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POSTPONED: Experiments Adding Height Channels to Nature Recordings
April 3, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
$5
We regret to inform you that the “Adding Height Channels to Nature Recordings” event scheduled for Friday, April 3rd at De Anza High School has been postponed due to the cancellation of all events at this time in the De Anza theater. We thank you for your support, and we hope to have a new date soon.
Best regards,
AES San Francisco
Dan Dugan and Steve Sergeant, Nature Sounds Society
Since natural environments are inherently immersive, increasing spatial resolution in soundscape recordings of those environments can enhance verisimilitude. The presenters are Nature Sounds Society recordists who have recorded in surround for many years and recently experimented by adding height channels. These recordings are made with a scientific protocol to support future biological research. Research permits are granted by National and State parks for this work, a privilege requiring annual reports and submission of materials to the parks’ archives. Dugan and Sergeant will illustrate the microphone arrays used, and play highlights from their recordings.
The Nature Sounds Society is an organization dedicated to the preservation, appreciation and creative use of natural sounds:
Dan Dugan
Dan Dugan started his career as a theatrical lighting designer, then switched to sound. He was the first person to be credited as “Sound Designer,” in 1968 at ACT. Dugan invented the automatic microphone mixer in 1974. His products are currently used on television talk shows, news panels, sports commentary, presidential debates, and wherever there are multiple unscripted talkers.
Dugan has been a technical advisor to the Nature Sounds Society (NSS) for over twenty-five years and is a board member. He has recorded soundscapes in many national parks and monuments, including Muir Woods, Yosemite, Pinnacles, Joshua Tree, Lassen, Yellowstone, Olympic, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Lava Beds, and Haleakala.
Steve Sergeant
Steve Sergeant began his audio career in a classical recording studio, public radio, and on a television remote truck before transitioning to field engineering for early generations of open-reel digital audio recorders. He later worked as a lead engineer for broadcast system integration, designing control rooms and systems for ESPN, TV Globo, QVC, and many others. He is currently a staff applications engineer at Dolby Laboratories.
Sergeant is a long-time volunteer backpacking instructor, and produced an early documentary podcast on wilderness recreation. As a board member of the Nature Sounds Society, he has been conducting a research project to inventory soundscapes in Northern California’s largest state park, Henry W Coe, since 2017.