User:Sschung110/Talaske Group

The Talaske Group, Inc. is an acoustical consulting company located in Oak Park, IL. Talaske was founded by the the President and Principle Consultant, Richard Talaske, and has a staff of eight consultants. Talaske performs room acoustics design, acoustic isolation design, noise control design, audio and video system design, and acoustical consulting for both local and international clients, working for both renovations and new construction.

Talaske's vision is to "fashion acoustic soundscapes, aural and visual tools for artistic freedom, communication, productivity, and human experience." Talaske not only designs for music, but for vibration and noise control as well, since the acoustics of a building are fundamental to a building's success. As a sound consultant, Talaske often works with architects to advise on features that provide quality sound.

One of Talaske's greater accomplishments was setting up the acoustics of the outdoor concert venue Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park, using the LARES sound system and the sound-reflecting bandshell design to produce an even quality of sound throughout the whole venue. A majority of their work goes into building performing arts centers, theaters, and music venues.

History
Talaske first started out as the Joiner-Rose Group, Inc.'s Chicago branch in 1987. The office was renamed as the Talaske-Joiner Group in March of 1988, and in 1990 the name was changed again to the current name of The Talaske Group, Inc.

The headquarters is a historic atrium building, formerly belonging to a furrier. While serving as offices to the consultants, the building also includes a sound testing lab.

Consultants
There are eight consultants that work as Talaske Group; these consultants are divided into two teams, architecture and audio visual. Richard Talaske leads the architecture group while Aaron Downey heads the AV team. All the consultants have some background in music and engineering.

Richard Talaske
As the President and Principal Consultant, Richard Talaske comes from an engineering background, with a bachelor's degree in Science and Engineering from University of Michigan, and a master's degree in Architectural Acoustics from Penn State University. After graduating, he spent eight years as an acoustic architect for Kirkegaard and Associates, Inc. until 1987. Afterwards, he opened his own firm, which has evolved into what is now Talaske.

Aaron Downey
Aaron Downey is the Principal Audio and Video Consultant for Talaske, with a background in Mathematics and Computer Science, as well as years of experience as a technician and sound engineer.

Chris Kusek
Chris Kusek is an audio and video consultant for Talaske, having experience as a disc jockey, production assistant for both a radio and television station, and having an education in Audio Arts in Acoustics.

Hans Michel
Hans Michel serves as a technical assistant, having a technical background in physics, acoustics, psychoacoustics and electrical engineering, as well as being a performing musician with experience of building instruments and amplifiers.

Clete Davis
Clete Davis is the senior noise control consultant, with an extensive background in consulting and engineering. He has a very long history as a project manager, field engineer, and as a noise control specialist.

John Strong
John Strong serves as another technical assistant, with a educational background in electrical engineering, music theory, and architectural acoustics.

Eckhard Kahle
Eckhard Kahle is the associated consultant and European liason, having received a Ph.D in Physics with special research in physics and room acoustics.

George Wilson
George Wilson acts as the associated vibration control consultant, a Ph.D holder that specializes in vibration control. His input helps with evaluating project site vibration environments.

Projects
Talaske has handled many prestigious projects, both locally and internationally. Some of the local work includes designing the sound for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Adler Planetarium, and Chicago's Symphony Center. Talske performs consulting work for concert halls, repertory theatres, educational facilities, recording & broadcasting rooms, libraries & museums, conference & convention rooms, houses of worship, commercial, and residential places. One of the most notable projects done by Talaske is the Jay Pritzker Pavilion located in Millennium Park, Chicago.

Some of the projects that Talaske has done are:


 * Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millenium Park
 * Wentz Concert Hall at North Central College
 * Old Town School of Folk Music
 * Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater
 * Steppenwolf Theatre
 * Sidney Harman Hall

Research
Talaske dedicates its understanding of their work by doing extensive research to build up their resources and expertise. Research is done through computer models and physical models. Software like AutoCAD and Revit are used to perform physical building modeling, while acoustic and audio modeling computer software programs such as CATT-Acoustic software and EASE are used to perform sound analysis.

Publications and Presentations

 * The Room Acoustics of Large Spaces

Professional Organizations
Talaske is a member of the following professional organizations :
 * Acoustical Society of America (ASA)
 * American Association of Museums (AAM)
 * American Symphony Orchestra League (ASOL)
 * Audio Engineering Society (AES)
 * Building Industry Consulting Service Internationa, Inc. (BICSI)
 * International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA)
 * InfoCom
 * National Sound Contractors Association (NSCA)
 * National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)
 * Performing Arts Facility Administrators Seminar (PAFAS)
 * United States Institute of Theatre Technology (USITT)