities of the community.

Complementing the challenges, we introduce long-format workshops to exchange knowledge about emerging AI approaches in audio. These workshops can help develop novel approaches from the ground up and produce high-quality material for diffusion among participants. Both additions could help the conference become an exciting and beneficial event at the forefront of AI/ML for audio, as they intend to cultivate a setting where ideas can be exchanged effectively, drawing inspiration from established conferences such as ISMIR, DCASE, and ICASSP, which have successfully fostered AI/ML communities.

As evidenced by the recent AES International Symposium on AI and the Musician, we believe AI and ML will play an increasingly important role in audio and music engineering. To facilitate and standardize the procedures for featuring and conducting challenges and long-form workshops, we will present a complete guideline for hosting long-form workshops and challenges at AES conferences.

Our final goal is to promote the upcoming 2025 International Conference on AI and Machine Learning for Audio, generate a space to discuss the new additions and ideas, connect with interested parties, advertise and provide guidelines regarding the calls for crowd-sourced challenges and workshops, and ultimately get feedback from the AES as a whole to tailor the new conference to the requirements of both our AES and the AI/ML communities.

The presence and hype associated with generative AI across most forms of recorded media have become undeniable realities. Generative AI tools are becoming increasingly more prevalent, with applications ranging from conversational chatbots to text-to-image generation. More recently, we have witnessed an influx of generative audio models which have the potential of disrupting how music may be created in the very near future. In this talk, we will highlight some of the core technologies that enable novel audio content creation for music production, reviewing some seminal text-to-music works from the past year. We will then delve deeper into common research themes and subsequent works which intend to map these technologies closer to musicians’ needs.


We will begin the talk by outlining a common framework underlying the generative audio models that we will touch on, consisting of an audio synthesizer “back-end” paired with a latent representation modeling “front-end.” Accordingly, we will overview two primary forms of back-ends in the forms of neural audio codecs and variational auto-encoders (with examples), and illustrate how they pair naturally with transformer language model (LM) and latent diffusion model (LDM) front-ends, respectively. Furthermore, we will briefly touch on CLAP and T5 embeddings as conditioning signals that enable text as an input interface, and explain the means by which they are integrated into modern text-to-audio systems.

Next, we will review some seminal works that have been released within the past year(s) (primarily in the field of text-to-music generation), and roughly categorize them according to the common framework that we have built up thus far. At the time of writing this proposal, we would naturally consider MusicLM/FX (LM), MusicGen (LM), Stable Audio (LDM), etc. as exemplary candidates for review. We will contextualize these new capabilities in terms of what they can enable for music production and opportunities for future improvements. Accordingly, we will draw on some subsequent works that intend on meeting musicians a bit closer to the creative process. At the time of writing this proposal, this may include but is not limited to ControlNet (LDM), SingSong (LM), StemGen (LM), VampNet (LM), as well as our own previous work, as approved time permits. We will cap off our talk by providing some perspectives on what AI researchers could stand to understand about music creators, and what musicians could stand to understand about scientific research. Time permitting, we may allow ourselves to conduct a live coding demonstration whereby we exemplify constructing, training, and inferring audio examples from a generative audio model on a toy data example leveraging several prevalent open source libraries.


We hope that such a talk would be both accessible and fruitful for technologists and musicians alike. It would assume no background knowledge in generative modeling, and may perhaps assume only the most notional conception as to how machine learning works. The goal of this talk would be for the audience at large to walk out with a rough understanding of the underlying technologies and challenges associated with novel audio content creation using generative AI.

Every year, the availability and capabilites of processors and sensors expand greatly while their cost decreases correspondingly. As an instrument designer, the temptation to include every possible advance is an obvious one, but one that comes at the cost of additional complexity and probably more concerningly, reduced *character*.

Looking back on electronic instruments from the past, note that what we love about the classics are the quirks and idiosyncracies that come from the technical limitations of the time and how the designers ended up leveraging those limitations creatively. This panel will bring together designers to discuss how we are self-imposing constraints on our designs in the face of that temptation to include everything that's possible.

As Brian Eno said: "Whatever you now find weird, ugly, uncomfortable and nasty about a new medium will surely become its signature. CD distortion, the jitteriness of digital video, the crap sound of 8-bit - all of these will be cherished and emulated as soon as they can be avoided."

Panel Description:
Join us for an in-depth, candid discussion with prominent NYC studio owners on the state recording industry of today and where it might go tomorrow. This panel will explore trends in studio bookings, predictions for the future, and the evolving landscape of recording studios. Our panelists will share their experiences of owning and managing studios, offering valuable insights for engineers on essential skills and best practices for success in today’s recording environment. We'll also discuss the importance of high-quality recording, and how these practices are crucial in maintaining the soul of music against the backdrop of AI and digital homogenization.

Topics also include:
What are studios looking for from aspiring engineers, and what does it take to work in a major market studio?
Studio best practices from deliverables to client relations
To Atmos or not to Atmos?
Proper crediting for engineers and staff
Working with record labels and film studios
Can recording and mix engineers find the same labor protections as the film industry?

Panelists (in alphabetical order)

Amon Drum, Owner / Engineer, The Bridge Studio (https://www.bridgerecordingstudio.com/)
Amon Drum is a recordist, producer, acoustic designer, owner, Chief Engineer, and designer of The Bridge Studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He has an expertise in both analog and digital recording techniques. Amon specializes in the recording of non-western acoustic instruments, large ensembles, and live music for video. Amon is also a percussionist, having trained with master musicians including M’Bemba Bangora and Mamady Keita in Guinea West Africa, and brings this folkloric training to his recording & productions. Working with a wide variety of artists and genres from Jason Moran to Adi Oaisis, Run The Jewels, to Ill Divo as well as many Afro-Cuban ensembles from the diaspora.

Ben Kane, Owner, Electric Garden (https://electricgarden.com/)
Ben Kane is a Grammy Award winning recording and mix engineer, producer, and owner of Electric Garden, a prominent recording studio known for its focus on excellence in technical and engineering standards, and a unique handcrafted ambiance. Kane is known for his work with D'Angelo, Emily King, Chris Dave, and PJ Morton.

Shahzad Ismaily, Owner / Engineer, Figure 8 Recording (https://www.figure8recording.com/)
Shahzad Ismaily is a Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist, composer, owner and engineer at Figure 8 Recording in Brooklyn. Renowned for his collaborative spirit and eclectic musical range, Shahzad has contributed his unique sonic vision to projects spanning various genres and artists worldwide.

Zukye Ardella, Partner / Engineer, s5studio (https://www.s5studiony.com/)
Zukye is a New York City based certified gold audio engineer, music producer and commercial studio owner. In 2015, she began her professional career at the original s5studio located in Brooklyn, New York. Zukye teamed up with s5studio’s founder (Sonny Carson) to move s5studio to its current location in Chelsea, Manhattan. Over the years, Ardella has been an avid spokesperson for female empowerment organizations such as Women’s Audio Mission and She is the Music. Talents she’s worked with include NeYo, WizKid, Wale, Conway The Machine, A$AP Ferg, Lil Tecca, AZ, Dave East, Phillip Lawrence, Tay Keith, Lola Brooke, Princess Nokia, Vory, RMR, Yeat, DJ KaySlay, Kyrie Irving, Maliibu Mitch, Flipp Dinero, Fred The Godson, Jerry Wonda, ASAP 12vy and more.


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Moderator:

Mona Kayhan, Owner, The Bridge Studio (https://www.bridgerecordingstudio.com/)
Mona is a talent manager for Grammy award winning artists, and consults for music and media companies in marketing and operations. She has experience as a tour manager, an international festival producer, and got her start in NYC working at Putumayo World Music. As an owner of The Bridge Studio, Mona focuses on client relationships, studio operations, and strategic partnerships. She also has an insatiable drive to support and advocate for the recording arts industry.

In this timely panel let’s discuss some of the pressing matters AI confronts us with in audio, and how we can turn a perceived foe into an ally.
We’ll discuss issues including:
During production, AI cannot deal with any artistic issues related to production and engineering, most of which depend on personal interaction - as well as perception.

In post-production, AI could be of use in repetitive tasks: making a track conform to a click-track and maintain proper pitch, perform pitch correction on a track, deal with extraneous clicks (without removing important vocal consonants), perform ambience-matching (particularly on live recordings), to name a few. Can AI running in the background on our DAW build macros for us?

The more we can use it as a tool for creativity and enhance our revenue streams the more it becomes a practical, positive approach. Many composers are using it to create or enhance their musical ideals almost instantaneously. The key here is that it is they are our ideas that AI adds to.

How do we embrace AI, adapt to it, and help it to adapt to us? Can we get to the point where we incorporate it as we have past innovations rather than fear it? How do we take control of AI instead of AI taking control of us?

What should we, the audio community, be asking AI to do?

This workshop explores the unique challenges and opportunities in sound design and technical implementation for multi-participant extended reality (XR) experiences. Participants will learn techniques for creating immersive and interactive spatial audio to enhance presence and facilitate communication and collaboration in multi-participant XR environments. Through demonstrations and an expert-led panel discussion, attendees will gain insights into creating auditory experiences in XR.

Short Abstract:
This presentation explores Black, Indigenous, Afro-Asian, and Afro-Indigenous cross-cultural collaboration leading to influential innovations in sonic creative technology. Centering on the soundsystem as a form of self-determination and as a contemporary art form rooted in survival and resistance, the presentation aims to illuminate meaningful connections between ancestral and state-of-the-art sound technologies through the lens of critical decolonization theory. Highlighting innovations ranging from parametric EQ, radio, and the sound system as both cultural and analog technologies, the presentation shows how these could only exist through mutual influence and the building of nations and kinship across cultures bound by mutual experiences of oppression. These artistic traditions in music, gathering, and engineering emerged and continue to act as dynamic tools of survivance within Black and globally Indigenous communities. By skillfully using these tools, practitioners of these electronic and sonic art forms destabilize racialized boundaries and empower the collective ownership of cultural narratives—a fearless pursuit reflecting a shared vision of Black and Indigenous self-determination, liberation, and futurity for kin past, present, and future.

Extension:
The presentation’s audiovisual materials will comprise two aspects: archival materials from music and resistance movements in the featured locations and contemporary artworks dealing with identity politics and protest in connection with music. Featured locations will include, but are not limited to: Indian Country, USA & Canada; Kingston, Jamaica; Notting Hill, UK; and Detroit, MI. Timeline of technological innovation will center audio advancements in amplification and transmission within the post-transistor era (1947 - present), with a historical focus primarily from 1947 to 1996. Featured BIPOC artists and innovators in electrical engineering in the sonic arts will include and are not limited to: Hedley Jones, Tom Wong, and Don Lewis. Featured entrepreneurial artists in audio engineering, radio, recording, music and storytelling will include, but are not limited to: Vy Higgenson, Kemistry & Storm, Jeff Mills, K-Hand, and Patricia Chin. Featured Black, Asian and Indigenous owned radio stations and music labels that function as both mutual aid and community spaces will include, but are not limited to: Bvlbancha Liberation Radio, Cool Runnings Music, KTNN, VP Records, and the Sound System Futures Programme.

The objective of this session is to provide a brief overview mapping sound histories to the BIPOC innovators of origin with the aim of sparking generative discussion on Black and Indigenous creative technologies as both a cultural and computational history valuable and critical to the healing of community and dismantling of hegemonic societal structures. The session is structured largely in response to a critical lack of representation regarding BIPOC engineering history and legacy, and approaches this topic as a celebration of cross-cultural collaboration in a historical paradigm that often centers cross-cultural interactions as conflict-oriented. At the presentation’s conclusion participants will be encouraged to reflect on their own cross-cultural legacies as sources of innovation, as well as reflect on the unactivated dreams they may hold from their ancestors and how they might activate these dreams through sound, collective action, and community gathering.

3GPP, the worldwide partnership project among seven major regional telecommunications standard development organizations responsible for mobile communication standards, has recently completed the standardization of a new codec intended for Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS) in 5G systems. The new IVAS codec is a feature of 3GPP Release 18 (5G-Advanced) and enables completely new service scenarios by providing capabilities for interactive stereo and immersive audio communications, content sharing and distribution. The addressed service scenarios include conversational voice with stereo and immersive telephony/conferencing, XR (VR/AR/MR) communications, i.e., XR telephony and conferencing, and live and non-live streaming of user-generated immersive and XR content.
The IVAS Codec is an extension of the 3GPP EVS codec. Beyond support for mono voice and audio content, IVAS also brings support for coding and rendering of stereo, multichannel-based audio, scene-based audio (Ambisonics), object-based audio and metadata-assisted spatial audio – a new parametric audio format designed for direct spatial audio pick-up from smartphones. The performance of the codec was evaluated in the course of the 3GPP standardization in 23 experiments carried out by two independent laboratories each.
The workshop will introduce the IVAS Codec starting with a brief overview of standardization process and state of the art. The codec architecture, supported audio formats, and main technology blocks behind the supported coding and rendering options will be presented and discussed in detail together with test results and capabilities of the new codec in terms of compression efficiency and audio quality. In addition, the panelists will discuss new service scenarios for immersive audio communication and other mobile use-cases. If possible, immersive audio demonstrations will be carried out during the workshop. The panelists will collect and address questions and other input from the audience.

This presentation provides an insightful overview of statistical acoustic calculation techniques and geometrical acoustic modeling. It addresses the unique challenges associated with small to medium-sized spaces and delves into the intricacies of contemporary ray tracing software tools. Attendees will also learn about the latest advancements of using these tools in immersive audio environments. Additionally, the presentation will showcase comparative low-frequency analysis calculations obtained using a variety of tools, including boundary element methods (BEM), finite element
methods (FEM) and others. The session includes a series of real-world case studies to illustrate these concepts in practical applications.

With upwards of fifty remotes each year, NY Public Radio broadcasts a great variety of events from the very simple to large scale events that can involve a many different challenges, including connectivity issues and internet issues with getting audio back to the studios for live broadcasts, dealing with microphone techniques for the greatest orchestras in the world at Carnegie Hall to dealing with the elements with live broadcasts in Central Park or other outdoor locations around NYC, dealing with cooperating with p.a.'s and unions at various sites, to broadcasts at a politician's residence. Each of these kinds of events might entail unique technical and personnel challenges, but there's also a lot of common sense approaches to working with each of these challenges, as well as applying new technologies as they come along to simplify things, and hopefully make things easier over the years to deal with these challenges.

We will discuss in detail two recent events, "This Land" a live broadcast of Classical, jazz, and Americana from Brooklyn Bridge Park and World Orchestra Week (WOW!) a Youth orchestra festival from Carnegie Hall, contrasting indoor vs outdoor and amplified vs unamplified.

Some engineers and producers take advantage of a few of the customizations and optimizations of their machines (laptops, desktops, mobile recorders, tablets, etc.) However, unlocking the deeper settings of your production machine can lead to greater efficiency and productivity with cutting-edge applications and technologies. QuestionATL will take attendees through a variety of production optimizations–including mobile devices when working remotely with artists who need to provide high-resolution content without having access to a studio or professional-grade gear.

Anthony Agnello and Richard Factor have over 100 combined years as members of the AES. They have been fortunate to witness and, in some cases, perpetrate the evolution of audio engineering from electro-mechanical to digital. In May of 1979, they published an article in db Magazine, “Doohickii Digitali”, that concluded:

"… we have summarized some of the possibilities of digital signal processing (and completely ignored digital recording, a probably more important subject).  While we don’t have the “all digital” studio yet, it can be reasonably foreseen that before too long, all the components will be available to make one, so that the only analog elements remaining will be the microphone and speaker.  Since these are the primary limitations of the recording process at present, we anxiously await the development of a standard digital I/O bus for the human element."


In this lecture, they will pick up not only where they left off, but also before they began.

This panel introduces DEI pedagogical examples in teaching audio engineering and music technology from the University of Colorado, the University of Lethbridge, Georgia Tech, and the University of Michigan, which incorporate topics that address diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and accessibility in the broader field of audio engineering and music technology. These topics include 1) how Open Educational Resources (OER) pedagogy can help bridge the Music Technology Educational Gap and increase accessibility; 2) how to create a safe learning space and build community in the classroom where ideas can be shared and valued; 3) How the Project Studio Music Technology course contributes female-identifying, trans, and non-binary musicians and engineers to electronic music and how this process-based learning method impacts students from diverse backgrounds. 4) how the new course called "Diversity in Music Technology" brings students in new DEI experiences and how the course was structured to include community-building. Through this panel discussion, we strive to improve accessibility, welcoming diverse perspectives, and radiating inclusiveness to all races, genders, and gender identities. Meanwhile, we aim to provide some insights for educators to improve students' mental health and well-being during the post-COVID era.

Games and music go together like macaroni and cheese. Music is a large part of what makes games fun. So, what are some of the hot button issues that composers folks need to know about game music design and production? Good questions!

This is a must-attend for anyone in the field interested in trying to navigate the waters and steer a path toward more immersive and creative game music. Attendees will gain a more complete understanding of the issues that composers and game designers face when working together in teams. All who attend will gain a better understanding of how great music makes games more fun and increases playability.

This is for anyone involved with game audio -- calling all music composers, game designers, sound designers, animators, audio producers, programmers and technical implementation specialists! It's a must for industry professionals, students, and teachers alike, all who are trying to navigate the waters and steer a path toward deeper creativity and understanding

Climate change is real and it’s here to stay. Floods are more severe because of sea level rise and intensifying storms. Fires are more frequent as droughts get worse. Basically, the world is collapsing. Good news! There are some simple steps you can take to protect your audio assets. This panel of audio preservation experts will cover easy archival strategies for mitigating the effects of natural disasters. We will discuss the best practices for safe storage, whether it’s your historic audio collection or newly-created digital files. The panel will also discuss some techniques for recovering your audio assets if they get damaged in a disaster. We hope you never have to use any of this information, but just in case, it’s best to be prepared!

This presentation will also highlight a case study from the “HBCU Radio Preservation Program.”

This panel brings together leading industry experts to explore the critical role of spatial audio in enhancing the gaming experience. As games become more immersive, the demand for high-quality spatial audio has surged, making it an essential component for game developers. The discussion will delve into the intricacies of implementing spatial audio in both middleware and custom sound engines, addressing the challenges and solutions involved in achieving superior audio quality. Panelists will share insights on how to optimize spatial audio for various elements within a game, including sound effects, dialogue, and ambient sounds. Emphasis will be placed on customization techniques that ensure each audio component contributes to a cohesive and realistic auditory environment. A key focus of the panel will be on making spatial audio sound good across different types of games and game engines, highlighting the unique considerations and strategies for each scenario. Attendees will gain valuable knowledge on the latest advancements in spatial audio technology and practical tips for integrating these innovations into their game development workflows. Whether you are an audio engineer, game developer, or sound designer, this panel will provide you with the tools and strategies needed to elevate the audio experience in your games.

Game Audio education programs have taken root and sprouted up all over the world. Game audio education is a hot topic. What are some of the latest training programs out there? What are the pros and cons of a degree program versus just surfing YouTube? I am already a teacher, how can I start a game audio program at my current school? Good questions! This panel brings together sound artists and entrepreneurs from some of the top private instructional institutions and teachers from some growing programs to discuss the latest and greatest educational models in audio for interactive media. Attendees will get a fantastic overview of what is being offered inside and outside of the traditional education system. This is a must for students and teachers alike, who are trying to navigate the waters and steer a path toward programs that are right for them in the shifting tides of audio for games and interactive media.

Spatial audio reproduction is predominantly achieved through surround speaker setups or headphones. Surround setups offer high levels of immersion but can be impractical to set up and are unable to reproduce near-field binaural cues, such as whispers.
Conversely, while headphones are convenient, they struggle with sound externalization.

Cross-talk cancellation is a technique for reproducing binaural sounds via speakers, capable of delivering precise 3D audio, including both distant sounds (externalization) and near-field sounds (whispers). Despite its development over five decades ago, its commercial adoption has been slow. However, recent market innovations are enhancing user experiences significantly.

This panel aims to investigate the viability of cross-talk cancellation as an alternative to headphones and surround setups for high-quality binaural 3D audio, particularly in video games. We will engage experts from the gaming industry, spatial audio reproduction sector, and academia to gather insights on the method and its potential applications.