Creative Mastering: A New Culture of Audio Post-Production

My thesis posits that a new culture of ‘Creative Mastering’ exists in the realm of audio post-production. This culture has evolved out of a more technical and procedural mode of engineering and music industry labour. My study takes seriously the mastering engineer, like the more conventional producer, as a creative participant in the contemporary recorded music production process. To better understand the modern-day mastering engineer, their culture and the creative aspects of their day-to-day work, I have conducted autoethnography and original interviews with 20 of the world’s leading practitioners. These practitioners have operated out of major facilities such as Abbey Road Studios (UK) and Sterling Sound (USA). Through my thesis, I unpack some key aspects of mastering culture to demonstrate why this particular form of technical engineering work is now gaining acceptance as creative labour. My research demonstrates why better understandings of mastering and its culture will make for much richer appreciations of popular recorded music production. I examine issues of access, learning to master and operating as an expert in the space. I also theorise how mastering engineers identify with their role, engage their creativity and make use of their studio setups. These issues that surround mastering all bear the hallmarks of creative practice. Up until very recently, technical publications and trade literature made up the dominant stock of written information on mastering, or ‘audio mastering’. I have surveyed ideas that emerge out of academic studies and discourse related to popular recorded music production, creative labour in the cultural industries, and social studies of sound. Having drawn from a large pool of scholarship, my research offers new and theoretical contributions to the field. It will help a growing collective of interdisciplinary academics who are now focusing on the creative aspects of audio post-production

Esport from a sociological perspective. Reflections on the social dimension of electronic competitive gaming

Competitive computer and video gaming, commonly known as esport, has evolved from a subculture to a mainstream phenomenon in the last three decades. Due to various parallels with traditional sports in terms of professionalization, sportsmanship, marketing, or media coverage, esport is often referred to as a sport. At the same time, esport is characterized by a new form of movement culture in sports, where virtual and real worlds overlap. This dissertation examines the social dimensions of esport and competitive gaming from a sports sociological perspective to investigate the impact esport has on society. It sheds light on the academic discourse surrounding esport and explores theoretical and practical implications for sport and society. The digitalization and technological advancements have significantly influenced the development of esport, leading to its discussion as part of popular media and sports culture. Despite some counterarguments regarding the legitimacy of esport as a sport, it has evolved into a thriving ecosystem and a multi-million-dollar industry with many links to the traditional sport system. However, a key difference between esport and traditional sports is that esport takes place in both the digital and real world, while traditional sports are exclusively practiced in physical spaces. Players immerse themselves in the virtual world of gaming and are physically and mentally connected to it. This poses unique demands on players compared to other sporting activities. In esport, players engage in real competitions, are aware of their physical and mental performance, and utilize the interplay between the digital and real worlds to surpass their opponents. In this context, the role of the body in esport is an emerging research topic and differs from the extensive exploration of the body in traditional sports. Due to the disruptive nature of esport in the realm of traditional sports, this dissertation focuses on one of the fundamental questions of sports sociology: the impact of sport, in this case esport, on society. To do so, different social dimensions of esport are investigated by answering the following research questions: • What societal impact does esport have? • What role does the body play in esport and competitive gaming? • What effect does the shifting focus from physical to digital corporeality have on players' behavior and the ecosystem? After initially providing an overview of relevant definitions, the origins, and the current state of research on esport, the thesis then explains the theoretical background concerning the role of digitalization in sports, the relevance of immersion, and the interface between the virtual and real worlds in esport and competitive gaming. Subsequently, two scoping reviews and a conceptual paper address the research questions, which are discussed and summarized in the final part, thus providing the basis for new research on the societal impact as well as other social dimensions of esport

Proceedings of the 7th international conference on disability, virtual reality and associated technologies, with ArtAbilitation (ICDVRAT 2008)

The proceedings of the conferenc

Reports to the President

A compilation of annual reports for the 1999-2000 academic year, including a report from the President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as reports from the academic and administrative units of the Institute. The reports outline the year's goals, accomplishments, honors and awards, and future plans

Intelligence, Creativity and Fantasy

UID/HIS/04666/2019 This is the 2nd volume of PHI series, published by CRC Press, the 4th published by CRC Press and the 5th volume of PHI proceedings.The texts presented in Proportion Harmonies and Identities (PHI) - INTELLIGENCE, CREATIVITY AND FANTASY were compiled with the intent to establish a multidisciplinary platform for the presentation, interaction and dissemination of research. The aim is also to foster the awareness and discussion on the topics of Harmony and Proportion with a focus on different visions relevant to Architecture, Arts and Humanities, Design, Engineering, Social and Natural Sciences, and their importance and benefits for the sense of both individual and community identity. The idea of modernity has been a significant motor for development since the Western Early Modern Age. Its theoretical and practical foundations have become the working tools of scientists, philosophers, and artists, who seek strategies and policies to accelerate the development process in different contexts.authorsversionpublishe

Communication Trends in the Post-Literacy Era: Polylingualism, Multimodality and Multiculturalism As Preconditions for New Creativity : monograph

The monograph presents the research results of the discussion held at the Fifth International Research Conference “Communication trends in the post-literacy era: polylingualism, multimodality and multiculturalism as prerequisites for new creativity” (Ekaterinburg, UrFU, November 26–28, 2020). The book is a result of joint efforts by the research group “Multilingualism and Interculturalism in the Post-Literacy Era”. The research results are presented in the form of sections that consistently reveal the features of modern media culture; its contradictory manifestations associated with both positive and negative consequences of mass media use; the positive role of new media in education during the COVID‑19 pandemic; creative potential of contemporary art and mediation, contemporary art and media environment. The collective monograph will be of interest to researchers in media culture, media education, media art and tools of social networks and new media in modern education, primarily in teaching foreign languages and Russian as a foreign language, in the professional education of journalists and specialists in the field of media communications.Published with the support of RFBR grant 20‑011‑22081 “The Fifth International Research Conference “Communication trends in the post-literacy era: polylingualism, multimodality and multiculturalism as prerequisites for new creativity”

Projections of an urban revolution

This chapter is concerned with the new projections of crisis in the urban landscape of Athens, exploring urban aesthetics and civilian performances in the era of austerity