February 13, 2017 – Binaural Sound Experience

February 13, 2017Charles MacRae No Comments

Initial Research – Recording Equipment (LO1)

I did some research on what other people are using to create binaural audio recordings and came upon a lot of different forums with people discussing their various different setups and equipment. There were three types of recording equipment that I could choose from:

Number 1:

A static head shape with omnidirectional microphones placed in each ear on either side. This product is used to simulate the space between our ears as well as the shape of our ears to give the most accurate replication of sound. This option would have been good if I were perhaps recording a static character in a room and just wanted the microphones to stay in one place, however, I am creating a moving piece so this was not something I could use.

Number 2:

DIY Binaural Microphones. These are surprisingly cheap to make and work very well when placed in the ear, and this is the main way that people record binaurally from what I can see on the forums, I also recently looked into Dallas Simpson and he also creates his own binaural microphones. I was originally going to use this type of microphone, however, I don’t have the equipment to make them and they don’t allow you to monitor your recording as you are doing it.

Number 3:

Roland cs-10em. These were recommended to me on many forums to start out recording binaurally. They are a combination of headphone and omnidirectional condenser microphone so that they can be used to monitor whilst recording. I made sure to find some tech demos prior to purchasing and was happy with how they sound, so these are the microphones that I will be using to record my project with.

References:

https://www.roland.com/us/products/cs-10em/specifications/

http://openfile.org.uk/archive/dallas-simpson-binaural-recording/ – “My simple binaural recording technique is to insert high quality custom modified sub miniature microphones into my ears and thus sample my own hearing.”

http://www.head-fi.org/t/544390/roland-cs-10em-binaural-field-recording

February 13, 2017Charles MacRae No Comments

Initial Research – Discovering Binaural Recording (LO1/3)

I first had the idea to create a binaural sound recording whilst I was searching through YouTube to find what I called “3D/360” sound and I found quite a few videos this way which interested me and made me want to pursue something similar.

The first few videos I found weren’t based in the horror genre but instead just showed off what you could do with binaural recording:

I then continued searching and found one that was more interesting and was more horror themed:

This was the main video that I used to kick start my idea. Originally I wanted to emulate this sort of recording of a static person in the middle of a room and have all of the action going on around the listener but after talks with Emily, we decided that it would be more interesting to have a moving piece of audio that the listener would emulate in a certain area, which made us think that the top of Lincoln, towards the cathedral, would be an interesting scene to experience the audio recording I make.

February 13, 2017Charles MacRae No Comments

Timeline of Work

Weeks 4-5 (6th Feb – 19th Feb):

Experimenting with the recording equipment.
Go on the ghost walk.
Try narrating a script.

Weeks 6-7 (20th Feb – 5th Mar):

Write up the script for the narration/story.
Begin the binaural recordings.
Experiment with creating music/sound for the project.

Weeks 8-9 (6th Mar – 19th Mar):

Record the narration of the story.
Start creating music/sounds to accompany the recording.
Record extra sounds/background noises.

Weeks 10-11 (20th Mar – 2nd Apr):

Have the bulk of the recording finished.
Start the mixing process.

Weeks 12-14 (3rd Apr – 27th Apr)

Finish up the project.
Make sure the mix sounds good.
Get it ready for hand-in.

The research will accompany the entire project and will be consistent throughout.

February 13, 2017Charles MacRae No Comments

Aims & Outcomes – Project Overview

For Project 2 I decided to do something new and experiment with a new type of recording technique, that technique being, Binaural recording. The main idea of my project is to create a binaural sound experience that incorporates both the binaural recording as well as more contemporary recording techniques. The end goal is to have created a binaural soundscape of an area around the castle/cathedral in Lincoln that incorporates a narrative or story around the ghost stories associated with that area of Lincoln. I want this to be an immersive and somewhat scary experience so I will be exploring how I can achieve that with my research and will blend in certain horror tropes such as creepy music and jump scares.

My Project Aims:

By the end of this project:

I will have created a sound experience that incorporates aspects of binaural recording, contemporary recording and narration/storytelling.
I will have looked into the production techniques that are necessary when recording with binaural microphones.
I will look into the history of Lincoln City and the ghost stories associated with the area around the cathedral and castle to create a narrative.
I will look into how radio dramas are created to try and incorporate similar aspects into my project.
I will look into how I can get my sound experience heard by people by looking in to where this type of media is generally consumed or put on display.

My Project Outcomes:

I will have learnt how to record binaurally and learnt the production techniques that others use and incorporate them into my project. (LO1)
I will have learnt how radio dramas are created and how they go about telling a story with sound only. (LO2)
I will have learnt about how to create an immersive horror experience that has an effect on the listener. (LO3)
I will have learnt about how sound art/sound experiences are presented to people and where my piece can be presented. (LO4)