Michael John Smithers
Principal and Founder of Eclipse Audio, Michael Smithers is an accomplished audio specialist with nearly 30 years of experience in audio signal processing, measurement, and loudspeaker system design. He also serves in a complementary role as Director of Research & Development at Rational Acoustics.
Michael began his career in signal processing in the late 1990s, first joining Motorola Labs for a couple of years before moving to Dolby Laboratories, where he spent 25 years and advanced to a senior research role within the Sound Technology group. His work contributed to innovations in perceptual audio coding, audio watermarking, loudness measurement, automotive audio, and cinema sound, including Dolby Atmos.
Michael’s contributions to broadcast and entertainment technologies have been recognized with two Technical & Engineering Emmy® Awards.
Throughout his career, Michael has developed deep expertise in electroacoustics and loudspeaker/room interaction, informed by both research and hands-on system design. He holds more than 40 patents in audio processing and loudspeaker technology and has authored eleven papers for the Audio Engineering Society and the IEEE (ICASSP).
Michael holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering (Signal Processing) from the University of Wollongong.
Awards Received
2009 Technology, Science & Engineering EMMY
Dolby DP600 Program Optimizer
2021 Technology, Science & Engineering EMMY
The Philo T. Farnsworth Award (Dolby)
Published Papers
Perceptual Assessment of Distortion in Low-Frequency Loudspeakers
147th AES Convention Paper – 2019
An Acoustic Model of the Tapped Horn Loudspeaker
145th AES Convention Paper – 2018
Improved Stero Imaging in Automobiles
123rd AES Convention Paper – 2007
Next Generation Automotive Sound Research and Technologies
120th AES Convention Paper – 2006
A Method for Characterizing and Identifying Audio Based on Auditory Scene Analysis
118th AES Convention Paper – 2005
A New Objective Measure of Perceived Loudness
117th AES Convention Paper- 2004
Ultra high quality, video frame synchronous audio coding
114th AES Convention Paper- 2003
Ultra high quality, video frame synchronous audio coding
Journal of the AES Article- 2023
Increased Efficiency MPEG-2 AAC Encoding
111th AES Convention Paper- 2001
Low-Latency Encoding for Consumer Applications
111th AES Convention Paper – 2001
Decomposition of speech into voiced and unvoiced components based on a state-space signal model
2003 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, 2003.
Patents Authored
A non-exhaustive selection of granted (B2) and published (A1) U.S. patents authored by Michael Smithers. Most have also been filed internationally, with related patents issued in 26 countries.
US-20250358583-A1 (2025-11-20)
Immersive audio fading
US-20250069607-A1 (2025-02-27)
Adaptive processing with multiple media processing nodes
US20240373184A1 (2024-11-07)
A Method Of Processing Audio For Playback Of Immersive Audio
US11477601B2 (2022-10-18)
Methods and devices for bass management
US11463832B2 (2022-10-04)
Reducing unwanted sound transmission
US11184706B2 (2021-11-23)
Loudspeaker excursion protection
US11006212B2 (2021-05-11)
Upward firing loudspeaker having asymmetric dispersion for reflected sound rendering
US10959034B2 (2021-03-23)
Reducing unwanted sound transmission
US10880636B2 (2020-12-29)
Audio speaker with full-range upward firing driver for reflected sound projection
US10812895B2 (2020-10-20)
Multi-driver loudspeaker with cross-coupled dual wave-columns
US10602263B2 (2020-03-24)
Planar loudspeaker manifold for improved sound dispersion
US10595128B2 (2020-03-17)
Passive and active virtual height filter systems for upward firing drivers
US10425723B2 (2019-09-24)
Upward firing loudspeaker having asymmetric dispersion for reflected sound rendering
US10313793B2 (2019-06-04)
Passive and active virtual height filter systems for upward firing drivers
US10283137B2 (2019-05-07)
Device and method for tuning a frequency-dependent attenuation stage
US10090817B2 (2018-10-02)
System and method for leveling loudness variation in an audio signal
US9986338B2 (2018-05-29)
Reflected sound rendering using downward firing drivers
US9960742B2 (2018-05-01)
System and method for leveling loudness variation in an audio signal
US9842596B2 (2017-12-12)
Adaptive processing with multiple media processing nodes
US9806688B2 (2017-10-31)
System and method for leveling loudness variation in an audio signal
US9754578B2 (2017-09-05)
Loudspeaker horn and cabinet
US20170251296A1 (2017-08-31)
Loudspeaker With Narrow Dispersion
US9584083B2 (2017-02-28)
Loudness modification of multichannel audio signals
US9564139B2 (2017-02-07)
Audio data hiding based on perceptual masking and detection based on code multiplexing
US9306524B2 (2016-04-05)
Audio signal loudness determination and modification in the frequency domain
US9269363B2 (2016-02-23)
Audio data hiding based on perceptual masking and detection based on code multiplexing
US8892426B2 (2014-11-18)
Audio signal loudness determination and modification in the frequency domain
US8761415B2 (2014-06-24)
Controlling the loudness of an audio signal in response to spectral localization
US8731215B2 (2014-05-20)
Loudness modification of multichannel audio signals
US8600074B2 (2013-12-03)
Loudness modification of multichannel audio signals
US8504181B2 (2013-08-06)
Audio signal loudness measurement and modification in the MDCT domain
US8488811B2 (2013-07-16)
Audio-peak limiting in slow and fast stages
US8437482B2 (2013-05-07)
Method, apparatus and computer program for calculating and adjusting the perceived loudness of an audio signal
US8396574B2 (2013-03-12)
Audio processing using auditory scene analysis and spectral skewness
US8239050B2 (2012-08-07)
Economical loudness measurement of coded audio
US8032385B2 (2011-10-04)
Method for correcting metadata affecting the playback loudness of audio information
US8019095B2 (2011-09-13)
Loudness modification of multichannel audio signals
US20090304213A1 (2009-12-10)
Stereophonic Sound Imaging
US20090299756A1 (2009-12-03)
Ratio of speech to non-speech audio such as for elderly or hearing-impaired listeners
US7617109B2 (2009-11-10)
Method for correcting metadata affecting the playback loudness and dynamic range of audio information
US7508947B2 (2009-03-24)
Method for combining audio signals using auditory scene analysis
US7461002B2 (2008-12-02)
Method for time aligning audio signals using characterizations based on auditory events
US7292902B2 (2007-11-06)
Frame-based audio transmission/storage with overlap to facilitate smooth crossfading
US7283954B2 (2007-10-16)
Comparing audio using characterizations based on auditory events
US6980933B2 (2005-12-27)
Coding techniques using estimated spectral magnitude and phase derived from MDCT coefficients
