Sometimes. Last time I was there, I heard recordings from 1863 that were recorded on lamp black. I'll get into that some other time. But it was haunting and amazing.

Mostly you screw around with $4,000+ microphones, the latest version of Digital Workstations, play with multi-million dollar sound boards, listen to $6,000 speakers, that sorta shit. There are also tutorials, workshops, mentoring sessions, studio tours (I hung out at a party at Avatar Studios tonight).

Mostly I'm there to drum up sponsorship for an event that I created (the first of its kind in AES history) for my alma mater. I've been to five of these conventions and now have a ton of connections with almost every major microphone manufacturer and able to hold audience with a few really big names in audio.

It's also really handy for networking and finding work if you have the right combination of skill, schmooze, and luck.