975 Words

8 Min 15 Seconds

Track 1 – LCON AMBIENCE

Download the mp3 here:

This composition explores the transformation of everyday environmental sound through electroacoustic processing. The primary sonic material for the piece was recorded during a walk into university, capturing a range of incidental sounds encountered along the journey. These recordings included footsteps, ambient noise, door mechanisms, and interior building ambience. By using these familiar sonic elements as the raw material, the work aims to blur the boundary between documentary field recording and composed electroacoustic soundscape.

The initial stage of the production process involved gathering field recordings using a Zoom H5 while walking towards Leeds Conservatoire. These recordings were then edited and organised within Logic, where unwanted noise and unusable sections were removed. Individual sounds were isolated and exported as separate samples in order to allow them to be manipulated more precisely. This process created a palette of sonic material that could be reshaped and recontextualised within the composition.

A key element of the manipulation process involved the use of GRM Tools. Several GRM processes were used to alter the original recordings, including filtering, spectral stretching, pitch transformation and spatial modulation. These techniques allowed recognisable environmental sounds to be gradually abstracted into new textures. For example, short percussive sounds such as footsteps were stretched and filtered to create sustained random percussive and rising textures, while mechanical sounds such as doors and urban ambience were processed to generate evolving timbral gestures.†

In addition to these transformations, Logic Pro’s Alchemy synthesiser was used to further explore the musical potential of the recorded material. Selected audio recordings were imported into Alchemy and mapped across the MIDI keyboard, allowing the environmental sounds to be performed as pitched instruments. This technique effectively turned everyday recorded sounds into playable timbral material, enabling melodic and harmonic gestures to emerge from what were originally non-musical sources. By triggering these samples via MIDI, the piece integrates elements of performance and sequencing alongside the more textural electroacoustic manipulation.

The structure of the composition reflects the experience of moving through the university environment while encountering different musical spaces. The piece begins with recordings taken while walking around the campus, capturing environmental sounds such as footsteps, corridors, and general building ambience. As the listener progresses through the work, the focus shifts towards the sounds of musical activity taking place within the building, particularly practice rooms where instrumental lessons and rehearsals were occurring. Piano sounds and chords recorded from these spaces become a central source of material. These recordings are then manipulated through processing techniques, gradually transforming the original acoustic sounds into more abstract textures and harmonic layers. This process reflects an electro-acoustic approach in which recognisable environmental recordings are developed into new musical structures through digital manipulation.

Track 2 – Domestic Symphony

Download the mp3 here:

This composition explores the transformation of domestic sound through electroacoustic processing, using everyday household activity as its primary source material. The piece is constructed from field recordings captured within a home environment, documenting a sequence of ordinary actions and interactions as a form of narrative structure. These include movement between rooms, kitchen activity, household cleaning, and incidental human and environmental sounds. By using these familiar and intimate sonic elements, the work aims to recontextualise the domestic space, blurring the boundary between lived experience and composed electroacoustic soundscape.

The initial stage of the production process involved recording a continuous sequence of actions throughout the home using a Zoom H5. This process followed a loosely structured journey, beginning with movement through different areas of the house, including opening doors, entering the kitchen, and engaging with everyday activities such as preparing coffee. Additional incidental events, such as a cat running into the room and scattering marbles, were captured as part of the natural unpredictability of the environment. These recordings were then imported into a digital audio workstation, where they were edited, cleaned, and segmented. Individual sound events were isolated and organised into a structured library, allowing for more precise manipulation and compositional control.

A key compositional constraint was the deliberate limitation of the number of audio files used. By working with a reduced palette of source material, the focus shifted towards exploring methods of extending, transforming, and recontextualising existing sounds rather than continuously introducing new ones. This constraint encouraged a deeper engagement with each recording, allowing subtle variations in processing to generate a wider range of textures and gestures from a limited set of sounds.

A central aspect of the compositional process was the extensive use of GRM Tools. Through processes such as delay, spectral freezing, filtering, and time-stretching, the original recordings were transformed into abstract sonic textures. For instance, the sound of hoovering was manipulated to create sustained drone-like layers, while shorter transient sounds, such as a pen being dropped or marbles scattering, were extended and processed to form evolving rhythmic gestures. These techniques enabled recognisable environmental sounds to gradually lose their original identity, creating a transition from realism to abstraction.

In addition to these transformations, Logic Pro’s Sample Alchemy synthesiser was used to further develop the recorded material. Selected audio samples were imported and mapped across the MIDI keyboard, allowing them to be triggered as pitched instruments. This approach enabled the creation of melodic and harmonic gestures derived directly from the original recordings, integrating elements of performance and sequencing into the electroacoustic framework. By generating MIDI material from these samples, the composition expands beyond purely textural manipulation, incorporating more structured musical elements.

The structure of the composition reflects a narrative progression through the home, mirroring the physical movement of the recorder. The piece begins with transitional sounds such as a coffee machine and marbles, creating a smooth drone. As the composition develops, the density increases within more active environments, particularly the kitchen, where layered sounds and incidental disruptions contribute to a sense of unpredictability. The presence of other inhabitants is suggested through distant and indirect sounds, such as movement upstairs or background activity, adding spatial depth and reinforcing the realism of the recorded environment.

1. Adjusting piano stool.wav
2. Banging lampshade.wav
3. Cat playing with marbles.wav
4. Coffee machine.wav
5. Collecting marbles.wav
6. Hoover turning off.wav
7. Hoovering.wav
8. Ironing board 1.wav
9. Ironing board 2.wav
10. Kalimba.wav
11. Marbles spilling on floor.wav
12. Opening and closing door.wav
13. Opening and closing fridge.wav
14. Opening can of coke.wav
15. Pen dropping.wav
16. Plumping up cushions.wav
17. Shower door closed.wav
18. Shower door open.wav

Photos of Objects recorded for my 2nd Track: