We’re excited to kick off Expert Insights, a new content series where we invite our engineers, researchers, and specialists to share their thoughts, challenges, and ideas with our community. From technical breakthroughs to lessons learned along the way, this series offers a behind-the-scenes look at the people driving innovation at Brandenburg Labs.
In our first edition, we talked with Renato Profeta, one of our audio engineers. With a background in electrical engineering and a diverse range of industry experience, from working as a control systems engineer in the mining sector to developing software for home automation, Renato brings a unique, multidisciplinary lens to his work. He shares his thoughts on the future of immersive audio and what excites him most about machine learning.
What first sparked your interest in audio signal processing and machine learning, coming from an electrical engineering background?
Before I ever stepped into engineering, I was a musician, playing gigs several times a week in small pubs and clubs. Later, while studying sound engineering at the SAE Institute Liverpool, I gained hands-on experience in recording studios and worked on a radio show at BBC Merseyside. One thing led to another, and I found myself drawn toward a more technical path, eventually pursuing a career in engineering with a focus on audio signal processing and music technology. Machine learning came into the picture much later, during my PhD studies at TU Ilmenau, when it was still a niche topic in academia, full of potential and exciting possibilities.
How did your early work experiences (e.g., mining control systems, home automation) shape your approach to immersive audio?
To be honest, life gave me lemons, and I had to make lemonade. Music wasn’t paying the bills, and opportunities in audio signal processing R&D are almost nonexistent in many parts of the world. I come from a mining region in Brazil, where most engineering jobs are tied to the mining industry, so I did what I had to do. The upside is that these experiences gave me a broad, generalist view of engineering. I became comfortable working across disciplines, which turns out to be incredibly valuable in the field of immersive audio, where a multidisciplinary approach is key.
Which part of your work excites you the most?
What excites me the most is the chance to do something that no one has done before. Immersive audio is a promising and evolving field, filled with opportunities for innovation and disruption. That potential to break new ground keeps my work deeply engaging and impactful.
What’s something non-technical that inspires your technical work?
Music is at the heart of why I work with audio. It’s a constant source of inspiration, both in my professional work and in my personal life.
If you could magically speed up one challenge in audio tech, what would it be?
My view might be a bit counterintuitive; I feel that people are moving away from music and sound as an organic experience. The biggest challenge in audio technology, in my opinion, is to develop new solutions that are more affordable and accessible, but without losing the natural, organic essence of sound and music.
How do you keep up with the fast-moving audio technology field?
It’s definitely tricky, almost impossible to keep up with everything. With machine learning advancing at such an exponential pace, new developments happen constantly. Instead of trying to follow every update, I focus on building a strong foundation in the fundamentals, which allows me to understand and adapt to new technologies as needed.
What do you think larger companies can learn from smaller R&D teams?
As the saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Smaller R&D teams often operate with limited resources and are deeply involved in every stage of research, development, and production. This hands-on approach keeps them flexible and enables them to quickly adapt to challenges as they come up, a valuable lesson for larger companies to stay agile and responsive.