AudioForum@ISE2017: Audio from the Electronics Perspective

AudioForum, the educational event organized by Connessioni dedicated to the audio community, celebrated its 11th edition at ISE after several presences in Italy in Milan and in Asia in Mumbai and Beijing. This was the fourth edition at ISE and a program designed for audio consultants, sound designers, systems integrators, technicians and companies was presented. There were numerous participants, including some of high-profile: the G001-002 room was crowded with a mixed public that demonstrated great passion, competence and curiosity for the topics covered.
AudioForum, like other wide-ranging training events connected to ISE, was held the day before the opening of the show, 6 February 2017, and was an official part of ISE’s educational offering. The event was organized in collaboration with AES – Audio Engineering Society and was supported by ISE – Integrated Systems Europe itself.
As the title “Audio from the electronics perspective – Processing, DSPs, Software and Firmware for design, monitoring, set up” expressed, 2017’s edition underlined the increasingly tighter relationships between the audio world and that of electronics and of IT and also proposed several moments for exchange and discussion between participants.
AudioForum@ISE2017 was possible thanks to the support of Powersoft and 18 Sound, and of Technical Partner MMconcept, a Dutch rental company that supplied an impeccable sound system.
The proceedings were opened by Alberto Zanghieri, a professional with great experience in DSP development and a member of AES Italia, which outlined its evolution over time with respect to DSPs with the intention of explaining the reasons behind various technical decisions made up until today – from the needs that were established in the very beginning to the most current solutions.
Ruud Kaltofen, President of AES Netherlands and consultant for Event Acoustics, gave the second speech, also focused on DSP but dealt with from the different perspective of users: from the concept of beam steering to that of filtering (steering with FIR and IIR filters), with an interesting solution designed by Kaltofen himself for noise control.
The microphone then passed to Mario di Cola, Senior Engineer of Audio Labs Systems and 18 Sound consultant, who explained how it is possible, electronically, to control and reveal in advance the behavior of speakers: as an example he illustrated IPAL technology, developed by 18 Sound together with Powersoft, which is able to determine the behavior and performance of the speaker in advance.
After the lunch break, Marc Kocks of Powersoft introduced the topics of DSPs applied to the amplifier, intended as a decentralized management platform, and how it is possible, for example, to avoid damaging or even burning speakers.
Finally, while Paolo Martignon of Audio Lab Systems shared the problems of acoustic simulations within sound reinforcement, Arjen Sulman, Chief System Deisgner of MMconcept, closed the study day by presenting varied case studies of possible errors in the conversion process from analog to digital and vice versa.
A complete series of presentations to take stock of the most common, and most necessary, uses of digital control in the audio field.
At the conclusion of the proceedings, many participants shared questions, reflections and personal experiences, enriching a day already filled with stimulating sessions.
Connessioni thanks all those that took part in AudioForum@ISE2017 and made its full success possible…but, above all, see you at the next edition!
Connessioni thanks the media partners of the event: InAVate, Rave Europe, Install, System Integration Asia, Pro Audio Asia.
The details of the complete program of events are available at the address: audioforum.connessioni.biz