I’ve listened to the few sounds and photos I’ve taken and I’m keen to actually submit this as my practical element. I was considering creating a PDF makeshift book, combining the photos. Alongside a short text explaining why I did it and what the sounds incur. Heavily inspired by Peter Cusack and his book Sounds From a Dangerous Place. I think it would look really good. As well as this I want to return and record the missing part in the middle. Central London. I won’t be as tired and it might make it more interesting including these busy areas and add contrast to each section east and west that is quiet.
I also want to try two other types of work before I decide if this is the element I want to submit. I want to attempt a compositional piece with field recordings and explore that as well. And a more sonic journalistic piece. Exploring how we can use sounds for issues.
On Saturday the 28th of may I conducted a sound walk based on my plan in my last post. I started by borrowing the new aquarian h2a Hydrophone which also has a contact mic adapter which I’m eager to try, alongside a Korg contact mic, it has a clip which makes it easier to connect. I also took out the Zoom H5 for portability as I didn’t want to lug a big SoundDevices machine around. As well as this I had a regular contact mic and telephone pick up microphone just to see if I needed it.
Here are the mics I took out and the equipment.
So with my bag all packed, I headed out towards Richmond station, I cycled to Waterloo and got a train to Richmond. When I arrived I cycled to the closest section of the river which was a bridge and my recording began. I decided to cycle as walking would have taken forever, but I made sure to not listen to any music or wear headphones apart from recording, and to make a consistent effort to listen at all times. I was listening and not speaking but soaking my environment and cycling slow, and when if found a sound that lured me in, that was interesting I would stop and record. Similar to how Annea Lockwood described, she didn’t record the whole length of the Hudson River it would have taken ages, instead, she recorded parts that felt relevant, and that offered a different contextualization or soundscape than the previous.
The first location was Richmond Bridge as I arrived, it was a busy Saturday lunchtime and as I went under the tunnel, the sounds of the bridge reverberating against the boats waiting to be rented captivated me. I recorded this moment and few times and attempted to use my contact mic on the barrier but it didn’t have enough resonance to capture anything.
Under Richmond Bridge
After recording under Richmond Bridge I carried on cycling, slowly and listening to my environment. Attempting to see what lured me in, what captures me. Thinking also to Peter Cusack’s work with Sonic Journalism and perhaps if any areas of importance came to me. I started to think about how my own sound map could be? How can I make it my own, well firstly using different mics such as contact mics and hydrophones? And make it about what’s around the river Thames rather than just the river Thames.
I came across Richmond Lock and Weir and there was a sign explaining the importance of this lock. How it operates and when it was built, there was a long history of flooding and protecting the river from low tides and floods from high tides. I believed it had an interesting soundscape. I could hear the water slowly making its way through the barrier and the high structure interested me. I locked my bike and went up towards the top walkway and recorded some sounds of the barrier from above. I did feel perhaps it didn’t offer anything of any considerable amount so I didn’t take any photos. I went further down the path and saw a perfect place to test this new Aquarian hydrophone.
I placed the hydrophone within the river and felt captivated by its clarity, others I have tried have not been as good. I could hear the water trickling and the sounds of boats moving across the barrier. The waves that the boats would leave as well.
Richmond Lock and Weir
Richmond Lock and Weir
Richmond Lock and Weir
After doing this Hydrophone recording I did then decide that a varied sound map of different microphone types would be more interesting than just a conventional XY microphone collection of sounds. I think at this point I understood that perhaps my sound map wouldn’t be as conventional as others and this intrigued me to what it could represent.
After the Richmond Lock and Weir, the Thames path went along behind Kew Gardens. I was excited for this part as I’d never done this cycle before and wasn’t sure what I’d come across. It was quiet and full of nature and trees covering the path, I could hear so many birds and trees swaying in the wind as I was listening. It really captivated me and offered an interesting take on my sounds so far, there were so many points I wanted to stop and record and looking back perhaps I should of. But I considered what artist KMRU spoke about in his visiting practitioner lecture about waiting to record and listening more than just recording. So when I arrived at a specific point with a walkway into the bushes that is the Thames path I pointed my recorder into the forest right next to the Thames and recorded.
Kew Gardens Thames Path
The recordings sounded great, but I did feel awake to the aeroplane sounds coming over it. Something I hadn’t really noticed before. I’m not sure if this was my practice evolving and my listening becoming better through doing other things. But I found myself frustrated, there I was cycling on a beautiful day, birds tweeting and I’m field recording and every few minutes or so a really loud plane comes over. The juxtaposition between nature and man-made sounds is a real thing you notice in cities. It feels like a battle of humans taking over and nature fighting back, even in a sanctuary of nature such as Kew Gardens, you could still hear human sounds still taking over the sounds of nature.
Next along the path, a common sonic experience is the Rowers coming by, always with a small boat at the front with a megaphone communicating to them. Now I’ve never rowed by I’ve cycled from my house in southeast London to Richmond park a few times. I’ve always found it a funny and interesting sound, something you don’t hear as you go east of Tower Bridge or even in central London. Only really heard west of Battersea Park. I recorded it and logged it in my notes.
Rowers Richmond
I continued on until I arrived at Barnes Bridge. I hadn’t used a contact microphone at this point and I wanted to attempt this Korg one as it has a clip which makes it easier to actually get a solid connection to achieve resonance. I’ve realised that in order for contact microphones to sound or pick up anything there needs to be resonance and vibration through an object. If you put it on a piece of metal or anything solid and if it is not moving you won’t have any sounds, so I looked for things that vibrated, in my journey to the Thames Tidal Barrier in Greenwich I would tap things and interact with my environment. The train station and bridge that goes over the Thames interested me sonically. I walked up the bridge and found a fence that I could stick my hand through and attach the Korg contact mic to a piece of metal that was attached to the railway. I googled the train times and waited until a train approached, arrived, and then left. And the sound was great! Really interesting and made me want to use the contact mic even more.
Barnes Bridge contact mic on railway
Barnes Bridge contact mic on railway
View on Barnes Bridge
I continued cycling along the Thames path, once I left Barnes, I found the soundscape to be continuous and not as interesting or perhaps in my head I had found that it was more of the same. We were getting close to central London and I was aware the soundscape would change heavily. I was approached by a large group of curious swans and geese while attempting to clip a contact mic to a water reed that was swaying in the wind.
Swans & Geese along Thames path
Swans & Geese along Thames path
Swans & Geese along Thames path
Swans & Geese along Thames path
I hadn’t recorded any of the wildlife apart from the birds and everywhere along with Richmond and surrounding areas, there was a lot of wildlife. More than central London. It was important to represent these areas with honesty and this is why I recorded these animals.
I continued on and recorded a rower teaching younger rowers and explaining how to make the correct movements with the paddle. Again a very prominent sound across the Thames path so I felt it was relevant.
I decided to get the cd out of this project as it’s based on field recordings combined with other people. When I read about this project from Cusack’s interview from In the Field. I was curious to hear it.
I was interested in the sounds and found I agreed with a lot of them as being great sounds of London but I was also curious as to how this could change in time. This was made in 2001, perhaps we could make an updated version?
Perhaps I could visit these locations and record the same places? instead of getting others to submit their favourite sounds, I can record them myself. To see what has changed in twenty years in our sonic landscapes. These are just more ideas I’m thinking about doing for my practical.
Or perhaps ask people to send me their favourite sounds and do an updated version this way?
I’m finding myself through engaging with this course really interested in possible future career goals in recording/engineering. I’ve always been interested in the more technical sides of recording. Doing field recording for a student film and travelling to wales with the equipment and my sole role was to record field recordings I loved it. As well as this doing the current collaboration module has also made me have an interest in recording sounds and using field recordings in sound design, as well as foley from the previous module.
Outside of university, my practice lies in music, writing, and creative directorship. I’ve been releasing music since 2018. Every release is getting better and receiving more attention, with the last release leaving me on the Bandcamp best selling rap vinyl/cassette for two weeks. I’ve received attention and been asked by some A&R what my next move is. And I find myself with this course taking it slower than perhaps I should? I was going to do the DPS year and spend it doing work within industry, film or music perhaps and then return and finish my third year. But now I really want to graduate and use the skills I’ve learned.
I can see myself either working in music or selling albums. Or working in games design, film, podcast editing or general audio editing jobs. This module’s on contemporary issues and the practical element will help me get better at recording and mixing alongside building a portfolio. Even if it’s not exactly relevant to the job I’m applying for I’m considering the skills I can learn and show through my artistic endeavours. I’m excited for the third year but also the chance for experimenting when I graduate and continuing my sound practice. Embrace the unknown for now and go with the flow. One thing for sure is I won’t be returning to a terrible full-time job in hospitality. No more washing dishes!
After doing research into Annea Lockwood and her practice. Discovering her river sound mapping project of the Danube and the Hudson and her explanation of why she does it. And then furthermore listening I wish to do one myself.
It won’t be as large in scale as I’m looking at the Thames and I want to do it in one or two days maximum. Before I start the trip I decided to look at the river and consider any key places along the river and what the Thames stands for. Decide a route that is possible and what places I should stop to record.
I started thinking about what the Thames offers London. The Thames meant that London was the capital. Its river access brought goods, tobacco and sugar from the Americas. The Thames was a food source, as well as a way of delivering coal and oil. It’s the longest river in England. The Thames also has a lot of issues currently, it has numerous amounts of untreated sewage still entering the river as well as high levels of mercury making it polluted. The Thames is also giving water to everyone in London. This importance made me feel like sound mapping was worthwhile. I considered where to start and end? I did some research and found the source is in Thames Head which is exceptionally far. I thought that Kew Gardens to the Thames barrier is a good distance to do it. Firstly Kew Gardens and Richmond are the border front of London towards the west. and the Thames tidal barrier is an important part of protecting London from high tides and floods.
I’ve checked along with Google maps and found these as locations of interest all on the south side of the river Thames.
Greenwich Powerstation
Rotherine Tunnel
Tower Bridge
London Bridge
South bank
Battersea Power station
Battersea park
Kew garden
I’ll be cycling along the river stopping when my ears lead me to interesting sounds, taking it slow. It says it’s a 3-5 hour cycle which isn’t bad at all. I’ll be taking a Hydrophone with me, contact mic, Zoom H5 and telephone pick up. I thought about what I needed and I wanted to bring a recorder that was minimal, I’ve used the sound devices countless times and they offer amazing quiet preamps. But this time portability is key. I did do further research into Sony PCM D100 a discontinued portable field recorder with the quietest preamps available at 1dB louder than sound devices but it costs £500 minimum second hand now.
When I get home I’ll be packing my bag for tomorrow, I’ll take a train to Kew Gardens in the morning and cycle from there to Greenwich.
I’m continuing my artist research into field recording practitioners. I’m attempting to go through their ways of working and create experiments around each practitioner’s practice. Hopefully after doing a few of them consider how I can situate myself within them and choose what I wish to do for the practical element. I already did peter Cusack and his work from Sounds from Dangerous places.
A project I’m interested in is Annea Lockwoods Hudson river sound map. I read about it in the book In the Field The Art of Field Recording. Afterwards, I listened to the album and found it captivating. It’s simple and very little in terms of editing but it intrigued me with what sound can offer us in terms of communicating our environment. I wondered perhaps what the Thames sound like? Annea explains that rivers have different sounds, and her journey along the Hudson River was not just about recording the river but the people that use and live in the river. The different places of interest. I also listened to her other river sound map. A Sound Map of the Danube.
On the video, there was this comment.
Notes by Annea Lockwood: Between the winter of 2001 and the summer of 2004, I made five field-recording trips, moving slowly down the Danube from the sources in the Black Forest through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania to the great delta on the Black Sea, recording the river’s sounds (at the surface and underwater), aquatic insects, and the various inhabitants of its banks. At 2880 km. (1785 miles) the Danube is Europe’s second-longest river and one of its most historically significant, having long been a trade and cultural conduit between east and west. Its drainage basin encompasses much of Central Europe and it has carved out deep gorges dividing the southern arm of the Carpathians from the Balkan Mountains. I recorded from the banks, finding a great variety of water sounds as the gradient and bank materials changed, often feeling that I was hearing the process of geological change in real-time. Towards the end of the final field trip, while listening to small waves slap into a rounded overhang the river had carved in a mud bank in Rasova, Romania (CD 3 track 2), I realised that the river has agency; it composes itself, shaping its sounds by the way it sculpts its banks. Along the way I spoke with people for whom the Danube is a central influence on their lives, an integral part of their identity, asking them “What does the river mean to you” Could you live without it?” They responded in their native languages and dialects, their voices woven into the river’s sounds, placed as close to the location where I met them as possible. “What is a river?” was the question underlying the whole project for me. Many people helped with every aspect of the project at every stage, and I am deeply grateful for their generosity and interest. The installation, “A Sound Map of the Danube”, was completed in 2005 and first presented during the Donau Festival in Krems, Austria. It was mixed in 5.1 surround sound with audio engineer Paul Geluso at Harvestworks Digital Media Arts in New York, and this version was re-mixed in stereo in 2008. Annea Lockwood
I think this is a really interesting concept and I find it fascinating listening to how much you can really take from the audio. I started thinking about how I could relate this to myself and I started thinking about the river Thames. I was considering doing a sound map of the river somehow? I want to do some research into it.
I watched a few videos on additive synthesis after researching that Old School Runescape use/used additive synthesis in sound effect composition. I watched a few and understand that it’s about creating any sound with sine waves. And that by its nature mathematically you can recreate any sound in real life. I have both Ableton 11 Suite and Logic Pro X and found myself using the Logic Alchemy as it was a friendlier interface. I watched these videos and took notes.
I found that using alchemy and additive synthesis was difficult and I wasn’t making anything interesting really. I exported the sounds I made but I didn’t find them useful at all really. I might spend a bit more into dwelling into additive synthesis perhaps even try the Ableton operator one instead. But for now, I’m burnt out and a bit frustrated. I have however made some sounds that are okay and can be manipulated further let’s see!
This was a patch? if that’s what it’s called. That I made on Alchemy. Each number on the graph is a sinewave and you create a sound with volume, tune, pan, and phase parameters. I also automated the parameters with my mouse while recording into a separate audio channel instead of midi notes. I have a long performance recorded that I want to try to manipulate.
Just quickly updating my blog from a song I made back a few weeks before we received any final information about the game. At the time the music references they gave us were Cuphead which had a lot of Jazz Bepop style of music.
I originally attempted to use Ableton to create some music but felt it was corny. Instead of using midi instruments, I translated to what I know how to use which is sampling. I used my SP404MK2 which is a sampler with lots of effects built within.
I then loaded some jazz drum brush loops and got a pattern going. Went through some jazz records I own at home and recorded through my turntable into my sampler and started chopping guitar sounds to layer over the drums. Then processed with filters and other bits to create a new analogue dirty hissing sounding loop.
Again now it won’t be used as we have gone with a sci-fi futuristic sort of composition which I now will be making music for.
I’m continuing my research into games and chose Minecraft as the last one. I’ve spent hundreds of hours in this game and find the use of music and sound effects have been executed very well. The music comes on and off without ques. As well as the sound effects being really unique and fitting for the game world.
The music as shown above has many differences in it, from tracks that have heavy reverb to showcasing themes of wonder and exploration. To more sad and horrible music in the netherworld (Minecraft hell). I want to explore more into how they thought to use the music like this. As well as potentially what synths they used? Or instruments?
As well as the sound effects too, they have great variation as shown in this video. They are not high quality but distinctive. I think the music and sounds could fit into our game so I’m curious how they made them. Are they samples like other games, or synthesis? Or a combination.
So after watching the above video I understand the concepts of sound design in Minecraft a lot more.
Music should come in randomly, adding music to a film as they say is easier. You know exactly when the audio is going to play and what is happening. But in a game, it is more difficult to predict what’s happening. The score plays randomly, with lots of silence in between each song to build anticipation.
Minecraft is very laidback with its music as you are usually doing something very relaxing. In the specific biome warped forest in the nether, music doesn’t even play. Just the ambience of glitchy electronic sounds distorting. Some of the nether sounds were made using balloons to create these stretching sounds of horrible tension.
Minecraft at night shifts into monsters trying to kill you instead of a peaceful building game. Dark tunnels field with monsters is also a common occurrence. They make the enemies loud so in dark environments you can hear the enemies approaching even before you see them. This gives the player cues, they also play scary music when you are close to darkness this is to just scare you.
They also speak about not creating any dialogue for the character you play, as they want you to feel like it’s you playing not a character they’ve created. Villagers don’t speak either as they don’t want to make people feel offended.
Overall I think it’s interesting the anticipation thing they speak about. As well as the no music for anticipation. I did discuss with Ingrid that an idea I had was about music not being on a constant loop but using FMOD to have multiple tracks stacked up on the randomiser function so it chooses a random song based on the selection with a few silent tracks as well to have a pause sometimes between songs. Something I definitely want to implement if possible.
Another game I want to research is Halo Infinite. I remember when it was coming out all the trailers for it. They had a lot of videos explaining the sound design. At the time we were doing the specialising module and I was working on foley and sound effects for a short film. The video showed them doing very unique things to record sound to manipulate into monsters and weapons for the game. I want to do further research into it and perhaps use what I’ve learnt for the current game I’m working on.
Firstly I watched this video that went through a few sound design field recordings they made. It started with rockets being fired outside, to then using electromagnetic microphones from LOM on an Xbox console and recording those sounds. Recording a pug eating for monster sounds, hydrophones on glass, and making the glass break. Recording old machinery bears in a zoo, the manufacturing of the Xbox remotes.
In this video they use a piano for sound effects, starting by placing a huge bass speaker on the top and recording it. Then breaking the piano, hammering it. Tightening the strings until they snap, cutting the strings as well. They even place dry ice on the piano strings, you can hear the dry ice fizzle like a screaming alien. Really cool stuff!
I also watched this interview with the sound design team at Halo Infinite.
They start by speaking about the guns, one of the most important parts of the game, since it’s first-person it’s the main character. The sound designers speak about hey they design the weapons in layers. Firstly the thud indicates the power and impact of a weapon. Secondly, the mechanical layer which offers tactile feedback with satisfying click clanks of metal. Thirdly, the tail end creates an atmosphere with the gun bouncing of the environment this gives it a sense of where the gun is fired, is it an interior or outside space.
Adaptive sound design is something they use in this game, they tailor sounds to any outcome. This gives feedback on their actions to the player, for example, the mechanical sounds of a weapon get louder as the gun begins to run out of ammo. And sounds of an empty clip are a typewriter and explain communication to the player they have nothing left to shoot.
Car sound design was grounded on real-world vehicles, they recorded real helicopters and dune buggies, as well as a 1918 vintage tractor as they didn’t want a futuristic tank to sound like a current one.
“Making appropriate sounds from inappropriate objects.”
They also spoke on sound fatigue, something I hadn’t really considered. Because unlike a film players will be putting hundreds of hours into it, they need the sounds to not have too much high frequency or low frequency so the mix doesn’t become muddy.
Following this I want to record more outside and spend a full day attempting sound effects for our current game, there is so much room for cool ambient sounds and technology or other sounds. I want to take this further than it already is.
