Talking music, engineering and cinema with Charles Q. Robinson

In 1922, electrical engineering professor Joseph T. Tykociner demonstrated sound on film at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Just over a hundred years later, electrical and computer engineering alum Charles Q. Robinson (BS ’86, MS ’89 ECE) and his team at Dolby received a 2024 Scientific and Engineering Academy Award for creating the Dolby Atmos Surround Sound system, “an industry standard for object-based cinema audio content creation.”

Robinson’s journey from audiophile to electrical engineering major to almost 30 years at Dolby Labs hasn’t always been a straight line. He spoke about the early days of computer music at the U. of I., his path after graduation, and what makes a good movie soundtrack.

What does an equation sound like?

An audiophile and musician, Charles Q. Robinson has always enjoyed music and been curious about sound creation. During junior high math class, he found himself wondering what different waveform equations would sound like played out of a loudspeaker. 

He started at the U. of I. as a physics major, following his interest in physics and math from high school. “But a couple of years in, I figured out that in order to make sounds, electrical engineering was a better fit.” So Robinson changed majors, going on to specialize in audio signal processing for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Bridging music, science and engineering with the CERL Sound Group

At the U. of I., Robinson explored the curriculum outside science and engineering, taking philosophy classes and “other things that seemed interesting.” This included two semesters of music theory and then composition. His connection with music and audio strengthened when he joined the CERL Sound Group. 

“I was super lucky in that there was not one, but two different groups that were bridging music, science and engineering. The music school had their Computer Music Group, and in the engineering school, there was a group called the CERL Sound Group.” 

The Computer-Based Education Research Lab, or CERL, was established in 1966 for development and research of computer-based education. The CERL Music Group branched out into general sound creation and design, becoming the CERL Sound Group. Robinson joined the group as a senior, then worked there as a research assistant when he became a grad student.

“I was able to join in creating computer-based sound. When I went to the U. of I., I had no idea that this group existed, but there was probably no better spot for me to be than right there.”

—Charles Q. Robinson

“This was a launchpad for really pursuing my interests. It was a very important opportunity for me as a student. And there was a group of students when I joined who were super smart, creative and motivated.” 

In the CERL Sound Group, Robinson worked with Symbolic Sound founders Kurt Hebel (BS ’83, MS ’84, Ph.D. ’89 ECE) and Carla Scaletti (Ph.D. ’84 Musical Arts, MS ’88 Computer Science); and ECE Teaching Professor Emeritus Lippold Haken, inventor of the Continuum Fingerboard synthesizer.

“Back in the mid-80s, they were leading this group at CERL and I was able to join in creating computer-based sound. When I went to the U. of I., I had no idea that this group existed, but there was probably no better spot for me to be than right there.”

Graduation, entrepreneurship and Dolby Labs

After graduating, Robinson looked around for an interesting job. “I was keen to avoid some of the normal paths people would take in signal processing. I was looking for something more audio-oriented to do.” 

A fan of the outdoors, Robinson decided to move to Boulder, Colorado and look for work there, hoping to be hired by the startup WaveFrame, which designed digital synthesizers. He initially worked for a contract engineering company doing medical device development, designing digital audio algorithms to listen to the body. 

After a few years, Robinson got to know the “small world of people that were doing digital audio signal processing,” and created his own company, Digital Alchemy, which he ran for about three years.

Deciding he liked audio signal processing but not running a business, Robinson began to look for new opportunities and encountered Dolby Labs. “I was attending a conference in San Francisco, the Audio Engineering Society Conference, and met some people from Dolby, was interviewed on the spot, and then a few months later, took a job there. That was early ’95, when I started. It's been a good fit.”

“If you have interests, pursue them relentlessly. Not everybody falls in the camp that know from an early age what they want, but for those of us that are, be proactive and seek out those things. Don't just follow the path as it's laid out — it's much more important to keep your eyes and ears open and explore.”

—Charles Q. Robinson

Fast forward to Dolby Live

Digital audio signal processing was just becoming possible when Robinson was a grad student. His first programming class as an undergrad used punch cards, with one line of code on each card. By the time he joined Dolby, digital signal processors that a few years earlier could fill an equipment rack had become smaller than a postage stamp.

Upon joining Dolby Labs, Robinson’s first assignment was working with team to improve the AC-3 codec for digital sound on film. Later projects focused on broadcast and streaming applications including R&D for the MPEG AAC for the first iPod, and multi-Emmy award winning technology for loudness measurement.

Ten years ago, returning to cinema, Robinson led the research team in creating Dolby Atmos, the next-generation surround format for film. More recently, they have adapted the format for live performances with their biggest venue Dolby Live in Las Vegas. 

“We built the loudspeaker system and control system for the front of house mixer to be able to place the sound. So those big moments don't need to just get louder. Now they can come at you, swirl around, guitar solos floating through the room.”

As an engineer, Robinson has enjoyed the music production side. “It's been really exciting.”

Taking cinema sound to the next level

Robinson’s team is working on two big projects at the moment: improving the Dolby Atmos Sound System, and “looking at what bigger steps we can take for spatial sound for cinema. That's where it started. Now we're going back to it 10 years later and saying, what can we do now? What will be the next big thing? How can we take cinema sound further?”

Earlier this year, Robinson and his team won the Scientific and Engineering Academy Award for creating the Dolby Atmos Surround Sound system. Is he interested in film as well as music? “I would say, yes, maybe more than average. I like going to movies, and I'm very much in tune with cinema sound.” 

Robinson has several favorite movie soundtracks, but he highlights Gravity (2013) as an excellent use of the Dolby Atmos technology. 

“It’s a movie where the director thought early on about what the sound would be in advance, about setting up the shot, setting up the story in a way that takes advantage of sound for telling the story.”

Keep your eyes and ears open and explore

Robinson ended the conversation with advice and thoughts for current and future students: “If you have interests, pursue them relentlessly. Not everybody falls in the camp that know from an early age what they want, but for those of us that are, be proactive and seek out those things. Don't just follow the path as it's laid out -- it's much more important to keep your eyes and ears open and explore.

“When I arrived [at the U. of I.], I felt like it was built for me. There were all these professors, all the institutions. They're there to feed your curiosity. That was great fun. Yes, I was in physics, but I was taking philosophy courses, and just soaking it all up. I was thrilled, all these founts of knowledge that I could just go and drink from. My number one piece of advice would be to take advantage of that.”