If you need support or to interact with peers, this is the largest directory of Engineering, Research and Science Live Communities.
ControlBooth.com
Technologies | Forums | English | Register | Free
- Stage Lighting Control, Theatrical Sound Design, Video for Live Events, Rigging Techniques, Stage Management
An online community for entertainment technology professionals and students, covering stage lighting, sound, video, rigging, and stage management.
- 30000
- Broad coverage of entertainment technology topics with a helpful community, good for students.
- Can have a mix of student and professional content; may not always be cutting-edge R&D focus.
- Best for: Stage technicians
Lighting Network Forum
Technologies | Forums | English | Register | Free
- Architectural Lighting, Theatrical Lighting, LED Technology, Lighting Control Systems (DMX ArtNet), Stage & Event Lighting
An online community for lighting professionals and enthusiasts, discussing lighting design, technology, equipment, and projects.
- 10000
- Dedicated forum for various aspects of lighting design and technology.
- Activity levels can vary; smaller than some broad A/V or entertainment tech forums.
- Best for: Lighting designers
ProSoundWeb Forums
Technologies | Forums | English | Register | Free
- Live Sound Reinforcement, Loudspeaker Systems & Design, Wireless Systems, Mixing Consoles (Live), Stage & Event Production
Online forums for live sound engineers, system technicians, and audio professionals, covering FOH/monitor mixing, speaker systems, and event production.
- 80000
- Excellent resource for live sound professionals with active discussions on practical issues.
- Primarily focused on live sound reinforcement
- Best for: live audio engineers
Gearspace.com
Technologies | Forums | English | Register | Free
- Pro Audio Gear (Consoles Mics Outboard), Recording & Mixing Techniques, Mastering, Post Production Audio, Electronic Music Production
A very popular and extensive forum for audio engineers, producers, and musicians discussing professional audio equipment, recording techniques, and industry news.
- 700000
- Massive resource for pro audio gear information, user reviews, and discussions.
- Can be gear-centric (GAS-inducing); signal-to-noise ratio can vary in some sections.
- Best for: Audio engineers
Tape Op Message Board
Technologies | Forums | English | Register | Free
- Recording Techniques, Mixing & Mastering, Microphones & Preamps, Studio Design, Analog & Digital Audio
Online forum for readers of Tape Op Magazine, focusing on creative music recording, studio techniques, gear, and the art of record making.
- more on its application.
- Community with a strong emphasis on creative recording processes and studio craft.
- Can be less focused on the deep electrical engineering of audio gear
- Best for: 50000
AVSForum
Electronics | Forums | English | Register | Free
- Home Theater Construction, Projector & Display Technology, Audio Equipment (Speakers Amps), DIY Audio/Video, HTPCs & Streaming
A very large and active online community for audio/video enthusiasts, covering home theater, high-end audio, displays, and related topics.
- 1000000
- Extremely comprehensive and active forum for all aspects of A/V Hobbies.
- Can be overwhelming due to size and breadth; finding specific professional-level design info can take effort.
- Best for: Home theater hobbyists
Sound & Vision Forum
Electronics | Forums | English | Register | Free
- Home Theater Systems, A/V Receivers & Amplifiers, Projectors & TVs, Speakers & Subwoofers, Media Streaming
Forums associated with Sound & Vision magazine, focusing on home theater audio, video, equipment reviews, and setup advice.
- 100000
- Active community for home theater enthusiasts with a lot of user reviews and advice.
- Primarily consumer electronics focused
- Best for: audio and video consumers
Audio Engineering Society (AES) Community Forum
Technologies | Forums | English | Apply to Join | Paid
- Audio Recording & Production, Loudspeaker Design, Digital Audio Processing, Acoustics & Psychoacoustics, Audio Forensics
Forum for members of the Audio Engineering Society, discussing audio technology, standards, research, and professional practice.
- 12000
- Premier professional organization for audio engineers, with access to standards and research.
- Membership required for access to most forum content and discussions.
- Best for: AES members
Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Community
Science | Forums | English | Apply to Join | Paid
- Architectural Acoustics, Underwater Acoustics, Noise Control Engineering, Speech Communication, Musical Acoustics
Online community for members of the Acoustical Society of America, for discussions on acoustics, standards, and professional networking.
- 7000
- Access to a specialized professional society for acoustics and its various subfields.
- Full participation and benefits are typically for ASA members.
- Best for: ASA members
Mendeley Community
Science | Forums | English | Register | Freemium
- Reference Management, Literature Discovery, Academic Networking, Collaborative Research, Discipline-Specific Groups
Mendeley is a reference manager and academic social network. Its community features allow users to create groups and discuss research.
- 6000000
- Combines reference management with social networking features for researchers.
- Group discussions can be hit-or-miss in activity; platform is broad.
- Best for: Researchers
Dryad Digital Repository
Science | Forums | English | Register | Other
- Research Data Archiving, Data Curation, Open Data Access, Scientific Reproducibility, Data Publishing
A curated general-purpose repository that makes research data discoverable, freely reusable, and citable.
- 15000
- Supports open data by providing a curated repository for research datasets.
- Focused on data archiving and sharing
- Best for: research
Figshare
Science | Forums | English | Register | Freemium
- Research Data Management, Open Data Sharing, Scholarly Publishing, Citations & Altmetrics, Research Visibility
A repository where researchers can make all of their research outputs citable, shareable, and discoverable (papers, data, code, etc.).
- 80000
- Facilitates open sharing of diverse research outputs beyond traditional papers.
- Primarily a repository for research outputs; discussion features are secondary.
- Best for: Researchers
* members quantities are estimated
