NEXT EARS MEETING




AN EVENING WITH SPECIAL GUEST
DR. PANTELIS VASSILAKIS
"What is really wrong with data compressed audio?"

TUESDAY SEPT 27th 6:30p.m.
(Actual program begins at 7p.m.)
@ SHURE S.N. THEATER
5800 W. TOUHY AVE, NILES IL 60714

Aside from being voted one of the 50 most beautiful Chicagoans by Chicago Magazine, What hasn’t Dr. Vassilakis done? Let’s see: He grew up in the cradle of civilization in Athens, Greece; played volleyball for his country’s national team; released an LP as a member of an eighties rock/pop band in the vein of Roxy Music; studied electrical engineering before switching to music composition; worked as a photographer for a major publisher; traveled all over Europe as a professional model; appeared once in the Italian Vogue; composed original scores and conducted music for a ballet company in England, during which time he received an award from Princess Diana; dabbled in sound design for theatre productions; moved to the United States and earned a Ph.D. from UCLA; got married on the beach in Malibu, California; found a perfect job—chairman of the Audio Arts and Acoustics Department at the School of Media Arts at Columbia College.

EARS is extremely privileged and honored to invite Dr. Pantelis Vassilakis to meet with us in the beautiful S.N. Shure Theater at Shure HQ. The program abstract and discussion will be thus:

What is really wrong with data compressed audio? "The dual objective of audio data compression algorithms is to reduce the digital file size of audio content for more efficient storage and distribution without audibly altering its quality, as perceived by listeners. The mathematical and psychoacoustical bases of the relevant algorithms guarantee that, save for simple audio programming (i.e. with narrow bandwidth, dynamic range, and spatial spread and with limited/coarse time variance), audio data compression resulting in 128, 192, and even 256kb/sec data rates will audibly alter the signal in question and irreversibly remove physical aspects usually associated with perceived naturalness and complexity. Exclusive exposure to data compressed audio contributes to the "stupification" of a generation of listeners by depriving them from opportunities to be exposed to and stay "trained" in their ability to decipher sonic micro variations that are essential not only to a rich musical experience but to communication in general. Many solutions are possible and none includes doing away with personal digital audio players, which have by now become an integral part of our lives, including that of the speaker!"

Here is Dr. V's official bio: (Click here to see his official website)

Pantelis N. Vassilakis earned a Post Doctoral Certificate in Auditory Science (2003) from the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA), Ph.D (2001) and M.A. (1997) degrees in Ethnomusicology, specializing in music cognition, acoustics, and aesthetics, also from UCLA, and a B.A. degree in Music Composition and Technology (1993) from Kingston University, Surrey, England. He has also completed course studies in Electrical Engineering at the National Polytechnic of Athens, Greece. Dr. Vassilakis has composed for the English National Ballet and the London Chinese Orchestra, has sound designed for BBC Radio 3 and the London Greek Radio, is routinely hired to digitally restore and master commercial recordings, and has extensive experience as a live and studio musician, sound engineer, and producer.

Since 1997, he has been presenting at US national and international conferences, often as an invited speaker, publishing several abstracts, articles, and book chapters and serving as reviewer for publications that include the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, the Journal of Comparative Physiology, the Computer Music Journal, and Oxford University Press. His work has been cited by over sixty research studies and his recently published signal analysis and processing tool is being utilized in research labs around the world.

Pantelis is currently the Chairman of the Audio Arts + Acoustics Department, Columbia College Chicago

It's that time of year.... time for nominations for the next President of EARS. After serving two terms, current EARS President Blaise Barton is planning on stepping down, and that means it's time to nominate some new meat ...er, candidates. There are just a few simple rules to follow in the nomination process:

1) Nominations for the office of President begin at the September meeting each year.

2) Any current member can nominate any other current member for President but both must be present at the meeting.

3) Members cannot nominate themselves (duh!)



At the October meeting, each nominated candidate shall be given the opportunity to present their platform and take questions from the general EARS assembly. Best of luck and Happy Nominations!