PM - again

Project managing is taking up almost *all* my MA study time... another evening gone in to project managing and I'm beginning to really panic... about my own project and getting it done in time. Only 9 weeks to go and I'm out of time. I seem to be taking care of managing things on my own and it is really taking it's toll. I really hope I get some support and can step back in october when everyone is back.... 

The latest update to all the group:

Next group meeting

From: PM (REP) / F - Rachel Dunscombe
Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2011 at 6:16pm
Category: Project Management

There will not be a full group exhibition meeting tomorrow due to the many hurdles of trying to arrange a good location and taking much more time than expected.

I will advise that any individual groups who can meet up to identify and work on the key priorities before we are back for the new term, please do so. As recommended by CSM staff, a fantastic venue for small group meetings is kings place, the building is open to 11pm and is fantastically inspiring - only a few minutes walk from kings cross station and is open to public. See link for further details: http://www.kingsplace.co.uk/about-kings-place/your-visit

Marketing/curatorial team: Please liaise this week and make sure any deadlines are met, for submitting the advertising artwork to the designers helping us with the creative review advertising space.

People who are going to view the KX exhibition site this thursday (Meg, Verdiana, Rebecca, Juliette, Bushra) please prepare and liase with each other in advance to co-ordinate and identify the key priorities for all group requirements. Make sure you all communicate with Meg about any of the primary needs your group has identified for the exhibition space.  

Venue team: please put together a detailed report of any findings / information identified from your visit on thursday and forward to project management and also prepare something to present to the full group explaining the visit and answering questions.

Which brings me on to my next point: meeting next week. (Tuesday 4th October, 6pm - 8pm)

Thanks to Bushra, I think we may be in business for meeting at the KX site next week in an available space.

I will phone up tomorrow and confirm this for next week, and then make the announcement on here.

A bit short notice to arrange it for this week (tomorrow) unfortunately, but we will make the best of the meeting next week and expect a good turn out.

 

Thanks everyone and will keep you posted about next week - watch this space,

Rach.

-------------------------------

 

Reply |Rachel Dunscombe to Bushra

Blimey!

Too short notice for tomorrow of course, but I will give this Amanda a ring tomorrow and see if it can be confirmed for next tuesday pm and give an estimate of numbers etc, then if it's all good I will announce it on basecamp / via email and we will meet there next week for the final exhibition group meeting before we kick off a new term - exciting! Amazing stroke of luck, nice one bushra ;-)

 

Hi Rachel

When I popped into the CSM building last week, I noticed that there was like a glass box room in front of reception in the foyer, it had a few people sitting there watching a video. For the hell of it, I asked if we could possibly use it for our meeting space and expected absolutely no response what so over.

Whadya know, they responded - please see below. Do you want to take over this conversation with them ?

cheers

Bushra

PM insanity - venue visit and design meeting notes

To say there was a venue managing nightmare end of last week (thursday pm / friday) in regards to arranging the visit to the exhibition site would be a huge understatement, enough to test the patience of any project manager! But all sorted in the end thank god. Huge sigh of relief. 

Today I've been writing out the notes from the design meeting from 20th Sept, meeting I arranged with Oliver Tomlinson (Tomlinson Designs, London) who agreed to meet with us for some feedback and advice. Really invaluable, Kings place was fantastic! Great tip from Nicole (CSM marketing) - must upload my photos that I took.  

Anyway, email to design related peeps  meeting attendees etc (Hun, Juliette, Joseph, Meg, Kristian, Bushra)

Just spent this afternoon writing the design meeting notes up (took
much longer than I thought) and throwing together a graphic verision
of what was scribbled very roughtly at the meeting for room layout and
how to direct the current of people etc.
Oliver was a fantastic help and very kind of him to come and meet with
us for feedback and advice, he said he'd like to be kept up to date
with proceedings and will be of any further help to us if he can. He
also said he can't wait to come and see the exhibition in action.

Read the word document notes first and then the room layout graphic
will make more sense.
@Juliette, please can you liaise with Hun nxt week so he can fill you
in more thoroughly from the meeting and to make a list of identified
key priorities for when you go to see the exhibition site on thursday
this week?
So far still no meeting planned for this coming tuesday due to lack of
venue, any thoughts/ideas? Otherwise no group meeting (will announce
by end of monday), and concentrate on any prep for thursday site
viewing (Bushra, Juliette, Meg, Christina and Verdiana - make sure
everybody talks to each other so venue team can put together a
thorough report for PM after the visit with any venue points
concerning the other groups)

@Hun, there is a deadline end of this week for submission of
artwork/graphic files to the designers helping us with the CR
advertising, is that all under control?
Take care all and hope you're feeling better Kristian :-)
Rach.

Tomlinsondesign_meeting.zip
455K   View   Download  

Notes from Design meeting

Tuesday 20^th September

Attendees:

Hun Wynn

Rachel Dunscombe

Joseph Adjei

Meg Konovska

Oliver Tomlinson (Tomlinson Designs in London, MA in Information Design) 

Colour coded groups extremely good idea. Easier to identify quickly / at a glance. Looks really good in the periodic table layout. Not too many different groups or it will be overly confusing, keep it to a few groups 4-5 maximum.

Mix up colour groups around the room rather than put everyone green in the ‘green’ part of the room, and everyone red in the ‘red’ part of the room and so on. Don’t separate too much, clear separation won’t encourage people to look around topic areas they wouldn’t usually think to look at. (Boxes of colour around the room to ‘jumble things up’? hanging, on the wall etc?)

Reaction to periodic table theme: is it science? Play more on ‘experiments’.

Decision: Shots of drink in test tubes at the bar.

Bar area down opposite end to entrance, no congestion near entrance or exhibits. (“Bar needs to be the thing you need right at the end, in order to go past everything else”)

Make a ‘gathering’ zone. Projection of viral for watching (e.g. wall behind bar, people can watch and drink / chat) Could have sponsor wall in this area. 

A few square cube seats (colour matching groups?) near work and gathering zone. Few down each side of room (source: equipment hire?) Needs to be some available seating options, somewhere to also sit and also just watch the work (like in a gallery). Make it a feature. Keep in theme with the boxes / elements.

Room layout, will need to use partition walls in strip down centre (most efficient use of gaining more exhibit space) not enough room for student work just to go around edge of walls.

Need to allocate a fixed equal size space per student (e.g. 1-2 m *square* – need precise measurements and final count of students exhibiting. Confirm who is dropping out.)

Student can fill / not fill space as much as they want, but keep everything consistent. Each student an equal ‘element’. Need to communicate asap (as soon as final count and measurements complete in site) must be soon, before students start on any oversized artefact plans!

Need to identify room constraints asap. Priority! (what are we allowed to do / not do? Fix things to wall, floor, ceiling etc). Liaise with venue, site visit. Priority.

Entrance feature: periodic table plan, colour coded boxes, stand no and student name (equivalent to map, open plan simple room, don’t really need a ‘map’ of the room on each exhibition guide, make the map a feature instead)

(feature: periodic poster done by someone with wicked design skills? Built piece for mounting on the wall? e.g. using small boxes? must be colour coded and name / stand no on each box.

Question: How could the information guide represent the journey?

Idea: Build your own guide.

Each visitor takes / is given the guide ‘construction pieces’ on entrance. 

Example idea: firm base card, printing on front and back, tool attaches to hold collected stand cards, fix and flip. 

(card front)

Exhibition title, date

Intro text to exhibition (2 sentences max)

Info graphic (how to make your own show guide, simple clear instruction graphic)

(card back)

Colour code

Who’s who (student names / list)

Stand number

Pre hole punched branded info cards (postcards) per stand – strictly to brand. Set up template, student fills in content and returns. Single print run.

Tool to keep together (need to research best type of tool, not fiddly! Must be simple and easy to use, needs to hold up to 65 cards)

Exhibit display in 40 words? ;-)

Useful summary from dazz when he got confused that I actually meant contribution to the exhibition planning, not my individual exhibit ;-) it sounded good so I'm putting it here so I don't forget it. 


"A display familiarising people with the functioning and capabilities of a new product for people who regularly attend night clubs or other loud music events. It will incorporate visual and audio elements, and introduce headphix; to the world." Quote from Dazz. 

Design meeting location for tomorrow?

Kings place

Hi Rachel,

here the place I suggested for your meeting. It's quiet and they have some tables for meetings in the reception area.

Just give them a quick call to make sure you can have access to the building in the evenings.

http://www.kingsplace.co.uk/about-kings-place/your-visit

I'll get back to you about the visit to the gallery - right now, we could have around 3 people for a visit on Thursday morning, at 10.15.

All the best,

Nicole Plascak

Marketing & Communications

Central Saint Martins

Granary Building,

1 Granary Square

London, N1C 4AA

Mob: 075 9940 9579

Tel: 020 7514 7022

Fax: 020 7514 7254

MA Industrial Design - graduates 2007

MAAI 2007 website

MAAI Alumni: Tom Ballhatchet (paper shredding hamster hutch!)

Audio forensic analyst

Sudden thought has literally just hit me after replying to Tobi this morning!

A next step I could investigate before approaching the App development side of things which is being delayed due to needing to sort out the legal protection part of my idea first before approaching actual companies where I could risk the idea being stolen.

Maybe I could try and visit a forensic audio analyst for further research details and advice about the speech frequency isolation from loud background noise levels. A forensic analyst would most likely have very helpful technical details about this process. I think a phone call this week may be in order... I'm already nervous at the thought of it as I have no idea how to sell it to them on the phone... will ask Dazz for advice this week.

team@audioforensicservices.com

Monday - Friday | 9.00am - 5.30pm

Telephone: 0845 519 8238

Audio Forensic Services 

Email to Peter Cleak - design meeting at KX?

Hi Peter,

My name is Rachel and I am project managing the MA Applied Imagination

2011 graduate exhibition.

I believe most of your communication so far has been with the lovely

Meg, and I understand we are awaiting some available dates for when we

can soon view the KX site and exhibition space. I am really hoping

this will be available by next week as of course it is the last week

before we return and everyone is very anxious to see the site before

this date for our final exhibition team meeting.

Anyway, I am writing to you because there is a situation this week

where we have a special design meeting tomorrow evening with an

external design company in London who is interested in offering our

exhibition some support. However as we have now been shut out from the

CSM building and no longer can have meetings there or access in the

evening, we are really stuck for a good location that isn't a noisy

cafe or pub - which really isn't suitable or very professional for a

serious design meeting.

I am writing to you in the hope that I can plead for the chance of

*any* available space tomorrow evening at the KX site, for some space

to have our meeting (no equipment needed nor a big space needed, as

there will only be about 4-5 of us at the most, don't even need tables

or chairs if they are not moved in yet) for the sake of the designers

it would be fantastic and very beneficial to visualise and be inspired

from being in the right location at least. And it would really

encourage the support from Mr Tomlinson if he could also see the

location / new london arts building. This meeting would be from about

6:30 / 7:00 - 8:00 pm.

Please can you let me know sometime today? I think I am quite

literally begging you for anything that can be offered.

I apologise for the lack of notice but I have desperately been trying

to find alternative locations for the last week (this meeting was only

confirmed last tuesday eve) and I'm really struggling due to so many

places being shut later in the evening and I can't arrange the meeting

earlier due to the availability from the creative director who is

heavily committed and can't get away early due to deadlines.

Feel free to give me a ring aswell.

Many thanks in advance.

Yours hopefully - Rachel Dunscombe.

London Design Festival

London Design Festival
Design festival (It's Nice That)

Really hoping to have a look at some of this, possibly tuesday this week before the design meeting or friday if I meet up with Bushra for some study.

Contact: James Dyson

Possible contact for advice on patent / protection of a new idea, and how to approach as a CSM masters student with only 11 weeks left until graduate exhibition while sitting on a really big idea, without wanting to rush it for the sake of my MA and leave the idea open for someone else to take. What would he advise?
Surprisingly enough, a friend of the family has a friend who works for dyson who may well be able to get me some contact details for the man himself. I really hope as a fellow CSM student, of which he is alumni from the very same place... that he will be interested and supportive. I wonder if while I'm at it, the Dyson Foundation may be interested in supporting our exhibition? As a room full of new experimental ideas...
James Dyson Foundation - design heroes

Design for Curatorial - meeting with Tomlinson Design next week

I've been putting together the student names in to the idea of periodic table 'elements' as discussed at previous meetings with curatorial, I am also offering design assistance.
Have arranged a meeting with old design colleague Oliver Tomlinson (Tomlinson Designs, London) for some advice and hopefully some info graphics support! Some of the others are coming along too, really hope Hun will have the brand guidelines version 1 ready for tuesday pm.

Struggle vs legal and timescale

I am officially stuck at a bump.
I need to approach companies about developing my idea now, the app etc (e.g. Reality Jockey)
But in order to do so, because of warning and strong advice from numerous companies I need to have some kind of patent or NDA in place before I get companies involved. Because this has been identified as such a breakthrough idea and potentially a really big new development. But for me to get my product to the next step I need some sort of legal protection to stop my idea being basically taken on by someone else. But the legal process takes time and I am worried this is going to hold me up. Is it really right to be forced to throw away ownership of an new idea for the sake of getting a project ready for an exhibition and to a sign off stage? Because the legal side is going to hold me up and I really don't have the time when there is only 11 weeks left until graduate exhibition time. But it isn't right surely, to let someone else potentially take all the credit for my idea and I lose the ownership just for having something to display at the exhibition. I think I really need to contact my tutor Liz about this, because I have to be very careful with such a big idea that I have been told would be a real breakthrough if it could be taken further forward and used by industry and the military for example. As comments stated from Liz and my visit to HSL.
How do I move forward? Without handing away my idea for someone else to take? How can I get companies involved while also protecting the ownership of my idea?

Project summary (original and revised) and email to Tobi for feedback

Spent all friday evening putting together my project summary (original idea and revised idea) for sending to Tobi for external review, and to update my WWHI proforma ready for iteration of question! Took absolutely ages but really worth it as I have a much clearer outline of my progress and feels really good including the external feedback comments to support the developments my project has been going through.

The following is taken from my project summary word documents:

The problem: Protection earplugs for use in a nightclub / loud music event (potentially 6-7 hour exposure to very damaging sound levels) are widely unfavoured with general public / clubbers due to reducing the audibility of the music and ultimately the experience…

There is also a varying level of opinion from people who work in the club/music industry, such as professional dancers, DJs etc. “With earplugs in, we tend to want to have the monitors louder in the DJ booth, which isn’t always good!”*.

*key feedback comments from Jono Grant, DJ (Above and Beyond)

“None of us use earplugs, not only are they pretty uncomfortable but it ruins the experience of the music that I really need to feel to dance to.”*

*key feedback comments from Svetlana Chebysheva, Professional Dancer.

The general public can’t justify the cost of professional/good quality earplugs, which are more comfortable and lose less audibility. This is what is generally used by professional DJs who are generally happy with their plugs.

The solution needed: Isn’t there a cost effective solution to a product for the public, that doesn’t reduce the quality and experience of the music, ideally offering something new and attractive while also providing a level of hearing protection?

May – July 2011

Original idea: Re-imagining protection earplugs for the entertainment industry, to give an intense physical experience of ‘feeling’ music when clubbing. Something to encourage the use of protection plugs for the modern day clubber. “A protection product, that actually offers something to the user. Not just taking something away”*

*key feedback comments from meeting with Liz Brueck, Senior Noise Scientist, Noise and Vibrations team, Health and Safety Laboratory.

(e.g. protection at the cost of enjoyment and experience, the reasons why we ultimately go to nightclubs in the first place.)

“Sometimes the music is just too good and I want to "feel" that loud.”**

**key feedback comments from Tobias Schuh, DJ (Cold Blue).

Method: Feeling music through the effect of bone conduction. Developing a new material for earplugs (research lead: Dow chemical company in USA, R&D in to new materials) that vibrates to the bass frequency in a club / loud music environment. Resulting in a vibration pulse of the bass / beat in the head.

Reflection: Decided to move away from vibration and bone conduction effects of feeling music.

“Bass is a lot less easy to manipulate than treble, you need to focus on the treble which is much more directional.”*

*key feedback comments from meeting with Tom Gunston, Sound and Vibration Consultant, VJ Technology. 

Re: reaction to the idea of bone conduction/vibration incorporated in to a concept protection plug? “I have to admit my initial reaction is sceptical, since it sounds like too niche a product, and I'm currently happy with the ear plugs I have.”*

*key feedback comments from Jono Grant, DJ (Above and Beyond).  

“The ear plugs we use don't really reduce the bass that much, you feel it through your chest as much as anything!”*

*key feedback comments from Tony McGuinness, DJ (Above and Beyond). 

August – current 2011

Revised idea: Re-imagining earplugs for the entertainment industry using active/powered materials (electronics) rather than passive. “In order to get the kind of effect you are after, the only way I think you can achieve this successfully is electronically.”*

*key feedback comments from meeting with Tom Gunston, Sound and Vibration Consultant, VJ Technology. 

Incorporating the idea in to an already ubiquitous product, specifically smartphones (main target) and portable media players as a second possible option.

Objectives:

• Create a ‘soundtrip’ experience using binaural filtering. E.g. changing direction of the music, spinning 360 degrees, creating an almost drug-like effect from manipulation of music.
•  Provide a level of hearing protection of 15-20 dB using greater methods of isolation (comply foam) and filtering of the extreme high and low frequencies that are actually outside audible range.
• Optional isolation frequency settings, focused specifically on speech range and filtering out all other frequencies. This is in order to allow clearer communication between people in loud music environments (e.g. ordering at the bar, dance floor to avoid close range shouting directly in to the ear etc) 
• Accessory club-wear ‘clubpouch’. Slender / minimal but also modern and attractive (paint with UV rubber paint) to answer the problem specifically for female clubbers, of somewhere secure/on person to carry your phone / some money / house key. Without needing pockets or a bag, and still looks really good and doesn’t compromise the ‘clubbing image’. No matter how little clothing is worn (inspiration for teaser campaign / image for artefact and promotion).

Method: Smartphone accessory that incorporates sound isolation earplugs encapsulated with low sensitivity microphones for recording ambient sound of up to 140dB. Isolation of background noise by using comply memory foam (used in the military), also providing enhanced quality of playback due to comply foam providing perfect fit. The foam adjusts shape with body heat to minimise the air pocket inside the ear, removing the barrier between ear and speaker (the push in effect).

In parallel to this, develop a smart phone application which can process ambient input in the ways defined in the objectives and play it back through the earphones in real time (effects through binaural application and speech frequency isolation). I need to focus my research on latency filtering and minimalisation. Next step is to approach Reality Jockey in London, sonic application developers. “We don’t do apps, we craft sonic experiences”.

Reflection: Comments received so far from industry professionals:

“The problem for a lot of sound programmes, processing and playing back gets latency. Latency will be weird as the body relies on feeling the ‘thump’. If the sound is fractionally out, it will create a ‘copper-tube’ effect and it won’t be good.”*

“How long can the app run for without draining the phone battery? As people will likely be running it on their phone for 6 to 7 hours.”*

*key feedback comments from meeting/artefact testing at the Dairy Studio, with Chris Bailey, Producer / DJ.

 “Hearing protection can be a hazard. Protection that doesn’t sacrifice audibility would be extremely valuable in industrial and the military, reducing accidents and fatalities.”**

“This is the best idea I’ve ever heard since slicing bread, and I think you have found the solution to exactly what the entertainment industry needs. As it reduces the risk without reducing the fun.”**

**key feedback comments from meeting with Liz Brueck, Senior Noise Scientist, Noise and Vibration Team, Health and Safety Laboratory.

Anjunabeats forum - hearing damage

Fantastic link from Tobi:


Rach!!

Just found this one:http://forum.anjunabeats.com/topic/52908-your-hearing/page__pid__1121435#entry1121435
Might be interesting for you (in case you don't know it yet).

Ministry of Sound lawsuit - vs property development

Noise legislation vs a tower of flats proposed to be built opposite one of the most famous clubs in the world? I wonder if this noise legislation and media interest on Ministry can be used to my advantage somehow...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/sep/12/ministry-of-sound-council-lawsuit

PM & FINANCE (and splat diary covers)

Finally updated basecamp with the meeting minutes from tuesday 6th. Also put up a list for all students to see who has paid their exhibition fee contribution and who hasn't. Finally, sent out an exhibition funds deadline email outlining key costs and requirements to all students. Think I'm finally up to date with the project managing stuff for this week. Tomorrow will be concentrating on website, brand / logo etc in illustrator ready for business cards (thermo print, motion printing) and uploading notes and photos from HSL visit and testing comply foam in the Dairy Studio with Chris Bailey, and his feedback notes on my artefact.

In oxford today, I bought a new diary in paperchase for starting my reflective journal from september, so I am not permenantly behind by catching up the old diary. Instead I will be writing two. But the cover almost matched my uv 'splat wear' idea for clubpouch accessory inspired by my cyberdog skirt. Gave me the idea of making my own splatwear uv rubberpaint material and covering my journals in it. Also bought black gloss bubble envelopes, for some reason I could imagine making the clubpouch out of a material similar to this effect and it would look... amazing. Cut out samples to go in my reflective journal, and possibly a small concept sample of the pouch to be made out of the offcuts.
Plan to approach cyberdog store in london when I have some sample clubpouches made up, see if they would be interested in stocking for a trial of interest / success in popularity etc. Also possible feedback.

Website, domain and brand well underway!

Last night I purchased http://www.headphix.com/
I have also been setting up and designing my website. Still in layout stages, no content yet but looking wicked. Also uploaded my promotional 'teaser' image which is very popular in feedback for the main home page.... very brave stuff as I'm not wearing anything on my top half  but it's still modest and thank god it's going down so well and is promoting the right "image" to appeal to my target audience, in the opinions of the professionals in industry so far.
Decided on font for brand: porsche 911.
Decided on logo for brand name completely by accident, inspired by two loading'balls' I placed above the 'i' in Headphix. Will rough up in illustrator later today.
Decided on colour for brand: Hexidec #3399ff - to be used with black and white only. (also cheaper on any print jobs! Specifically thinking business cards and exhibition stand catalogue as I can do 2 colour print instead of full colour)
Really want to get full steam ahead with this now, but frustrated due to amout of project manage and finance stuff I have to do since last weeks meeting ready for next week. Goddammit. Too much on my plate...

COLOUR SPEC
R51 G153 B255
C67 M35 Y0 K0

RGB Hexdecimal	3399FF
RGB 0÷255	51, 153, 255
RGB %	20, 60, 100
CMYK %	80, 40, 0, 0
HSV	210°, 80, 100
HSL	210°, 100, 60
CIE-L*ab	62.3, 6.1, -58.8
XYZ	30.8, 30.7, 98.9

HSL Feedback from Liz Brueck (2nd Sept)

Hello Rachel,

It was lovely meeting you on Friday.

I promised you contacts and suggestions for your project work.  I've

attached a couple of notes that I hope will be useful.  The report of the

trial of earplugs in nightclubs by the Tees Valley local authorities was

led by Jonathon Dicken and Andrew McKenna and I wrote the report.

Unfortunately the report was not released to the general public.  Andrew

McKenna is the man who can let you have a copy.

The list of contacts is attached.  And I have added some notes on who they

are and how they might help.

I've also done a note of thoughts on your soundtrip.

Keep having fun.

Liz Brueck

Noise and Vibration Section

Health and Safety Laboratory

Harpur Hill

Buxton

Derbyshire  SK17 9JN

Tel 01298 218387

Fax 01298 218395

(See attached file: Rachel Dunscombe - contact details of other people.doc)

(See attached file: Rachel Dunscombe advice.doc)

CONTACT OF OTHER PEOPLE

Nick Mayne   

Commercial Health

Canterbury City Council

Military Road

Canterbury, CT1 1YW

Nick.Mayne@canterbury.gov.uk

01227 862221

Nick is a star and has led a Kent wide initiative to control occupational exposure in music and entertainment venues.  As well as that his initial project in Canterbury researched the attitude of people regularly attending loud venues and he contacted local hospitals and medical professionals concerned with hearing to ask whether they were seeing people with hearing problems linked to exposure to music.  His methods have been taken up by a lot of other local authorities.

Andrew McKenna

Principal Environmental Health Officer

Redcar and Cleveland Council

01287 612414

andrew_mckenna@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk

Jonathon Dicken

Environmental Health Unit                                   

Stockton Borough Council                                   

16 Church Road                                   

Stockton on Tees TS18 1XD                                   

Jonathon.Dicken@stockton.gov.uk           

Jonathon and Andrew led a project across the Tees Valley local authorities to raise awareness of the risks to hearing in music and entertainment venues.  They also tackled the problem of getting workers at risk to use hearing protection.  They did a trial of 5 different types of earplug in venues with help from HSL.  HSL produced the report for them.  Andrew is the person who has the authority to release this report outside central or local government.  If you can’t get hold of that they also produced some leaflets and information for venues following the work.  This has a lot of useful information in it and has been distributed freely by them.                       

Mr Leigh Chant | Senior Environmental Health Officer| Breckland Council

Elizabeth House, Walpole Loke, Dereham, Norfolk, NR19 1EE

Office: 01362 656870 | Direct Dial: 01362 656814 | Fax: 01362 656835

leigh.chant@breckland.gov.uk

Sue Thomas

Public Protection (Health and Safety)

Norwich City Council

St Peters Street

Norwich

NR2 1NH

t: 01603 212294   f: 01603 213000   m: 07818038243

SueThomas@norwich.gov.uk

Leigh led a campaign to raise awareness of the risks to workers in venues across Norfolk.  He and Sue Thomas (Norwich City Council) have done a lot of work with venues and are both very keen..  Sue is keeping on with a real up hill struggle getting either hearing protection or noise controls into venues.  She could give you some wonderful tales of what its like working with venues.

Gillian Clarke                                   

Environmental Health                                   

Milton Keynes Council                                   

Civic offices                                   

1 Saxon Gate East                                   

Central Milton-Keynes                                   

MK9 3HH                                   

Gillian.Clarke@Milton-keynes.gov.uk

Gillian has often been monitoring noise exposure at the Bowl at Milton Keynes.  I’ve included her because she is perhaps not so far from you.  She too has often visited us here.  If you wanted access to some venues not so far from home then she might be able to help.

Alan Bradshaw

Senior Practitioner (Noise)

Westminster City Council

Env. Sciences.

Environmental Health Consultation Team

4th Floor (West)

City Hall

64 Victoria Street

London SW1E 6QP

Tel: 020 7641 3119

Fax:020 7641 3436

E.mail: abradshaw@westminster.gov.uk

Alan Bradshaw is both an Environmental Health Officer and a lecturer in acoustics.  He does a lot of speaking and lecturing on the issue of noise in music and entertainment for EHOs and is really up on what is happening.  Plus he is a real gem of a person.

David Horrocks

Chartered Environmental Health Consultant

17 Starlight Way

St Albans

Herts AL4 0JH

enquiries@davehorrockssehs.co.uk

David Horrocks is a commercial consultant.  I’ve delivered CIEH training courses with him.  He provides advice on noise control to music and entertainment premises and has done lots of work with holiday camps (Butlins, Pontins etc).  He really is up on what sort of sound system gadgets are being produced and used in venues.

David A. Leonard

Global Hearing Sales / Marketing Consultant

Sperian Hearing Protection, Now Part of HONEYWELL,

Mobile 0044 (0) 7785 228487

E-Mail dleonard@sperian.com

David Leonard is based in Macclesfield, and works for Sperian Hearing Protection.  He is a wonderful bouncy grandfather with far too much energy for his age.  Sperian own the Howard Leight, and Bilsom hearing  protector brands.  They are also into producing gadgets linked to hearing protection.  Examples are Quiet dose (a device to measure noise exposure behind hearing protection, VeriPro (a device to measure hearing protector attenuation on an individual).  They produce some unobtrusive probed earplugs for use with their Quiet Dose that would take a small earphone input – so are a source should you want to use your device with a wider range of probed earplugs.  They also have a commercial eye for good ideas.  Its best contacting him by e-mail as he travels around the world.  He usually responds very quickly.

Mohammed Saleem | Advanced European Technical Specialist

3M Occupational Health & Environmental Safety Group

3M Centre, Cain Road, Bracknell Berkshire, | United Kingdom

Office: 01344 857755 | Mobile: 07768 560506 | Fax: 01344 858422 | Triminet: 8 230 3755

msaleem1@mmm.com | www.3M.com

Mohammed is an international hearing protection expert working for 3M who own the EAR and Peltor brands.  Like Sperian, 3M are into gadgets to do with hearing protection.  Mohammed is a very intelligent, gentle, and genuine person.  He might be able to take on your idea as a commercial project.

ADVICE FROM LIZ

Thoughts on Rachel Dunscombe’s Soundtrip – Liz Brueck Health and Safety Laboratory

Keep the effects to the higher frequency range

Hearing protection usually provides higher attenuation at high frequencies than at low frequencies.  If you want to supplement the sound attenuated by your earplug with your soundtrip effects you are best producing these effects at the higher frequencies.  Low frequencies may be hardly attenuated at all by low attenuation earplugs.  So if you put effects in at these low frequencies you could end up increasing rather than decreasing noise exposures.  Again if you want to enhance speech reproducing the high frequencies will take off the muffling that removes the consonants from speech.

CE marking of the hearing protection

If you want to provide your device as hearing protection for people at work it will need to be CE marked.  This is a requirement of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations.  There are two relevant standards that you would need to comply with to obtain the CE mark, and you would need the product to be tested to confirm conformity.  The standards are BS EN 352-2:2002 (containing the general requirements for earplugs) and BS EN 352-7:2002 (containing the requirements for sound restoration characteristics).  This last standard would cover the speech enhancement but you may not be able to keep the trippy effects in something used for work.  Salford University and Southampton University have facilities for the testing of hearing protection.  This is an expensive process.  You would need advice on the development of your soundtrip in order to ensure compliance. 

One way of perhaps avoiding the need for CE mark testing is to make your app compatible with an earpiece that is already CE marked, and has built in limiting of the electrical signal providing the earpiece sound.

CE marking, as above, is not required if the soundtrip is to be used solely to enhance the sound experience of the general public.  However, I don’t know if other CE mark requirements outside of my field may apply.

Sources of probed earplugs

3M produce a range of probed earplugs.  I gave you some examples.  These are produced for use with their E-A-Rfit system that uses microphones to measure the sound level inside and outside the ear when earplugs are worn.  These may be useful for trialling bits and pieces, but the earplugs (except for the Christmas tree shaped one) are single use only and would not stand up to a lot of refitting.  Sperian have some more rugged and less obtrusive ones that they make for use with their Quiet Dose. 

There are also in-ear monitors used on stage, or you could try people like www.sensorcom.com who do earphones with passive attenuation as well.  Other companies producing communication earpieces will have ones that provide attenuation of the background sound too.  This is where you might find some with CE marking already.