Dr Rob Oldfield
Audio Research Consultant Director of Salsa Sound Salford University
Why do you think students should ‘Explore Acoustics’?
Everybody has an appreciation of the sounds around them. It fascinating to explore how we can make our audio environment better and how we can enrich our lives through acoustics and audio.
Is it easy to find a career within acoustics?
There’s a surprising number of careers available for graduates, from consultancy to working within audio production in the music industry. As a society we’re looking at acoustics more and more and how they can be used in our everyday lives – for example the voice-activated Google Home and Apple products. It’s a very exciting time to be in audio acoustics.
Why study acoustics?
Acoustics is a fantastic career for anyone interested in sound and technology. Not many careers offer the chance to combine your passions and hobbies with a successful career as well.
When you were studying, were you always certain acoustics was the career path for you?
The more I studied acoustics the more I enjoyed it and thought ‘this is what I want to do as my career.’ I followed my degree with research which I then turned into a spin-out company. It’s an interesting place to be.
Tell us more…?
I’m director of a company that we’ve started from the university, which is looking at improving the sound of sport on television. We have developed a set of automated mixing tools to make the sound of the pitch more cinematic and immersive for the audience. So, emphasising the impact sounds or the referees whistle blow. We want to virtually put people on the pitch so they feel every kick and hear every whistle blow.