Taking place from 18–20 July at the University of Surrey, Guildford, UK, the AES
International Conference on Sound Field Control breaks new ground in the
understanding of the active management of audio delivered within an acoustical
environment. Over 30 papers will be presented on topics ranging from sound zones
through higher-order ambisonics, mode matching and psychoacoustics, to sound
field control theories, microphone arrays and transducer arrays. Sponsors of the
conference so far include Comhear, Harman, mh acoustics and Hyundai.

Encouraging the world research community to attend the event, conference co-chair
Filippo Fazi said, “The three-day conference program incorporates keynote lectures
from renowned experts, research talks, themed workshop panel discussions, poster
presentations and demonstrations. It will focus on the dissemination of technical
solutions and recommended practices, which will stimulate new ideas for potential
commercial applications of sound field control.’

Conference co-chair Philip Jackson explains, “We’ll have a keynote from Professor
Philip Nelson giving a brief history of sound field control. Dr. Gary Elko is going to
explain the remarkable properties of differential microphone arrays, and Professor
Steven van de Par will go into the psychoacoustics of reverberation. There’s one of
these excellent talks on each of the three days of the conference. We also have an
exciting invited talk by Bruce Drinkwater titled “Ultrasonic manipulation – tweezers
and tractor beams.’’

Phil Coleman and Jordan Cheer have put together a fascinating program of
workshops and demonstrations. A workshop on the first day goes into creative
applications of sound field control, while another on the third day deals with linking
sound field capture to sound field reproduction. Demonstrations include personal
sound zones, 3D audio capture, adaptive object-based stereo reproduction and
ultrasonic levitation, among other engaging listening opportunities.

Guildford is just 35 minutes by train from London. It’s close to Heathrow and
Gatwick international airports and right by the main A3 road from London to
Portsmouth. Accommodation is available at a reasonable price in campus rooms,
subject to availability, or there are good off-site hotels.

The first Sound Field Control conference, held three years ago, was a roaring
success, with delegates from around the world discovering the latest trends in
active sound field management. The 2016 event promises to build on that, in order
to offer a valuable learning experience for those attending. Above all the conference
will be an important networking opportunity for anyone who works, studies or
teaches in this fast-growing field.

For further information and to register: http://www.aes.org/conferences
/2016/sfc/