Meeting Report: August 2023 – Ben Osmo on Film Location Sound Mixing

2023/08/222023/08/22Paolo Menolotto

On Monday 14^th August, the Melbourne Section of the AES held our Annual General Meeting followed by our regular bi-monthly meeting.

Further details on the AGM proceedings can be found at https://aesmelbourne.org.au/2023-agm

Following the AGM, Academy Award winner Ben Osmo (Best Achievement in Sound Mixing 2015 – Mad Max: Fury Road) presented on the topic of:

Film Production Sound Through the Years
changes and added responsibilities.

Newly re-elected Chairman Graeme Huon introduced Ben with a brief outline of Ben’s career.

Ben Osmo in front of his "sound cart" — Ben Osmo in front of his “sound cart”

Ben then took us through his career in location sound production from his start in 1975 at the ABC. He told us that the typical setup of the time was a Nagra portable battery-operated tape recorder and a shotgun microphone on a long boom pole. He explained that the shoots were often one-camera affairs with shots framed as wide-shot, mid-shot, and close-up with the microphone positioned accordingly to achieve the appropriate sound balance.

Photo showing the crush of news crews covering a live event. — The one-man sound crew.

Photo of early film set with sound recorder and boom operator — The one-man sound crew.

Meeting Report: June 2023 – Alex Stinson on Modern Classical Music Production

2023/06/242023/06/27Paolo Menolotto

On Monday 19^th June, the Melbourne Section of the AES held our regular bi-monthly meeting.

It was another in-person event held at ABC Melbourne’s Southbank Studios.

Alex Stinson, a senior ABC Classical Music Producer, Recording Engineer and Editor welcomed a capacity group of twenty members and guests for a short tour of the venue’s music facilities, starting at the main orchestral recording space, the Iwaki Auditorium (Studio 355), moving through the other production facilities and recording spaces, and ending up at Studio 356, where he presented to us on the topic of:

Modern Classical Music Production

Techniques, challenges, and workflow

Photo of Alex Stinson in the Iwaki Auditorium — Alex describes the process of recording in the Iwaki Auditorium – Photo Rod Staples

Alex described their approach to classical music recording, starting with a description of the process of orchestral recording, and then moving on to recording smaller ensembles, duets and solo pieces.

Meeting Report: April 2023 – Scott Stickland on Collaborative Online Audio Mixing in the Box with DCF

2023/05/012023/05/02Paolo Menolotto

On Monday 24^th April, the Melbourne Section of the AES held our regular bi-monthly meeting.

It was a return to an in-person event at Collarts Wellington St (Collingwood) campus, that was also live-streamed on YouTube.

We welcomed about a dozen members and guests in the Collarts Critical Listening Room and another 7 who watched the live stream to the end.

Audio Engineer and Educator/Musician Scott Stickland presented on the topic of:

Collaborative Online Audio Mixing in the Box:

Presenting a case for the DAW Collaboration Framework

Chairman Graeme Huon introduced Scott with a brief description Scott’s work on the DAW Collaboration Framework (DCF).

Scoot presenting to the group — Scott Stickland – photo Rodney Staples

Scott started by acknowledging and describing the chronology of earlier online audio collaboration technology, starting with ResRocketSurfer (1996)/Rocket Network (1999), JACK/JACKTrip, Source-Connect, Steinberg’s VST Connect Pro and VST Transit/Transit Join/Transit Go, Splice Studio, and then the push for direct streaming into the DaaAW with products like Soundwhale, Sessionwire, ConnectionOpen and Listento and the growth in web-based DAW collaboration platforms, where he commented that web audio is not at the stage of development where they can be used for professional applications.

Meeting Report: February 2023 – David Hudson on Restoration of Vintage Studer A80s

2023/02/182023/02/20Paolo Menolotto

On Monday 13^th February, the Melbourne Section of the AES held our regular bi-monthly meeting.

We welcomed about 30 members and guests via Zoom.

Former Studios 301 Engineering Manager and local AES Section Committee Member David Hudson presented on the topic of:

Restoration of Vintage Studer A80s –

for a new life in a new century

Chairman Graeme Huon introduced David with a brief description of his background and history in audio recording in Canada and Australia.

David Hudson describes his career path that led to the Studer A80s (photo Rod Staples)

Following an Acknowledgement of Country (David was presenting from Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula – home of the Bunurong First Nations people), David described his early experiences with audio recording in Canada. He recounted that his first example as a pre-teen in 1961 was a Voice of Music VM-700 “Tape-o-Matic” machine his elementary principal father frequently brought home from his school. David also mentioned his early electronic experience in designing a photocell relay for a school Science Fair which saw him go all the way to the national competition, and he also mentioned his amateur radio interests at age 15. He then went on to recount his time in the 1970’s as a musical performer with the group “Hudson Carr Poole”/”Marilyn Hudson Carr & Poole”.

Film Production Sound Through the Years changes and added responsibilities.