Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences – March 19, 2024

Meeting Topic: AES Spotlight: Music Production for Emerging Audio Formats

Moderator Name: Koen Schultz, Kevin Reyna

Other business or activities at the meeting: Sound Radix: Unphaze the Haze Masterclass 3/31/2024, HITMKR x CRAS 4/8/2024

Meeting Location: Gilbert, AZ

Summary

The Monday night AES meeting at CRAS on March 18, 2024 started with introductions. The intro question for this week was “What initiated your passion for audio”? Then AES president, Koen Schultz, introduced all of the AES office holders and explained the purpose of the organization. AES vice president, Kevin Reyna continued the meeting by explaining the benefits to having an AES membership and student pricing. The meeting proceeded with upcoming events. The Sound Radix: Unphaze the Haze Masterclass will be held on March 31, 2024 through Zoom. CRAS will also be hosting an event with HITMKR on April 8, 2024.

The next part of the meeting involved discussing music production for emerging audio formats. This involved spatial audio advancements, developments in binaural audio and headphone room simulations. Sony VME and Dolby Atmos were heavily discussed among office holders and attendees. Streaming platform requirements regarding different audio formats were heavily discussed. Then moderators moved on to plug-in advancements and developments. There was a debate among attendees between analog gear and digital in the audio industry. Plug-in advancements regarding AI and spatial audio were discussed as well.

The moderators then explained how subgroups work and how to start one. Current subgroups at CRAS include music creation/songwriting, jammers and sound design. A new weekly radio show that plays music created by students has been created at CRAS. It is called CRAS Connected and airs on Saturdays. CRAS mentors is a group that connects students with student mentors for academic assistance. President Koen Schultz explained how they are run and who to contact for help. Women of Audio is another group at CRAS that encourages women to advance in the industry. The CRAS AES Instagram page was introduced at this meeting. The handle is @CRAS.AES and is run by AES supervisor, Hannah Fraley. Co-secretary, Kai Rocke, took the time to explain how the sound design contest works and the rules.

The plug-in of the week for this meeting was Acon Digital Multiply Chorus. It helps the user get randomized voices for a choir effect. A video that explained the plug-in in depth was played. Koen and Kevin also took the time to explain their vocal editing process.

Written By: Leah Won