Professor Rob Toulson
Music Producer / Digital Innovator
Skills and Expertise
Mobile application development
Music production
Sound engineering
Audio electronics
Digital signal processing
Embedded systems design
Internet of things
Rapid prototyping
Acoustics and vibration analysis
Acoustic design and testing
Modelling and simulation
Interactive digital music
Commercial music analysis
User experience design and testing
Automotive electronics
Control systems design
Cross-disciplinary research
Digital social media
E-learning
Project management
Quality assurance
Environmental management
Software Expertise
Music Production Software Expertise :
Audio Recording and Mixing - with Pro Tools, Logic and Abelton Live, utilising all aspects of production including advanced midi production and thrid-party signal processing tools from developers including Waves, Nugen, iZotope, FXpansion and Sonnox. Using these tools, alongside analogue processing units, I have recorded and mixed a number of commercially succesfull music releases.
Audio Mastering - wth Soundblade and Wavelab software, and associated signal processors and meters for loudness and quality analysis by third party developers including Nugen, iZotope, Universal Audio and Sonnox. Using these tools, alongside analogue processing units, I have mastered a number of comemrcially succesfull music releases.
Engineering Software Expertise:
Swift and Objective-C - Development of mobile applications in Apple Xcode utilising the Swift and Objective-C languages. My applications have focused around audio recording, analysis, manipulation and playback and my iDrumTune app, developed in Swift and Objective-C has been the number one music app in 44 countries and sold over 50,000 downloads since its launch in 2012.
Matlab - 16 years of professional research and development experience designing DSP and control system algorithms with Matlab, utilising all major toolboxes and developing advanced handle graphics user interfaces. In particular I have used Matlab for designing frequency analysis and digital audio processing algorithms, automated audio testing, audio fingerprinting, automatic vibration analysis, acoustic system modelling and research data management.
Simulink - Advanced professional experience with Simulink and Stateflow, utilising Real-Time Workshop for rapid prototyping, particularly in the automotive industry working for clients including Aston Martin, Jaguar, Volvo and Ford. Physical system simulation with Simulink for modelling hybrid vehicles and predicting fuel economy.
Embedded C/C++ Programming - C programming for embedded vibration analysis and automotive control systems, as well as teaching embedded C to undergraduate electronics students. My book, Fast and Effective Embedded Systems Design is essentially a course in C for electronics engineers.
Professional Experience
Founder and Director RT Sixty Ltd (2019 – ongoing)
Key responsibilities: mobile application development; research and development in music and audio technologies; marketing and commercialisation; business management; project management.
Professor of Creative Industries: Commercial Music University of Westminster (2016 - ongoing )
Key responsibilities: research leadership; income and impact generation; grant application and bid writing mentoring; PhD student supervision; conference organisation; international dissemination.
Director of the CoDE Research Institute Anglia Ruskin University (2011 – 2016 )
Key responsibilities: research project and research staff management; income generation; grant application and bid writing mentoring; PhD student supervision; conference organisation; international dissemination.
Senior Lecturer in Electronics and Music Technology Anglia Ruskin University (2005 – 2011)
Key responsibilities: MSc course leader; research and knowledge transfer; grant applications; direct industrial consultancy; research publications; intellectual property development; course design and teaching.
Electronic Control Systems Engineer Pi-Shurlok Ltd (2002 - 2005)
Key responsibilities: electronic system architect; embedded control system design with C/C++; model based design and rapid prototyping with Matlab/Simulink; physical system modelling; customer liaison.
DSP Design Engineer Harpley Engineering Ltd (1999 - 2002)
Key responsibilities; DSP algorithm design with Matlab; intellectual property development; embedded control systems design with C/assembler; project management and quality management.
Academic Qualifications
PhD in Digital Signal Analysis and Processing Anglia Ruskin University (1999 – 2004)
BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering Loughborough University (1996 – 1999)
PGCHE (Postgraduate Teaching Certificate in Higher Education) Anglia Ruskin University (2005-2006)
Professional Awards and Memberships
CEng MIET Chartered Engineer and Member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology
FHEA Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Member of the Audio Engineering Society, member of the AES UK Section Committee and founder of the AES Cambridge UK Section
Member of the UK Music Producers Guild and the European Broadcasting Unit’s PLOUD group
Member of the Brit Awards Voting Committee.
My full professional Curriculum Vitae can be accessed here: Dr Rob Toulson Curriculum Vitae