I came across this photo of Jack Joseph Puig in his studio. My first thoughts were filled with unrepeatable words of lust, longing and utter amazement. I am sure it has something to do with the “gearslut” envy that courses through my DNA but I find all those meters, knobs, switches and lights a thing of poetry, beauty and sheer wonder. Add to that their unique sonic signatures that can add, or detract, from all the waves that are put through them, and it takes the complexity of the art form to another level. The work of wiring and patching all this outboard gear would be enough to discourage many from attempting this, even beyond the sheer cost of all the gear. I admire JJP for using all the tools at his disposal for creating music that transcends all that can be achieved by simply applying another plugin. This truly elevates the process to an art form worthy of past masters in any genre.

On a side note, we are in discussions at the moment to have JJP do a virtual presentation at our June, Audio Engineering Meeting in Toronto. Look forward to that happening.

Starting out a brand new day. The launch of my new web presence has finally come and I am excited at the prospect of sharing with my existing clients, new clients and those interested the projects I am working on and the new ideas I can’t stop dreaming of. Please sign up for the newsletter as I will be sending out information on upcoming special promotions and news about developments that could help you market, brand, record and get your music and projects out to your fans and audiences in new and exciting ways.

Pre-Meeting Pizza dinner 6:30 pm at RCC 204

With the CALM Act already in place on the US side and the CRTC finalizing regulations for Canada to be implemented this fall, this meeting will help equip you with an understanding of the international standards, recommended practices, the difference and interaction between audio loudness and dynamic range, the various applicable terms/acronyms, how to assess compliance, the effect on the consumer and the technologies available for monitoring, processing and controlling loudness to ensure compliance.

Our presenters include Ron Lynch from Technicolor, Ken Hunold from Dolby Labs, Scott Norcross from the Communications Research Centre and Jackson Weigman from Evertz.

THIS MONTH”S MEETING IS SPONSORED BY EVERTZ

PRESENTATIONS

Scott Norcross, Senior Research Engineer, Communications Research Centre, Ottawa
The presentation will give an overview of the creation of ITU-R BS.1770 and various activities that led to the adoption of it. Also differences between the ATSC and EBU recommended practices will also be discussed, as well as potential regulations from the CRTC in Canada as well as the CALM act in the US.

Kenneth Hunold, Broadcast Applications Engineer, Dolby Laboratories, Inc., New York
The presentation will show loudness variation data on several programming networks and describe strategies for programmers and distribution partners to manage the loudness of the content before delivery. These strategies can be employed cooperatively by producers, distributor, and stations to maintain consistent program loudness.

Because many methods of traditional loudness processing end up reducing the dynamic range of the content, some examples of the interaction between traditional loudness and dynamic range will be demonstrated. Before-an-after charts will be presented, along with some listening examples.

Ron Lynch – Engineering Manager at Technicolor
This presentation will cover the new terms/acronyms, audio measurements from local OTA (over the air) and re-distributed broadcasts to assess our overall achievements in meeting compliance requirements.

There appears to be little standardization in the design of the consumer products that receive these signals and for the home viewer the ability to understand and manage the audio metadata arriving at their entertainment systems is not always consistent nor user friendly. Considerations for end user interfaces will be examined.

Jackson Wiegman, Evertz Product Manager – Multiviewer Systems and Intelli Technology
This presentation will give an overview of loudness monitoring and processing technologies that are available to broadcasters and MVPD’s to ensure that they are compliant with existing regulations, and also how they can utilize loudness monitoring and processing to provide a better experience to their viewers.

BIOS

Ken Hunold
Kenneth Hunold is a Broadcast Applications Engineer for Dolby Laboratories, Inc., based in their New York office. He works with broadcast and cable network engineers and production personnel as they transition to high definition television with 5.1-channel audio. He also works with Dolby’s motion picture clients on audio mastering and presentation for film and digital cinema.

Before joining Dolby in 1999, he was with the ABC Television Network in a variety of engineering positions for 25 years. Most of that time was spent “on the road” for ABC Sports, and in ABC’s Engineering Laboratory. He helped design ABC’s Advanced TV Laboratory and evaluated the tools and systems for ABC’s launch of HDTV in 1998. He has worked on many major television events and received an Emmy Award as a video engineer for his work on the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary.

He is a member of SMPTE, AES, and SBE. He is a former SMPTE Governor for the New York Region and a former New York Section Chair. He is a member of the ATSC study group that drafted ATSC Recommended Practice A/85 for television loudness and has contributed to NABA and WBU-ISOG processes. He is currently Chair of the AES New York Section and is certified by the SBE as a Senior Engineer for both Radio and Television.

Jackson Wiegman
Jackson Wiegman joined Evertz in 2007, and is currently the Product Manager for Multiviewer Systems and Intelli Technology. He is responsible for Evertz’ signal visualization and monitoring, as well as audio loudness and lip sync product lines. Jackson previously held the role of Product Specialist for Modular Products. Since joining Evertz, Jackson has been a specialist in audio technologies and has presented at SMPTE and AES conferences as well as held meetings on various loudness, lip sync measurement and correction topics. Jackson holds a Bachelor of Engineering Physics and Management from McMaster University.

Scott Norcross
Scott Norcross received his B.Sc. in Physics from McGill University in Montreal. He received his M.Sc. in Physics from the University of Waterloo, under the supervision of Professors John Vanderkooy and Stanley Lipshitz, after which he taught audio technology in the physics department at American University in Washington D.C. for one year. He then joined the acoustics group at the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada in Ottawa, working on acoustical measurement systems with Dr. John S. Bradley. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Ottawa under the supervision of Professor Martin Bouchard, where his topic was inverse-filtering for rooms and loudspeakers. He is currently a Senior Research Engineer in the Advanced Audio Systems group at the Communications Research Centre in Ottawa, working in various field of audio such as loudness, subjective/objective quality and multichannel systems. He is currently active in the ITU-R Working Party 6C group on Programme Production and Quality Assessment and the ATSC S6-3 group on loudness.

Ron Lynch
Ron Lynch is Engineering Manager at Technicolor’s Toronto based post production facility. He oversees the design and installation of audio / video systems at Technicolor and works with IT staff on the ever growing data management requirements for picture and sound deliverables. He works with audio post staff and clients to assure optimum production and distribution of broadcast and film sound tracks.

Previously, Ron ran Dektek Audio Technologies, an audio engineering company. And prior to that he was vice president and general manager at Manta Electronics Group, specializing in audio and video systems sales and engineering.

Ron received an Electronics Technologist diploma from Ryerson and is an active member of SMPTE and the AES. He has served as the Toronto AES section chairman twice and has filled numerous positions as a committee member.

I am often amazed at how the most unlikely of faces will translate beautifully to film. They can be original, unseen and quirky features but fully achieve to compel the viewer. Every so often though, one does find one of those perfect creatures that God took extra time with. Sort of the way Michelangelo laboured over the the most unnoticeable details in some obscure corner of the Sistine Chapel, because he knew it would be there for all time and the details is where art lives.

Well I stumbled upon this face and it is not quirky, perhaps not even original, but it is perfect. Every feature in this face is about as proportioned and breathtakingly beautiful as humanity can create.

Recently I completed an audio restoration project on an old 33rpm vinyl recording. Oddly enough it had the same footprint as a 78 but was in fact recorded at 33rpm. This disc dated back to the 1950′s and was recorded in mono directly to vinyl, all in one take. Needless to say in was in poor condition and required some careful considerations in removing noise without introducing a slew of additional artifacts. Here are some samples:

iZotope Vinyl – before

iZotope Vinyl – after

These examples use a DAW plugin from iZotope called Vinyl. I actually think the plugin is used to add noise as an effect but some of the parameters are very useful for removing mechanical wear as well. The next examples show the more common click and pop artifacts you hear when restoring vinyl recordings. Here I used a plugin from Waves called X-Click with great results.

Waves X-Click – before

Waves X-Click – after

I highly recommend these plugins for their effectiveness while remaining transparent.

You’ll notice on the side bar links for my Vimeo and YouTube channels. While I do enjoy Vimeo’s enhanced features I find the uploading process to be much more streamlined using YouTube.
Please visit my video channels and check back soon as I will be posting more video’s from the archives as well as new and exciting ones that I am currently working on.

I am always surprised and amazed at where the life of an image can germinate. I did a photo shoot for bassoonist Nadina Mackie at the Glenn Gould Studio for a Vivaldi recording she was doing. I took many shots, documenting the session as per Nadina’s request. It wasn’t until I snapped these photo’s through the dirty, slit of glass in the doorway leading to the stage that I began to get my most interesting shots of the day. The challenge, as in most things really, is to stay open in spirit and mind and allow all opportunities to show themselves.

I designed these two ads for an upcoming issue of Wholenote Magazine for pianist Catherine Wilson. They are still in the final stages but I thought I would share the process with you. The first slide is much stronger in that the message is clearer with more impact. Having said that the second slide is where I began the process and there is a striking difference in the tone and mood of the two ads. It occurred to me during the exercise that although the darker one was where I was at during the design it was not serving the ad or the message. As well, the image really needed to speak on its own without all the added text competing with its vibe. I revamped the whole concept and found, in myself as well, the needed energy to make the message work more effectively. It is also interesting to see how powerful photography also shapes every aspect of the design.

I recently completed design and implementation of a new website and branding for Catherine Wilson and Ensemble Vivant. This site features a full page image gallery and allows for audio and video integration. The design is based on a WordPress CMS and features a simple GUI for self-updating concert and touring information. You can see the site at www.ensemblevivant.com

One of the areas I really enjoy working in is branding. There is so much more to branding than just skills at design or illustration. It involves a deep understanding of your target audience, your client, the product and current marketplace trends. There is so much for a designer to sink their teeth into.
I perform occassionaly with Kerry Stratton’s Grand Salon Orchestra and Kerry was kind enough to ask me to design some branding for the orchestra. These images are still working drafts and I thought it would be interesting to share them now as a work in progress. I will post the final version once they are completed.
On a side note, one resource I find invaluable for information regarding branding, marketing and design is Terry O’Reilly’s CBC radio show “The Age of Persuasion”. This is a very comprehensive look at the artform and how it has evolved over the years. Terry and the show are simply brilliant and not to be missed. You can get more information on the show here.