Free, every Sunday · 2,600 readers
A free letter every Sunday: where I recorded this week, what it sounded like and one sound to listen for.
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Canals
Recording a canal at six in the morning
A hydrophone, a thermos and the sound of a boat engine two bridges away.
Halls
Why I record the empty hall first
Before any music, a few minutes of the room alone: the tone every later sound sits in.
Stairwells
A microphone at the bottom of a stairwell
What a concrete spiral does to a clap, a footstep and one long note.
Places
The doorway of a closed factory at dusk
Gravel, pigeons, a distant fan and how I kept my own breathing out of the recording.
Synth
Turning a hall recording into a drone
Slowing it down, stacking two copies and letting the room hum under the synth.
Synth
Patching a slow pad from a canal recording
Three cables, one filter and a sound that moves like water without being water.
Tape
Looping a tape of footsteps
A loop around a mic stand, a tape machine and a walk that never ends.
Editing
Editing a recording late at night
Cutting out a bus, keeping a bird and how I decide what stays.
Gear
Setting levels for a very quiet place
Gain, headphones and the trick of listening before you press record.
Synth
How I film hands on a small modular
A phone on a tripod, the panel in the light and a rule about reflections.
Halls
Choosing a quiet time to record a hall
Why Sunday morning is best, and what to do when the heating comes on.
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Room Tone
A free letter every Sunday: where I recorded this week, what it sounded like and one sound to listen for.