Ever wondered who makes Audyssey technologies sound so amazing? It’s our engineers! So we’ve decided to invite you behind the scenes and meet the folks who put their brains to work creating the best sound technologies in the world. This month we sit down with engineer Tyson Yaberg and learn what makes him tick.

What do you do at Audyssey? Design, prototype, and build amazing things.

Where did you study? What did you study? I earned my masters degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California (FIGHT ON).

What kind of engineer are you? The box of business cards at my desk say I am a “Hardware and Applications R&D Engineer.”

When did you know you wanted to become an engineer? I knew I wanted to be an engineer at the age of 7 when my grandfather showed me his drafting notebooks.  HE EVEN HAD AN ELECTRIC ERASER! (more…)

Matt Jones has been on the Jaguar/Land Rover audio team for nearly ten years.   As the Technical Specialist for Audio Systems he was responsible for the team that spent more than three years developing the sound system found inside the all-new 2010 Jaguar XJ.

What brought you to car audio?

I studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Birmingham where I became involved in providing student entertainment and stage production. Afterwards, I became the Technical Manager at Birmingham’s largest nightclub and then a nightclub designer. This led to producing work at radio stations and sound production for major tours in theaters. Eventually I figured I probably needed a proper job and so enrolled in the Jaguar graduate scheme.  I’ve been here ever since.

What kind of R&D went into creating the audio system for the XJ?

When the Jaguar team sat down in late 2006 to plan the new XJ, we made a conscious effort to start from a clean slate.  We started from a simple proposition: What would a customer expect from the best car audio system in the world in 2010? We quickly calculated that those expectations weren’t going to come from competitor vehicles.  They were going to come from customers’ experiences: the last time they saw a concert or went to the cinema.  We realized we needed an advanced system and new technologies to make the car a continuation of their home theater. 

Through discussions with our audio industry contacts, we were introduced to Audyssey and they accepted our invitation to the UK to explore the possibilities of using their technology in our cars.  Three days and one demo car later I was sold and, importantly, so was the rest of the Jaguar Engineering organization. (more…)

Frank Filipetti is one of the most respected names in the music business. As a producer, mixer and engineer he has been at the forefront of digital music and production for decades – working with artists such as Elton John, KISS, Billy Joel and Carly Simon. He won a Grammy for Best Engineered Album for James Taylor’s landmark Hourglass, which also won that year’s Best Pop Album. Filipetti continues to work in music and film production and remains a major proponent of the surround sound experience for engineers and consumers alike.

Part 1 can be found here

PART II

You’ve been a major proponent of surround sound mixing and listening for music, not just movies. Do you see a future for it?
Unfortunately, not at the moment. Record companies have shown an amazing lack of interest, which is a shame because I think surround is the most exciting way to mix. There’s a remarkable increase in listener participation that simply isn’t there in stereo. A great surround record is truly an all-encompassing experience. It allows you to lose yourself in the sound. It changes the paradigm of the passive listener.

Music today has become a kind of background to one’s life. People no longer put on an album simply to listen. They still love music, but listening has become an activity that accompanies their lives whether it’s doing homework, answering emails, or driving. And because of this they lose an important emotional component of the music.

Surround sound encourages listening as an activity in and of itself. But that’s a problem in a multitasking society, given how the pace of life has quickened and how impatient we have become. Music for its own sake can be like meditation, a way to really focus on an experience that can’t be obtained any other way. (more…)

Frank Filipetti is one of the most respected names in the music business. As a producer, mixer and engineer he has been at the forefront of digital music and production for decades – working with artists such as Elton John, KISS, Billy Joel and Carly Simon. He won a Grammy for Best Engineered Album for James Taylor’s landmark “Hourglass,” which also won that year’s Best Pop Album. Filipetti continues to work in music and film production and remains a major proponent of the surround sound experience for engineers and consumers alike.

PART I

How did you discover Audyssey?
Totally by accident. A couple of years ago I bought a Denon 5308 receiver, which included a consumer version of Audyssey MultEQ. I’d always been skeptical of automatic digital equalization so I held off on setting it up. But when I did try it I was amazed.

Did that prompt you to check out the Audyssey Sound Equalizer Pro?
Yes. I said to myself, ‘This is very interesting, I wonder if they have a version for professionals?’ So I called Audyssey and eventually got on the line with Chris who told me about the Sound Equalizer Pro. One thing led to another and he ended up coming up to New York and setting up the system for me.

Where did you install the Sound Equalizer Pro?
Chris and I set it up at my control room at Right Track Recording – a room I’ve had for 25 years; it’s been my main mixing and recording room for as far back as I can remember. I had always been happy and comfortable with the room, but it had a slight bump at 60 Hz, dipped at 90 Hz, and bumped again at 120 Hz. I had also been happy with the JBL 6300 monitors since those allow you to tune the low end. So, I had a room and a system that, except for a few small problems, were still excellent for my needs.

We set up the Sound Equalizer Pro and, lo and behold, as good as I thought my room sounded, this suddenly made everything sound so much tighter, cleaner and more focused.

(more…)