Product Design | Audio Electronics | Acoustics | DIY | Audio Innovations
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Bosch Sensortec Acquires MEMS Microspeaker Innovator Arioso Systems |
Bosch Sensortec announced the acquisition of Arioso Systems, the Fraunhofer IPMS spin-off company that developed its own innovative sound transducer principle for miniaturized MEMS microspeakers based on the patented Nanoscopic Electrostatic Drive (NED) principle. With this acquisition Bosch expands from MEMS microphones to the attractive market segment of silicon microspeakers, soon to be at the core of new-generation true wireless hearables. Arioso’s technology delivers significant less power consumption, smaller size, and easier system integration. Read More
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MIT Researchers Develop Flexible, Thin-Film Loudspeaker |
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed an ultra-thin loudspeaker that can turn any rigid surface into an active audio source. To demonstrate the concept, MIT engineers have developed a paper-thin loudspeaker, which was presented in public, pitching a straightforward fabrication process that could be introduced to enable the flexible, thin-film solution to be produced at scale. Read More
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COMSOL Expands Working Environment for Modeling and Simulation with New Model Manager Server |
COMSOL announced a major update to the COMSOL Multiphysics software version 6.0. The update builds out the Model Manager server with a web interface, adding an asset management system to make it easier for COMSOL users to manage models, simulation apps, and supplementary auxiliary files. The new COMSOL Model Manager interface combines all elements of product and process design to facilitate the collaboration between stakeholders and colleagues working on a modeling and simulation project. Read More
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Sennheiser New Momentum True Wireless 3 Earbuds Offer Sound Personalization and Adaptive ANC |
The Sennheiser consumer division, now operated by Sonova under license, seems to be in high gear mode and just announced another important update in its true wireless lineup. The Sennheiser Momentum family is now expanded with the Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds, updated in sound quality and wearing comfort, and now featuring adaptive noise cancellation (ANC), while maintaining a very similar design. Read More
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Campfire Audio Announces Supermoon In-Ear Monitors Featuring Custom Planar Magnetic Driver |
Campfire Audio announced Supermoon, the newest entry in its innovative line of custom-fit in-ear monitors (IEMs) for musicians, audio professionals, and discerning music lovers. This new model in Campfire’s extensive IEM catalog features a new 14mm full-range planar magnetic driver with a 2 micron thin diaphragm, in a hand-polished 3D printed solid-body with stainless steel cap and custom beryllium/copper MMCX connections. Read More
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Merging Announces New Commentary Unit Features for Anubis AoIP Network Interface |
During NAB 2022, Merging Technologies is showing the most recent Merging+Anubis Commentary Unit Mission, which is the latest set of features that users of the innovative compact AD/DA converter and audio network recording interface will be able to activate. Merging calls its approach to application-oriented software sets "Missions,” and this latest option is set to project Anubis into a whole new market. Read More
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Audio Engineering Society Promotes AES Europe Spring 2022 Convention |
The AES Europe Spring 2022 (Audio Engineering Society’s 152nd Convention) will feature both in-person and online events. The convention will take place May 7-8, at the Royal Conservatoire, The Hague, Netherlands, and will be followed by an online technical program May 16-19, for those who cannot attend the real thing. The program for the convention will include a large focus on immersive audio, synthesis, and effects. Read More
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HEAD acoustics Proposes Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score as Standard Method for Audio Quality Assessment |
Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) is a new binaural perception-based software tool that replaces human evaluation with novel metrics in the assessment of audio quality. This is a much-needed approach for characterization of headphones, earphones, speakers, and any audio system, including automotive audio designs, researched, documented, and validated by audio test and measurement company HEAD acoustics . Read More
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LYNX Technik Incorporates AI Technology from Audionamix for Real-Time Complex Noise Removal in Hardware |
Among the many announcements of more hardware purposely designed for broadcast and content production operations, at the NAB 2022 Show in Las Vegas, NV, German company Lynx Technik AG unveiled a new hardware module in its renowned yellobrik series, which features Artificial Intelligence (AI) from Audionamix. The Instant Dialog Cleaner (IDC) 1411 yellobrik module was designed for operations with serial digital video signals, and incorporates the AI technology from Audionamix for effective noise removal directly in the signal flow. Read More
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Editor's Desk
J. Martins
(Editor-in-Chief)
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Audio Industry Returns to Trade Shows
ALTI Expo 2022 and the Return of the ALMA Awards
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As I’ve been warning, trade shows are just too important to miss. As predicted, we’ve never seen so many photos of people “getting back to business” on social media as this week. It’s absolutely crazy, because there are overlapping trade shows of all sorts - and no one seems to care. While some of the most prestigious and important trade shows have opened their doors once again, some after three years of absence (the April shows, which happened last in 2019), some countries are also promoting their own regional events, sometimes serving precisely the same industries as the shows happening in Las Vegas, NV, or Frankfurt, Germany. And no one cares, basically because people are just excited to attend events and actually meet their friends, colleagues, and clients - the business will come naturally as a result (let’s just hope the virus doesn’t).
Announcements were not that numerous - most companies anticipated the rush and wisely opted to make their product unveils in advance. That way it didn’t matter if shows where well attended or not, the focus remains on reconnecting with people first.
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The weather was beautiful in Las Vegas, NV, for NAB 2022, and the industry was just overjoyed to meet again at a trade show. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) reported a preliminary registered attendance of 52,468, with 11,500 international visitors. |
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That’s what I heard from my colleagues who attended NAB 2022 in Las Vegas this week, and don’t even remember how the exhibits were, or who launched what. They were all just too tired from all the parties and social activities that took place - some even during show hours! Apparently, there were as many people with NAB show badges walking the town, as there were at the LVCC. And while there, many took consecutive rides on the underground loop between halls, just in order to shoot better videos of the Tesla's ride to share. Some magazines were even struggling to deliver their pretend best-of-show awards since it was harder to find the CEO or marketing teams to take the mandatory show floor shots. It didn’t matter, everyone was just happy to be there again.
And that’s what I hear from our team currently in Frankfurt for Prolight+Sound. Everyone is mainly happy that the show could be held again. The Frankfurt Messe organization tried hard, there is an extensive conference program, great demonstrations, and more visitors than expected - and those who attend are simply happy to see each other again.
As our colleague Ward Maas reports, at this show the mood is not as optimistic, exhibits in the audio section are not many and certainly not as big as the ones in the stage and show lighting hall. “Certain market segments, such as pro audio and live sound, were hit hard by COVID. No concerts, no festivals. As a result, less money available for investments, but also less money available to have a large presence at this show. And for many brands, it was simply too much to ask to attend both Prolight+Sound and ISE in Barcelona, two weeks later. So choices had to be made.”
But for those who attended Prolight+Sound, the return is possible, as he confirms. “Business depends mainly on what is available for the festival season given the material shortages and supply problems. Those who can deliver, sell, and visitors have their shopping lists in hand. The organizers are paying attention. Perhaps it would be a good idea to attend next year.”
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Prolight+Sound 2022 is ongoing and attendance is larger than expected for the size of the show, which was crushed by the overlapping post-pandemic trade show schedule. Next year will be better. |
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A less euphoric version of this return-to-trade-shows spirit was the unique environment of AXPONA 2022, which is more product-focused than any other show, and probably the only show in the world this year where people reconnecting after two years or more simply wave at each other without saying a word — in order not to disturb the ongoing listening sessions. As Oliver Masciarotte reported, “Everyone, whether dealer, manufacturer, or attendee was as stoked as I to be at a flesh-and-blood gathering. After all, the whole point of a hi-fi show is to hear the differences that each system brings. Zoom simply cannot convey that nuance.”
An unintended consequence of people getting used to relying on being online for everything is that the trust on streaming media is now greater than ever. And at AXPONA that was clearly visible, as Oliver noted. “I was struck by how exhibitors at the biggest hi-fi show have embraced Qobuz. AXPONA 2022 was the first show I have covered where I carried no CDs, no SACDs, and no flash drives. I pre-selected a handful of songs to use as my test material, and Qobuz supplied the content.” Anyway, he is writing a first-impressions article for our newsletter next week, so more on that later.
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Some images from AXPONA 2022, shamefully grabbed from exhibitors’ social media pages (including Warwick and Pro Audio Design), showing different perspectives of an event where at least the main focus is on listening again. Anyway, there was time to party, after show hours. |
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ALTI Expo 2022
For this week, I had intended to write instead about an important upcoming in-person event that deserves attention from our audience and that also risks being squeezed by this trade-show rush and overlapping schedules. I’m talking about ALTI Expo 2022, the conference promoted by the Audio & Loudspeaker Technologies International (ALTI) Association, which is also right around the corner, set for June 5–6 at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
Our readers might not be familiar with ALTI and much less with ALTI Expo, but that is perfectly normal considering the association used to be called ALMA, and changed the name in the year before the global pandemic - here is an article about those changes. Read the full audioXpress report available for a refresh of the previous ALTI Expo in 2019 - now seemingly distant events.
ALTI is the association with which audio manufacturers, developers, and all the technical folks who make audio products need to be connected. And since it moved away from CES, its excellent annual event now takes place just a few days before the InfoComm show in Las Vegas (Education, June 4-10 - Exhibits, June 8-10). What was not expected is that the Winter NAMM Show this year would take place in June as well. But it will (June 3-5). The full story is here but it’s important to note a few things. That show is only three days this year, and yes, the third day overlaps with ALTI Expo in Vegas, which means we only have two days to attend NAMM, and we will need to rush off to the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, where ALTI Expo takes place. |
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Time to plan how to attend this year’s ALTI Expo and Conference at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV, June 5–6, just prior to InfoComm. Leave earlier from NAMM if you attend, it will be important. |
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ALTI continues to be the only international trade association dedicated to improving the design and manufacture of loudspeakers and related technologies. But its scope expanded to reflect the whole audio industry ecosystem. This means that its role is now even more crucial to the industry, and many industry folks who usually don’t even attend NAMM or InfoComm have a reason to be there. And reflecting the association’s expanded scope, this year’s keynote presentation will be delivered by Andrew Bellavia, Director of Market Development at Knowles Electronics, who will explain why the “golden age of audio” is happening now.
And yes, there’s many reasons to attend, including to support ALTI’s Incubator program for new companies and inventors; the Speaker Builders Workshop; and presentations by experts from Klippel, Listen, Composite Sound, Audio Precision, HEAD acoustics, NTi Audio, Parts Express, and many more. There will be also an interesting presentation on Supply Chain issues by Rosemary Coates and others, and ALTI is already working to identify the issues and explore solutions. To support the session content, ALTI is promoting a brief 10 question survey - available here https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/S3LZSVN. The results will be explored and discussed at ALTI-Expo. Survey results will also be available to all who participate in the survey.
So, please make an effort to support the association’s initiatives and plan to attend this year’s ALTI Expo and Conference at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV, June 5–6, just prior to the InfoComm Show. The South Point hotel still offers affordable accommodation for those attending, so everyone can just focus on the event.
ALTI Expo 2022 offers two days of outstanding technical and business content. There are many opportunities for networking and spending quality time with exhibitors and attendees, and a great focus on getting business done! There’s even a banquet and the celebration once again of the prestigious ALMA Awards, highlighting outstanding products, people, and technologies in the audio industry (yes the awards remain connected to the original name, in respect to all those who received one in the past — and also because ALMA is a great name for an award!)
ALTI’s ALMA Awards honor the Association’s heritage as well as excellence and achievement with five award categories: Lifetime Achievement, Technology Achievement, Industry Contribution, Innovation Award, and ALTI Member Award.
audioXpress and Voice Coil magazines are the official media partners for ALTI Expo and will be directly supporting the ALMA Awards once again. Stay tuned for more information, coming soon. More information about ALTI Expo 2022 is available here: https://altiassoc.org/alti-expo-22/
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The ALMA Awards are back and are always an important aspect of ALTI association’s efforts, this year promoted with direct support from audioXpress and Voice Coil.
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Properly Equalized: Best Practices for Loudspeaker Equalization and Tuning
By Charlie Hughes (Biamp)
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Charlie Hughes has been involved in pro audio for more than 30 years, received the CTA Technology Achievement Award for his standards work, holds multiple patents relating to loudspeaker design, and knows a thing or two about directivity control and how a loudspeaker system should sound good and measure accordingly. This article offers basic recommended guidelines that will not only help to develop good equalization and tuning practices, but also will go a long way in improving the overall sound quality, regardless of the application. This article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2022. Read the Full Article Now Available Here
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Wavecor WF275BD01 10.75” Home Audio Woofer
By Vance Dickason
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The latest WF275BD01 10.75” woofer from Wavecor is a new high-power design targeting home audio and home theater applications, including two-way (with larger ribbon/AMT drivers, or compression driver/horn combinations) and three-way speakers. Part of a new series of drivers announced in October 2020 by Wavecor, this woofer could also be advantageous in high-powered studio monitors. The feature set for the WF275BD01 is like most high-performance two-channel/home theater drivers, fairly substantial. Starting with the frame, the WF275BD01 uses a proprietary eight-spoke cast-aluminum frame incorporating rectangular vent holes in the area below the spider mounting shelf for enhanced voice coil cooling. This series of cooling vents allows air to move past the voice coil and across the front side of the ferrite motor assembly. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, January 2022. Read the Full Article Now Available Here
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of Audio Technology
audioXpress features great articles, projects, tips, and techniques for the best in quality audio. It connects manufacturers and distributors with audio engineers and enthusiasts eager for innovative solutions in sound, acoustic, and electronics.
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