9 - 22 July 2018 - EMPAC
Spatial Audio Summer Seminar
A two week seminar and workshop using Wave Field Synthesis and High-Order Ambisonics
EMPAC presents the second annual Spatial Audio Summer Seminar, co-presented by the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University and the Paris-based Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM). This intensive seminar offers musicians, composers, audio engineers, and programmers the rare opportunity to study the fundamentals of multichannel spatial audio in pristine acoustic environments. Participants will experience multiple large spatial audio systems, including Wave Field Synthesis, High-Order Ambisonics, and Binaural audio.
Researcher Markus Noisternig (IRCAM), professor Chris Chafe (Stanford), Rama Gottfried, and other guests will join EMPAC’s audio staff in dissecting technical and artistic concerns in the creation and presentation of high-count multi-channel sound projection. Using the full capabilities of EMPAC’s sonic infrastructure, including over 700 channels of audio and EMPAC’s Wave Field Synthesis array, the seminar will consist of lectures, roundtables, listening sessions, workshops, and performances.
WEEK 1 (JULY 9-13)
The first week of the seminar is an open forum for participants of all backgrounds and experience levels to dive into general concepts, workflows, and control mechanisms related to spatial audio. Topics will include introductory, intermediate, and advanced patching for IRCAM’s SPAT software, in-depth discussions of Wave Field Synthesis, Ambisonics, Binaural and Transaural audio, 3D audio recording and mixing, and more.
WEEK 2 (JULY 16-22)
The second week of the seminar gives participants focused time and hands-on access to these systems in order to develop new creative work. This portion of the workshop will be reserved for only a handful of participants who submit project proposals in advance. Submissions will be reviewed by workshop leaders and accepted based on the degree to which they utilize the capabilities of these spatial audio systems and the potential to realize the proposed project within the given time frame. Registration information forthcoming.
VENUES
The workshop will take place throughout the EMPAC building, granting participants access to a range of sophisticated audio systems in a variety of acoustic settings. Three venues will be outfitted with high-channel-count audio arrays, including:
~1,200-seat Concert Hall with 64-channel Ambisonic array.
~Large absorptive studio (66’x51’x33’; 315m2, 12m high) with 186-channel Wave Field Synthesis Array and 25-channel Ambisonic array.
~Large diffusive studio (44’x55’x18’; 230m2, 9m high) with 186-channel Wave Field Synthesis Array.