One of the assignments for my foundation degree this semester was to go out and record spaces which could then be channelled through a device within Logic Pro X Digital Audio Workstation know as the impulse Response Unit. The impulse response unity captures sound of spaces which can be used for a number of processing devices but more commonly used for reverb. So one cold winters morning we headed out to couple of venues which had been prearranged by a member of a three man group. Myself with fellow enthusiastic colleagues Pete Mapstone and Matthew Lee.
So on chilly early December morning around six o clock am we met up at our first venue Cardiff City House Of Sport training facilities also known as the Air Dome. The reason for our early arrival was to able to record before daily training sessions commenced.
Although it was colder inside than out and we were met with an unfortunate obstacle in the fact the group were unable to use the two Mackie thumb monitors because our cable and extensions couldn’t reach a suitable power source, we adapted and still managed to capture the space. Armed with just the microphones on stands an the audio interface and a clapper board we soldiered on with persistence.
No way we were going to let unforeseeable circumstances dictate our work flow. To be honest it was a lot of fun considering none of us felt awake.
The staff were also very helpful as much as they could have been at least thats how it appeared. So just as the academy arrived for morning training we finished up, packed up the equipment then reloaded the van and headed across the road to the second venue Cardiff City Football stadium, home of The Bluebirds.
We arrived shortly after leaving the training facility and were greeted with a warm welcome. The staff were helpful and very accommodating.
We managed to record some great spaces like the Fred Keenor lounge to the Sony hospitality suite we even got a photo in the stands plus a few free coffees along the way. This whole day was a lot of fun and was a great learning experience not only with how to adapt with certain obstacles but generally how to capture interesting spaces which can make potential fabulous reverb process presets of your own. Food for thought in the future.
