Hebdomadal sound project: January 2016


Week 5
East Princes Street Gardens & Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh
January 31st, 2-3pm


I was happy to be invited back to my former University department to give a guest lecture on sound and audio methods; this partly involved leading students on a soundwalk through the city. I made sure that we took in Waverley train station on the walk, as the acoustics both within and outside the building are captivating. The day before teaching, I took some time out to visit a few of my favourite parts of the city, including Princes Street Gardens adjacent to the station. The first recording from this week is on the northern side of East Princes Street Gardens, not too far from where I recorded for the hebdomadal sound project almost exactly three years ago.

(7:23)



The next recording was made while sitting on a circular wooden bench within room 12 of the Scottish National Gallery. People walk and talk in hushed and not-so-hushed tones, sit down on the creaky bench, and rustle plastic bags from the gift shop. Meanwhile the air conditioning system hums along.

(6:50)


Setup: 2 DPA 4060 lavalier mics in stereo position to Sound Devices 702



Week 4
Staple Hill Tunnel, Bristol
January 24th, 1.10pm


A trip to Bristol this week to do some audio recordings for a poetry project with a friend. We walked a good stretch of the Bristol and Bath Railway Path, a former railway line that has been transformed into a cycling and walking path between the two cities. The recording here was taken from within Staple Hill Tunnel on the outskirts of Bristol, with a few cyclists careering past me and plenty of water dripping from the ceiling.

(4:48)


Setup: 2 DPA 4060 lavalier mics in stereo position to Sound Devices 702



Week 3
Cardiff Central Market
January 21st, 12.45pm


This week’s recording is of a walk through Cardiff’s central market, a bustling indoor market across two floors that houses fruit and veg stalls, haberdasheries, bakeries, fresh fish and meat sellers, and so on. Lots of people buying, selling, meeting with friends, and general browsing. The recording was made with in-ear microphones, so sounds best played back on headphones.

(6:46)


Setup: Soundman OKM II in-ear mics to Sound Devices 702



Week 2
Rain on a skylight, Cardiff
January 9th, 5.50pm

Since December, the rain has been incessant across much of the UK. The following recording is a short extract of what has become my daily soundtrack at home: the sound of rain against a skylight.

(5:10)


Setup: 2 DPA 4060 lavalier mics in stereo position to Sound Devices 702



Week 1
Roath Park Lake, Cardiff
January 2nd, 2.30pm


Being a relatively recent newcomer to Cardiff, I’m hoping that this year’s hebdomadal sound project will make me get to know it better. One place I’ve already fallen for is Roath Park; the rose garden in bloom is a particular highlight. The following recording was made standing on a small footbridge overlooking the northern edge of Roath Park Lake. You can hear a constant gushing of water from an outflow pipe to the right-hand side, people walking on the wooden slats of the footbridge behind me, and waterfowl (particularly when being fed) out in front. As the recording was made with in-ear microphones, it sounds best played back on headphones.

(7:00)


Setup: Soundman OKM II in-ear mics to Sound Devices 702
Mark