Capturing Sounds

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Module Content

In the first part of this module we will analyse what it is that recordists aim to ‘capture’. What is desirable and what is not?  Is this the same for all recordists? How and why does space matter with reference to the instrument and the performer? What does it mean to record the sound of a particular environment and why were microphone techniques and studio designs developed to minimize the recording of ambience?
What kinds of advanced recording techniques were developed over the years? Through case study and playback sessions we will journey through the working practices (and recordings) of early pioneers such as songcatchers and field recordists to modern day recording engineers.  Students will be encouraged to conduct field test recordings of their own and to experiment in practical studio sessions using the many techniques and tools discussed and presented to them.  There will be a strong emphasis on acoustic instruments and voice, in preparation for both assignments. We will consider the benefits of being conversant with the physiology and temperament of ‘the instrument’.  We will also study a wide range of instruments (including the classical orchestra) and the types of techniques and microphones employed when capturing their sounds.
Having discussed and explored the varying philosophies and beliefs of those engaged in the art of recording, students will conduct their own studio and field experimentations, assessing and engaging with their chosen space. They will also be invited to share their findings with their peers online and during playback sessions and seminar discussions. 
We will study the various approaches to the analysis of recorded music that have developed, particularly the work of Allan Moore, William Moylan, Serge Lacasse and others on the concepts of ‘staging’ and the ‘sound box’. How can the way that something is recorded influence the musical meaning that it communicates to its audience? Albin Zak has also documented the way in which the recording process and the composition process have become intermingled, particularly in popular music forms. How can this characterization of recording as creative practice be squared with the idea of ‘capture’ and how can practitioners make use of this kind of theorizing in their own music production?
George Gershwin once said of the phonograph “ The Machine Age can affect music only in its distribution…” going on to declare that if music ever became machine-made “it would cease to be an art.”  In contrast Christian Marclay observes that “it is in sound’s nature to be free and uncontrollable and to go through the cracks and to places where it’s not supposed to go”.
We will examine and deconstruct a diverse range of seminal ‘works’ which exhibit techniques: looping; splicing (cut-and-paste); overdubbing and multi-layering, and multi-processing (real-time rather than ‘post’ sound capture).  This we will do in preparation for a practice based research activity.  Students will be encouraged to make note of the symbiosis which exists between performer-musician, recordist and technology. 

Assignments

Assignment 1

Assignment Title:    Recording Voice – microphone and recording techniques  
Length: Essay (comparison analysis) 2000
            Research folder
            Pre & Post session form
            Audio CD plus CD-R/DVD

Assignment 2

Assignment Title:    Recording an orchestra or large ensemble on location (Group work)
Length:     Pre-Production Plan 1000 words
                Essay 2000 words
                Audio CD plus CD-R/DVD session files