Circles of Confusion

Recording & Production

Moderator:
Thomas Lund, Genelec Oy - Iisalmi, Finland
Panelists:
Bob Ludwig, Gateway Mastering Studios, Inc. - Portland, ME, USA
Sean Olive, Harman International - Northridge, CA, USA
Floyd Toole, Acoustical consultant to Harman, ex. Harman VP Acoustical Engineering - Oak Park, CA, USA

30.000 year old cave paintings are among human beings' most impressive cultural heritage, while it's unknown how excellent composers sounded even 300 years ago. We recently acquired technical skills to record sound, but that asset is now degenerating because of cognitive limitations and the circles of confusion, addressed by this panel. 
Without proper anchoring of spectral balance and level, drifting over time is inevitable in self-referenced systems, thereby putting legacy recordings at the risk of sounding dated for no good reason, or causing irreversible distortion to be added to pieces of art. The panel will discuss baseline listening requirements for in-room and headphone spectral balance and level that stand the test of time, putting our interests as a species above commercial trivialities.