ALMA International has announced that Dr. Mark Waldrep will deliver the keynote address—entitiled “Hi-Res Audio: A Bridge To Build Or A Bridge Too Far?”—at the ALMA International Symposium & Expo 2016 on Sunday evening, January 3, 2016, at the Tuscany Suites & Casino in Las Vegas.
Waldrep will be discussing the realities of the high-resolution audio/music push by the music trade organizations and labels, helping to peel back the curtain on this emerging audio initiative.
Specific points to be addressed include:
—What’s the truth behind “hi-res transfers” and how are they different than new high-resolution productions?
—Why are there two “hi-res” logos, each with its own set of specifications and requirements?
—Are the 19 million CD rips offered on PonoMusic really capable of delivering the “soul of music”?
—What does it really take to move fidelity to the next level?
Waldrep founded AIX Media Group (AMG) in 1989 and currently operates AMG, AIX Records and iTrax.com. He has more than 35 years of business and production experience in the world of digital multimedia and the application of technology in the entertainment and recording industries.
In 1994, Waldrep was experimenting with technologies and interactive designs that could integrate the record business with the emerging multimedia industry, formulating the idea to place music videos, interviews, liner notes, and web connectivity on a standard audio CD that resulted in the birth of the “i-Trax enhanced CD” format.
His trademark “i-Trax” appeared on dozens of ECDs released during the early 1990s, including the first ECD from a major label (Rhythm of the Pride Lands/Walt Disney Records), the largest-selling (The Rolling Stones “Stripped/Virgin Records), and the first to have an Internet connection (David Bowie & Bing Crosby “Little Drummer Boy/Oglio Records).
AIX Records, the first interactive record company, was founded in 1994 and has released almost 100 albums. In 2000, AIX Records embraced the DVD-Audio format and adopted high-resolution as the recording standard for their releases on DVD and Blu-ray. In 2010, AIX released the first of their two-dozen productions with both HD-Audio and HD-Video on Blu-ray and in August of that year released the world’s first 3D Music Album.
Waldrep is a frequent keynote speaker, presenter and conference panelist at events around the world, presenting keynote addresses at the 2015 Newport Audio Show, 2010 Latin America AES Conference in Bogota, Columbia, the 2009 InterBEE Show in Tokyo, Japan and the 2010 CEA/AXPONA Show in New York City. He’s currently writing “Music and Audio: A Guide to Better Sound,” which will explain recent developments in music production, fidelity, and new modes of distribution, to be published in the summer of 2016 (more information here).