It's getting exciting: First details about tmt33
Interview with Harald Prieß and Stefani Renner from the tmt33 organizing team
Text: Editorial team Images: Boris Loehrer, Markus Thiel, Archive
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A large part of the exhibition, the congress program, and the supporting program for the Tonmeistertagung have been finalized earlier than ever before. Shortly after this issue is published, most of the detailed information about tmt33 will be available online. And even today, shortly before going to press, we can offer you a sneak preview ...
The planning and organization of the Tonmeistertagung is carried out by a large team. On behalf of this team, we spoke with Harald Prieß (managing director of "Bildungswerk des VDT GmbH", the training institute of the VDT) which, among other things is responsible for the Tonmeistertagungen) and Stefani Renner (managing director of VDT e.V., who is planning the tmt33 program together with the Topic Chair team) about the exhibition, the congress program, innovations such as the tmt33 app, and ticketing.
Stand booking for the Tonmeistertagung started very early this time. Harald, what is the current status?
Harald: We have a total of around 1,100 square meters of exhibition space, where the important players in the industry will once again be presenting themselves. What I'm particularly pleased about is that new companies that we haven't seen before – or haven't seen in a long time – at Tonmeister Tagungen will be exhibiting on around 170 square meters. These include rental companies for events such as Audio Brellox, providers of stage management systems such as Aduart, and providers of innovative technology such as MyHRTF. Our brand-new supporting member Smart Studio Limited will also be there.
Is there still space available for additional exhibitors?
Harald: We still have a few stands available. It's still early in the year; usually, a few last-minute exhibitors join after the summer holidays. We've seen this happen at previous events. But anyone who still wants to book should hurry! The list of exhibitors has been online for about two months now.
In 2023, there were some changes to the exhibition concept compared to 2021, the first time it was held at the CCD. What's new this time around?
Harald: The 2023 concept proved successful, so we haven't changed it. Once again, there will be the usual exhibition area, the education forum, the associations area, and the VDT lounge. We have also created a new start-up area. We want to see these new ideas and products at the exhibition, so we are offering the start-up stands at very favorable conditions, at cost price. At the same time, we are delighted to be able to support newcomers with this affordable trade fair presence as they launch their businesses. There are currently four places still available in the start-up area.
In addition, the opening hours have been slightly adjusted. The Tonmeistertagung will open at 10:00 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m. on the full days (Wednesday to Friday). Wednesday has become a full exhibition day; at previous Tonmeistertagungen the show opened later. On Saturday, when exhibitors want to dismantle their stands in the afternoon, we will open from 9:00 a.m. and close at 2:00 p.m. as usual.
In addition to the exhibition, the congress program is the second important pillar of the Tonmeistertagung. What is the status of the planning?
Stefani: We are almost finished with the planning. We are currently coordinating with the individual contributors, and then we will be able to publish the program schedule at the beginning of August. The cornerstones are already in place.
Our topic chairs, who are each responsible for a specific field and ensure that it is represented at the congress with truly up-to-date contributions, were extremely successful this time. Together with the "Call for Contributions," they ensured a record number of submissions! Not only the quantity, but also the quality of the submissions is very high. However, this large number does not fit into our space and time schedule, which is why the team has made a strict selection. The result is impressive: over the four days, there will be around 200 contributions in 80 sessions on 20 topics related to the industry.
How can I keep track of so many different topics and contributions?
(Editor's note: The abbreviations as they appear in the program schedule are shown in parentheses.)
Stefani: We have arranged many topics as compactly as possible in the program. This has resulted in theme days on which the respective subject area is dealt with in particular detail. For example, several sessions on Wednesday and Thursday are devoted to film sound (CS) for more than eight hours. On Thursday, there will be a theater track (LS) – incidentally, the large R2 will be equipped with an excellent surround sound system for both, offering good horizontal resolution not only in the sweet spot, but for most of the seats. A big thank you to our sponsor Pan Acoustics for equipping the room! We would have loved to have had a large 3D audio system there, but unfortunately that is not possible due to the architecture of the hall. It is very wide and has quite a low ceiling.
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Brand new and with a full-day program on Friday is "Audio Production for Music Videos" (VID). Saturday offers a comprehensive session on "Open Source in Audio Production" (OS), a field that has become highly relevant in our industry.
There are many more theme days, for example on acoustics (AC), broadcast/NGA (NGA), wireless technologies (WLESS), and networked audio (NA). A list of all the topics will be available shortly on the Tonmeistertagung website.
But that's not even 20 topics ...
Stefani: Of course, there are numerous other topics that don't always fill an entire day: We've reserved the large hall for the compact session on electronic music (EM) because it was very popular last time. There is a comprehensive program on current research and developments (RD) that spreads over almost all days. Sound design for audiovisual media (SND) and the topic of "Mastering and Vinyl Cut" (MA) are also included, as are contributions on the topic of education (EDU). Microphones and Microphone Techniques (MIC) addresses both technical aspects and sound engineering questions of recording technology.
New this year is a session on hearing protection (HP), and the topic of sustainability (SUST) is also included. We are still looking for the right umbrella term for some exciting contributions; they are currently grouped under "None of the topics fits my contribution" (NONE).
In addition, there are daily sections such as tutorials and master classes, in which industry luminaries reveal their secrets. Accompanying events to mark the 75th anniversary of the VDT (75) will also take place daily. Volunteers from the departments and regional groups are continuing to plan new events for this.
The focus of the last Tonmeistertagung was on immersion. What will it be this time?
Stefani: I haven't even mentioned the two immersive rooms, R15 and R16, which are once again being lavishly equipped by our sponsors Neumann and Genelec. Thank you very much for that! These rooms are mainly used for listening to recordings. They only have room for 40 listeners each, but they allow three-dimensional recordings to be presented very well.
On Thursday afternoon, R15 will once again host the final of the 3D Audio Competition, organized by IEM Graz in collaboration with VDT and ORF Musikprotokoll.
Most of the talkbacks (TB), where selected recordings are listened to and discussed together, are now also held in one of the two 3D audio rooms. Like selected contributions on acoustics, broadcast/NGA, or film sound, they require the 3D audio system. Otherwise, the two rooms host many contributions on immersive techno, pop, or classical recordings, as well as new areas of application for immersive audio.
In addition, the large R3 room once again features VDT's own binaural system with around 80 headphones, which is used for a wide variety of workshops and tutorials.
Is there a day when it is essential to be on site and attend the congress?
Stefani: Actually, from a program perspective, all the days are equally important. This Tonmeistertagung starts off very strong and ends on an extremely exciting note on Saturday – this time, we really had to make use of every available minute in the halls because we have so many good contributions to show. The new opening hours mean that Wednesday is also an equally important conference day, with three hours of programming in the morning and three in the afternoon. Only Saturday deviates from this.
How international is the program this time?
Stefani: This year, we are once again looking forward to welcoming many big names from Europe and beyond. Here are a few examples: Yannick Olivier (France TV) will talk about the production of the Summer Games in Paris, Hyunkook Lee (University of Huddersfield) will be involved in three presentations on immersive topics, Cecile Tournesac (Motion in Blue) will explain how to create soundtracks for blockbuster films, Kimio Hamasaki (Artsridge) will be represented in both the acoustics track and 3D audio, Kazuya Nagae (Nagoya University of the Arts) talks about miking, Nick Sansano (NYU) gives another tutorial on hip-hop productions, and Katarzyna Sochaczewska (AGH University of Science and Technology) is featured in three presentations focusing on open-source software for immersive production. In addition, Grammy winners Jim Anderson, Morten Lindberg, Rainer Maillard, and Hans-Martin Buff will talk about their work. We also have many other international luminaries who are based in Germany!
We haven't talked about tickets yet. Are there any changes?
Harald: We differentiate between trade fair tickets and combined congress and trade fair tickets. As in 2023, both are available online via the ticket shop. VDT members should please log in to MyVDT and then go to the website to purchase tickets in order to receive the 50% discount on conference tickets. Last time, we were only able to offer a few payment methods. We have made improvements and changed the payment service provider so that all common payment methods are now supported. The ticket shop will also be activated in August. Oh, and our new event app offers another, completely new way to purchase tickets. However, only non-VDT-members should choose this option, as you will not receive an automatic member discount here.
How do I get my tmt33 ticket?
VDT members can purchase their tickets from mid of September on in MyVDT. There is a button there that opens the ticket shop window in MyVDT. Non-members can go directly to the shop via the website or purchase their tickets via the new app.
All those involved in tmt33 (main and co-authors, topic chairs, etc.) will receive their free or discounted ticket later. For this target group, please be patient – you will be informed by the program team as soon as your tickets are available. This will happen when no further changes to the program are expected.
The ticket QR code is available as a Passbook/Wallet entry on your smartphone, as a downloadable PDF, or it is stored in the app. New: The personalized name tag (badge) will be printed on site at the entrance.
Prices for members:
| Ticket type | Day ticket Wed - Fr | Day ticket Sa | Conference ticket (all days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day ticket exhibition | 30,00 € | 30,00 € | |
| Discounted combined ticket for congress and exhibition | 110,00 € | 55,00 € | 290,00 € |
There's a new app?
Harald: Yes, we are particularly excited about the new tmt33 app for iOS and Android. It's really something! We had it reprogrammed from scratch by an experienced team to provide simple, paperless, interactive, and personalized orientation on the grounds and the conference program. In addition, it provides helpful information on how to get to the CCD, links to accommodation bookings, and an overview of catering options. So it really offers everything you need to know about the Tonmeistertagung in one app.
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Stefani: The app also fulfills another important function: it replaces the program booklet – which used to be printed on lots of paper – with a complete list of exhibitors and all the abstracts of the individual contributions. Of course, both can also be viewed on site via the website, but the app uses much less data (especially important for our international guests), is faster, and allows users to save their personal tmt33 favorites from the exhibition and program. This makes it easier to keep track of this rather extensive Tonmeistertagung.
The most important features of the new tmt33 app
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There is a new app for Android and iOS for tmt33! It provides an overview of the entire event.
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The list of exhibitors is linked to the interactive hall plan, making it easy to find your way around the exhibition. The seminar program is also available via the app. The entries include the respective abstract and information about the speakers. Various filters can be used to search specifically by topic, format, location, date, and language. Particularly practical: you can browse the exhibition and program in advance on a computer with a large screen to find your own must-haves and then save them as personal favorites in the app. This way, your own selected program items, speakers, and exhibitors are always quickly accessible.
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Ticketing in the app includes tmt33 itself and side events such as Connecting Audio Night or the Live Mixing Workshop. The app's data consumption is extremely low – an advantage for anyone with limited mobile data. The app is available in English and German.
Download options:
Downloads for iOS and Android are available from the usual app stores and (for Android) directly from our website:
Do you have any further comments on tmt33?
Stefani: Yes, please check the event website regularly starting in August – we will be posting updates about the Tonmeistertagung in real time, for example about Connecting Audio Night on Thursday evening, our 75th anniversary VDT promotions, and offers for trainees and students.
Harald: I'm already looking forward to tmt33! A diverse program, a great exhibition, and a fantastic audience – it's going to be a unique industry gathering!