AESx Talks

Presenters:
Alex Case, University of Massachusetts Lowell - Lowell, MA, USA
Eric Ferguson, New England School of Communications - Bangor, ME, USA
Richard King, McGill University - Montreal, Quebec, Canada; The Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Connor Reviere
Gebre Waddell, Soundways - Memphis, TN, USA

1:30 pm – 2:00 pm 
Close Miking Strings—Navigating Bridges, Fingerboards, Sound Holes and Sound Boards—Alex Case, Sound Recording Technology, University of Massachusetts Lowell 
Engineers must be prepared to record a wide range of string instruments, from guitar to ukulele. Fortunately, musical acoustics dictates that they have much in common, so we can form general strategies to help us the next time we track a piano, or the first time we encounter a harp. 
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm 
Recording Orchestra—Richard King, McGill University, Montreal 
With a focus on the orchestra as an instrument and sound source, this tutorial will cover learning how to listen, understanding microphones, concert halls and orchestral seating arrangements. How to set up the monitoring environment, and how to approach each section of the orchestra as part of the recording process. 
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm 
Urban Sound Capture Using MEMS Microphones–Charlie Mydlarz, New York University, New York, NY, USA 
Sensing urban sound using MEMS microphones is a new and promising venture. Recent advances in these technologies has made MEMs microphones a viable solution for urban sound capture and analysis. The pros and cons of this approach will be discussed, with some prototype applications to see and hear. 
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm 
Polarity vs. Phase: What Should We Call That Button and What Does It Do?—Eric Ferguson, New England School of Communications, Hussan University, Bangor, ME USA 
Professionals and amateurs alike refer to polarity reversal as “flipping the phase.” Are they wrong? While a semantical debate may be pedantic, it highlights a misunderstanding of phase by many in the audio industry. This short presentation will investigate the polarity button and its impact on phase and sound quality. 

3:30 pm – 4:00 pm 
Music Metadata and Credits: A Defining Moment—Gebre Waddell, Connor Reviere, Soundways, Memphis, TN USA 
This talk covers the revolution happening in music metadata and how we have reached this defining moment. The industry has shifted beyond dialog, and moved forward to action and application. Discover how this shift occurred and the steps that can be taken to help producers, engineers and musicians to receive credit where credit is due.