Advanced Sound Workshop

PDF press release

OBORO’s New Media Lab presents
Production sonore en trois dimensions : une approche globale
(A Global Approach to Three-Dimensional Sound Production)
with Daniel Courville
September—October 2007
© Daniel Courville, 2007

Increasingly, surround sound is being incorporated into media and artistic productions. Because sound content on DVD-Video and HDTV is invariably multiphonic, multimedia artists must consider this potential in the creation and production process. However, those who wish to appropriate the technology and integrate it into their approach may be intimidated by the large number of formats, in terms of signal encoding, broadcast standards and distribution media. There is a solution to all the questions raised by working in multiphonic sound: the Ambisonic system. This system covers all aspects of surround sound production: acquisition, synthesis, processing and reproduction of sound content in three dimensions. The comprehensive approach of the Ambisonic system is fully compatible with the most popular technologies, such as Dolby Digital and DTS, and with mainstream distribution media like DVD and HDTV

    TOPICS COVERED ON THE AMBISONIC SYSTEM
  • History and theory of the system
  • 2D and 3D sound recording
  • 3D encoding of mono and stereo sources
  • 3D signal processing
  • 3D sound reproduction and diffusion
  • Delivery and distribution media
  • Hybrid surround-sound production strategies
  • Introduction to software development for two-dimensional and three-dimensional sound production
  • Ambisonic creation and production pipelining for delivery and distribution in Dolby Digital 5.1 on DVD and DTS 5.1 on CD/DVD.

SOFTWARE USED ON MAC OS X

  • Amadeus Pro
  • Ambisonic Studio B2X
  • Apple Compressor
  • Apple DVD Studio Pro
  • Digidesign Pro Tools
  • Plogue Bidule
  • Roxio Toast
  • SonicBirth
  • Steinberg Nuendo/Cubase
  • VLC Surround
  • Vortex Surround

Please note that modifications may be made to the workshop scenario which will be given in French; however, the instructor is bilingual. Equipment provided by OBORO.

PREREQUISITES
Intermediate knowledge of digital audio
Be a professional artist, creator or cultural worker, and
be a self-employed worker or a salaried employee in an enterprise not
subject to 1 % Training Investment *

SCHEDULE
The workshop will take place over three weekends (Saturday and Sunday) :
September 29 and 30, October 13 and 14, October 27 and 28, 2007
The sessions will last three hours in the morning and four hours in the afternoon

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS
Maximum 10 people

COST
$100 per person; payment must be made one week before the start of the workshop

LOCATION
OBORO’s New Media Lab

INSTRUCTOR
Daniel Courville is a lecturer in sound production and applied computer technology at UQAM’s École des médias since 1990. He is a music producer and since 1988, has been interested in three-dimensional sound recording, processing and reproduction, particularly Ambisonic technology. Recently, he has investigated the integration of Ambisonic technology into sound production and post-production environments through the development of software tools used in linear and non-linear media. Daniel Courville holds a master’s degree in communications from UQAM.

TEACHER’S ASSISTANT
Stéphane Claude is an electronic/electroacoustic musician and audio mastering engineer. His research is concerned with providing a conceptual framework for audio recordings and he also makes sound installations. He has produced soundtracks for various image, theatre and multimedia projects by other artists. Since 1992, he has been preoccupied with the presentation of electronic art by favoring the notion of ‘active listening.’ As an audio consultant, he has participated in the conception, production and integration of high-end surround sound and digital recording and mastering studios in Montreal and abroad.

SPECIAL GUEST
René Laflamme from Fidelio Audio
Saturday, October 27th
Presentation on recording and reproduction of acoustic ensembles in HD

For further information or to register for the workshop, please contact Annie Tremblay, lab services coordinator.
Tel.: 514 844-3250, ext. 230 Fax: 514 847-0330
lab@oboro.net http://www.oboro.net

REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st at 5:00 pm (first come, first served)

* Any enterprise whose total payroll is $1.000.000 or more is subject to 1 % Training Investment.