AES New York 2019 archiving and preservation sessions offer detailed look at the past, present and future of audio assets

From the moment a sound wave is recorded, there are critical actions that can be taken to ensure that that piece of audio will live its fullest life for many years to come – from equipment and session documentation, to proper crediting of those involved and correct handling and storage for the chosen format. The AES New York 2019 Pro Audio Convention, October 16 – 19 at the Jacob Javits Center, will feature four days of dedicated Archiving and Restoration sessions led by top practitioners in the industry.

“In my second year curating this track, I wanted to highlight important but less frequently discussed topics in audio archiving and restoration,” states AES New York Archiving and Restoration Track chair Jessica Thompson. “We talk a lot about magnetic tape and disc preservation, but who is digitizing all of those amazing indie, hip-hop and punk recordings from the 90’s that are locked away on ADATs and DA-88s? How are we developing and evolving best practices in the preservation of multitrack recordings, both on analog formats and in DAWs? And what about all that metadata? I'm excited to hear from a diverse group of contributors from institutions such as the Library of Congress, NYPL, Iron Mountain, Pandora, and Harvard, as well as independent practitioners who are in the trenches doing this crucial work to preserve our audio heritage.”
Highlights of AES New York Archiving and Restoration sessions include:

“Preserving Hip-Hop” – Sommer McCoy of Mixtape Museum / Brooklyn Academy of Music has assembled a solid crew of DJs, preservationists, and historians to discuss the nuances of preserving Hip-Hop music. Panelists Manny Faces, Syreeta Gates, and DJ Rich Nice will talk about the difficulty of finding and maintaining the technological tools required to preserve beats, samples, and mixtapes, as well as answer questions around who controls the narrative of these musical artifacts, and the benefits of academic vs. community-driven preservation projects.

“Restoring Hank Williams” – in this session, Jett Williams will share newly transferred and restored transcription disc recordings made by her father, Hank Williams, for the Health & Happiness and Mother's Best radio shows. Producer Cheryl Pawelski, mastering engineer and restoration specialist Michael Graves, and Hank Williams Estate representative Kelly Zumwalt will be on board to discuss the curatorial and technical process of preserving these historic recordings.

“Archiving the 90s!” – Audio preservation is often focused on the earliest recordings made on disc or magnetic tape. But what about recordings made on DA-88s and ADATs? Jason Bitner, Eddie Ciletti, David Ackerman, Catherine Vericolli and Kelly Pribble will tackle the specific technical challenges of Archiving the 90s!
Other Archiving and Preservation sessions being held at AES New York include presentations such as “You Mean You Wanted Those Tracks??: The Challenges of Preserving Multitrack Recordings,” “Metadata from Creation to Consumption to Preservation,” “Preserve This Podcast,” and “Finding Funding: How To Connect Archival Audio Collections and Funders.”

AES New York All Access registration is the ticket to everything the largest dedicated pro audio event and exhibition of the year has to offer, including all Archiving and Restoration sessions – four full days of the best in pro audio education, gear, networking opportunities, and much more.

Advance Registration prices and options are still available, as well as select housing options through AES partner hotels. Find out more and register now ataesshow.com.

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Jessica Thompson, AES New York Archiving and Restoration Track chair

About the Audio Engineering Society
The Audio Engineering Society, celebrating over 70 years of audio excellence, now counts over 12,000 members throughout the U.S., Latin America, Europe, Japan and the Far East. The organization serves as the pivotal force in the exchange and dissemination of technical information for the industry. Currently, its members are affiliated with 90 AES professional sections and more than 120 AES student sections around the world. Section activities include guest speakers, technical tours, demonstrations and social functions. Through local AES section events members experience valuable opportunities for professional networking and personal growth. For additional information, visit aes.org.

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