Project 1 – Ensemble Recording
Synopsis
For the ensemble recording I recorded Isaac Jo, a folk artist, at St Mathews Church in Chapel Allerton. I had worked with Isaac on the location recording project in my 2nd year, where we had recorded outside at Barron’s Fountain in Roundhay Park. This informed the decision to record in a Church on this project. Isaac’s music typically contains significant dynamic range, so when recording outside we had found interference from wind and other elements negatively affected the quality of a recording. In a church we believed we would receive less interference and could aim to capture the natural reverb of the space to compliment the style of music.
Research
Academic Research
I conducted academic research into church spaces as well as appropriate recording techniques for the ensemble. Church spaces are typically large and open. Stone and other hard surfaces amplify sound further within them and create echoes that reduce the clarity of speech and music (ISS, 2024). In the case of orchestras, close miking can be used to increase the ratio of direct sound to reverberant sound and can also be effective in ‘live’ spaces where sound reflects off of hard surfaces (Bartlett and Barlett, 2014). The physics of sound are complex and sound waves converted by the ear contain reflection, dispersion and refraction as well as other acoustic properties of a space (Beck, 2019). From this you could argue that the key to capturing audio effectively is to capture in a way that reflects these elements accurately. Based on this research I used a mixture of close mics and ambient mics to capture an accurate depiction of the space I was recording in.
Practical Research
My room mic choices came from practical research I conducted. I used two Neumann-KM184s as a stereo pair placed close to the band. I had used these mics when recording The Temporal Harmonies in The Venue for Leeds Concert Season. This was a trio of cello, piano and flute, as Isaac’s band also contains cello and piano I felt they could be applied in the same way. This also informed the decision to place the piano and cello as the widest instruments in my stereo image (See Appendix 1 and 2).
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
For the spaced room mics I used two Sontronics Orpheouses. I had used them whilst recording the West Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra at St Matthews previously, these were placed by the pillars on both projects (See appendix 3). On the orchestra project we had found them highly effective in capturing the natural reverb of the room and this was something I tried to emulate whilst recording Isaac.
Appendix 3
Project Management
Communication With The Church
Recording took place on 27th of March 2026. The planning of this project began when I contacted Fred Mathews from St Mathews Church in Chapel Allerton, to enquire about the availability of the church and if he would be open to allowing us to use the space for the project. Originally I had planned on recording a jazz band, however when plans for this fell through I got back in touch to inquire about using the space to record Isaac. I had previously been at the church to record the West Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra which gave me an introduction to the space, sound and health and any safety issues.
Site Visit
I had personally undertaken a site visit for the recording of WYSO at the church previously. From this I had an existing stage plan with details of where power sockets were as well as areas we could not use as they would block fire exits. From this I created a stage plan for this session detailing where instruments would be placed, which sockets we would use for electrical equipment and where the room mics would be placed. Below I have included the original and the final stage plan from the session, which was changed due to the drummer cancelling (see appendix 4 and 5).
Appendix 4 and 5
Risk Assessment
Based on information from the site visit I completed a risk assessment for the session (appendix 6).
Appendix 6
Equipment Booking & Track Sheet
I booked microphones from Leeds Conservatoire. I chose to have a single close mic on each instrument as well as two pairs of room mics, one close and one spaced pair (see appendix 7 and 8).
Appendix 7
Appendix 8
Mic Choice Justifications
On bass I used a Sennheiser MD421 as it can provide a full sound on loud bass cabs (Rogers, 2024). For the guitar I used the Sontronics Delta 2 as it has a low frequency roll off effective on guitars and great clarity, even whilst receiving loud sounds (Rogers, 2019). Piano was originally recorded AKG 414 XLS before being swapped for a Schoeps K4 as we found the reduced some harsher frequencies in the high range of the piano.
Evaluation
The Process
I believe this project was planned and executed effectively. I communicated clearly with the church and booked enough time to conduct multiple takes, this allowed for the performance and arrangement to be captured to a high quality. It also allowed for the opportunity for me to evaluate the capture during recording and tweak mic placements and choices as the session took place. The main issue of my process was failing to prepare for how much louder the piano would be than the other instruments.
Group Feedback Session 22.4.26
In the first of two group feedback sessions I presented my initial mix of this track. The key notes I took away from this feedback were that the piano in the loudest part of the track had some resonant frequencies in the high end and that the overall level was too high in places(see appendix 9). To reduce this problem I dipped the EQ between 1-4k and decreased the level of the close mic by around 25db. I then used automation to increase this level back up when the piano was playing quieter fills, for example in the break before the second verse. I also automated a similar decrease in EQ in the close room mics in the loudest sections.
I also received feedback that the vocal lacked presence in the first verse (see appendix 10), to achieve a clearer mix I decreased the volume of the spaced room mics during this section to address the vocal reverb level. I also increased the overall level of the vocal microphone in the section as well as reducing an EQ cut that was originally at around 220hz to 100hz to allow for a rounder and fuller sound.
Lastly it was mentioned there was a hissing noise at the beginning of the piece (see appendix 10). This was coming from the spaced pair of room mics. I decreased the level only through this section as this problem was mitigated when the rest of the ensemble were playing. I left just enough to provide a vocal reverb that still gave an immediate impression of the space the piece was played in.
Appendix 9
Appendix 10
The Final Product
I believe I achieved my initial goal of complimenting the source material through my choice of space. The church offered a great natural reverb that added texture to the vocal, cello and piano parts. As well as this I believe my final product reflected the dynamic range that the listener would’ve heard if listening to the piece live in the church. I achieved this mainly through volume automation as I believed compressing audio too heavily would have reduced the natural dynamics of each instrument.
Project 2 – Found Sound Composition
Synopsis
For this project I aimed to create a dance track. It was created from samples captured in Roundhay Park in Leeds including the sounds of wildlife, birdsong, streams and footsteps. The goal for this project was to bring the life of the park into an EDM context without losing the character of the original samples. This project was inspired by the Japanese religion of Shintuism, in which Kami-spirits are worshipped. Kami are spirits which inhabit both the natural and human world and control life events (BBC, 2009). The idea of a shared power between the natural and human world felt relevant to this project as I would be digitally manipulating the sounds of the natural world.
Research
Field Recording Techniques
To create a compelling sound an investigative field recordist must research and execute their ideas effectively (Virostek, 2013). This school of thought is countered however by other field recordists. Lane discusses how field recording can be more improvisational and actually allow the recordists to be present in the moment and listen deeply (Lane, 2013). This second approach inspired my first recording session on this project. I went in with no laid out plan, and used the time to experiment with using the Zoom H5 in that environment for the first time. It is recommended with a Zoom H5 to angle their XY microphones at 90 degrees towards a sound source, to prevent signal delay and eliminate phase differences (Zoom, 2025). I aimed to use this technique across the recording of all samples on this project.
Recording Impulse Responses
Studies from The University of York show that one method of capturing an impulse response is to excite the environment, for example by bursting a balloon to capture natural physical acoustics (Architecture V, 2025). I used the method to capture several impulse responses on this project. I then imported the impulse responses into logic’s space designer to use as auxiliary reverb sends. Inspired by a sound on sound article I used parameters such as room size and reverb length to digital alter my original impulse responses (Deruty, 2010).
Project Management
The recording of the samples of this project took place over three different sessions. All samples were recorded using the previously mentioned field recording techniques via a Zoom H5.
Initial Session
I originally planned for this to be the only session where I captured samples for the project, however I found that the samples captured were of a poor quality due to my inexperience of using the Zoom H5. The main issue I had was the high levels of handling noise and wind interference on each sample.There were also a lot of samples that had poor stereo balance due to the placement of the mics. I instead used the samples from this session as an opportunity to identify and address these issues and plan a second session where I would avoid repeating these mistakes again. This in a way formed my practical research on this project.
Secondary Session
In my secondary session I took a backpack as well as a small tarpaulin to place the Zoom on to avoid handling noise. I also took an additional cover for the dead kitten, which I ultimately did not need as the wind levels were far lower on this day. I took a pair of in-ear monitors as, unlike the headphones I had previously used, this blocked out the sounds I could naturally hear, and allowed me to listen to what I was capturing in more detail. All this led to me to capture clearer and better balanced samples. These samples were used to form my final arrangement. Appendix 11 and 12 show two of the locations I captured samples at.
Appendix 11
Appendix 12
Impulse Response Session
After the track was written and arranged I returned to the park to capture impulse responses at ‘The Castle’ (see appendix 13). The Castle offered two archery towers as well as a large staircase in which I recorded (see appendix 14). The impulse responses captured in the towers were short and reflective, I used these to add texture to the arpeggiators in the final arrangement. The staircase offered a wider and longer reverb and I used this to create ambience on some of the pad sounds in the final arrangement . I believed that these impulse responses could offer unique reverbs and add the natural characteristics of the piece. Below are the before and after audio of the impulse responses that I used.
Appendix 13
Appendix 14
Evaluation
The Process
There was a naturally more experimental approach to this project when compared to the others, inspired by my academic research. I struggled to plan stringently as, particularly on the sessions where I was capturing samples, I ultimately had less of a clear end goal of what I wanted to achieve. Once I began manipulating the samples and developing the arrangement, the project became easier to plan and deliver. From this I had a clear plan to capture short and long impulse responses as the track lacked atmosphere. As I had completed the first two recording sessions, I had already identified The Castle as a place I could complete this. Overall, I feel like the strength of this process came through trial and error, practical research and completing multiple sessions so that I could identify weaknesses and work to improve on them. The group feedback session also offered a great opportunity to develop my final arrangement.
Group Feedback Session 29.04.2026
At the second group feedback session I presented a mix of this track. A unanimous piece of feedback I received was that the kick could have more low end and depth (see appendix 15). To improve this I decreased a high pass filter from 40hz down to 20hz. As well as this I created several sidechains to the kick, for example in the pads, arpeggiators and basses to help increase the kicks’ presence within the mix.
Appendix 15
Another piece of feedback was that whilst there was development and atmosphere, the piece lacked a clear lead line or hook to tie this development together. To try and resolve this issue I added the lead line to the piece. I felt this tied sections together and made the piece have more of a centre to develop around. I also developed this leadline so that it changed tonality with the rest of the piece in the ending section.
Lastly I received feedback the piece could have a more pulsating groove with hi hats (see appendix 16) . I added 3 different hi hat grooves into the end of the piece to try and achieve this, using different grooves to add rhythmic development.
Appendix 16
The Final Product
I feel I achieved my original goal of maintaining the natural sound of the park to my piece. I created all reverbs through impulse responses taken in the park and every element of the song was taken from the field recorded samples. At points I think some samples were manipulated in a way that did decrease this. At times the kick and arpeggiator elements feel too digital. Coming into this project I had not worked on any EDM music and so there were elements of the production that when compared to tracks such as the Cosmo Sheldrake’s ‘The Grand Animal Orchestra’ that was shown in the week 16 seminars, lacked the drama and significant dynamic ranges of the style. I think my final product could have been improved with more effective side-chaining, use of compression as a creative tool and automation of panning of other elements like EQ to keep sounds evolving throughout the piece.
Project 3 – Audio Documentary
Synopsis
For my audio documentary I produced a piece on the reasons why people participate in grassroots and non-league football clubs. Entitled ‘It’s Just A Game?’ I aimed to look at the mental health benefits and community football builds for young men, particularly in a landscape where men’s mental health is declining. I aimed to capture multiple soundscapes of fan noise as well as other relevant soundscapes to the stories my interviewees would tell. I opted for a subject-focused documentary, with minimal narration, I believe that to answer the questions the most effectively, I needed detailed responses from my subjects.
Research
Reference Material
I started my research by listening to audio documentaries that covered similar topics. In a seminar we were shown Chris Watson’s ‘St James Park’ documentary (BBC, 2015). I took inspiration from this documentary as it covered the wider life around St James Park rather than solely focusing on football. I also listened to several episodes of ‘Behind The Teams’ which looks at volunteers in non-league clubs and why they give up their time from the clubs and the wider benefits the clubs can have on their lives (BBC Radio Kent, 2025). Reference material on this project was important not just for narrative inspiration, but for the soundscapes as well. Episodes of ‘Behind The Teams’ take you all around a club and into environments that without the narrative context of the documentary you wouldn’t immediately associate with football. It was this that inspired my idea to capture the sounds of a kitchen as I felt it gave the documentary a relatable starting point. In this section I used spot effects such as the sound of a kettle boiling. It was hard to collate academic research for this project so I opted to stick strongly to these points of reference to achieve a strong documentary.
Project Management
I formed a script, the purpose of which was to allow the subjects to answer the questions the
documentary posed, rather than going in with the idea of proving a specific point. I did research into statistics from the FA around football participation as well as government surveys that look at the wider trends of male participation in social groups and networks.
The next stages of planning involved searching for the subjects I was going to interview. I identified that I wanted to go through the process of a matchday with a Sunday league player and discuss with them the reasons they play the game. I spoke to a work colleague, James Friday, who I was aware was playing for a sunday league team, and arranged an interview. This interview took place at our workspace on the 1st of April. From this I decided on the soundscapes I wanted to build for this portion of the documentary. As we discussed what a full match day entails I decided to try to reflect this through soundscapes. Starting with the sound of a kitchen in the early morning, I gathered samples of cooking appliances, drinks and mugs as well as room ambience.
On the 22nd of April I attended a match between James Friday’s side, Leeds Modernians and another local side at Adel Sports and Social Club in Leeds (See appendix 17). On this day I captured audio from James’ drive to the match including radio and road noise. At the game I captured audio of the players, referee and the staff and supporters on the sidelines. James and I had discussed that the players of his team frequently meet at a pub after they have played, so I captured the bar ambience at The Botanist in Barnsley on the 25th of April to use under this section of our interview. All of these soundscapes were captured through a Zoom H5.
Appendix 17
I next wanted to look at a fans perspective, I believed this would offer a different outlook as they don’t have a personal connection to their club in the same way as a player, they are in a way just a paying customer. From this I decided to interview James Heath, who I have previously attended non-leagues matches with, about his time following Notts County. I believed James would offer an interesting perspective as Notts County have played league football as well as being relegated into non-league. This interview was completed via zoom on April 18th(See Appendix 18). I believed that by completing this interview via zoom it would add a different texture to the documentary, until that point all the sounds had been very natural and I believed this would add a contrast that would hook the listener back into the conversation. I added the sound of men talking over football commentary that I captured inside the Adel Social Club, as this changed the texture at a point I felt the listener may lose interest in purely call audio.
Evaluation
The Process
I believe the process of this project was delivered effectively via my original plan. I conducted the interview and created soundscapes fitting of the conversations we had. The interviews I conducted effectively answered the question of why participation in grassroot football and non-league attendances were growing. These interviews however only covered the personal reasons behind this, I think an interesting layer to add into this would have been for an analysis of the wider economic cause, for example is the high ticket price of premier league matches encouraging more people to opt for cheaper non-league tickets? The key failing of my process was that, as I completed this project last out of the three, I did not have a first draft together till quite close to the project deadline. As a result, I couldn’t gain feedback on my mixes of the project in the group feedback sessions. I think that going into my final arrangement I lacked objectivity and because of this there were issues with actually answering the deeper elements of the documentary as only 2 perspectives were offered. Were I to plan this project again I would have sought out more options for interviewees and aimed to find people who worked in different roles within clubs or who were experts in the social issues the documentary raised. I also felt I could have tried a more adventurous capture style. For example, during the football match audio I used only the XY Zoom H5 mics. Had I placed additional mics or field recorders simultaneously around the pitch I could have built a wider and deeper stereo image that would have been more immersive for the reader. Additionally with James playing we had hoped we might find a way to record him whilst playing, but could not find an appropriate mic for this purpose that would adhere to league rules.
The Final Product
When comparing my final documentary to my reference material, I believe it fell short in depth of different perspectives. My original plan of following a player through game day gave a lot of depth but only to one subject, as I was looking at the wider impacts of football I think either more players or people who are in different roles within clubs, for example coaching staff, would have made for a more compelling narrative arc and a deeper analysis of the wider benefits of football. I do however think that the soundscapes I captured added variation that complimented the interviews I did have, but again had there been more subjects I could have developed this further. I also believe that using a zoom interview broke up what was to that point a very natural soundscape across the documentary.
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