A Sonic Map Of Dornoch :: I spent the middle of June up in the Highlands of Scotland – in and around the town of Dornoch, Sutherland. My granny lives in Dornoch and it is the one true geographical constants in a life of uncertainty about where I will be next year. We have been going up to Dornoch from all of the places we have ever lived – Kent, Norfolk, Northumberland, Humberside, Bedford and Yorkshire.
Whilst the welcoming locals may not associate the idyll the same way I see it, I have come to associate Dornoch with a slower pace of life – there is not the bustle one associates with life anywhere else. Yes, there is the coming and going of tourists, but that is how I interpret the town – I was a tourist.
Is it okay for a passing visitor to leave a mark? I am of the philosophy that one should leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but photos – however, this time I made a sound map. There was around 14 hours worth of recordings taken over the week I was up there and I have spent a solid week sat in front of my editing software preparing the audio files and composing them into something I can present.
So, is this an audio montage? A type of music concrete? I believe it to be a Sonic Map – it is a snapshot of the Genii Locus of Dornoch at the height of summer 2017. I have chosen to call it a “Sonic Map” as opposed to a “Sound Map” because there is not the over-emphasis on location – the recording is like a tide washing over you. Meant for pleasure more than academia.
The files were edited in a blend of Absentia DX, Logic Pro, Reaper64 and using the Izotope RX Plugins. I composed the piece using Reaper64 due to the fact it has non-destructive editing. I was a bit keen with the Compressor but I wanted a steady ‘throb’ in the recordings – much like the coming and going of the tides of Dornoch Beach. Plus, my granny would have my guts for garters if she knew she featured on a recording. You can get the recording HERE.
I have been offered the use of Dense PR for this release – who it is a massive pleasure to work with. If you run a blog or a radio show then be sure to ask Ed Benndorf, at Dense PR, for information regarding the release.
I have made a segment of the recording available for people to listen to – the complete work spans just over 30 minutes but this recording tapers off at the four-minute mark.