Estrel Hotel and Convention Center Berlin, Germany · place April 26–29, 2014 at the Estrel Hotel and Convention Center in Berlin, Germany, celebrated four days of the best that

CONVENTION REPORT

530 J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 62, No. 7/8, 2014 July/August

CONVENTION REPORT

136TH

Estrel Hotel and Convention CenterBerlin, Germany

April 26–29, 2014

AES CONVENTION

J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 62, No. 7/8, 2014 July/August 531

The 136th Audio Engineering Society Convention, which tookplace April 26–29, 2014 at the Estrel Hotel and ConventionCenter in Berlin, Germany, celebrated four days of the best

that professional audio has to offer. Featuring a highly successful mixof technical program events, manufacturer exhibits, Project StudioExpo presentations, and more, AES136 enjoyed increased attendanceand interaction among an enthusiastic gathering of personalitiesfrom every aspect of audio engineering and related industries.

The 1,259 convention attendees were presented with opportuni-ties ranging from over 100 papers and engineering briefs, dedicatedworkshops and panels on topics of interest, and tutorials present-ing important audio fundamentals. Additionally, top manufacturersshowed their latest offerings and next-generation technologies inthe exhibits hall.

Commenting on the success of the event, Bob Moses, AES execu-tive director, said, “I’m really excited about the growth of the conven-tion here in Berlin and about the amazing people who keep the AEScommunity enthralled and inspired year after year. From our mold-breaking keynote speaker, Wieslaw Woszczyk, to the HeyserMemorial lecture given by Dietrich Schüller, to the first Europeanedition of the Project Studio Expo, we can truly call this year’sprogram a success. We thank everyone who came out to participate,our sponsors, and our cochairs Sascha Spors and Umberto Zanghierifor putting on a fantastic event.”

In their welcome note in the convention program, Sascha Sporsand Umberto Zanghieri said that AES had last held a convention inBerlin ten years earlier, and a lot of changes have taken place in theaudio industry since then. Audio equipment has changed consider-ably, and the way in which audio is distributed has been revolution-ized. Speaking of the convention venue city, the cochairs pointed toBerlin’s rich history in audio engineering, its reputation as a

hotspot for convergent media, its active music scene, and its pres-ence at the forefront of audio research.

OPENING CEREMONY DRAWS THE CROWDSWelcoming delegates to the convention during the opening cere-mony, Bob Moses said that he was very excited to be in Berlin, itbeing five years since the AES convention was last in Germany (inMunich) and ten since it had been held in Berlin. Preregistration,he explained, stood at twice the level of the year before, and he

expressed his gratitude tothe companies that hadsponsored and supportedthe show. Speaking of theconvention committee,Moses told the audience“you have no idea howhard they work,” andcommended the efforts ofthis entirely volunteergroup. The Project StudioExpo, launched in the US,was not aimed at the eliteof the industry but atthose coming up throughthe ranks, so it would be atraining event for those atentry and intermediatelevels, held for the firsttime in Europe. He fin-ished his introduction byannouncing the intentionBob Moses, AES executive director

to hold next year’s European conven-tion in Warsaw, Poland, to the generalapproval of exhibitors and delegatesalike.

Sean Olive, AES president, notedthat the iTunes store had beenlaunched in 2003 and the iPhone andAndroid smartphones in 2007/08.Owning audio content has becomepassé, he said, because suchconnected mobile devices allow us tostream media content on demand,wherever we are. Furthermore, audiois increasingly experienced over head-phones, with sales reaching $8.2billion last year, and still growing. Hepredicted, however, that we are soonto witness a renaissance in concernfor the quality of recorded and repro-duced sound, which will once againenable people to hear what the artistintended. The AES fulfills a crucialleadership role in this regard, promot-ing standards and methods andeducating the community about whatgood sound is and how to obtain it, heenthused.

For convention cochair SaschaSpors, his first AES convention hadbeen the Munich event in 2002, whichhad been remarkable for its mixture ofpractical engineering and hardscience. He had also been attracted bythe amount of activity concerned withthe artistic side of the business. Herein Berlin he was particularly keen toremind people to attend the spatialaudio demonstrations, including 3Don headphones, and he concluded by

wishing everyone an inspiring convention and by thanking thecommittee that had helped him to bring the event to fruition.

AWARDS FOR WORTHY RECIPIENTSJan Pedersen, chair of the Awards Committee, was pleased to com-mend a number of worthy individuals who had been selected forawards in Berlin (see next page for photos of all recipients). Twoindividuals received the special recognition of Distinguished ServiceMedals, and they both commented briefly on their experience. RogerFurness noted that he had never expected to receive such an awardwhen he joined the Society 40 years ago. He had joined to learnabout audio, but audio, he had discovered, is really a family and hehad been privileged to have met and worked with many wonderfulpeople during the years since then. In particular he thanked thestaff of the Society, with whom he had worked as executive director.Subir Pramanik of the Danish Section had joined in 1975. He hadbeen privileged to learn a lot about audio during the subsequentyears, but he hoped to continue to learn, he said, “even though I amvery old.”

The award for the best peer-reviewed paper went to GiulioCengarle and Toni Mateos of Dolby Labs for their paper on micro-phones in cinema calibration (paper 9083), while the student paperaward went to Niels Elkjaer Iversen (coauthor Arnold Knott) fromthe Technical University of Denmark for his paper on small signalloudspeaker impedance emulation (paper 9053).

KEYNOTE PROMOTESCOLLABORATIONPresenting the keynote address inBerlin was well-known audio engi-neering professor Wieslaw Woszczykwho told the audience that he washonored and humbled to give a fewopening remarks. In similar vein toSean Olive’s opening comment,Woszczyk suggested that we are expe-riencing a renaissance in audio afteryears of stagnation, with better accessand greater variety in music . Playing

CONVENTION REPORT


An overflow audience for the opening ceremonies listens attentively to Wieslaw Woszczyk’s keynote.

Sean Olive, AES president

Sascha Spors, conventioncochair

Umberto Zanghieri,convention cochair

Wieslaw Woszczyk’skeynote included funky rap.

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Jan AbildgaardPedersen, AwardsCommittee chair

Brett Leonard and Thomas Sporer,papers chairs, with Bozena Kostek,Journal editor, give papers awards.

Niels Elkjaer Iversen (StudentPaper Award), present by SeanOlive

Giulio Cengarle (Best Peer-Reviewed Paper Award)

Juha Backman (Board ofGovernors Award)

Karlheinz Brandenburg (Boardof Governors Award)

Francis Rumsey (Board ofGovernors Award)

Gyorgy Fazekas receives BoGaward on behalf of Mark Sandler

Christian Dittmar (Citation)

Dietrich Schüller (Fellowship) Roger Furness (Distinguished Service Award)

Subir Pramanik (Distinguished Service Award)

Gyorgy Fazekas (Citation) Tom Ammermann (Fellowship) Natanya Ford (Fellowship)

AWARDSPRESENTATION

first a recording from 1860 that predated the Edison cylinder, hemoved on to citing Pharrell Williams recent massive hit, “Happy,”that had encouraged thousands of do-it-yourself videos worldwide.Music, he said, would always be part of the human experience.Although a fully working studio can now exist in a laptop com-puter, it is still too difficult for the average user to connect a mobiledevice to speakers using Bluetooth, for example. Things like thisneed to become more seamless. Little remains the same for long inthe face of our relentless drive for new technologies. Together, saidWieslaw, we can refine the course of our industry, and we shouldnot be afraid of what lies beyond our understanding. Collaborationis the key, not competition, he concluded.

SPONSORS SUPPORTIVEThe convention was supported by numerous sponsors and exhibitors,keen to have a presence among the world’s audio professionals. Themain convention sponsors were Audio Precision, Auro Technologies,Focal Press, Prism Sound, Fairlight, DPA Microphones, and EveAudio. Among the exhibitors, Chas Rowden, EMEA sales manager forexhibitor Calrec Audio Ltd., stated, “After several years of absencefrom AES European events, it was a pleasure for Calrec Audio toexhibit at the convention in Berlin. The AES has a new energy andfocus that we as a manufacturing company found invigorating, withexciting new ideas and opportunities revealed each day of the show.Best of all, it was a pure audio industry occasion.”

Among the sponsors, KerstinMischke, EVE Audio GmbH’s salesand marketing manager, offered:“We were very excited when webecame aware that AES wouldreturn to our hometown Berlinafter ten years of absence. Soon itbecame very clear that we did notwant to miss the show. We lookedfor opportunities not only toexhibit but also to contribute. Withassistance from AES representa-tives, EVE Audio became part ofthe technical program. We offeredtours in which participants couldvisit our acoustic lab with its anechoic and reverberation chambers—all available tickets for both tours were sold out within a veryshort time. We can conclude that the AES 136th Convention inBerlin was a very good show for us. Interest in our products ingeneral was great, our tours were highly welcomed, and the overallatmosphere at the show and industry feedback have been very posi-tive. We definitely would love to see AES returning more regularlyto Berlin, because this town is a real hot spot when it comes tomusic, musicians, and audio—and a great place to be.”

FIRST PROJECT STUDIO EXPO IN EUROPEThis was the first Project Studio Expo (PSE) to be staged inEurope, and it drew large crowds of eager learners on both Satur-day and Sunday of the convention. Stephen Webber, producer and

educator, taught the delegates “Listening Like a Producer,” afterwhich Ron Streicher explained basic microphone technology.Carsten Kaiser’s sessions included valuable training on how to getprofessional mixes from a project studio and advanced vocal edit-ing, while Alex Case explained how to use reverb of many differentkinds. A panel of seasoned experts discussed the ins and outs ofmaking a career in today’s music business, and Julian Davidexplained how to “use microphones as your EQ.”

PAPERS SESSIONS SHOWCASE RESEARCHThe diligent efforts of papers chairsBrett Leonard and Thomas Sporerbrought toge-ther a com-pelling series ofresearch paperson a wide rangeof audio topics.The topic ofloudness anddynamic range,and their effectson listeners, hasbeen raising con-siderable contro-versy in therecent past. Herein Berlin a num-ber of authorstackled the subject with their research, including Mark Wendl andHyunkook Lee with a paper on the effect of dynamic range compres-sion on quality perception, and one by Robert Taylor and Bill Martenson listener preferences for dynamic range reduction. There were alsoa number of papers on the effects of spatial audio, particularly verticallocalization, as well as some on auditory memory and critical stimuliin the sessions on perception. Swiss researchers gave an interestingpresentation on the improvement of spatial rendering in hearing aids,a process that is often complicated by the signal processing under-taken to improve intelligibility.

A number of sessions on transducers pushed our understandingof the field forward, there being particular emphasis on what can beachieved through modeling and emulation of loudspeakers. Asession on microphones included a novel analysis of the wonder-substance called graphene and the potential for its use in single ormultiple layers as membranes in transducers.

ENGINEERING BRIEFS EMPHASIZE PRACTICALRELEVANCEThe category of engineering briefs has been growing in popular-ity in recent years, as a way of presenting more applied reports in

a relatively short timescale, witha relaxed reviewing procedure.There were a considerable num-ber of these in Berlin, includingan interesting offering by BryanMartin of McGill University onthe sonic characteristics of thejazz-style electric bass guitar, andanother by Christopher Kling onthe disappearing gap betweenengineering and producer inmusic production. A pair of

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Project Studio Expo: from left, Alex Case, Stephen Webber, andCarsten Kaiser with huge crowd at Project Studio Expo session.

Audience participation gets intense during Project Studio Expo sessionon live performance mixing techniques.

Ron Streicher explains basicmicrophone technology.

Wataru Sanuki demonstratesspatial sound for a navigationsystem

Authors explain theirresearch: clockwisefrom top: Cleo Pike,Aki Härmä, and NielsElkjaer Iversen.

CONVENTION REPORT


authors from Inha Univer-sity in Korea had come upwith an objective evalua-tion method for the per-ceived quality of car horns,while a team from BBCR&D reported on the use ofa computer-controlledmotorized telescope mountas a rotational platform formaking dummy headmeasurements.

WORKSHOPS AND TUTORIALS EDUCATECoordinated by Natanya Ford, a strong series of workshops andtutorials had major themes in Sound for Picture, led by BrianMcCarty, and Broadcast, led byFlorian Camerer. Among theSound for Picture events was amaster class in which world-classcinema sound mixers discussedtheir craft, a session on loudnessin cinema sound, and a masterclass from composer ChristineAufderhaar during which the audi-ence could watch her develop thesound track for a film. Among theBroadcast events was an update on“All You Need is LUFS,” from Flo-rian Camerer who is chair of the

EBU loudness group. Askan Siegfried of NDR in Hamburg gave afascinating tutorial on speech intelligibility, during which heexplained how to ensure that the audience doesn’t have to strain tounderstand what is being said in a program.

EXPERIENCING TOTAL IMMERSIONFor those who wanted a change from listening to people speakabout audio, there was a program of spatial audio demonstrations,majoring on the immersive sound formats that are increasinglyavailable. For the whole of Sunday and Monday, Thomas Koch led aseries of demos on artistic approaches to wavefield synthesis, withcompositions, performances, and studies for a 96-channel wavefield synthesis system by students of the postgraduate master’s pro-gram Sound Studies at Berlin University of the Arts, and studentsof the Studio for Electroacoustic Music (SeaM) in Weimar. TomAmmerman of New Audio Technology gave a tutorial on “The NewKind of Spatial Audio Production for Headphones,” showing howthis new content can sound and introducing production tools andstrategies to work in the headphone domain. He also gave anothersession on 3D audio production. Under the auspices of conventionsponsors Auro, Malgorzata Albinska-Frank showed how to create“an invisible space” in immersive sound productions, and LasseNipkow explained how to incorporate room signals successfullywithin the aesthetics of Auro 3D recordings.

TECHNICAL TOURSWith his many years of experience at AES conventions, MartinWöhr had organized eleven attractive technical tours for those del-egates wanting to take in some off-site audio experiences. Keyamong them was a visit to Schuke Orgelbau, a major Berlin organbuilder that has created more than 500 organs in its history. Visi-tors could also attend the TimeLab at Fraunhofer’s Heinrich HertzInstitute for Communica-tions Technology, which hasa 180° cylindrical screenand 3D projection systemwith 14 HD projectors, aswell as a WFS sound system.Babelsberg Film Studio wasanother popular venue,being the oldest large-scalestudio complex in theworld, founded in 1912. Onegroup of visitors enjoyed a

Tommy Ashby, right, discusses hisposter on elevation perception.

Tom Ammermann shows how content can be explicitly produced forheadphones during one of the spatial audio demos.

Eddy Brixen demystifies audioforensics.

Malgorzata Albinska-Franklooks into Auro 3D recordingof classical music.

Helmut Wittek and Michael Williamshost a workshop on techniques forrecording ambience in surround.

Martin Wöhr (center) coordinates oneof the many technical tours.

Brian McCarty talks with Christine Aufderhaar about the composition offilm music.

contrasting visit to the BMW motorcycle plant in Berlin, whereacoustic engineering meets two-wheeled vehicle production.

SPECIAL EVENTSOn Saturday evening convention visitors enjoyed hearing fromDietrich Schüller, who presented the Technical Council’s HeyserMemorial Lecture entitled “Preserving Our Sound Recordings—25Years Since Everything Changed.” He charted progress in thepreservation of sound recordings since the point when archivesrealized they didn’t have to concentrate on keeping the originalaudio carrier intact. Digital technology meant that they couldbegin to concentrate on content preservation instead of having tolook after vulnerable and unstable materials. Digital copies couldbe migrated between storage systems as technology evolved, andcould be regularly checked for integrity. However it was clear thatenormous challenges still exist when attempting to safeguard ourrecorded sound heritage before it disintegrates. Although wealthycountries and institutions may have this in hand, and have alreadydone quite a lot of work, there are many developing and under-funded areas in which this is not so.

High above the streets of the city a banquet and mixer party gotthe social wheels moving on Sunday night. Held at Solar Sky,which featured a marvelous view of the city from the 17th floor,convention delegates could meet and chat with friends in a relaxingatmosphere.

Finally, taking his convention debut in the role, and with theblessing of his otherwise detained colleague Graham Blyth, FrancisRumsey entertained delegates with an organ recital on one of thelargest instruments in Berlin on Monday evening. Set in a chal-lenging acoustical environment, having some eight seconds ofreverberation, the organ’s dynamic range was taken to the limits inworks including Buxtehude’s G minor Praeludium, Alain’s TroisPièces, and Guilmant’s “March on a Theme of Handel.”

STUDENTEVENTSStudent activitiesalways form a strongtheme at AES conven-tions, and Berlin wasno exception in thisregard, thanks to theconsiderable efforts ofJohn Krivit and MarijaKovacina. The 136thAES Convention was ahuge success for thestudents who attendedfrom all over the world

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Francis Rumsey battles eight seconds of reverb during his organ concertat St. Matthias Church, with Natanya Ford following the score andturning the pages.

The Heyser Lecture certificate of recognition is presented to Dietrich Schüller (second from left), flanked by, from left, Michael Kelly,Bob Schulein, Francis Rumsey, and Jürgen Herre of the Technical Council.

John Krivit (center) and Kyle Snyder (right) with SDA officers: from left,Magdalena Plewa, Brecht De Man, Simon Wystrach, Andrea Pepper,Marija Kovacina, and Steven Van Dyne.

Visitors enjoy a tour of Teldex Studios, where hundreds of legendaryrecordings have been made.

Students consult careers advisers andeducation providers during the fair

to engage in work-shops, lectures, andother audio-relatedactivities, to network,and to socialize. Fur-ther, Brecht De Manfrom the AES LondonSection was electedthe new Student Dele-gate Assembly (SDA)vice chair for Europe& InternationalRegions. The SDA alsomanned a booth

throughout the convention where people could find the latestinformation about competitions and activities.

Among the many exciting activities undertaken in Berlin was therecording competition, with the four categories “traditionalacoustic recording,” “traditional studio recording,” “modern studiorecording,” and “sound for visual media.” Students were particu-larly grateful for the dedication shown by the panel of judges,including Mandy Parnell, Martha de Francisco, and Bryan Martin,in their evaluation of over 70 submissions. In the student designcompetition, which aims to reward aspiring hardware and softwareengineers, four prizes were announced: to Per Loenicker(Fachhochschule Düsseldorf), Diego Fagundes (University ofWestminster, London), Matthias Kronlachner (Universität fürMusik und darstellende Kunst Graz), and Marco Hugo Schretter(Kunstuniversität Graz).

On Monday morning a well-attended education and career fairwas held, aiming to match job seekers with companies, andprospective students with schools.

A willing band of student volunteers, led by Patrick Dadaczynskiand Tobias Heinl, deserves the thanks of all those present for help-ing to ensure that the convention ran smoothly.

TECHNICAL COUNCIL AND STANDARDSCOMMITTEE MEETINGSThe Technical Council and its first Technical Committees werefounded by the Society in 1979, and standing rules covering theiractivities were established in 1986 with the intention of defining

and consolidating the technical leadership of theSociety for the benefit of the membership. Meet-ings of the Technical Committees took place on allfour days of the convention, culminating in theplenary meeting at lunchtime on the final day.Members of a number of these committees havebeen active in planning international conferences,including a recent one on semantic audio, andupcoming events dealing with spatial audio, audioforensics, and audio for games. Great excitement isbuilding around a conference planned for early2015 on the future of audio entertainment tech-nology, instigated by the Technical Committee onSound for Digital Cinema and TV.

The AES Standards Committee is the organiza-tion responsible for the AES Standards Program. Itpublishes a number of technical standards, infor-mation documents, and technical reports, and hasover 65 working groups and task groups withmembers from all over the world. During the136th Convention a number of these groups met

to move their work forward in areas such as audio networking, filetransfer and measurement, as well as electroacoustics, audioconnectors, and metadata.

AES MEETINGSThe Regions and SectionsForum provides a chance forAES section officers attend-ing the convention to meetwith regional vice presidentsand the chair of the Regionsand Sections committee, toshare experiences of goodpractice and hear about theinnovative ways that world-wide sections are runningtheir operations. Led byPeter Cook, this dynamicevent showed just howmuch good work is beingundertaken by volunteercommittees in differentparts of the world, to edu-cate and inform local mem-bers about the latest inaudio engineering.

A number of other stand-ing committee meetings alsotook place during the Berlinconvention, including aninformal gathering of theBoard of Governors after the close of the convention on Tuesday.

AND FINALLY…The convention in Berlin showed a resurgence of support by theindustry and an impressive increase in attendance. The AES isstrongly dependent on the enthusiasm and willingness of its manydedicated members, as well as that of many supportive profession-als, who give up their time and energy to make these events a suc-cess. The Society thanks them and looks forward to their supportfor many years to come.

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John Krivit hosts Education Forum with students and educators during the convention.

Per Loenicker (second from right) wins theStudent Design Competition, with, from left,Daniel Weiss, David Hill, and John Krivit.

Peter Cook enthusiastically chairs theRegions and Sections Forum.

Theresa Leonard and Kyle Snyder runthe Membership Committee meeting.

CONVENTION REPORT


MEMBERS OF THE 136th CONVENTION COMMITTEE

Thomas Sporer and Brett Leonard,papers cochairs

Brian McCarty, sound for pictures chair

Marija Kovacina and John Krivit,student events cochairs

From left, Nadja Wallszkovits andJens Ahrens, facilities cochairs, andNatanya Ford, tutorials andworkshops chair

Florian Camerer,broadcast chair

Martin Wöhr, technical tours chair(right), with Karin Fleming of Schoeps

Patrick Dadaczynski and Tobias Heinl, student volunteer cochairs

Members of the AES Board of Governors and committee chairs after the final session of the 136th Convention.

Documents

Estrel Hotel and Convention Center Berlin, Germany · place April 26–29, 2014 at the Estrel Hotel and Convention Center in Berlin, Germany, celebrated four days of the best that