AES president Roginska discusses diversity, immersive audio and COVID-19 By David Davies
Wednesday, March 25, 2020 - 11:52
Print This Story
A week in pro-audio can be a long time - especially when a global pandemic is beginning to assert its influence on everyone's daily lives. At the time of SVG Europe's conversation with new AES president Agnieszka Roginska, Prolight + Sound had just been postponed - it has since been cancelled outright until 2021.
Agnieszka Roginska: One of the really positive aspects of the last few years is that the age range is getting young and younger
The NAB Show is among the other major industry events to have fallen victim to COVID19, while registration for the Vienna AES Europe convention in late May has been suspended - although at time of writing, the event had not actually been postponed or cancelled. Increasingly stringent controls imposed on sizes of gathering may soon mean that no trade events are possible for many months. Whatever the immediate future brings, Roginska is certain that the industry has been right to err on the side of caution to date.
COVID-19 is a virus that we are still learning more about. So I think it is absolutely correct for everyone to be vigilant and prudent, she said. Of course, it's also important that we shouldn't be driven by fear, but cautious and carefully thought-through decisions that protect the health of the public are clearly [the best way forward].
With regard to AES' own schedule, Roginska confirmed that discussions have been taking place several times each day as to the viability of the Vienna convention and other planned events. We are in close and continuing contact with industry partners and our representatives. We are monitoring the situation and considering all options and will make a final decision about Vienna in the near-future, she said.
As global markets undergo the kind of tumult unseen since the dark days of the 2008 crash, it's impossible not to be concerned about the long-term economic impact. Many businesses are likely to collapse or at least be forced to downsize in the months ahead, and Roginska does not downplay the scale of the challenges that may lie ahead: The longer this goes on, the greater the impact is going to be on the entire supply chain. Situations of this kind are always going to be extremely difficult for individuals and companies alike, and it's something of which [the AES] is very mindful.
Enhancing communication
Listening and providing guidance to AES members will be critically important in the months ahead, so it's fortunate that Roginska has already established that enhanced communication both within and without the organisation as one of the main objectives of her presidency.
We have been having a really productive period thinking about the general issues of accessibility and connectedness, and how we leverage some of the technologies available to allow us to experience an uninterrupted flow of communication, education and networking, she said.
Ideas are still formulating here, but Roginska ultimately envisages the development of a better platform that makes it easier for members to connect with each other, regardless of whether it's at conference events or online. There are tremendous resources of knowledge [within our membership] and I would like to further develop the means by which we share expertise.
Roginska's emphasis on the dissemination of information is unsurprising given her own
(L/R) Then AES president-elect Agnieszka Roginska with president Nadja Wallaszkovits, secretary Valerie Tyler and executive director Colleen Harper during AES New York 2019
distinguished career in academia. She currently holds two positions at New York University - vice-chair of the Music and Performing Arts Professions Department and professor of Music Technology - and in the latter role is currently conducting research into the simulation and application of immersive and 3D audio, including the capture, analysis and synthesis of auditory environments, auditory displays and applications in augmented acoustic sensing.
She has also written or contributed to publications about the acoustics and psychoacoustics of immersive audio and auditory displays, and is co-editor of the recently published book Immersive Sound: The Art and Science of Binaural and Multi-Channel Audio'.
Her involvement with AES has been similarly productive. She is currently celebrating her 20th year as an AES member and has served on the AES executive committee and board of directors, the AES Educational Foundation, and the committees for Awards, Conference Policy, Education, Laws & Resolutions, and Diversity & Inclusion. Of course, the last-named subject has been a major focus for the last few presidents, and Roginska is enthusiastic about making further progress during her term.
We have come a long way as an organisation, she said, and you can see this in the fact that we now have a 50-50 gender balance at the highest levels of the association: four female and four male directors. [Moving forward] we are continuing to take steps that mean we improve representation and diversity across our organisation - and when I say diversity', I mean that in its fullest sense, including bringing emerging audio fields and more diverse genres [into the fold].
Last year's US Convention marked a decisive step forward in this regard with extensive sessions on EDM and hip-hop. These proved hugely popular with the student participants of the convention, who helped curate their own track of competitions, mentoring and Student Delegate Assembly meetings across all four days of AES Conventions.
In addition, high school teenage attendees visiting on the Schools Day had the opportunity to find out more about the recording and mixing of these genres and w
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
06/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
06/04/2026
From high school sports all the way up to the major leagues, building high-quali...
06/04/2026
Quickplay, an AI company for the media and entertainment industry, has been accepted into the Advanced tier of the TwelveLabs Ecosystem Partner Program. Quickpl...
06/04/2026
Grass Valley has announced the Future Playmakers Program, a global initiative to...
06/04/2026
El l der de operaciones impulsa la producci n en estudio mientras encuentra insp...
06/04/2026
The ops leader helps lead the charge in studio for the Spanish-language broadcas...
06/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
06/04/2026
The National Hockey League (NHL), in partnership with Verizon and the New Jersey Devils, today announced the opening of the NHL Innovation Lab powered by Verizo...
06/04/2026
Rock League, a new professional curling league, has announced that ESPN+ will stream its inaugural 2026 season for fans in the United States. The first Rock Lea...
06/04/2026
Advanced Systems Group has announced the appointment of Andrea (Andy) Cummis as Vice President of Systems Design and Engineering. In this role, she will lead de...
06/04/2026
Backed by Bolt Ventures, the venture brings Bryson DeChambeau, Grant Horvat, and...
06/04/2026
With this environment we can start that collaboration even earlier because we ca...
06/04/2026
Like the immortal lives of vampires, some stories never really end. That's t...
06/04/2026
As podcasting continues to evolve, growth increasingly means building beyond aud...
06/04/2026
Multiband dynamics plug-in enhanced
California-based developer FSK Audio have released a significant update for their innovative multiband dynamics processo...
06/04/2026
Share official & user-created full-rig presets
IK Multimedia's latest TONEX update makes it possible for users of the popular amp and effects modelling ...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Dalet Showcases Dalia Agentic AI and End-to-End Media Workflows at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Dalet, a leading technology and...
06/04/2026
OpenDrives Shows Off Sports Expertise in Sports Business Hub located in NAB Show...
06/04/2026
Proton to Demonstrate 3D Application at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Yet further creative potential unleashed through innovation in ...
06/04/2026
Autoscript Highlights Voice-Driven Prompting and PTZ Solutions at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Experience Autoscript Voice, PTZ prom...
06/04/2026
Mediaproxy Highlights Significant Enhancements to its LogServer suite at NAB Sho...
06/04/2026
Wayne, N.J., April 6th, 2026 Phantom High-Speed announces the release of PCC 4...
06/04/2026
April 6th, 2026
TRIBECA STUDIOS AND LILLY ANNOUNCE WINNERS OF INAUGURAL VITAL...
06/04/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Expands Kids Entertainment Lineup With Playground App ...
05/04/2026
Tackles all reported bugs!
SoundBridge have just announced the launch of a new update that introduces a couple of minor changes to their remote collaboratio...
04/04/2026
The University of Arizona's Men's Basketball team has only loss twice th...
04/04/2026
1080p HDR arrives, a new generation of storytelling tools takes center stage, an...
04/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
04/04/2026
Faster, cleaner and more intuitive than ever
The control software for Flock Audio's digitally controlled patchbay systems has just been treated to an up...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
DHD Introduces AI-Based Audio Noise Reduction to XD3 IP Core
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
The accompanying image shows the rear panel of the ...
04/04/2026
Macnica Redefines ST 2110 Flexibility with Two Speeds on One Card
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
New for NAB Show 2026, MEP100 SmartNIC now sup...
04/04/2026
Unified Media Workflows for Story-Centric Production
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
Framelight X unifies field capture, editing and publishing ...
03/04/2026
Michigan's Fab Five will reunite for an alternate presentation of the Mich...
03/04/2026
Avid will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (April 18-22, Booth N2226, Las Vegas Convention Center), demonstrating its Content Core platform and new AI-driven workflow c...
03/04/2026
Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) has announced the appointment of Nick Barthee as Chief Operating Officer.
The announcement follows MRMC's transition fro...
03/04/2026
Interra Systems has announced that Elite Media Technologies has selected its BATON file-based QC solution for media workflows. Elite Media Technologies speciali...
03/04/2026
Ateme has announced that Moldtelecom has deployed Ateme technologies across its streaming workflow, covering encoding, delivery, operations, and analytics.
Mol...
03/04/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate Framelight X, its content management platform, at NAB Show 2026. The platform connects capture, ingest, editing, and publishing in...
03/04/2026
Encompass Digital Media and Techex have announced a cloud-native Master Control ...
AES president Roginska discusses diversity, immersive audio and COVID-19 By David Davies 
