Program Overview

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Course overview

Led by our highly regarded and experienced tutor, Dr Marcus Leadley, our Introductory course aims to take you on a journey of exploration through the thrilling and ever-popular world of Field Recording.

Thank you so so much for the wonderful journey towards field recording - it's been just incredible and gave me so much food for thought. Lavinia Siardi, Autumn 2022

From techniques designed to offer a foundation, to a much-needed overview of a discipline considered vitally important in the fields of film and documentary sound, radio, scientific and ecology enquiry as well as art practice, this course is designed to offer you a solid grounding on which to build, and possibly move on to take our advanced course:

Field Recording: Soundscape Composition

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To avoid disappointment, please book your place on the course 72 hours prior to its commencement.

Whether you’re a complete beginner, or whether you have some experience of basic hand-held recorders and wants to improve the quality of their recordings, this 10-week course is for you! You will learn through a mixture of workshops, lectures, field trips, and recording sessions, as well as gaining valuable hands-on experience.

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Brief course structure

Week 1

- Lecture – Listening, Context and History of the Soundscape.

Week 2

- Lecture / Soundwalk – Listening, Context and History of the Soundscape continued and Soundwalk.

Week 3

- Lecture / Workshop – Portable Digital Recorders, Microphones and Techniques.

Week 4

- Lecture / Workshop – Recording ‘Hidden’ Sounds: Contact Mics, Coil Mics, Hydrophones and Ultrasound Detectors.

Week 5

- Field Trip.

Week 6

– Lecture/Lab – Field Trip De-Brief + Group Listening to our Recordings.

Week 7

- Lecture – Soundscape and the Socio-Political: Exploration of Arts Practices and Agendas.

Week 8

- Lecture/Lab – Introduction to Software and Soundscape Composition Basics: Importing Files and Editing Sound. Composing with Sound in the Studio.

Week 9

- Lecture /Lab – Equalization, Effects and Processing Sound + Composing with Sound in the Studio.

Week 10

- Lab – Composing with Sound in the Studio + Presenting Work and Feedback.

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Intended Learning Outcomes

Theoretical, practical and conceptual knowledge in phonography and soundscape composition.

Transferrable skills that can be used in a number of different contexts, including sound art and fine art, as well as documentary.

An understanding of ‘site’ encompassing space, place and location
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An awareness of audio and microphone techniques
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An understanding of the current and historical contexts of phonography.

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Technical Requirements

While the base-line technical requirement for taking this course is a computer and a recording device (mobile phone or other) you will, ideally, need either a decent set of computer monitor speakers or good headphones.

Weekly sessions will be held over Zoom.

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