AES Automotive Audio 2026 Is Revving Up
After two years of planning the follow-up to the successful Gothenburg conference, it’s time for ShivelyAcoustics International (SAI) and partners at the Audio Engineering Society (AES) to put this car into drive.
Returning conference chair Roger Shively and the rest of the organizing committee, and the audio industry at large, are ready for showtime in Motown at the end of July. With only weeks to go, the SAI Blog is here for a final event brief.
Essentials
AES Automotive Audio 2026 International Conference
Dates: July 29-31, 2026
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
Venue: Huntington Place
Website: auto.aes.org
Registration is still open and will be all the way up through the event.
Don’t miss your chance to attend — register now!
Automotive Audio — Detroit 2026
The sixth iteration of the conference is picking up where its predecessor left off, aiming to continue the growth trend seen in terms of both attendance and relevance to the sector as its premier event.
Bold and direct, the tag “Automotive Audio in the AI Era” positions the conference at the forefront of the immediate changes and future trends facing the world of automotive audio as it is undergoing an unprecedented paradigm shift defined by the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV). Immersive cabin sound, advanced DSP, acoustic challenges unique to electric and autonomous fleets – these will be the throughlines anchoring the event, where AES promises “the roadmap for the future of cabin sound is drawn”.
While we’ll have to wait until the doors open to begin the official visitor count, the conference has already attracted a record number of exhibitors and sponsors, the latter having now more than doubled original expectations with the call still out until July 10.
Content-wise, things have also never looked better. By the time the deadline closed, a record 37 technical papers and 14 workshop proposals had been submitted — far too many for a three-day event, unfortunately, but a great “problem” to have nonetheless. Making the final selections proved quite a challenge for the committee, in fact, given the overall quality of the batch. “All the content is at a very high level – which may be a first,” Roger reported. “We had to move some technical presentations to poster sessions to ensure we could showcase as many as possible throughout the three days.” Ultimately, there was room for 24 technical papers – with another 9 converted to poster presentations – and 12 workshops.
A particular standout was submitted by Minsuk Choi, PhD candidate at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. “His paper was outstanding,” Roger said, “so we converted it to an invited paper as one of the keynote addresses.” Choi’s paper, “DDSP-based Neural Vehicle Sound Synthesis Conditioned on Driving Signals”, will serve as the conference’s third and final keynote, rounding things off on Friday, July 31. This one is a must-see, folks, so mark your timetables now!
The other keynotes at AES Automotive Audio this year include “A History of Sound Recording and Innovation at Abbey Road Studios” given on July 29 by Mirek Stiles, Head of Audio Products at Abbey Road Studios, and “Subjective Evaluation of Automotive Audio Systems” given on July 30 by Sean Olive of Sean Olive Audio Consulting.
The conference is set to be in a constant state of activity. Following the keynote addresses, the technical papers and workshops will take the stage, running over the course of each day right alongside the exhibits in the same room. And with video screens and wireless audio available in the exhibition space, visitors can watch or listen to the talks while they explore the rest. Posters will be on display throughout the event.
Not to mention the Mobile Immersive Rig (MIR), an immersive audio room that will feature listening experiences, or the road demos held outside during the day complementing all the stationary ones inside. Check out the full schedule, where you can get the complete picture or filter by topic to find your personal can’t-miss.
Last but not least, the conference will host evening events to conclude the first two days, with food and drink inside the exhibition hall until the sun goes down.
Webinar to wet your whistle
But if you just can’t wait until the end of July to get your automotive audio fix, we got you. Last week towards the end of June, we went live with the Audio Product Development Alliance and guest David Prince of Lucid Motors for a special webinar in the lead-up to the AES conference. Let the anticipation build up inside you even more with APDA Webinar #18, “Automotive Audio in the AI Era: Inside Lucid’s High-End Sound Experience”.
The alliance will also be out on the exhibit floor in Detroit, looking to add new members and identify topics for future APDA events. Come find us to discuss your ideas and the APDA’s plans to revive the ALMA awards.
But wait, there’s even more still to come. Roger has also penned a new article for SAI media partner audioXpress all about SDVs and the changing automotive market. “Strategies in a Software-Defined Landscape” is set to appear in the upcoming August issue of the industry magazine, published in the course of July, just in time to serve as the perfect companion piece for your visit to AES Automotive Audio 2026.
The time has come at last to hit the road, folks. Next exit: Detroit! ■
Shively Acoustics International — Modern Audio Solutions, Worldwide