he/him/his
Montreal, QC

Matt Skarha


Education

2019–2021
McGill University, Montreal, QC (in progress)
M.A. in Music Technology
Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology
Advisors: Gary Scavone, Philippe Depalle
2015–2019
Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
B.A. in Physics with Computer Science minor and Mathematics minor
Independent studies in jazz piano at Oberlin Conservatory
Advisor: John Scofield

Research Experience

Visiting Research Assistant, Illinois Augmented Listening Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, 2018–2019
Professor: Andrew Singer
  —   Built a massive dataset of multichannel acoustic measurements and speech recordings using large (150+) distributed and wearable microphone arrays
  —   Evaluated performance tradeoffs of overdetermined microphone arrays with beamforming, source separation, and localization algorithms for applications in spatial audio capture and human/machine audition
  —   Conducted a passive audio recovery experiment using high-speed video of a loudspeaker

Undergraduate Research Assistant, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, 2017
Professor: Jason Stalnaker
  —   Measured the frequency response of a JBL LSR305 studio monitor using Michelson-type laser interferometry
  —   Developed a method for characterizing loudspeakers with interferometry

Professor: John Scofield
  —   Wrote a LabVIEW program to operate a scanning monochromator with a PC via IEEE-488 bus specification for the purpose of observing the Balmer series lines in atomic hydrogen and deuterium
  —   The program was later used in the laboratory section of Physics 212: Modern Physics

Visiting Engineering Assistant, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, IL, 2017
Supervisor: Yun He
  —   Compiled various engineering documents related to the technical design, upgrades, and operation of the NuMI Facility
  —   Assisted in the creation of an official webpage for easy reference

Skills

Computer Programming: Max/MSP/Jitter, Python, C, C++, Java, MATLAB, Arduino, LabVIEW, R, HTML, PostScript, OpenSCAD, Processing
Audio Production: Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton, Audacity, Reaper
Music: Classical piano, 14 years. Jazz piano, 6 years. Voice (choral), 7 years. Rudimentary guitar, bass, drums, 5 years. Analog/digital synthesizers. Studio recording. Acapella arranging. Harmonic analysis.
Languages: English, French (intermediate)
Some experience with: Web development (Jekyll, Github Pages), JUCE framework, Artificial intelligence

Relevant Coursework

MUMT 622: Time-Frequency Representations & Parametric Modeling of Sound Signals, Winter 2020
  —   Seminar in research trends beyond the STFT for representing signals in music and audio
  —   Topics included sparse atomic decomposition, instantaneous frequency estimation, Wigner-Ville, wavelet theory, Cohen's class, Affine Wigner distributions
  —   Gave presentations on the chirplet transform, nonstationary Gabor frames, and optimization methods for Gabor window design in musical signal analysis/resynthesis

MUMT 605: Digital Sound Synthesis and Audio Processing, Fall 2019
  —   Topics included practical spectral analysis, the short-time Fourier transform, additive synthesis, source-filter modelling, and the phase vocoder
  —   Implemented a phase vocoder in Max/MSP and presented on the use of the Teager operator for the analysis of musical signals

Additional Relevant Coursework: Artificial Intelligence, Classical Mechanics, Digital Audio Signal Processing, Gestural Control of Sound Synthesis, Algorithms, Music and Audio Computing, Data Structures, Music Perception and Cognition, Real-time Techniques, Electricity and Magnetism, Linear Optimization, Jazz Theory, Jazz Aural Skills, Sound Recording

Publications

R. M. Corey, M. D. Skarha, A. C. Singer, “Cooperative Audio Source Separation and Enhancement Using Distributed Microphone Arrays and Wearable Devices”, 2019 IEEE 8th International Workshop on Computational Advances in Multi-Sensor Adaptive Processing (CAMSAP), Guadeloupe, 2019

Datasets

R. M. Corey, M. D. Skarha, A. C. Singer. (2019): “Massive Distributed Microphone Array Dataset.”, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. https://doi.org/10.13012/B2IDB-6216881_V1

Honors and Awards

John F. Oberlin Scholarship Recipient, Oberlin College, 2015-present
Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America, Troop 352, 2015
Illinois State Scholar, 2015
Outstanding Choral Student, Glenbard South High School, 2015
Outstanding Jazz Musician, Glenbard South High School, 2014

Teaching Experience

Instructor, Music Signal Processing

Taught a course on audio signal processing and acoustical physics of music as they relate to everyday music consumption as part of the Oberlin Experimental College program; developed a curriculum, lab activities, and lectures, 2018

Teaching Assistant, Elementary Physics II

Assisted students in laboratory section with understanding electromagnetic theory and troubleshooting lab equipment, 2017–2018

Teaching Assistant, Energy, Science, and Technology

Taught a weekly problem session and assisted students with quantitative skills for problems associated with the generation and consumption of energy, 2018

Teaching Assistant, Elementary Physics I

Taught a weekly problem session for introductory physics students in Newtonian mechanics; Assisted students with problem sets and developed extra help materials, 2017

Physics Tutor, Oberlin College Department of Physics & Astronomy

Assisted students studying mechanics and relativity, 2016-2018

Mathematics Tutor, Mathnasium, Tutor Doctor, private in-home tutoring

Assisted students studying various K-12 mathematics, 2016-2018

Additional Experience

Student Conduct Officer & Liaison, Club Sports Executive Council, Oberlin College

Held individual athletes and teams accountable for their actions within Club Sports, coordinated bystander intervention and trans allyship trainings, 2017-2018

Head Cook, Pyle Inn Co-op, Oberlin Student Cooperative Association

Planned, cooked, and supervised a staff for weekly co-op meals for 60-80 people, 2017-2018

DJ, WOBC 91.5 FM Oberlin College & Community Radio

Early 2000s underground and experimental hip-hop, 2017

Captain, Flying Horsecows, open ultimate frisbee team

Planned practices, scheduled tournaments, maintained leadership role, 2016-2017

Youth Worker, Warrenville Youth & Family Services

Worked as a counselor for a summer program for underprivileged children and teenagers. Assisted in planning programs and activities, coordinating the students, and doing office tasks, 2016

Writer, National Academic Quiz Tournaments

Wrote high school-level tossups and bonuses for the premier quiz bowl organization in the country, 2013-2015

Poster Presentations

Performance Tradeoffs in Overdetermined Multimicrophone Array Processing

Oberlin College Celebration of Undergraduate Research, 2018