AUDIO+ Workshop

Student mixing/re-mixing competition (in-person)

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In this live in-studio session, students from the University of Victoria and University of Lethbridge will have their creative projects, in the form of audio mixes and re-mixes, adjudicated by Jocelyn Greenwood, President of Cordova Bay Records.

Audio mastering tutorial and demonstration (in-person)

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Graemme Brown—the JUNO award-winning mastering engineer and owner of Zen Mastering studio in Gabriola, BC—will present a tutorial on audio mastering, the final stage of the music production process. This highly specialized audio engineering task is currently being challenged by online and ‘intelligent’ AI and machine learning systems. Using materials taken from the complementary student mixing/re-mixing competition to demonstrate the mastering process, Graemme will draw upon his extensive first-hand experience and skill set to argue for human-powered audio mastering and illustrate the relative merits and weaknesses of contemporary automated audio mastering systems.

DIY synth building workshop (in-person)

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This event will provide workshop participants the opportunity to build a custom designed analogue synthesizer module by members of the Garden City Electronic Music Society (GCEMS). Facilitated by members of GCEMS using existing UVic resources, including equipment and electronic components, participants will learn the basics of circuit design and soldering and get to take home their new synth. Ky Grace Brooks, co-presenter of this session, will present on DIY aesthetics and culture, and lead a noise music ‘jam’ at the conclusion of the session.

Fee: $50 (cash only at the door)

Welcome reception & student meet-up (hybrid)

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Global music production (hybrid)

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Dr. Abdoulaye Niang from the Department of Sociology at the University Gaston Berger in Senegal, will present a research talk on African rap, politics and identity. This will be followed by a presentation by Eekwol (Lindsay Knight), a Canadian rapper from the Muskoday First Nation in Saskatchewan. A roundtable discussion with the presenters, hosted by West African Audio Network (WAAN) research assistant, Max McKinnon (Univeristy of Lethbridge), will conclude this session.

VOI (rex): Contemporary music performance using 3D headphone technology (in-person)

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VOI (rex), composed by Montreal-based, French composer Philipe Leroux challenges our understanding of what is musically possible through the use of real-time computer processing, amplification and the integration of pre-recorded material, and is notoriously difficult to rehearse and perform. In this experimental rehearsal featuring the Aventa Ensemble, the Klang 3D headphone monitoring, and an active headphone system developed by ULeth alumni Leonard Menon (McGill), will be used to facilitate the coordination between the conductor and the ensemble and provide the basis for a case study of the use of novel technology within a highly demanding music performance context.

Next generation audio processing (hybrid)

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Tonz founders, Duncan MacConnell and Dr. Ladan Golshanara, will introduce our audience to state-of-the-art approaches that they are using to design and develop the next generation of audio signal processing software, including plug-ins for music production, music education, and songwriting. Then, current UVic masters student, Jordie Shier will present his research about automatic programming of synthesizers using machine-learning and AI approaches. A roundtable and public Q&A will conclude this session.

Rethinking Signal Flow: Gender, audio education and professional development in the recording arts in Canada (hybrid)

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As awareness of experiences and issues of discrimination in record production and audio engineering continues to develop, there is a pressing need to address ongoing gender disparities in the flow between educational institutions and professional opportunities and careers in the recording arts. Current statistics suggest that women and gender non-conforming recordists make up between 2 to 6% of professionals in the contemporary fields. In an effort to contextualize these statistics and offer solutions for creating more sustainable and equitable change in the workplace, this panel of educators, producers, engineers, and executives discuss new ways of challenging inequity in the studio and beyond.

Hosted by Allison Sokil (University of Toronto), with panelists: Margaret McGuffin (Music Publishers Canada), Marcela Rada (University of Lethbridge), Heather Kirby (Dreamlands Mastering, ON), Ky Grace Brooks (McGill University), Dr. Amandine Pras (University of York) and composer, producer and sound engineer Annelise Noronha.

AUDIO+ keynote address (hybrid)

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Annelise Noronha will provide a keynote address as the last event of AUDIO+ 2021. Drawing on her 25+ years working as a recording engineer, producer and musician in studios and stages across Canada. Noronha will share her experiences, professional history, mentors and allies, as well as her insights into creating incentives for an environment that encourages diversity in audio.