Peter Scheiber is a classically trained
musician and
audio engineer. He is considered to be the originator of multichannel ''matrix'' audio formats, a mathematical formula used to convert four audio channels into two and back again.
Scheiber is also the inventor of the 360-degree spatial decoder. Like
Lou Dorren, Scheiber was an early pioneer of multi-channel sound.
In matrix
quadraphonic systems four channels are converted (encoded) down to two channels. These two matrixed channels are recorded onto tape or
vinyl record
A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...
. Reproduction occurs via a
two-channel stereo transmission medium - in most cases a vinyl record - these are decoded back to four channels and reproduced via four loudspeakers.
Musician
Scheiber an
Oberlin College music graduate obtained a full scholarship to study with the first-chair players of the
Boston Symphony at Tanglewood. He was 22 years of age when he got to study with
Chicago Symphony's first bassoonist. He also played first-chair in the Chicago Chamber Orchestra. During his professional career, he played with the
Ottawa Philharmonic and
Dallas Symphony orchestras. Around 1977 his bassoon was stolen from the trunk of his car and according to the May 2007 article in ''
Indianapolis Monthly'' and he never replaced it. Also later, being called on to play there would be reasons not to play such as a missing reed or music.
Audio career
Peter Scheiber was born in
Croton-on-Hudson in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
in 1935. He grew up in
Peekskill. From an early age, passionate about music and technology, he had a workbench in his bedroom for experimenting with his gadgets. He later earned a scholarship at
Tanglewood Music Center and played with the
Chicago Symphony. Later, as a professional, he was a member of orchestras in Ottawa and Texas.
In 1967 Scheiber, then a 32-year-old
bassoonist, came up with the idea of encoding four channels of sound in two channels and decoding them back to four. He sold a
patent license
A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
to CBS.
Peter Scheiber would eventually take legal action against
Dolby Laboratories
Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (often shortened to Dolby Labs and known simply as Dolby) is an American company specializing in audio noise reduction, audio encoding/compression, spatial audio, and HDR imaging. Dolby licenses its technologies to ...
and Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corp for infringement of his patents.
During his career he has worked with
Jim Fosgate of Fosgate Electronics and
Tate
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
surround technology.
[''The Routledge Guide to Music Technology'', By Thom Holmes ]
Fosgate, James, December 5, 1937-
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scheiber, Peter
1935 births
People from Cortland County, New York
20th-century American inventors
Living people