seminars - Listen, Inc.

Seminars in China: Smart Speakers and Automotive Audio

The Challenges of Testing Speech Controlled Audio Systems

Your devices got smarter. Did your test system?

Learn how to implement open loop tests for both playback and recording in a range of devices including smart speakers, automotive audio, robots, IoT devices and more in this practical seminar.

Open loop testing (testing devices where inputs and outputs are independent) enables many types of smart devices and their components to be tested in various formats and situations including:

Smart speakers, smart watches and other smart devices
Microphone arrays
Speech recognition systems with microphones
In-vehicle audio systems
Audio devices/systems with no physical inputs or outputs
Testing in noisy environments

We explain how to measure the same parameters as traditional loudspeakers, discussing such challenges as injecting and extracting response signals, time delays, and triggering the system using voice commands. We also demonstrate how to measure microphone array performance, speakerphone performance and more. Course content includes:

Stimulating and capturing responses from a device where you don’t have direct access to the microphone or speaker (open loop testing).
Delays, asynchronous stimulus / acquisition, and working with the ‘cloud’
Testing with real world signals such as speech and music, and how to analyze results from these test stimuli
Voice Recognition – key word spotting, wake word testing, directionality, and the effect of background noise on voice recognition performance
Telephony – testing smart speakers for hands-free calling

Speakers /主讲人: Steve Temme, Listen, Inc. and Peter Wulf Andersen, GRAS.

Date & Locations /时间与地点:

2019年1月15日(Tuesday) – Taipei台北

2019年1月16日(Wednesday) – Shenzhen深圳

2019年1月18日(Friday) – Suzhou苏州

More information and registration

Seminar: Smarter Measurements for Smarter Speakers – Denmark

Smarter speakers require smarter test methods!

smart_speakers Learn how to test smart speakers, robots, voice-controlled automotive audio and other IoT devices in our practical half-day seminar taught by industry expert Steve Temme of Listen, Inc., with additional information on microphone and hardware products for testing these devices from G.R.A.S.

Although acoustic testing of smart speakers and other voice-activated devices presents challenges such as injecting and extracting response signals, time delays, and triggering the system using voice commands, it is still possible to measure the same parameters as traditional loudspeakers, In addition we can also measure microphone array performance, speakerphone performance and more.

We demonstrate how to do this, focusing on:

Stimulating and capturing responses from a device where you don’t have direct access to the microphone or speaker (open loop testing).
Delays, asynchronous stimulus / acquisition, and working with the ‘cloud’
Testing with real world signals such as speech and music, and how to analyze results from these test stimuli
Voice Recognition – key word spotting, wake word testing, directionality, and the effect of background noise on voice recognition performance
Telephony – testing smart speakers for hands-free calling
Microphones, artificial mouths and other hardware for smart speaker testing

There is no charge for this one-day seminar and lunch will be provided. There will also be a factory tour of G.R.A.S. Space is limited, so please RSVP today.

Location and Date:

Holte (Copenhagen area), Denmark. Friday September 28th, 2018 – 9.00am – 3.00pm. GRAS Sound & Vibration A/S, Skovlytoften 33, DK-2840 Holte, Denmark

Agenda (9am-3.00pm)

Introduction
Equipment for Smart Speaker Testing
- Listen Product Overview
- GRAS Product Overview
  - Choosing the right microphone for smart speaker testing environments (far field vs near field vs unconventional environments)
  - When to use a Mouth Simulator vs Head and Torso Simulator for testing
Open Loop Testing
- What is ‘open loop’ testing?
- Can you really measure frequency response and harmonic distortion in an open loop?
- Using Frequency Shifting to time align asynchronous stimuli and response
- Working with cloud based services
Testing with Real World Signals
- How to use real voice and / or non test tones to evaluate acoustic performance
- Analysis techniques used for evaluating non test tone stimuli
Voice Recognition
- Key Word spotting / Wake Up word testing
- Room effects, environmental distractors, and SNR…how they affect voice recognition performance
- Measuring directionality
Networking lunch
Telephony
- What voice quality metrics are important for speakerphones?
- Challenges of testing speakerphones in different environments
GRAS Factory tour (optional)

Reserve your space

Seminars in UK and Germany: The Challenges of Testing Speech Controlled Audio Systems

May 23, 2018/in Past in-Person Events, Past Training Events /by Zarina

Your devices got smarter. Did your test system?

Learn how to implement open loop tests for both playback and recording in a range of devices including smart speakers, automotive audio, robots, IoT devices and more in this practical half-day seminar.

Open loop testing (testing devices where inputs and outputs are independent) enables many types of smart devices and their components to be tested in various formats and situations including:

Smart speakers, smart watches and other smart devices
Microphone arrays
Speech recognition systems with microphones
In-vehicle audio systems
Audio devices/systems with no physical inputs or outputs
Testing in noisy environments

We explain how to measure the same parameters as traditional loudspeakers, discussing such challenges as injecting and extracting response signals, time delays, and triggering the system using voice commands. We also demonstrate how to measure microphone array performance, speakerphone performance and more. Course content includes:

Stimulating and capturing responses from a device where you don’t have direct access to the microphone or speaker (open loop testing).
Delays, asynchronous stimulus / acquisition, and working with the ‘cloud’
Testing with real world signals such as speech and music, and how to analyze results from these test stimuli
Voice Recognition – key word spotting, wake word testing, directionality, and the effect of background noise on voice recognition performance
Telephony – testing smart speakers for hands-free calling

There is no charge for this one-day seminar and lunch will be provided. Space is limited, so please RSVP today.

Locations and Dates:

UK: Tuesday Sept 25th, Sharnbrook Hotel, Bedford, England. The Sharnbrook Hotel, Park Lane (off A6), Sharnbrook Bedfordshire MK44 1LX. Note: If you need to stay here overnight, tell them you are with the ACSoft group to take advantage of a discounted rate.

Germany: Thursday Sept 27th, NH München Ost Conference Center, Einsteinring 20, 85609 Aschheim, Germany.

Full Agenda (9am-4.00pm)

Introduction to Open Loop Testing
- What is it?
- What Kinds of Analysis Can Be Done?
  - Classic Acoustic Testing: Frequency Response and Distortion
    - Stimulus Signals
    - Distortion Methods: THD, THD+N, Rub & Buzz (Squeak & Rattle), Perceptual Rub & Buzz, Non-Coherent Distortion
- Mixing Digital and Analog Units
- Capturing Signals Asynchronous to the Stimulus
- Dealing with Triggering, playback and recording Delays, digital clock Resampling, and corresponding Frequency Shift
Open Loop Applications for Playback
- Smart Devices
  - Frequency Response and Distortion
  - Directionality
- Automotive
  - 6 Mic Tree for Audio Tuning
  - Distortion methods
  - HATS for Impulse Response Testing @ seated position
Networking Lunch
Open Loop Applications for Recording
- Smart Devices
  - Frequency Response and Distortion
  - Voice Recognition
  - Directionality
- Automotive
  - Frequency Response and Distortion (general and to ITU P.11xx)
  - SNR placement study
  - Impulse Response function from HATS mouth -> microphone
  - Directionality
Handsfree Communications
- Terminology for Handsfree Communications
- Introduction to Telephony Metrics
GRAS Product Overview
- Choosing the right microphone for your application (far field vs near field vs unconventional environments)
- When to use a Mouth Simulator vs Head and Torso Simulator for testing

Presenters:

Steve Temme – Listen, Inc.

Headphone & Headset Measurements – Tokyo, Japan – March 9, 2018

February 1, 2018/in Past in-Person Events, Past Training Events /by Zarina

Presented by:

listen_gras_logos2

Due to popular demand, we are now holding our headphone testing seminar in Tokyo!

Learn about the latest in headphone test systems and methods from design to EOL Test. Industry experts Steve Temme (Listen, Inc.) and Peter Wulf-Andersen (G.R.A.S.), as well as guest speaker Dr. Sean Olive (Harman International) will discuss test equipment (ear couplers, test fixtures, test software and hardware) and demonstrate practical test setups for both R&D and QC headphone testing. It will cover in-ear monitors, Bluetooth, lightning/USB, noise-cancelling and high resolution headphones, in addition to conventional analog headphones. You can even measure your own headphone using our equipment in the hands-on session. Please see the full agenda below.

There is no charge for this one-day seminar. Lunch will be provided. Space is limited, so please RSVP today.

Location and Dates:

Tokyo: Friday March 9th, 2018. Otemachi SUNSKY ROOM 27th floor, room #B Asahi Seimei Otemachi Bldg. 2-6-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo.

See what people are saying about this event (we presented similar last year in the US)

Agenda (10am-4pm)

Introduction
Overview of Headphone Test Systems and tools
- Traditional tools vs. modern consumer demands
  - Introduction to head and ear related terminology and definitions.
  - Historical perspective and background for the tools and standards used today.
  - Limitations vs. Possibilities in term of the measurement capabilities. How does that relate to the modern challenges with Bluetooth and ANC related testing tasks?
- Tools for Next Generation Headphone Testing
  - Solutions to some the challenges addressed above.
  - Examples based on products and measurements.
- What about frequencies above 20kHz? Science or marketing? Measurement Consistency – Development vs. Production
  - Progress in measurements from Head and Torso Simulator (KEMAR) to Production Test Fixture (45CC – flat plate). How the different components affect the measurements:
- Software and hardware for headphone testing including typical headphone measurements and test setups
Practical examples of headphone measurements on.
- Analog Headphones
- Bluetooth Headsets
- ANC Headphones
- Lightning/USB Connected Headphones (using triggered recordings)
- Hi-Res Headphones
- In-ear monitors
Measurements including:
- Frequency Response relative to a target response
- Left/Right tracking
- Impedance
- Noise attenuation
- Distortion including Non-Coherent Distortion
- Standards including Max SPL EN-50332 & IEC-60268-7
Headphone Design: Perception and Measurement of Headphones – What is the Preferred Target Response? (Guest Speaker: Dr. Sean Olive, Harman International)
Hands-on testing: Bring your own device and test it using one of our measurement setups

Reserve your space

Headphone & Headset Measurements – Seoul, Korea – March 6, 2018

February 1, 2018/in Past in-Person Events, Past Training Events, Uncategorized /by Zarina

Presented by:

listen_gras_logos2

Due to popular demand, we are now holding our headphone testing seminar in Seoul!

Learn about the latest in headphone test systems and methods from design to EOL Test. Industry experts Steve Temme (Listen, Inc.) and Peter Wulf-Andersen (G.R.A.S.), as well as guest speakers Dr. Sean Olive (Harman International) and Prof. Lee (New Media Communication Joint Institute of Seoul National University) will discuss test equipment (ear couplers, test fixtures, test software and hardware) and demonstrate practical test setups for both R&D and QC headphone testing. It will cover in-ear monitors, Bluetooth, lightning/USB, noise-cancelling and high resolution headphones, in addition to conventional analog headphones. You can even measure your own headphone using our equipment in the hands-on session. Please see the full agenda below.

There is no charge for this one-day seminar. Space is limited, so please RSVP today.

Location and Dates:

Seoul: Tuesday March 6th, 2018. Korea National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul.

See what people are saying about this event (we presented similar last year in the US)

Agenda (9am-4pm)

Introduction
Overview of Headphone Test Systems and tools
- Traditional tools vs. modern consumer demands
  - Introduction to head and ear related terminology and definitions.
  - Historical perspective and background for the tools and standards used today.
  - Limitations vs. Possibilities in term of the measurement capabilities. How does that relate to the modern challenges with Bluetooth and ANC related testing tasks?
- Tools for Next Generation Headphone Testing
  - Solutions to some the challenges addressed above.
  - Examples based on products and measurements.
- What about frequencies above 20kHz? Science or marketing? Measurement Consistency – Development vs. Production
  - Progress in measurements from Head and Torso Simulator (KEMAR) to Production Test Fixture (45CC – flat plate). How the different components affect the measurements:
- Software and hardware for headphone testing including typical headphone measurements and test setups
Practical examples of headphone measurements on.
- Analog Headphones
- Bluetooth Headsets
- ANC Headphones
- Lightning/USB Connected Headphones (using triggered recordings)
- Hi-Res Headphones
- In-ear monitors
Measurements including:
- Frequency Response relative to a target response
- Left/Right tracking
- Impedance
- Noise attenuation
- Distortion including Non-Coherent Distortion
- Standards including Max SPL EN-50332 & IEC-60268-7
Design & sound tuning of earphones (Guest Speaker Prof. Lee, New Media Communication Joint Institute of Seoul National University)
Headphone Design: Perception and Measurement of Headphones – What is the Preferred Target Response? (Guest Speaker: Dr. Sean Olive, Harman International)
Hands-on testing: Bring your own device and test it using one of our measurement setups

Reserve your space

Seminar: Smarter Measurements for Smarter Speakers

January 11, 2018/in Past in-Person Events, Past Training Events /by Zarina

Smarter speakers require smarter test methods!

smart_speakers Learn how to test smart speakers, robots, voice-controlled automotive audio and other IoT devices in our practical half-day seminar taught by industry experts Dan Knighten, and Marc Marroquin of Listen, Inc.

Although acoustic testing of smart speakers and other voice-activated devices presents challenges such as injecting and extracting response signals, time delays, and triggering the system using voice commands, it is still possible to measure the same parameters as traditional loudspeakers, In addition we can also measure microphone array performance, speakerphone performance and more.

We demonstrate how to do this, focusing on:

Stimulating and capturing responses from a device where you don’t have direct access to the microphone or speaker (open loop testing).
Delays, asynchronous stimulus / acquisition, and working with the ‘cloud’
Testing with real world signals such as speech and music, and how to analyze results from these test stimuli
Voice Recognition – key word spotting, wake word testing, directionality, and the effect of background noise on voice recognition performance
Telephony – testing smart speakers for hands-free calling

There is no charge for this one-day seminar and lunch will be provided. Space is limited, so please RSVP today.

Locations and Dates:

Cupertino (San Jose area): Wednesday February 14th, 2018 – 9.00am – 1.30pm. Hilton Garden Inn, Cupertino. 10741 N Wolfe Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014

Culver City (Los Angeles area): Friday February 16th, 2018 – 9.00am – 1.30pm. DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Los Angeles – Westside. 6161 W Centinela Ave, Culver City, CA 90230

Agenda (9am-1.30pm)

Introduction
Open Loop Testing
- What is ‘open loop’ testing?
- Can you really measure frequency response and harmonic distortion in an open loop?
- Using Frequency Shifting to time align asynchronous stimuli and response
- Working with cloud based services
Testing with Real World Signals
- How to use real voice and / or non test tones to evaluate acoustic performance
- Analysis techniques used for evaluating non test tone stimuli
Voice Recognition
- Key Word spotting / Wake Up word testing
- Room effects, environmental distractors, and SNR…how they affect voice recognition performance
- Measuring directionality
Telephony
- What voice quality metrics are important for speakerphones?
- Challenges of testing speakerphones in different environments
Networking lunch

Reserve your space

Seminar in Japan: High Resolution Audio Measurements and Loudspeaker Design.

October 7, 2015/in Past in-Person Events, Past Training Events /by Zarina

Two speakers will feature at this afternoon seminar focusing on high resolution audio measurements and Loudspeaker design. Steve Temme of Listen, Inc. will discuss the challenges of measuring high resolution audio. He will share his experience measuring devices up to 100kHz, and discuss which measurements give a meaningful insight into how the device sounds. Shinji Koyano of KOYANO Sound Lab (formerly of Pioneer) will discuss the basic theory and principles of loudspeaker design, focusing on recent technology. He will also present a case study of High-res technology on speakers.

Date & Time: October 15, 13:00-15:30

Cost: No charge

Location: US Embassy Tokyo Japan, 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 JAPAN

Hosted by: AudioTech in conjunction with the commercial services of the US Commerce Department

To register: Please contact Tom Teraoka at Audiotech teraoka@audio-tech.jp

Seminar in Korea: Acoustic Measurement Using SoundCheck

October 7, 2015/in Past in-Person Events, Past Training Events /by Zarina

In this one-day seminar, Listen President Steve Temme will discuss current topics in audio measurement including high resolution testing, Bluetooth testing, headphone testing and open loop testing. He will discuss the current state of the art for making these measurements, and demonstrate how to measure devices such as microphones within tablets and smartphones, Bluetooth headsets, and high resolution headphones using the SoundCheck test system.

Date & Time: October 13, 2015. 10am – 5pm

Cost: No charge

Location: NSSC Education room, NSSC, M-City Tower 9^th, 195 Beakma-ro, Janghang-dong, Ilsandong-gu, Koyangcity, Kungki-do

Hosted by: Acetech Inc. and NSSC

To register: Please contact DH Kim at Acetech Inc. 010 4929 2760 dhkim@acetechinc.co.kr

Registration required

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The Challenges of Testing Speech Controlled Audio Systems