Education

Robert Soo extends the educational circuit

Robert Soo

Cogent Acoustics’ owner, principal consultant and trainer Robert Soo has been using his time wisely during the country’s “circuit breaker” lockdown to conceptualise new and relevant educational courses.

Soo freely admits that the Covid-19 situation has proved to be a huge gamechanger. “I’ve actually been working on a number of educational webinars for different target groups,” he revealed. “For example, I’ve delivered sessions on audio and loudspeaker system design specifically for AV systems contractors and integrators. For the education sector, I am currently conducting sessions on microphone fundamentals and techniques, which have received a good response and so I am planning new topics. I will also be embarking on sessions for HOWs that will focus on transiting analogue to digital systems to livestreaming.”

Soo is keen to promote education beyond the church sanctuary. “As students are now learning more from home, the education sector is steering towards homebased learning as well as remote and decentralised co-curricular programmes for students. Not surprisingly, all my onsite training programmes were subsequently put on hold. However, I didn’t want the learning and sharing of knowledge to stop, so I embarked on conducting online training sessions soon after the lockdown. I then extended the courses to schools, because it’s important to educate and inspire the next generation of AV engineers. I want to help raise the quality of audio delivery and take the opportunity to do something I’ve always wanted to do, including debunking myths and fixing common erroneous audio practices going on in many schools today.”

Soo is keen to point out that online educational forums are not new, having originated in the 1990s. “In addition to the numerous online training programmes offered today, the technology is welldeveloped and can even support high-tech events. Webinars are a real godsend during this pandemic where travel restrictions and social distancing have made seminars a near impossibility, but they do have their limitations. Even in a real-time synchronous setting, which provides trainers and trainees a platform for interaction and immediate feedback, there are some very critical experiential components and skills that trainees cannot fully grasp. Certain topics such as sound mixing, EQ’ing techniques and system tuning are better taught in-person.” Soo’s research found that most AV systems operators in Singaporean educational institutions are mainly teachers and students who have received little or no training on their equipment. “Even in-house technicians are rarely formally trained for AV management. It is very common to witness sound mixers, microphones and so on being used incorrectly, resulting in poor sound quality, unintelligible speech, acoustic feedback, audio distortion and wireless dropouts. I want to educate the users on the fundamentals that should at least help get them on the right track to decent audio. In addition, I want to highlight the importance of correct loudspeaker positioning and the need for good acoustics in classrooms and multipurpose halls, as these have a huge impact on intelligibility and the overall sound experience that ultimately affects the students’ learning.”

Ashly Audio University introduces free custom classes

Audio manufacturer Ashly Audio has launched a series of customised and private training courses. The series is available for free online through the Ashly University portal and allows students to request their own topics for training.

“We said from the start of Ashly University that if we got a strong response to our webinars we would add more,” said Noel Larson, vice president of marketing and business development at Ashly Audio. “With our courses consistently hitting capacity, we made the decision to open up summer school. We want to make sure we’re providing the right content for the customer’s needs, so we’re focusing on personalised businessto-business training sessions in addition to topics that have previously had waitlists.

This free service is just another way Ashly Audio is showing our continuing commitment to training our dealers, representatives and distributors.”

To date, the manufacturer has already offered tailored sessions on topics that include digital mixing in houses of worship, saving money with the right amp for the right job, taking advantage of custom remote layouts, getting the most out of ambient noise compensation, and how Dante and networked audio provides flexibility previously thought impossible. Anyone interested in a private curriculum should contact Ashly’s Bob Tamburri at training@ashly.com.

Audac launches long-term education platform online

Audac has launched a brand-new digital education platform that will allow its users to view interactive live experiences presented by an Audac expert as a way to better familiarise customers with the manufacturer’s brand and its solutions. Crucially, Audac doesn’t see the new live webinars as just a temporary solution to bridge these difficult times. Instead, the audio manufacturer looks at it as a long-term strategy to trigger leads and partners in a unique way.

During the webinars, viewers can use a chat function to ask questions that will be answered directly by an Audac representative in the chat. Another way to start learning is via its online training videos. These consist of various prerecorded videos, ranging from entry-level trainings that introduce the products, to in-depth trainings that explain all different functionalities.

After completing a video series, users can test their knowledge about the subject by taking an exam. Pass all exams and Audac will provide a certificate. The Audac Education Platform is live now at education.audac.eu and the manufacturer is promising plenty of updates in coming weeks.

Newtek University opens

NewTek has announced the launch of NewTek University. The platform will offer a range of educational courses to both resellers and end users, ranging from operating guides to classes on selling its solutions. All of the learning materials will be available online and ondemand, with new content added throughout the year. “NewTek University provides our resellers and end user communities with comprehensive training available nowhere else in the market. Certification in using, demonstrating and selling products from the very people who make them is truly valuable,” said David Paige, senior director of Professional Services for NewTek.

“We recognise the unique challenges of the way people are having to work now and our online courses are designed to ensure users remain at the forefront of our technology without having to leave their home.” Currently available courses include Live Production with NewTek TriCaster, NDI and Performance Media Networking, Selling NewTek Technology, NewTek Product Automation Class and NewTek 3Play Operation Class.

Bluesound creates series of Surroundscapes tech talks

Bluesound Professional has created a series of video and podcast content titled Surroundscapes that details novel ideas from a selection of invited experts who are using AV technology in innovative ways. The series is targeted at commercial AV integrators and business owners interested in creating immersive experiences.

Hosted by VP and GM of Bluesound Professional, Graeme Harrison, the Surroundscapes series is described as being “part AV tech nerd talk and part psychosocial experimentation”. The goal is to help audiences discover the sound and visual stimulus techniques used in public spaces to engage people and drive business outcomes. “Surroundscapes has been many months in the making and I’m extremely excited to be able to share what we’ve been working on,” commented Harrison. “Initially, we were thinking only of a podcast but as we started to list out who we wanted as guests, it quickly became apparent that it would be difficult to show the breadth of innovations our guests were involved in without a video element,” said June Ip, VP of marketing for Lenbrook International, the parent company of Bluesound Professional. “We therefore decided to create two streams of content – a podcast for listeners who are on the road a lot and video presentations for those who want to take in a multimedia experience.”

The first mini-series launched in August acknowledges the challenges that many retail and hospitality businesses face post-pandemic. As many consumers remain reluctant to eat, shop and patronise hospitality establishments again, Surroundscapes explores the role that multisensory experiences could have in convincing consumers to return to the sector. The second mini-series is scheduled for November and will focus on the future of the workplace, as many businesses are considering how to bring employees back to the office. In February 2021, Surroundscapes will turn its attention to the future of music creation and monetisation.