educonference21: Full Schedule

9:00am CDT

Teaching STEM in Higher Education with Acoustical Engineering

Teaching STEM in Higher Education with Acoustical Engineering
Providing strong foundational STEM skills is essential for first-year students starting their academic careers in engineering programs. An Introduction to STEM course introduces students to design principles and soft skills that enable students to be successful in higher-education. A study of acoustical engineering within a computer science context was added to an Introduction to STEM course to preface a real-world acoustical problem that students could readily identify in a local auditorium. Students learned to solve acoustical problems through analysis with Python code and then by creating 3-D simulations in the Unity game engine. Incorporating acoustical engineering into the STEM program created an opportunity to solve real-world problems using science and engineering.

Speakers

Christian Navarro

Instructor, Florida Polytechnic University

I am an instructor at Florida's only completely STEM focused university, Florida Polytechnic University. I an the course coordinator for Digital Media Productions and Intro to Unix. I also teach Senior Design, Web Application and Development, C, Python, Intro to STEM and Advanced... Read More →

Thursday July 22, 2021 9:00am - 9:45am CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Electroacoustics

9:45am CDT

Acoustics Study in Audio Curricula, an Overview and Summary

Acoustics Study in Audio Curricula, an Overview and Summary
The integration of acoustics into university audio curricula varies greatly. Some institutions have no acoustics course, some institutions require a class in another department (e.g., engineering or physics), many institutions have one dedicated class in the audio curriculum, and a few institutions have more than one relevant course. Most cover the nature of sound waves and vibration, sound propagation, room acoustics, sound level and its measurement. Some cover musical instrument acoustics and the various historical tuning systems. Institutions with more than one acoustics-related course typically include some in-depth study of psycho-acoustics. The paper includes an annotated bibliography that lists the textbooks commonly used and the content areas that they focus on.

Speakers

Bruce Whisler

Director of Audio Technology, Clemson University

Bruce Whisler is Director of Audio Technology and a Professor in the Department of Performing Arts at Clemson University. He earned the Doctor of Arts in Music from Ball State University in 2002 with emphases in music theory/technology and music performance. His professional affiliations... Read More →

Thursday July 22, 2021 9:45am - 10:30am CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Electroacoustics

11:30am CDT

Teaching Acoustics to Audio Students: A Middle Path

Teaching Acoustics to Audio Students: A Middle Path
This paper describes the course Acoustics: Physics of Sound, which teaches the science of acoustics to Audio Technology majors at American University. Pedagogically, this course seeks to be more rigorous than typical introductory courses to non-science majors, yet also avoids the fully calculus-based approach of higher level engineering courses. Audio students' salient strengths, including familiarity with critical listening, as well as software and microphones, can be leveraged to foster deeper understanding in the language they already know - that of sound itself.

Speakers

Braxton Boren

Thursday July 22, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Electroacoustics

2:15pm CDT

A Method for Program-Level Academic Review and Revision in Audio Education

A Method for Program-Level Academic Review and Revision in Audio Education
During the 2016-2017 academic year, the faculty at Webster University began the process of program-level review of the B.A. in Audio Production. The two-year study revealed gaps and overlaps in the curriculum as well as areas where the curriculum no longer aligned with industry norms or employer expectations. In the year following the review, a large-scale revision was devised based on the data and feedback from the program review. This paper examines the process and results of the review as well as the methods used for building both a new B.A. and new B.S. in the study of audio at Webster. The 2019-2020 academic year was the first time that the new programs have been taught.

Speakers

Casey Hunter

Assistant Professor / Director of Studios, Webster University

Timothy Ryan

Department Chair, Associate Professor, Webster University

Thursday July 22, 2021 2:15pm - 3:00pm CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Assessment

3:00pm CDT

Education and Certification in Sound Pressure Level Measurement, Monitoring and Management at Entertainment Events

Education and Certification in Sound Pressure Level Measurement, Monitoring and Management at Entertainment Events
A recent AES Technical Document on sound exposure and noise pollution due to outdoor music events proposes the creation of a live event sound level management initiative. In parallel, the World Health Organization, by way of the Make Listening Safe initiative, is preparing a regulatory framework for control of recreational sound exposure in entertainment venues. This paper considers how these developments could inform a certification scheme for live sound engineers and other key stakeholders. Such a scheme would detail current best practice and would allow venues, events, manufacturers and performers to voluntarily gain certification. This would help to boost public visibility of what an event or venue has done to promote the health and well-being of all key stakeholders.

Speakers

Elena Shabalina

Applied Research, d&b audiotechnik

Elena Shabalina received her degree in Physics, Radiophysics and Physical Acoustics from the Lomonosov State University of Moscow, Russia, in 2008 and her PhD in Physics from the Institute of Technical Acoustics RWTH Aachen University in Germany in 2012. During that time she also... Read More →

Michael Lawrence

Hyphen Wrangler, Rational Acoustics

Michael is a freelance system engineer (artist credits include Ghost, Volbeat, Miguel and Danny Elfman) and the author of the book Between the Lines: Concepts in Sound System Design and Alignment. He is also a Smaart instructor for Rational Acoustics, where he acts as Product Manager... Read More →

Adam Hill

Associate Professor of Electroacoustics, University of Derby

Adam Hill is an Associate Professor of Electroacoustics at the University of Derby where he leads the Electro-Acoustics Research Lab (EARLab) and runs the MSc Audio Engineering program. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Essex, an M.Sc. in Acoustics and Music Technology from... Read More →

Johannes (Jos) Mulder

Senior Lecturer in Music Technology, The Australian National University

Sound level monitoring and management at concerts and music events. Recent AES publications:Hill, Adam J, J.; Mulder, M. Kok, J. Burton, and M. Lawrence. 2021. "Sound level monitoring at live events, Part 1 – Live dynamic range." Journal of the Audio Engineering Society 69 (11):782–792... Read More →

Jon Burton

Senior Lecturer, Derby University

A live sound engineer with over 35 years of concert touring experience. Jon has toured extensively with artists such as Bryan Ferry, Stereophonics, Biffy Clyro and The Prodigy. Jon is also a partner in a five-studio recording complex in Sheffield, UK. Involved in education for many... Read More →

Marcel Kok

ceo, dBcontrol

Thursday July 22, 2021 3:00pm - 3:45pm CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Electroacoustics

9:45am CDT

Development of a digital photo-realistic console simulation as a learning/teaching tool

Development of a digital photo-realistic console simulation as a learning/teaching tool
This paper details the development of a digital photo-realistic console simulation as a learning/teaching tool designed to help address many of the challenges faced by today’s audio education institutions. A prototype was developed to show that it was possible to create a functional, photo-realistic virtual console with audio signal processing capabilities by using a single high-resolution photo of a physical console. The prototype informed the development of a fully functional photo-realistic simulation of the Audient ASP4816 console that demonstrates the potential of digital photo-realistic console simulations as learning/teaching tools within audio engineering education.

Speakers

Mark Bassett

Academic Director, Education Partnerships | Senior Lecturer, SAE Institute

Dr Mark Bassett is an internationally experienced education director, senior lecturer, mastering engineer, and acoustician with Higher Education education management and lecturing experience in Australian, UK, US and UAE systems. He is Academic Director, Education Partnerships, for... Read More →

Friday July 23, 2021 9:45am - 10:30am CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Electroacoustics

11:30am CDT

Signal Flow Training with Virtual Simulations as a Co-Curricular Tool

Signal Flow Training with Virtual Simulations as a Co-Curricular Tool
Many traditional pedagogical approaches to signal flow training were forced to be rethought at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This unprecedented event forced educators to reevaluate curriculum and tools for distance learning. In an effort to adapt courses to online formats, educational programs revealed the growing consensus that virtual simulations can be effective for console and signal flow training. The objective of this paper is to document the impact of virtual simulations in audio education amid social restrictions and to highlight their relevance for post-pandemic conditions. Observations of the progress of educators and students who used virtual simulations in their studio or live sound courses will be combined with survey and user engagement data collected over the semester to support the results.

Speakers

Sam Fisher

Founder, CEO & Programmer, Audio Fusion LLC

Developer of "SoundcheckPro", a virtual console & signal flow simulator. It is an educational tool meant for learning about hardware mixers, patchbays and more.

Friday July 23, 2021 11:30am - 12:15pm CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Electroacoustics

1:15pm CDT

Remote Recording Workshop

Remote Recording Workshop
Modern times have accelerated the movement towards remote recording, opening up more possibilities for sessions, work and teaching. Mark Rubel and musician/engineer/producer/podcaster Steve Dawson conduct a remote recording session and discussion, followed by an open Q&A.

Speakers

Steve Dawson

Mark Rubel

Director of Education and Instructor, Blackbird Academy

Friday July 23, 2021 1:15pm - 2:15pm CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Workshop

2:15pm CDT

Teaching audio signal processing using a digital audio workstation as the calculator

Teaching audio signal processing using a digital audio workstation as the calculator
Signal processing is a valuable topic for audio engineering students to learn. It is an aspect of audio that connects the practical systems encountered by engineers with technical theory from mathematics to explain how those systems work. From an educational perspective, it is a useful topic for teaching general critical thinking and problem solving. However, signal processing is not always presented in an accessible way for audio engineering students. In many educational programs, students must learn computer programming, electrical engineering, and physics before taking a signal processing course. An alternative approach to teach signal processing to undergraduate audio students has been developed which leverages digital audio workstation (DAW) software. Topics, outcomes, and example exercises from a course will be presented.

Speakers

Eric Tarr

Engineer, Hack Audio

Dr. Eric Tarr teaches classes on digital audio, computer programming, signal processing and analysis at Belmont University. He received a Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Ohio State University. He received a B.A in Mathematics and a minor in Music... Read More →

Friday July 23, 2021 2:15pm - 3:00pm CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Electroacoustics

3:00pm CDT

A Sample, Project, and Object Based Audio DSP Course for Undergraduates

A Sample, Project, and Object Based Audio DSP Course for Undergraduates
This paper describes and demonstrates how one can teach sample-based audio signal processing to undergraduates who are meeting audio DSP for the first time. Unlike many Matlab-based courses, this tutorial demonstrates how you can use it to teach both sample by sample based processing that is theoretically capable of handling an infinite data stream as well as an object focused approach that is both modular, extendable, and programmable in non-object orientated languages. It will also discuss how this might be done in languages other than Matlab.

Speakers

Jamie Angus-Whiteoak

Emeritus Professor/Consultant, University of Salford/JASA Consultancy

Jamie Angus-Whiteoak is Emeritus Professor of Audio Technology at Salford University. Her interest in audio was crystallized at age 11 when she visited the WOR studios in NYC on a school trip in 1967. After this she was hooked, and spent much of her free time studying audio, radio... Read More →

Friday July 23, 2021 3:00pm - 3:45pm CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Electroacoustics

9:00am CDT

Inclusivity in Immersive Audio: Current Participation and Barriers to Entry

Inclusivity in Immersive Audio: Current Participation and Barriers to Entry
Media and entertainment companies have embraced immersive audio technology for cinema, television, games and music. Meanwhile, in recent years there has been a rise in the number of organizations welcoming underrepresented groups to the field of audio. Although some disciplines such as music recording are seeing an increase in participation, others are not keeping pace. Immersive and spatial audio are disciplines in which diversity is measurably lacking. Mixed-gender social media groups focused on audio are composed of less than 10 percent women and minorities, and groups dedicated to immersive audio exhibit poorer representation. Barriers to entry are societal as well as economic; however, outreach, networking opportunities, mentoring and affordable education are remedies have been shown to be effective for related industries.

Speakers

Leslie Gaston-Bird

Owner, Mix Messiah Productions

Leslie Gaston-Bird (AMPS, MPSE) is author of the book "Women in Audio", part of the AES Presents series and published by Focal Press (Routledge). She is a voting member of the Recording Academy (The Grammys®) and its P&E (Producers and Engineers) Wing. Currently, she is a freelance... Read More →

Saturday July 24, 2021 9:00am - 9:45am CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Demographics Diversity Culture

9:45am CDT

Female Audio Educators: Why All Audio Students Need Them

Female Audio Educators: Why All Audio Students Need Them
While more women have entered into the professional audio field over time and increasingly impacted the industry, has the number of female audio production faculty in audio education programs also increased? What impact do female audio educators have on their students and academic colleagues? This paper argues that female audio educators not only strengthen audio students’ preparation for work in the field by promoting a sense of equity along gender lines, but they subsequently improve the culture of audio production education and empower students to take their philosophy into the professional audio field. The future of female audio educators is discussed, and the paper offers suggestions for increasing their recruitment into the academy.

Speakers

Jamie Angus-Whiteoak

Emeritus Professor/Consultant, University of Salford/JASA Consultancy

Saturday July 24, 2021 9:45am - 10:30am CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Demographics Diversity Culture

10:30am CDT

Audio Education in Mumbai, India - Trends and Challenges

Audio Education in Mumbai, India - Trends and Challenges
This paper is an exploratory study to analyse the current trends & challenges in the existing academic curriculums offered at various institutes imparting audio education in Mumbai, India. Systematic case study method was applied to understand the existing training structure of various Mumbai based audio education related training centres. The objective of the study was to derive a working model which can be suggested to the audio education authorities to be considered for creating a standardized program, in order to ‘holistically’ groom a Media professional who wants to pursue a career in Sound. The findings of the study highlight that both, profound technical & life skills knowledge need to be imparted to create competent audio professionals of the 21st century.

Speakers

Avinash Oak

EDUCATOR, AVISOUND

Avinash Oak graduated from Film & TV. Institute Of India, Pune, India with specialization in Sound Engineering. He has attended a special course for studio engineers conducted by APRS at the University of Surrey, England.In 1974 he Joined Western Outdoor, a leading music recording... Read More →

Shraddha Sankulkar

Founder-Director/Psychologist/Professor, Mind Matterz's School of Emotional Intelligence

Prof. Shraddha Sankulkar is a Counseling Psychologist & the Founder-Director of Mind Matterz (A Psychological Guidance Unit) & School of Emotional Intelligence, based in Mumbai, India. Besides heading her Psychological consultancy for 15 years, she has vast experience of teaching... Read More →

Saturday July 24, 2021 10:30am - 11:15am CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Demographics Diversity Culture

11:15am CDT

Who are we teaching? The changing profile of students learning audio production skills

Who are we teaching? The changing profile of students learning audio production skills
This paper examines the changing profile of audio production students as the professional audio learning experience morphs from the apprenticeship model once prevalent in commercial recording studios to learning in college and university environments. It discusses how the skills that were once the preserve of professional sound engineers, recordists, mixers, and electronic musicians are now prevalent throughout the music industry, and how, in many cases, the changing industry now requires musicians to be self-sufficient in terms of recording and producing their own work. There is an emphasis on how students in any program of study within music-making should have opportunities for learning these skills in order to work as professional musicians upon graduation.

Speakers

David Carugo

Saturday July 24, 2021 11:15am - 12:00pm CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Demographics Diversity Culture

1:00pm CDT

Expanding in Reverse: Rediscovering Predecessors in an Electronic Music History Course

Expanding in Reverse: Rediscovering Predecessors in an Electronic Music History Course
The study of history in music technology is traditionally based on strictly electronic music from the Western canon. But strong historical relationships exist between music that uses electronics and earlier music driven by older technologies. Reframing the definition of “technology” inspired the expanding of a typical electronic music history course into one that now integrates the contributions of pre-electronic artists and tools. This has introduced students to a much greater historical continuity and a wider range of artists, inventors and tools.

Speakers

Brian Heller

Director, Sound Arts Program, Minneapolis College

Brian Heller is an artist and technician who works with sound using a unique blend of skills. Over 20 years, he has built a practice integrating composition, audio engineering, and education. This diverse range of experience has taken him everywhere– recording in a grain silo... Read More →

Saturday July 24, 2021 1:00pm - 1:45pm CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Elec Music

1:45pm CDT

The Reflection Video: Students Assess their Virtual Exchange Experiences

The Reflection Video: Students Assess their Virtual Exchange Experiences
As a professor at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, I have been a collaborator on virtual exchanges with Abertay University in Dundee, Scotland, and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. These virtual exchanges, termed Global Learning Experience (GLE) at DePaul, focused on sound design and music collaborations. The final assignment of the project asked each student to record short reflection videos on their experiences during the GLE. These videos were recorded using a webcam or cellphone. The deliverable was not meant to be a highly edited and polished video but a document that reflected the positive and negative elements of the collaboration.

Speakers

Robert Steel

Associate Professor at DePaul University’s College of Computing and Digital Media/School of Cinematic Arts, DePaul University

Robert Steel is an Associate Professor at DePaul University’s College of Computing and Digital Media/School of Cinematic Arts where he teaches film sound and scoring classes. Globalization is one of his focuses. He has completed two COIL projects and shepherded a study abroad to... Read More →

Saturday July 24, 2021 1:45pm - 2:30pm CDT
The Emil Torick Stream Online

Demographics Diversity Culture