Project Bar-B-Q, Workgroup Report Index

*Project Bar-B-Q Reports*
2007	ENTIRE PROJECT BAR-B-Q 2007 REPORT
	Th Unfnshd Smph... Fixing Broken PC Audio
	Identifies, examines, and prioritizes based on urgency and importance, approximately 40 audio problems facing the PC today.
	iHear the Future
	A look at social, cultural and technical developments molding the next major evolution of audio products and communications technologies.
	Overcoming Roadblocks in the Quest for Interactive Audio
	A detailed look at the current state of interactive audio for games and a discussion of what can be done to accelerate the evolution and adoption of advanced interactive audio techniques and greater range of expression.
	Call for a Highly Distributed Metadata
	Examines some existing audio metadata schemas, identifies their shortcomings, and proposes a solution based on a highly distributed metadata.
	Game Producer's Guide to Audio
	Presents game audio concepts and guidelines for the development process that game designers and producers should use in early stages of product development in order to fully integrate music and sound into their creative design and project plan.
	Next Generation Hand/Glove Controller
	An exploration of designs for a non-intrusive UI extension to existing interfaces and instruments, resulting in the description of The Hand-Aid – a hand shaped band-aid like muscle & motion detector, which adheres to the back of the hands.
	The Computer as a Musical Instrument
	Proposes a totally configurable interface designed to replace the standard input devices, such as the QWERTY keyboard and mouse.

2006	ENTIRE PROJECT BAR-B-Q 2006 REPORT
	Ensuring that PC Audio Editing/Rendering Plug-ins and Processors Always Work
	Proposes a solution to the problems of excessive latency, obsolescence, and plug-in incompatibility in PC based audio.
	Making the Configuration and Utilization of Audio Systems Much Easier
	A discussion of ways to greatly reduce the technology and complexity barriers which impede the consumer’s ability to properly configure his/her audio system.
	To DRM or Not To DRM?
	Presents a different technological method of addressing the needs of music consumers and rights holders.
	A Consumer-friendly Quantifiable Metric for Audio Systems
	A proposal for a consumer-friendly quantifiable metric for audio systems that can help provide a great listening experience for the user, as well as generate market growth through increased awareness of the value of quality components.
	Improving the PC Sound Alert Experience
	A discussion of and guidelines for creating PC alert sounds that enhance rather than disrupt the user's work experience.
	A Prescription for Quality Audio
	Proposes a high-level system that identifies the audio content developer and consumer end points and ties them together, based on artists’ and users’ intentions and/or capabilities. (only the preliminary report is available at this time)
	Facilitating Remote Jam Sessions
	Discusses methodologies for facilitating both synchronous and asynchronous music collaboration.
	Providing a High Level of Mixing Aesthetics in Interactive Audio and Games
	Discusses the complexities of mixing audio for interactive applications such as games and proposes a central repository in the form of a Wiki for current knowledge and future research in this field.

2005	ENTIRE PROJECT BAR-B-Q 2005 REPORT
	Workgroup: Using a Multiplicity of Audio Devices in the Home PC
	A technical discussion of how a PC will be used for audio in the near future and what is needed (including identification of several new types of metadata) to evolve the PC into a device that is as simple as consumer electronics devices without losing the flexibility inherent in the PC.
	Workgroup: New Approaches for Developing Interactive Audio Production Systems
	A discussion of designs for an interactive audio production and auditioning system that could be marketed to a wide audience in order to provide financial motivation to audio software developers to create these tools.
	Workgroup: Design Features of a Mass Market Living Room PC
	A description of how the form factor and operation of the Living Room PC must change in order to sell to the mass market by making the device extremely easy to operate while at the same time offering all the expandability, functions and features of the standard PC.
	Workgroup: Ubiquitous Content Distribution to and within the Home
	Puts forth a proposed course of action to allow consumers to access premium content stored in different rooms in their homes on different devices while maintaining the ability of the consumers to choose from a range of manufacturers and content providers.
	Workgroup: Improving Computer Audio and Music Production Systems User Interfaces
	Discusses how adaptive user interfaces can be used in computer audio and music production systems to address the needs of a wide variety of users with various skill levels and backgrounds thus greatly reducing user intimidation, frustration, confusion, and interruption of artistic flow.
	Workgroup: Disrupting the Current Paradigm of How Audio is Viewed and Used
	A description of seven product ideas that represent potential successful audio technologies that are both disruptive in some way (disruptive to current business models, disruptive to society [status quo], or in some other way) and also fun for the user.

2004	ENTIRE PROJECT BAR-B-Q 2004 REPORT
	Workgroup: Mobile Phone Audio - Lessons Learned from Games and the Web
	Documents problems to be avoided and successful practices to be applied to the development and implementation of mobile phone audio based on the history of audio development for game and web applications.
	Workgroup: A Whole-system Testing Framework for PC Audio
	Outlines a testing framework for PC original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original device manufacturers (ODMs) to use to help them develop better audio implementations that raise the bar for the overall user experience.
	Workgroup: The Stroke-a-phone: A New Digital Instrument for Troubled Times
	Explores what it is about so many digital instruments that makes them painful and frustrating to use, and discusses what it is about the few instruments that rise above this morass to become the standards for usability, musicality and fun.
	Workgroup: MIFFED (Music Industry Foundation for Educational Development)
	Describes a marketing approach to creating new musicians that includes outreach programs to musicians, industry executives, audio content developers, hardware and software developers, retailers, and educators.
	Workgroup: PRAGMA (Pet Rocks and Game Music Alliance)
	Making the world a better place by selling music & audio things to as many people as possible so they can create great art and bring enjoyment and satisfied smiles to the faces of children of all ages everywhere.

2003	ENTIRE PROJECT BAR-B-Q 2003 REPORT
	Workgroup: IXMF Rollout Outline - Provides a workable outline of a possible rollout plan for the rapid adoption of the Interactive XMF file format standard by the interactive audio community.

	Workgroup: What Is Interactive Audio? And What Should It Be? - Provides a definition of Interactive Audio and a definition of an Interactive Audio System, with examples of current systems, a list of potential future uses, and a justification for using Interactive Audio.

	Workgroup: Creating a Win-Win-Win-Win-Win-Win Scenario for DRM - Considers the likely scenarios for the future of CD (and other) audio playback on computers and consumer electronic products, including Digital Rights Management, and its effect on relevant stakeholders, with recommended likely solutions

	Workgroup: nASCAP - Stock Market in Media Rights - Discusses the creation of an economic driver towards DRM-enabled music/media distribution based on a stock market model.

	Workgroup: Quality Audio Applications in the Interactive Entertainment Industry - Explores the availability of quality audio applications in the interactive entertainment industry with the aim of effectively communicating the benefits of the experience to the consumer in order to increase the demand for quality audio applications and subsequently drive industry revenues.


2002	ENTIRE PROJECT BAR-B-Q 2002 REPORT
	Workgroup: Proposal for Latency and Uncertainty (Jitter) Management By Enumerating Renderers and Sources - Addresses the problems of unacceptably high levels of latency (delays in responsiveness), difficulty in synchronizing media playback, and interoperability, as well as delineating the possible negative affect of DRM on synchronization.

	Workgroup: The Future of Hardware for Home Entertainment and Computer Systems - A path to zero connections and automatic configuration of home entertainment and computer systems.

	Workgroup: User Interface Design Issues for Audio Creation Tools - Identifies basic usability guidelines, user-interface requirements, and existing technologies that could potentially form a framework for developing the necessary mapping and control protocol.

	Workgroup: Maximizing the Resources Available to Achieve Quality Game Audio - A document that illustrates audio practices that create value, raises awareness of what constitutes good audio, and highlights factors which contribute to a compelling and interactive audio experience.


2001	ENTIRE PROJECT BAR-B-Q 2001 REPORT
	Workgroup: Networked Audio Devices Interoperability Standard - A strategy outline for standardizing networked audio device communications. This document, which highlights the requirements of the standard, is the first step in the process.

	Workgroup: Towards Interactive XMF - A basic design pointing the way to an XMF-based, nonproprietary interactive audio framework.

	Workgroup: Improve PC Audio - Addresses issues to improve PC audio for both OEMs and consumers. To accommodate new CE connectivity and compatibility, the proposed solution is a new audio bus.

	Workgroup: Game Audio Network Guild - Empowering the game audio community by providing resources, education, and recognition for its members.

	Workgroup: A Compelling Music-Making System for the Living-Room Console - Product Concept: "E-Jam", the music-making system for the living-room console


2000	ENTIRE PROJECT BAR-B-Q 2000 REPORT
	Workgroup: Appliantology - Identifies problems and offers approaches for the development of computer audio appliances

	Workgroup: Multichannel Audio - An outline of a "write-once, deliver anywhere," platform independent, format-agnostic approach to 3D interactive multichannel audio delivery from authoring through to the final consumer experience.

	Workgroup: Intellectual Property - Business Models To Save Your Soul - New audio IP business models that address consumer concerns, business concerns, and artist concerns.

	Workgroup: General Interactive Audio - An example outline of the type of topics and required features that the IA-SIG and MMA should consider for inclusion in a new specification, white paper, recommended practice, or other similar document defining the necessary or recommended components of a well-designed audio system for any device or system that is expected to provide interactive audio applications.


1999	ENTIRE PROJECT BAR-B-Q 1999 REPORT
	Workgroup: The Big Picture - Making powerful interactive audio easy: Games - A case study.
	Workgroup: The Impact of Digital Distribution on the Various Constituencies Within the Music Industry - Examines sustainable business models, enabled by new digital music technology, that grow the market overall and enable new, expanded, extended, or unique commerce opportunities.

	Workgroup: The Apostles of the Church of Appliantology - New audio products and the technological and cultural hurdles that make it difficult for us to capitalize on new opportunities and new ways to improve our collective lives with better audio experiences.

	Workgroup: The Sound Pressure Lobby - Encouraging content providers and equipment manufacturers to provide high-quality computer audio and promoting awareness among media and consumers of the benefits of it.


1998	ENTIRE PROJECT BAR-B-Q 1998 REPORT
	Workgroup: 3D API - Addresses creation of content for 3D worlds, bridging the diverse view points of geometrical vs. parametrical, preserving scalability, and putting power of sound control into designer's hands.

	Workgroup: M1D2 - MIDI 2 issues and recommendations
	Workgroup: Making Sense of Multi-Format Audio - A discussion of the appropriate way for the audio subsystem to handle the mixing of multiple input formats to various output formats.

	Workgroup: Consumer Reports - A look at the basic issue of what motivates a consumer to purchase a product at a given time and a proposed system that would allow one to take a new product concept and be able to test it's relevance and potential appeal to consumers at some point in the near future.


1997	ENTIRE PROJECT BAR-B-Q 1997 REPORT
	Workgroup: Audio Appliances - A vision-quest to see what an audio appliance might be in the next 5 years.

	Workgroup: High Quality Audio - The minimum acceptable specifications for high quality computer audio and a baseline platform definition.

	Workgroup: DLS on the PC Platform - Enabling DLS on the PC platform in the absence of a DLS API from Microsoft.

	Workgroup: Computer Audio Awareness - Increasing consumer demand and developer support for good quality audio.


1996	ENTIRE PROJECT BAR-B-Q 1996 REPORT The goal of Project Bar-B-Q 1996 was for four integrated groups of individuals consisting of computer hardware developers, computer software developers, audio engineers, and composers to answer "The Question": What do you want to see in hardware and software for music on computers in the next five years?
	Workgroup 1
	Workgroup 2
	Workgroup 3
	Workgroup 4

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