- Synchronous Recording- Yiting Liu
- Sound Editing and Sound Mixing-Ruotong Wu, Yiting Liu
- Final Mixing-Chao Li
1. Synchronous Recording
In the early stage, we captured the ambience by recording both point sources and area sound sources. We went to Calton Hill and used the Zoom H6 recorder to record the ambience in different directions of Calton Hill.
We also went to the target locations to record the ambient sounds, such as Prince Street, the church, etc., in preparation for the subsequent video switching.
In the middle stage, we recorded additional point sound sources and used the shotgun microphone Sennheiser MKH416 to record more precise point sound sources, such as bells, chirps, kids and so on. In addition, we re-record some ambience use this microphone to collect high-quality audio and improve the sound quality of the project.
2. Post-production Sound Design
When designing from the human perspective, we focused mainly on building the soundscape. From the dog’s perspective, we used abstract sound and visuals to express the cultural and historical significance of key locations around Calton Hill.
– Human Perspective
Based on our multiple recordings at Calton Hill, we combined the natural sounds and human activities we collected to recreate and restore the soundscape of the area. We tried to blend distant city ambience with nearby sounds such as footsteps and visitors’ laughter, aiming to build the unique sound texture of Calton Hill through sound.
With this reconstruction, we hope the audience cannot only hear the place, but also feel the memories and emotions that exist within it.
However, one regret is that if we had been able to use binaural recording, the immersive experience for the audience would have been even stronger. But on the one hand, the dummy head recorder was too heavy to carry around while walking and recording, which made it difficult to use in the field. On the other hand, due to limited time for post-production, we were not able to create a binaural version of the audio.
– Dog’s Perspective
From the dog’s perspective, we added footsteps, sniffing sounds, and panting to help the audience better imagine the experience of being a dog.
We also set Arthur’s Seat, the National Monument of Scotland, the Portuguese Cannon, Princes Street, and St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral as key stop points. When the audience reaches these locations, sounds related to each site will be triggered. Our goal is to use abstract sound to express the history, culture, and deeper meaning of these landmarks.
Eg. The Sound Design of Arthur’s Seat
At the stop at Arthur’s Seat, I wanted to use sound to evoke a sense of the Iron Age site and convey its deep, weighty history.
I added the sound of turning bearings as a symbol of the “wheels of time.” As the dog runs toward Arthur’s Seat, time seems to reverse, and the path of history slowly begins to emerge. At the foot of the hill, I layered low rumbles, granular textures, the sound of rolling stones, and wind to create a rich, multi-layered soundscape. The goal was to let listeners feel the ancient power held by this land.
These sounds are more than just representations of the environment — they are echoes of the past. Through the dog’s perspective, we wanted to show how memory and myth settle into the landscape, and how they still resonate in invisible ways today.
