In Episode 279, the hosts learn all about Direct Field Audio Testing, or as one of this week’s guests put it, “Blasting super loud sound at spacecraft and satellites!” This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Many listeners will be familiar with Maryland Sound International (MSI), the sound company best known for its work on large-scale events like New Year’s Eve in Times Square, the U.S. Presidential Inauguration, and many more. Fewer know of their sister company, Maryland Sound International — Direct Field Audio Testing (MSI-DFAT), which specializes in turning touring and sound reproduction expertise into creating portable, on-demand acoustic testing labs for spaceships, satellites, and other aerospace devices, replacing much more expensive reverberant chamber facility-based testing. If you thought concert PA systems were loud, wait until you hear about pummeling spaceships with 150-plus dB SPL levels to make sure they’re safe for launch and orbit!

Guest Alessandro “Alex” Carrella, VP Strategy & Growth at MSI-DFAT, has a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Naples (Italy) and was awarded a PhD in Structural Dynamics at the ISVR (University of Southampton, UK). He’s now completing his EMBA at the Universite Louvain-la-Neuve. Alex was a lecturer in Structural Dynamic at the Dept of Aerospace at the University of Bristol. From 2011 to 2020 he worked in different roles to develop testing solutions for the aerospace industry at Siemens (formerly LMS) in Leuven (Belgium). He has become a referent point for the space industry for vibration and acoustic testing, and has been a leading figure in advancing DFAT practices is an active member of the space testing community. Alex has joined MSI-DFAT to lead its international operations and is now shaping MSI’s future as VP for Strategy & Growth.

Guest Bradley Hope, U.S. Business Development Manager at MSI-DFAT, holds a wealth of experience in acoustic and vibration test engineering and enterprise-level customer relationship management, within the global aerospace industry. Trained under the guidance of vibro-acoustic specialists at Siemens Digital Industries Software, coupled with his passion for business and intrapreneurship, Bradley brings deep commercial expertise to the MSI-DFAT team. Having collaborated closely with clients on a range of complex projects across PLM, CAD, CAE Simulation, and Test Engineering, he possesses a strong understanding of the unique requirements and consistent evolution of the space, aircraft and defense industries. Bradley is enthusiastic about supporting the customer-partners of the Maryland Sound International-Direct Field Acoustic Test (MSI-DFAT) company in its Direct Field Acoustic Noise testing campaigns.

Episode Links:
MSI-DFAT | Direct Field Acoustic Testing
MSI-DFAT on Instagram
“NASA’s Successful Quantifying of Comedy Timing” by Penn Jillette and Teller
Episode 279 Transcript

Connect with the community on the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and th

Brian Grahn, joins the show in Episode 278 to talk about all things Clear-Com. He clears up a lot of mysteries about Arcadia, HelixNet, and Freespeak, lets us in on the new cloud-based Gen-IC Virtual Intercom, and sheds some light on common problems and tricks to getting the most out of good ol’ fashioned two-wire partyline intercoms, and more.

Brian started as a musician, which quickly turned into working as a bar/club sound engineer, and then in turn to running his own company and working variously as a mixer, RF coordinator, comms tech, project manager, and technical producer. He eventually joined on with past Signal to Noise guest TC Furlong as sales and marketing manager before moving to the manufacturer side, where he’s been the Southwest US regional sales manager for Clear-Com since 2022.

Episode Links:
Clear-Com Solution Finder
Brian On Instagram
Episode 270, Justin Tyre and Stephen Bailey of ProdCom
Episode 229: Joe Palermo, The Polar Express Ride Experience
Episode 278 Transcript

Be sure to check out the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to signal2noise@prosoundweb.com with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”
2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there

In a bonus Episode 277, the Signal To Noise community presents it’s first-ever holiday gift guide. Join hosts Sean and Andy as well as a parade of past guests, friends, and listeners with gift suggestions for your favorite sound engineer/production tech to meet every budget, from $10s to $1000s. This episode is sponsored by Allen & Heath and RCF.

Episode Links:
Article With Links: The Signal To Noise Podcast 2024 Holiday Gift Guide
Episode 277 Transcript

Be sure to check out the Signal To Noise Facebook Group and Discord Server. Both are spaces for listeners to create to generate conversations around the people and topics covered in the podcast — we want your questions and comments!

Also please check out and support The Roadie Clinic, Their mission is simple. “We exist to empower & heal roadies and their families by providing resources & services tailored to the struggles of the touring lifestyle.”

The Signal To Noise Podcast on ProSoundWeb is co-hosted by pro audio veterans Andy Leviss and Sean Walker.

Want to be a part of the show? If you have a quick tip to share, or a question for the hosts, past or future guests, or listeners at home, we’d love to include it in a future episode. You can send it to us one of two ways:

1) If you want to send it in as text and have us read it, or record your own short audio file, send it to signal2noise@prosoundweb.com with the subject “Tips” or “Questions”
2) If you want a quick easy way to do a short (90s or less) audio recording, go to https://www.speakpipe.com/S2N and leave us a voicemail there