Michael Anthony Gerzon (4 December 1945 – 6 May 1996) is probably best known for his work on
Ambisonics
Ambisonics is a ''full-sphere'' surround sound format: in addition to the horizontal plane, it covers sound sources above and below the listener.
Unlike some other multichannel surround formats, its transmission channels do not carry speaker si ...
and for his work on digital audio. He also made a large number of recordings, many in the field of
free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician(s) involved. The term can refer to both a technique (employed by any musician in any genre) and as a recognizable genre in its ...
in which he had a particular interest.
Life
After studying mathematics at
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, 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
The Soundfield microphone is an audio microphone composed of four closely spaced subcardioid or cardioid (unidirectional) microphone capsules arranged in a tetrahedron. It was invented by Michael Gerzon and Peter Craven, and is a part of, but not ...
, and collaborated on many other projects).
Over the next few years, this interest led to the invention of
Ambisonics
Ambisonics is a ''full-sphere'' surround sound format: in addition to the horizontal plane, it covers sound sources above and below the listener.
Unlike some other multichannel surround formats, its transmission channels do not carry speaker si ...
, which can be seen as a theoretical and practical completion of the work done by
Alan Blumlein in the field of
stereophonic sound
Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...
. Although Ambisonics was not a commercial success, its theory underpinned much of his later work in audio such as his work with
Waves Audio
Waves Audio Ltd. is a developer and supplier of professional digital audio signal processing technologies and audio signal processing, audio effects, used in recording, mixing, mastering, post production, broadcast, and live sound. The company's ...
and
Trifield. He was also active in the development of digital sound techniques, such as
noise-shaped dither
Dither is an intentionally applied form of image noise, noise used to randomize quantization error, preventing large-scale patterns such as color banding in images. Dither is routinely used in processing of both digital audio and digital vide ...
and
Meridian Lossless Packing
Meridian Lossless Packing, also known as Packed PCM (PPCM), is a lossless compression technique for PCM audio data developed by Meridian Audio, Ltd. MLP is the standard lossless compression method for DVD-Audio content (often advertised with t ...
(MLP, the lossless compression used in
DVD-Audio
DVD-Audio (commonly abbreviated as DVD-A) is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio uses most of the storage on the disc for high-quality audio and is not intended to be a video delivery format.
The sta ...
disks).
The
Audio Engineering Society
The Audio Engineering Society (AES) is a professional body for engineers, scientists, other individuals with an interest or involvement in the professional audio industry. The membership largely comprises engineers developing devices or products ...
recognised Gerzon's work in audio by awarding him a fellowship in 1978 and the AES Gold Medal in 1991. He was also awarded the AES Publications Award posthumously in 1999.
Death
Gerzon died in 1996 from complications resulting from a severe asthma attack.
Tape archive
The
British Library Sound Archive
The British Library Sound Archive, formerly the British Institute of Recorded Sound; also known as the National Sound Archive (NSA), in London, England is among the largest collections of recorded sound in the world, including music, spoken word a ...
contains Gerzon's collection of tapes, which he kept from his student days. The collection consists of 400 hours of recordings. A direct link to the collection is not possible; a search for the Collection title "Michael Gerzon tapes" will find them all by track. (An advanced search for Call Number "C236" with varying suffix numbers is a useful alternative that finds by tape.) Readers with a British Library card can book to hear tapes by appointment.
See also
* ''
The Snake Decides'' (1988), which he engineered
* ''
Live Improvisations'' (1992), which he recorded
*
On a Friday
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass); ...
, whom he recorded
*
The Jennifers
Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993 in Oxford. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey ( ...
, whom he recorded
*
Ambisonics
Ambisonics is a ''full-sphere'' surround sound format: in addition to the horizontal plane, it covers sound sources above and below the listener.
Unlike some other multichannel surround formats, its transmission channels do not carry speaker si ...
*
Oxford University Tape Recording Society, of which he was a member
*
Soundfield microphone
The Soundfield microphone is an audio microphone composed of four closely spaced subcardioid or cardioid (unidirectional) microphone capsules arranged in a tetrahedron. It was invented by Michael Gerzon and Peter Craven, and is a part of, but not ...
*
Noise-shaped dither
*
Trifield
*
Meridian Lossless Packing
Meridian Lossless Packing, also known as Packed PCM (PPCM), is a lossless compression technique for PCM audio data developed by Meridian Audio, Ltd. MLP is the standard lossless compression method for DVD-Audio content (often advertised with t ...
Further reading
*
*
External links
Documentary
* A short documentary focusing on Michael Gerzon, and the work of the OUTRS; including interviews with Peter Craven and Paul Hodges can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X23hZNoSkUs
Obituaries
Richard Elenof
Meridian Audio Ltd.
Waves Audio Ltd a company for whom he consulted.
in Gramophone.
in The Guardian.
Recorded tributes
*
' by
Evan Parker
Evan Shaw Parker (born 5 April 1944) is a British tenor and soprano saxophone player who plays free improvisation.
Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free ja ...
* ''Sequoia'' by The Aquabats
Tape archive
The Michael Gerzon Archive an article describing its preservation
Early work
Gerzon's Early Work a website by Stephen Thornton.
Papers
has a number of Gerzon's less mathematical papers in downloadable form.
includes a list of publications and unpublished reports.
The Waves obituaryhas a comprehensive list of Gerzon's papers at the end.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerzon, Michael Anthony
1945 births
1996 deaths
British audio engineers
Alumni of the University of Oxford
People from Birmingham, West Midlands
20th-century British inventors