Michael Gerzon
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Michael A. Gerzon (b. 4 Dec 1945, d. 6 May 1996) is probably best known for his work on Ambisonics and for his work on digital audio. He also made a large number of recordings, many in the field of free improvisation in which he had a particular interest.
After studying mathematics at Oxford University, Gerzon joined Oxford's Mathematical Institute working on axiomatic quantum theory, until his work in audio took him into working as a consultant. At university he already had a keen interest in both the theory and practice of recording, which he shared with a few fellow students including Peter Craven (the two were later the co-inventors of the soundfield microphone, and collaborated on many other projects). Over the next few years, this interest led to the invention of Ambisonics, which can be seen as a theoretical and practical completion of the work done by Alan Blumlein in the field of stereophonic sound. Although Ambisonics was not a commercial success, its theory underpinned much of his later work in audio. He was also active in the development of digital sound techniques, such as noise-shaped dither and Meridian Lossless Packing (the lossless compression used in DVD-Audio disks). The Audio Engineering Society recognised Gerzon's work in audio by awarding him a fellowship in 1978 and the AES Gold Medal in 1991.
Gerzon died in 1996 from complications resulting from a severe asthma attack.
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[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] Obituaries
- Richard Elen of Meridian Audio Ltd.
- Waves Audio Ltd (a company for whom Gerzon consulted).
- John Borwick in Gramophone.
- Barry Fox in The Guardian.
[edit] Recorded tribute
[edit] Papers
- Gerzon Archive - a number of Gerzon's less mathematical papers in downloadable form.
- The Waves obituary has a comprehensive list of Gerzon's papers at the end.
[edit] Biography
- A biography is being planned, but no publication date is yet known.
