To jointly mark the 75th and 45th anniversaries of the founding of the AES (Audio Engineering Society) and Genelec respectively, both organisations have joined forces – with the support of Dolby – to launch an educational tour across the major cities of Latin America, to share knowledge and promote discussion of the fast growing world of immersive audio. The AES/GENELEC LATAM IMMERSIVE TOUR will visit São Paulo, Lima, Quito, Mexico City and Buenos Aires this year, and will then extend to Colombia, Chile and other countries in the region during 2024.
Each event will take place over two days, and will include conferences, presentations and panels with local audio professionals with extensive experience and knowledge of immersive audio. All presentations will be supported by a Genelec 7.1.4 Smart Active Monitoring System, calibrated specifically for its acoustic environment using GLM loudspeaker manager software.
As leading brands, Genelec and Dolby have been collaborating for many years to promote technological developments in professional audio, and now with the support of local Latam sections of the AES – and regional Genelec distributors – the tour is set to bring immersive audio to an even wider audience.
The idea of a Latin American tour had been considered by the regional AES authorities for some time, but planning was temporarily halted by the pandemic. Then, at the AES LAC in Buenos Aires in 2022, the current VP of the region, Jorge Azama, presented the idea to Genelec, who readily agreed to participate.
“I feel very excited to be able to carry out this important educational initiative together with Genelec and Dolby, two companies that have collaborated very closely with the Audio Engineering Society, especially in Latin America,” commented Azama. “I’m sure that this tour will be very useful for all those who attend in the various countries of our region. I’d strongly encourage everyone not to miss it!”
Miguel Domínguez, Genelec’s Latin American Sales Manager, adds: “Everyone involved in audio production must be aware that with immersive, we’re currently experiencing a historic turning point in the professional audio industry, equivalent to that experienced in the 90s with the implementation of digital audio, and the transition from large professional studios to home studios. The days of producing music and audio visual content solely in stereo or 5.1 are over, because immersive technology has reached a level of maturity that benefits all the players in the industry, from manufacturers to content creators and consumers. The purpose of this tour is to help ensure that Latin America is ready to take advantage of this technology without delay.”
The tour will begin on May 18th and 19th at Dolby’s regional headquarters in São Paulo, Brazil – which already has a Genelec 7.1.4 Smart Active Monitoring System – making it the perfect starting point. Giovanni Asselta and the Dolby team in São Paulo will host a panel of guest speakers that includes audio professionals such as Carlos Ronconi, Mauricio Gargel, Beto Neves, Clement Zular, and Rubens Carvalho.
Another key stage of this year’s tour will take place in Quito, Ecuador, where AES LAC is being held between September 18th – 21st. This annual Latin American AES conference brings together leading international audio professionals, and is undoubtedly the most important regional academic event in the pro audio world.