Stylized, colorful illustration of headshot of Grace Stensland.
Latest NewsMay 1, 2024

Flump! Splatter! Pop!

Grace Stensland ’23, a sound designer and sound effects editor for animated films and TV, delights in odd noises.

many musicians performing together in separate Zoom windows.
October 16, 2020

The show must go on(line)

University campuses look and feel different this fall, but as we continue to social distance and limit the capacity of large spaces, Rochester musicians have found ways to stay connected with their audiences.

professor Steve Roessner stands in front of a large sound board in a recording studio.
October 29, 2019

The art and science of sound

The University’s $3 million investment in a new state-of-the-art recording studio, control room, mixing rooms, and sound design lab is a major milestone for Rochester’s now six-year-old audio and music engineering program.

student playing a guitar and looking at a computer screen with the Skethcassette plugin interface on the screen.
May 15, 2019

Adding a vintage feel to modern audio recordings

Warble. Wow. Flutter. A team of audio and music engineering graduates is bring back these irregular, low-fi sounds from four-track cassette recordings of the 1980s and ’90s with a digital plug-in.

students stands in front of a large sound board
November 9, 2018

Wells Award winners excel in engineering and humanities

They major in optical engineering and minor in Italian. Or work toward dual degrees in music and computer science. Or pursue two minors while majoring in audio and music engineering. Meet the graduating seniors from the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences honored for pursuing dual degrees or minors in the humanities.

student surrounded by electronic equipment in his workshop / lab
May 7, 2018

Engineering a better guitar

As a classical guitarist, Juan Estrella ’18 chafes at the constraints traditional instruments place on artistic expression. As an engineer, he is attempting to create a “new electronic musical interface” that would set a new standard for instrument design.

close up of ice bubbles
April 27, 2018

Why does ice make that sound?

What began as a “silly pastime” of tossing ice chunks down a borehole in Taylor Glacier, Antarctica, has led to a video with more than 8 million views and a collaboration between an acoustics expert and a climate scientist.

wall of speakers
February 13, 2018

Giving virtual reality a ‘visceral’ sound

Using recital halls as their “labs,” and recording some of the best music students in the world, University researchers are creating virtual reality videos of concerts that literally immerse viewers “within” the performance onstage.