Book Review: Riding the Waves

On the shoulders of Giants – By Don Davis

A Book Review: Riding the Waves – A life in Sound, Science, and Industry by Leo Berank

At a still vigorous 93 years, this book relates his triumphs, tragedies, and the fact that he was a magnet to top notch mentors throughout his career. In 1934, Leo Beranek was working at Collins Radio, living in a dollar-a-week room, when he had a chance encounter …

I had my first interface with Leo Beranek in 1954 when he asked to obtain a Klipschhorn for “acoustic impedance” tests. I was Klipsch’s New England rep at that time. It turned out that Mr. Beranek was measuring both particle velocity, displacement, and momentum at that time, as well as pressure.

Again, in the early 1960s I called on the Bolt, Beranek & Newman, BB&N, Chicago office as the Altec representative. Because I was training several of the Altec contractors in acoustic measurements, the BB&N staff was exceptionally friendly, both toward my efforts and the more knowledgeable sound contractors.

When I wrote to ask Dr. Beranek for a copy of the restricted ratings he had done for the halls in his book on the world’s concert halls, he did me the honor of sending me an autographed copy of the list, though it had meant to be available only to the most professional consultants. That list remained confidential and is now owned by Mary Gruszka.

In the late 1960s, Dr. Beranek visited our home in Tustin, CA, where I went over in detail the Altec Acousta-Voicing filtering program, and comparisons with other systems with the result that BB&N used our Altec system.

His earlier experiences with Altec personnel who had been Hollywood ERPI engineers, led to his choosing ERPI sound measuring equipment for Harvard’s Cruft Lab measurement work on aircraft during WWII. (ERPI, Electrical Research Products Inc.)

Later when Beranek was the President of the AES, and I was a director, we shared many occasions. My experiences with him revealed an energetic, inquisitive mind in a warm, friendly personality that was always thoughtful and considerate of younger colleagues. Lyle Yerges, Ron McKay, Dave Klepper, Rolly Brook, George Kapperman, Pete Tappen, Ted Schultz, and many other remarkable workers in the acoustic field worked with for Dr.Beranek.

At a still vigorous 93 years, this book relates his triumphs, tragedies, and the fact that he was a magnet to top notch mentors throughout his career. In 1934, Leo Beranek was working at Collins Radio, living in a dollar-a-week room, when he had a chance encounter, “I was strolling down main street when I came across a Cadillac with Massachusetts plates standing at the curb with a flat tire. Beside it was a well-dressed man looking glum. When I asked him if I could help he jumped at the offer. As I worked away with the jack and lug nuts, we engaged in a friendly exchange. I told him I was between my junior and senior years at nearby Cornell College and how I wanted to go to graduate school, but could not afford it unless I were to obtain a scholarship…At the mention of my work as a radio repairman, he perked right up. ‘Radio is my business,’ he said”.

The man was Glen Browning, famous for the Browning Tuner among other things and a former Harvard engineering instructor. He gave Beranek two names and addresses at Harvard, one for admissions and the other for scholarships, “Use my name as a reference.” In 1936, after he graduated from Cornell College, Beranek did so and the rest is history.

Startling to me was the fact that in 1955, Dr. Beranek was asked to teach Ernst Guillemin’s class in circuit theory at MIT. The reason Guillemin’s books are totally relevant today is the fact that he proposed any fundamental source and any fundamental load and thoroughly described the passive linear networks required in-between. It bespeaks of remarkable talent that Beranek was chosen for this task at that time.

For those of you in the sound business, the perfidy of the architects and owners in first helping to modify what might have been a successful design, followed by protection of the guilty and persecution of the innocent, follows a classic pattern. It has been said that an artist can paint a “Rembrandt,” which the owner smears over with daubs of his own paint, and then displays it with the original artist’s signature still in place in the lower right hand corner. It is the role of the consultant to be the unfortunate artist. Still another bitter consultant once said that customers approach consultants with “we have the secretary pregnant, will you take the blame?” Beranek’s Lincoln Center project had all the above elements. That Beranek didn’t “blow up” but simply went on to other successes says a great deal about his own knowledge of his self-worth.

I highly recommend this book to Syn-Aud-Con readers as a history of many audio, as well as acoustic events, from the 5-gram pickups through bookshelf loudspeakers, to the world’s largest muffler. dbd

A side note from Carolyn Davis:

I started working with Don on Acousta-Voicing in the late 60s after his boss at Altec sent Don home to work in his own lab on the Acousta-Voicing project. Don needed a helper and I found it very interesting. I started attending AES meetings and conventions with Don. At that time I rarely saw another woman at the meetings. I decided to apply for membership in AES. I was turned down, saying I could be an Associate Member. I wrote that I didn’t want to be an Associate Member and included a new application, only this time it was signed by Dr. Leo Beranek, Dr. John Hilliard, and Jim Noble, Chief Engineer at Altec.. I became a member, and later, a Fellow of the AES. cpd

Tribute to W.M.A. Peutz (1926-2008) by Don Davis

Mr. Peutz was the flawless example of an upper class European gentleman of the old school. He was extremely brilliant, well-schooled, very innovative, widely traveled, multilingual, an exceptional husband and father, and a gifted researcher, teacher and theoretician.

Victor Peutz was one of very few people who could converse with Richard Heyser on the same level. Well trained in Quantum physics, Sorbonne, a true classic mathematician, his match is not likely to be found today. He became a living legend with his collected works published by the Netherlands Acoustical Society during his lifetime. He was the owner of Peutz & Associates, an acoustical consulting firm with offices all over the world, with some 80 employees.

V.M.A. Peutz was perhaps best known for his contribution of the Percentage Articulation Loss of Consonants to the audio and acoustics community. %Alcon’s is supported by all major room measurement programs.

Hundreds of Syn-Aud-Con grads had the opportunity to attend seminars and workshops that Mr. Peutz addressed. Mr. Peutz was a dear friend to Carolyn and me. When we first took Pat to Europe in 1994, Mr. & Mrs. Peutz opened their gracious home to us.

We are grateful such men lived. We mourn Mr. Peutz’s passing and we honor his memory.