Professional Audio
Professional Audio Signal Processing
A mixing console such as the one shown in the picture beelow epitomizes what is usually perceived as professional audio by laymen. Professional Audio encompasses various fields of application such as music production, sound reinforcement, public address, broadcasting, and cinema.
An acoustic signal has to be recorded, it has to be processed and transmitted in order to make it available for the consumer. From a schematic view, professional audio does not fundamentally differ from other audio applications as for example telephony. However, the signal flow is usually unidirectional from a producer to a consumer as shown in the figure below. An acoustic scene has to be recorded or synthesized, it has to be modified (or superimposed with other audio signals) and transmitted. Either the whole signal chain can be professional audio (e.g., public address) or the audio playback falls to the consumer (e.g., hi-fi systems).
Professional Audio at IKS
Professional audio makes high demands on its technical base. The technical disciplines comprise not only fields such as electroacoustics and room acoustics but also a good deal of signal processing. At the Institute of Communication Systems we promote professional audio by doing research especially in the fields of
- immersive audio coding,
- signal processing algorithms for public address, and
- spatial audio acquisition and processing.
We incorporate these research topics in the following courses: