Audio Engineering Society - Melbourne Section -

Welcome –

2017/02/042023/08/28Secretary

Welcome to the AES Melbourne Section site.
Here you will find information about the section, useful audio-related articles and links and information about past and forthcoming meetings.

The aim is to provide useful information for students and professional audio practitioners alike.

Join the AES!

We are a local Section of the international (New York-based) Audio Engineering Society. Membership of the AES includes all benefits associated with the local Melbourne Section.
You can find out more and join online at –
https://aes2.org/aes-membership-overview/

If you want to check out our activities, there’s our Facebook page.
… and our LinkedIn page for those who hang out there.
…… then there’s Instagram for those more visually minded.

Contact the Section here.

Meeting Report: October 2026 – Daniel Bodnarcuk on Future-Proofing Audio Education and AI in the Workflow

2026/10/212026/10/21Paolo Menolotto

On October 12^th we gathered at the Yarra Edge Theatre of the Melbourne Polytechnic Fairfield campus where their Education Manager, Creative Arts (music, sound and screen production), Daniel Bodnarcuk presented on the twin topics of

Future-Proofing Audio Education: From Emerging Workflows to AI

Vice-chair AES Melbourne Section, Paolo Menolotto, introducing Daniel Bodnarcuk — Vice-Chair Paolo Menolotto introduces Daniel

Following an introduction from Vice-Chair, Paolo Menolotto, Daniel presented his research on how educators can keep pace with emerging technology. This was followed by his examination of the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence in audio production and education, including the vexed issue of copyright.
The research was supported by an international fellowship, with backing from the AES, Melbourne Polytechnic, the Victorian Skills Authority and RMIT. It was also presented at AES conferences overseas.

Daniel started with what he calls an “alignment gap”. He described how technology advances exponentially, but vocational education (VET) training packages are redeveloped only every three to five years. He saw that as too slow for new tools and workflows to reach the classroom. His fellowship study looked into what leading educators and institutions around the world are doing about this.

Preliminary Meeting Notice: December 2026

2026/10/212026/10/21Secretary

Our December meeting will be our Annual Dinner on Monday 14th December at 7:30pm at Club Ringwood.

Further details will be provided shortly, together with a booking link.

Meeting Notice: October 2026 – Future-Proofing Audio Education: From Emerging Workflows to AI

2026/09/232026/09/23Paolo Menolotto

We are going in-person again!

The next meeting of the AES Melbourne Section will be an in-person event to be held on Monday 12^th October 2023 at 7:30pm at the Fairfield campus of the Melbourne Polytechnic (details below).

It will be live-streamed on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/AESMelbourneSection

Education Manager for Music, Sound Production and Screen & Media at Melbourne Polytechnic, Daniel Bodnarcik will present on the topic of:

Future-Proofing Audio Education: From Emerging Workflows to AI

Audio technologies and creative workflows are evolving faster than traditional education systems can easily respond. Drawing on research presented at the AES 159th Convention, this presentation explores findings from an international study of audio engineering and creative technology education across institutions in Europe.

The research identified recurring approaches to future-ready education, including adaptable and principle-based curriculum, strong industry integration, interdisciplinary and project-based learning, and sustained professional development for educators. These approaches aim to prepare students not simply for the tools used today, but for workflows and technologies that are still emerging.

The second half of the presentation will turn to artificial intelligence as a practical demonstration of workflow possibilities. Through exampling accessible tools, the session will explore how AI can be incorporated into creative audio workflows in ways that practitioners and educators can readily understand, adapt and apply. Rather than focusing on individual tools, the emphasis will be on workflow, creative decision-making and how existing practices might evolve, alongside broader questions of assessment, authorship and copyright.

Meeting Report: 27 August 2026 – AGM & Dr Rodney Staples on A/V Sync

2026/08/272026/08/27Paolo Menolotto

On Monday 17th August, the Section held its AGM via Zoom, where reports from the Chairman and the Treasurer were received, and the 2026/27 Section Committee was elected.

Full AGM details at https://aesmelbourne.org.au/2026-agm/ .

Following the brief AGM, Dr Rodney Staples presented on the topic of:

Editing in MP4 and Audio Synch

Vice-Chair Paolo Menolotto introduced Rodney, outlining his long career in communications and audio engineering ultimately leading to his lecturing in audio and multimedia production at RMIT University, as well as his contribution to the Section Committee over a long period.

Photo of Dr Rodney Staples presenting on Zoom — Rodney Staples presents via Zoom

Rodney started his presentation by explaining the video focus of the presentation was warranted by the observation that the audio part of television is where the system breaks the most. He recounted the transition of broadcast television from legacy MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 coding as a way of adding more channels, and that MPEG-4 is also ubiquitous in streaming and messaging applications like Zoom.

graphic representation of a basic MP4 file format

graphic representation of a fragmented MP$ file: streaming