The August 2015 issue of audioXpress is now available and if you are interested in immersive, spatial, or 3-D sound, there are great reasons to dive in. As highlighted in the August audioXpress cover, there is a new audio standard currently being implemented for the future of digital TV - as part of the future ATSC 3.0 standard. It may solve many of the greatest challenges in object-based audio distribution, from personalized experiences to mobile and bridging many of the existing multichannel solutions into the new exciting possibilities of true immersive audio. Curious? Our Standard Review column explains what the new MPEG-H Audio standard is able to offer. And since MPEG-H was, in large part, developed by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, we feature an exclusive audioXpress article written by Robert Bleidt, Division General Manager of Fraunhofer USA Digital Media Technologies.Following on the topic of multichannel sound, we have another important article, written by Nugen Audio’s Creative Director and Co-Founder Jon Schorah, which explains the challenges of up-mixing audio programs from stereo to multichannel. This is a really every day for any audio engineer working in broadcast, post-production, film, and archive projects and the reason why Nugen is developing its new Halo Upmix Plug-in. Before this is even released, audioXpress explains what this means for the increasingly complex demands of modern audio production environments.
Returning to stereo listening systems, Mike Klasco and Steve Tatarunis offer their unique experienced perspective on In-Ear Monitor Design Challenges. This is a fascinating read for all those interested in earphone product design or even better understanding the technologies used in one of the audio industry’s most popular product categories.
Continuing with stereo, Ron Tipton writes is second article about Enhanced Stereo - Exploring Enhanced Stereo Solutions. While searching for enhanced stereo solutions, Tipton came across some interesting VST plug-ins and even a hardware IC solution and shares what we found after testing them.
Interested in Practical Test & Measurement? Stuart Yaniger continues to examine ways to create a low-cost system for lab-grade audio electronics measurements. The pieces of a powerful modern measurement system comprise a sound card, software, and a signal conditioning interface and, of course, the right computer. That’s where Yaniger delves this month, also sharing some of his first findings on available software.
Also, our Hollow-State Electronics column explains how to deal with the challenges of repairing classic tube equipment, starting with troubleshooting the device and determine where the problem might be… before your start assuming it’s the tube’s fault.
For a lighter read, evaluate some future investments in better audio experiences and learn where the high-end audio market is going, as Ward Maas shares his notes on the Munich High End Show 2015. The show, organized by the High End Society, occupied four halls and three Atria floors with 140 listening and conference rooms of the Munich Order Center (MOC) convention center in Munich, Germany. Maas walked the show and highlights some of the more deserving product designs.
This month Richard Honeycutt’s Sound Control column reviews the Electronic and Acoustic System Evaluation and Response Analysis (EASERA) measurement platform, released in 2006 and developed by Software Design Ahnert (SDA) of Germany and distributed globally by Ahnert Feistel Media Group, AFMG Technologies GmbH - yes, the developers of the EASE computerized electro-acoustic modeling software.
Finally, we have an inspiring interview with Kvart & Bølge founder, Bjørn Johannesen. The author of the TABAQ (Tang Band Quarter Wave) design published by audioXpress in March 2007, has started a very successful business. Together with entrepreneur Arved Deecke, Johannesen created a successful business selling quarter wave loudspeakers at affordable prices to a new generation that loves music as opposed to listening to cheap PC and Bluetooth speakers. Kvart & Bølge speakers come in every color and finishing imaginable and are sold as “Sound Sommeliers.”
And for all our readers who have been following Vincent Thiernesse’s fascinating analog crossover project and theory (The Right Filter), the good news is that we have reached the conclusion of the project (for now…). After explaining the method used to get phase linearity, the hardware, and the design choices in the first two articles, the third article describes a second phase corrector for this analog approximation of a digital filter.
As usual, your new issue of audioXpress is now available at www.gotomyxpress.com
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