AES Convention expands broadcast audio program

In his 20th turn as chairman of the AES Convention Broadcast Committee, industry consultant David K. Bialik has shaped a far-ranging program of workshops, panels and special events for the 125th AES Convention, which will run Oct. 2-5 in San Francisco’s Moscone Center.

“This convention revisits issues which continue to impact heavily on the broadcast sector as they evolve,” Bialik said. “Loudness, the transition to digital broadcasting, Internet streaming and growing concerns over listener fatigue promise to spark lively and informative discussions.”

Bialik shared the highlights of the scheduled broadcast audio events, which include:

“Developing a New Medium” — Jim Kutzner of the Public Broadcasting Service will moderate the panel discussion. The broadcast industry, pro and consumer technology vendors as well as the Advanced Television Systems Committee have been vigorously moving toward a mobile/handheld DTV broadcast standard that features unprecedented collaboration across industry segments. The panel will discus the current situation and future prospects.

“The History of Audio Processing” — Staged in association with the AES Historical Committee, the panel, moderated by Emil Torick of CBS Laboratories, features audio processing pioneers Marvin Caesar of Aphex; Frank Foti of Omnia; Bob Orban of Orban/CRL; Glen Clark of Glen Clark & Associates; Eric Small of Modulation Sciences; Mike Dorrough from Dorrough Electronics; and Dick Burden, Burden Associates.

“Loudness Workshop” — Moderator John Chester will moderate panelists from TC Electronic, Dolby Labs, the BBC, Aphex and Neural Audio. The group will address the challenges and opportunities inherent in multichannel sound and digital broadcasting, exploring the latest techniques in the measurement and control of loudness levels.

“Considerations for Facility Design” — This roundtable discussion will include John Storyk of WSDG; Bice Wilson of Meridian Design; and Sam Berkow of SIA Acoustics. The group will cover design/build of radio, television, recording studio and production environments. Wiring, acoustics, ergonomics, system integration, computer-aided design and budgeting will all be discussed.

“DTV Audio Myths” — Andy Butler of PBS will moderate the panelists from Dolby Laboratories, Linear Acoustic, Fraunhofer USA and the Consumer Electronics Association. The group will attempt to bring logic and balance to the multitude of audio options in DTV.

For more information, visit www.aes.org.