| Event |
The Quest for Faster Audio Measurements |
| Presenter |
Bruce Hofer, Audio Precision |
| Date |
Tues 28 Nov 2006 |
| Time |
7:30 pm |
| Location |
Rogers Communication Centre, RCC-359 A and B |
| Address |
80 Gould Street, Toronto, ON [Dundas Subway] |
| Maps |
Campus Map
Parking Info
80 Gould Street [Google Maps] |
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| Pre-meeting Dinner |
"Dutch treat" 5:15 pm at Pickle Barrel (corner of Edward and Yonge in the Atrium) |
| Complete Bulletin |
Download Nov Bulletin in Adobe Acrobat Format |
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Audio testing has traditionally consisted of point-by-point measurements while a sine-wave stimulus is stepped in frequency or amplitude. The inherently sequential nature of this process yields frustrating compromises between overall testing time and measurement resolution. Various techniques have been proposed over the years to improve upon this tradeoff--some with more success than others. The log-chirp technique recently proposed by Angelo Farina of the University of Parma has some distinctly superior advantages, and it has been implemented in at least one commercially available audio testing product. Further enhancements to the multi-channel environment will also be discussed and demonstrated.
Bruce Hofer is one of the founders of Audio Precision and its principal analog design engineer. He remains technically active in spite of having recently become the company’s majority shareholder and Chairman. Bruce’s particular areas of expertise include ultra-low distortion signal generation and processing, along with wideband linear signal amplification. Insiders have been known to call him the “precision” of Audio Precision because virtually every analog circuit in the company’s product line bears his mark or influence.
Bruce’s career with state-of-the-art instrumentation began in 1969 as a summer student at Tektronix. Following his graduation with a BSEE degree from Oregon State University in 1970, Bruce went on to design high-speed sweep generators and horizontal deflection amplifiers for Tek’s famous 7000 series oscilloscopes. Later, he followed his growing interest in audio and became the engineering manager of the Tektronix team that developed the world’s first fully automatic distortion analyzer, the AA501, introduced in 1980. It was here that he met or hired the other key players that would ultimately leave Tek in 1984 to launch Audio Precision.
Bruce has received 12 patents and authored a number of articles and papers. He has made numerous presentations and served as a guest lecturer at Oregon State University and the Oregon Graduate Center. In 1998 Bruce was inducted into the OSU "Engineering Hall of Fame". Bruce is a member of the Audio Engineering Society and received its Fellowship Award in 1995. Bruce is happily married and has two grown daughters.
