San Francisco - Sep 20, 2006 - Honoring and learning from the past is a long-standing AES tradition. The 121st Convention, scheduled for Oct. 5 to Oct. 8 in the San Francisco Moscone Center, will provide many opportunities of these pursuits. Here are some of the scheduled presentations.

Historical events
Soundman Jack Mullin - From WWII to MP3
KNTV Reporter Scott Budman will present a documentary film by Don Hardy. Friends and associates including Les Paul, Greg Kihn, Chuck D and Stephen Stills will discuss Mullin's pivotal contributions from the early days of tape recording to the origin of Ampex in Silicon Valley.

Digital Restoration of Mechanical Recordings
Dr. Carl Haber, senior scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will present New Imaging Methods for Mechanical Sound Carriers. A variety of optical scanning methods have been applied to imaging the delicate or damaged audio surface of discs, cylinders and other media. Haber will discuss digitized mapping and processing of surfaces to repair damage. Sound clips will be played to illustrate this process.

From Carbon to Computers - The Evolution of the Broadcast Audio Chain
Mike Adams, chairman, Department of Television, Radio, Film and Theatre, San Jose State University, will trace the evolution of broadcast audio equipment from Lee deForest, and Charles Herrold’s use of carbon to tube amplification in the early 1920s, early Western Electric mixing boards, and electronic recording and disc playback. Adams will explore audio technology of the 1930s and 1940s and include lessens from his own 1960-1975 radio experience.

Disc Cutters
Highland Laboratories principal Barry Brose will present a narrative history of the Western Electric disk recorder head from the first cutter used in talking motion pictures circa 1930, to the achievement of full-fidelity disk recording and the world-standard 45-45 stereo system. His film on the evolution of these heads features close-up photography of disassembled units to illustrate principals of their operation in actual use.