Mastering Immersive Sound: Carole Hayman's "Lossenham - The Sounds of a Landscape": ': An Ambisonic Immersive Spatial Audio Soundscape
- Michael Griggs
- Jun 12, 2024
- 10 min read
Updated: Jun 17, 2024
This article delves into the process of creating an impressionistic spatial sound piece by Carole Hayman, an accomplished writer, broadcaster, actor, and director. It covers the technical intricacies of bringing an immersive sound installation to life—from remote collaboration workflows and field recording techniques to editing, ambisonic workflows, and immersive speaker array design, installation, and calibration
Lossenham Farm - The Landscape
The Lossenham Project is a community-driven heritage and research initiative aimed at exploring the archaeology, history, and landscape of Lossenham, in Kent, UK. While its primary focus is on the lands of Lossenham Farm, it also encompasses the broader area, including Newenden, the River Rother, Hexden Channel, Rother Levels, and neighbouring parishes.
Funded by the Janus Foundation, the project collaborates with various heritage organisations and community groups, including the Carmelite Order.
Lossenham Priory, a long-lost 13th-century priory, was recently discovered and is being excavated. Records state a murder was committed in the cloister and that it was burned down.
The land is being rewilded, and native farm animals and fish are being reintroduced. It is a vast, isolated, remote, and fascinating place that is steeped in history and beauty.
The Beginning of a Creative Collaboration
I met Carole at Screen South, where I was working as a creative tech manager. Carole came in to borrow some recording equipment and get advice on recording sounds for a sound art piece she had been commissioned to create by the Janus Foundation. I eagerly offered my ideas on incorporating immersive technology and volunteered to help record ambiences with my recording kit—I never miss a chance to do some surround recordings in nature! Fortunately, Carole let me join in, allowing me to share my passion for field recording and immersive sound.
Initial Visits and Recording Timeline
My first visit to the Lossenham site was on the 25th and 26th of May 2023, followed by another visit on the 24th of July 2023. Over the course of a year, we conducted several recording sessions, culminating in the final mix for the immersive piece on the 11th of June 2024. This extended timeline allowed us to capture a wide range of sounds and stories, exchange ideas, and manage the immense amount of material generated.
Capturing the Sounds of Lossenham
So much of this project was unknown. When I signed up, I did not have a clear picture of what the landscape and environment would be like, what I'd need to record for the project, or what would be uncovered in the process of recording interviews with archaeologists or local community members. So, I decided to load up the car and bring as many microphones, recorders, and batteries as possible to handle a wide variety of circumstances.
We aimed to capture a diverse range of sounds, from the natural landscapes to modern machinery. Birds, farm animals, and ambient noises were essential for creating an authentic soundscape reminiscent of the 13th-century priory. Juxtaposing these natural sounds with farm machinery, motorbikes, helicopters, and a nearby steam train highlighted the contrast between past and present.
Carole and her fellow interviewers, Janette Legge Capron and Pat Wilson, conducted informal interviews using Zoom Hn1 handheld recorders, capturing rich, personal stories from the community. Key figures like Richard Copsey, a historian and former Carmelite monk, and Andrew Richardson, an archaeologist, were recorded in more formal settings to provide detailed insights.
Field Recording Techniques
We employed several sound recording rigs to capture the diverse soundscape of Lossenham:
Quad Ambiance Rig: Featuring DIY EM272 microphones, paired with a Tascam DR-70D 4-channel recorder and a USB battery bank inside a dry bag.
The mics were taped to the end of some selfie sticks that were screwed into a Leofoto CF-8 with various thread adapters. The selfie sticks were extended to their full length and then attached to a lighting stand or tripod.
This rig was left out for hours and even overnight to capture sounds like frogs, the dawn chorus, and distant farm machinery.
DIY AmbAlice Ambisonic Microphone: Paired with a Zoom F6 recorder, this setup was left in the middle of the dig site to capture the archaeologists' digging, discussions, and the environment's overnight sounds.
The DIY AmbiAlice mic was protected from the wind using a Rycote BBG. It was a snug fit, but if you're looking to make an AmbiAlice yourself, the 25mm version works great. The mic was attached to a tripod with a Rycote InVision microphone clip.
The F6 recorded a 32-bit A-format file that had to be processed in post to be encoded to B format (AmbiX). The 32-bit format was chosen due to the wide dynamic range of sounds we were capturing and as a safety measure for when the shovels really hit the ground hard.
Tascam DR100-mk3 with Sennheiser MKH 40/30 and 60/30MS: This setup was used to record ambiences and spot effects, we recorded footsteps, motorcycles, diggers, farm equipment, and bees. It was placed in a field of sheep overnight to capture their nocturnal sounds, along with cuckoos and owls.
Roland R-07 with Clippy EM172 Microphones: This compact setup was ideal for hiding in grass or tying to trees, capturing unique sounds like a bird landing on water. Taping these microphones to either side of a tree trunk, as if to give the trees ears, is a fantastic way to record sounds. The tree trunk acts as a baffle and is often the rough size of a human head, so it can act as a pseudo-binaural or baffled space pair recording. The recorder, inside a dry bag, can easily hang from a branch. I use green and camo dry bags in nature to help hide my drop rigs.
Sonosax R4 with ORTF + AB Array: This is by far my favourite stereo recording array. Inspired by classical music recording techniques for orchestras, I put this rig together to record massive sounds. It's a little like using a large format camera for taking photos of landscapes, except for sound. It is made up of a pair of Sennheiser MKH 40s in ORTF and a pair of Sennheiser MKH 8020s in AB. I used this array for recording musical performances and gong baths.
Overcoming Challenges
Managing overnight recordings without staying on-site was challenging. We used large battery banks, SD cards with large capacity, waterproof setups, and multiple rigs to capture different soundscapes simultaneously. Wind and rain also posed difficulties, but careful equipment placement helped mitigate these issues.
Assembling the Soundscape - Creating the Tapestry of Sounds
Collaboration
We largely collaborated on this project remotely, setting up a Google Drive shared folder that contained Google Docs with Carole's paper edits and direction notes, as well as music selections. We used the comments feature to communicate, which was very helpful as all the information was always available, and it helped us keep track of the vast quantity of interviews and sound recordings. I would send initial sketches for feedback and then iterative updates, which we tweaked until they were complete. Carole provided a detailed paper edit that served as our roadmap, guiding the narrative structure of the soundscape. This document outlined the key themes and snippets of dialogue to be included, helping us maintain a clear focus throughout the assembly process. This collaborative workflow ensured that both the artistic vision and technical execution were aligned while also leaving plenty of room for interpretation and creativity. We met up on occasion to address any notes and have some bants.
The Scope
Altogether, we created five distinct pieces for the project, each of varying length. The impressionistic centerpiece, which we referred to as "The Ambience," is a 20-minute composition consisting of field recordings, interviews, and music. It is designed to be played over a 360-degree loudspeaker array. Accompanying this immersive installation are four additional pieces meant to be listened to on headphones. These pieces blend elements of podcasts and radio shows, each focusing on a specific theme: Community, Rewilding, History, and The Dig. These thematic pieces provide a deeper exploration of the project's multifaceted narrative, offering a detailed dive into the characters and themes that capture the essence of Lossenham.
Assembly Process
I imagined the ambisonic piece as a large tapestry, perhaps because the old-world word evoked thoughts of the Bayeux Tapestry, We approached this process much like a film production, with separate tracks for dialogue, music, and sound effects, edited and woven to create a cohesive and immersive experience that has many threads that the listener can follow. All the pieces were inside one Nuendo session, to make it easy to move interviews around into each different theme as they were edited.
Cleaning and Enhancing Recordings
We used RX9 for noise reduction and audio restoration, which was invaluable in cleaning up noisy recordings. This tool allowed us to remove unwanted background noise and enhance the clarity of the dialogue and ambient sounds. Many of the interviews were recorded with handheld recorders and often in howling wind, so it was often necessary to do heavy cleanup to the files to ensure the content could be clearly heard.
Organising and Tagging Audio Files
Given the sheer volume of recordings, organisation was crucial. We utilised Soundminer to catalog and tag each audio file with detailed metadata. This included descriptions of the sounds, recording locations, dates, and any relevant context. This meticulous tagging made it easier to locate specific recordings during the editing process and ensured that no valuable material was overlooked.
Constructing the Soundscape
We began by laying down the foundational elements of the soundscape: the ambient sounds of the landscape, such as birdsong, wind, and the distant hum of farm machinery. These background elements created a rich auditory environment that transported listeners to the heart of Lossenham.
Next, we layered in the sounds of the archaeological dig. The scraping of shovels, the murmurs of the archaeologists, and the occasional discovery added a sense of immediacy and excitement. These elements were carefully positioned within the 360-degree sound field, allowing listeners to feel as if they were standing amidst the dig site.
Interspersed throughout the soundscape were the ghostly voices of the Carmelites, their plainsong and chants echoing through the landscape. In reality these were recordings of the very talented opera singers Helene Mathisens and Olivia Bell that were recorded on the site. These sounds were treated with reverb and spatial effects to enhance their ethereal quality, creating a haunting and evocative atmosphere.
Integrating Music and Interviews
Music played a crucial role in setting the tone and enhancing the emotional impact of the soundscape. Carole selected pieces that complemented the project's themes, using Hear360 to upmix stereo recordings to 7.1.4 for a more immersive experience. The music was woven seamlessly into the fabric of the soundscape, adding depth and resonance to the piece.
The interviews provided the narrative thread that tied the soundscape together. Voices were placed strategically within the sound field, creating a dynamic and engaging listening experience. Some interviews were positioned close to the listener, as if speaking directly to them, while others were more distant, drawing the listener into the broader soundscape.
Creating Seamless Transitions
One of the key challenges was ensuring smooth transitions between different elements of the soundscape, especially since there was no visual anchor to guide the listener. We had to rely solely on audio cues to maintain coherence and flow. We used crossfades, reverb, spatial effects and some experimental panning to blend sounds together, creating a fluid and continuous experience.
Crafting a Narrative Journey
Our goal was to give the audience the impression of being at the site, caught up in all the goings-on of village life, and discovering the history of the site along with the centuries-old mysteries of the murder at the site and the fire that burned the priory down. The soundscape was structured to reflect the project's key themes: history, community, archaeology, and rewilding. Each section of the soundscape highlighted different aspects of these themes, using sound to tell a compelling and immersive story.
Third-Order Ambisonics
I decided to edit and mix the immersive piece in third-order ambisonic format as it provided a flexible format that could be decoded in many situations. I was able to monitor the session in 5.1 from my studio, 7.1.4 when at Screen South, or simply binaural with head tracking when away from the studio. This flexibility was essential when making a piece that could be destined for any environment. Apart from the flexibility of the format for deliveries, it also opens up a whole new world for creativity. We wanted to explore ways to have someone be pulled around the 360-degree sound piece, be able to stand close enough to a speaker to listen to a story that would not be audible in the centre of the speaker array, while also being able to transport the audience to the vast landscape. Whether it be taking shelter under a tree during heavy rain, standing in a field of crows during the dawn chorus, or being enveloped by a choir singing plainsong in a large old stone church while hearing stories of the Carmelites from a monk.
Immersive Mix
We had to come up with a solution to mix the piece for the custom speaker array. Previously, the rig we were using had been set up and calibrated to play third-order ambisonic files from Ableton Live using E4L. This solution was not going to work for my use case, as I was using the powerful ambisonic workflows available natively in Nuendo and wanted to be able to sit in the array and mix in real time.
Enter SPAT Revolution!
SPAT is an awesome solution for the many challenges you face when dealing with immersive sound that does not fit into standard formats. It enabled us to recreate the custom speaker layout virtually and feed it third-order ambisonic stems to be mapped to the space. Using this workflow allowed me to sit in the array and mix in real time, achieving a perfect 360-degree representation.
Exhibition
Installation and Experience
The installation features a 13.1 speaker array. There are 8 Neumann KH80s in a circle, positioned every 45 degrees, and five KH80s making up the height layer. The elevation is 45 degrees, and they are set 90 degrees apart from each other. The remaining KH80 speaker is at the center of the top as a "voice of God" (VOG) speaker. The speakers are mounted to a scaffold frame, surrounding the audience with a 360-degree sound sphere.
For the geeks out there, I calibrated the SPL of the subwoofer, high-passed at 120Hz, to 84dB C-weighted when playing pink noise at -20dBFS. Then, I calibrated each speaker to 79dB SPL with bass-managed filtering below 80Hz to the sub.
I played the piece directly from my Nuendo session, with the custom room layout decoding by SPAT Revolution on my laptop, into the Screen South sound system using Dante via Dante Virtual Soundcard.
There were two projectors projecting a slideshow of images showing the landscape and elements on the project. The four longer pieces containing more detailed interviews were mounted to the frame and the audience were free to pick up a pair of headphones and listen in.
Reflection and Future Projects
This project reinforced the value of advanced tools like Flux Spat Revolution and ambisonic technology, couple with Nuendo and Dante virtual sound card - it feels limitless.
Conclusion
The Lossenham Project was a journey of discovery, innovation, and collaboration. It allowed us to experiment and push the boundaries of sound recording, exploring its standing, importance, and place in the context of heritage and ecology, as well as storytelling in an abstract and experimental way. Using emerging immersive technology, we were able to create a unique auditory experience that celebrates the rich history and vibrant present of Lossenham. By sharing our expertise and experiences, we aim to inspire and educate others in the field, fostering a community of innovation and creativity.
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