MSc Sound Design
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What is Sound Design?
Sound design is an expanding and diverse area. It is growing both as an academic discipline and as a career path. There is much, as yet, uncharted territory in sound design as a research discipline and the term itself encapsulates a range of outputs from sound for moving image to sound installation and computer games.
Students on the MSc Sound Design* collaborated with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and The Lost Book by making sound recordings of the new pieces, editing and preparing them for use. There were five students on the team: Alexander Jackson Laing, Augoustinos Tsiros, Gavin Fort, Simon Herron and Liam Webster.
Sound design is an art that often goes unnoticed until it is removed: take away the sound design from a modern film and, suddenly, the actors seem like they are walking on air, their footsteps no longer audible. Take away the sound design from Radio 4′s the Archers and all you have are actors in a studio rather than a snapshot of contemporary rural life. Sound design is everywhere however, not just in the media. There are even sound designers in Germany working on the sound a beer bottle makes when opened.
Check out KLANG! sound events at the University of Edinburgh.
Alexander Jackson LaingAlex is currently doing a masters in sound design, and working on some other arty music/visual/nerdy electronic projects (including one with a fire performing troupe). He likes music of all sorts, good food, books and company.
Alex and his laptop on myspace
One minute interview: Alexander Jackson Laing
Occupation:
Artist/Sound Designer
Where were you born?
Aberdeen
Where do you live now?
Edinburgh
How many books are there on your shelves? (Approx.)
56
What’s been the most fun thing about this project? (The first word of your answer must begin with L and the last word begin with B!)
Ludicrous amounts of talented people to work with aplomb.
Do you think that constraints are creative?
Definitely. If only to see how far they can be pushed.
Who do you think stole the book from the National Library?
It was probably my pal Gav (not the sound engineer), he’s a bit of a monkey like that.
Which book would you most hate to lose?
Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, as it was given to my mum. I’ve managed to rip the back cover off though…
Who’s your favourite fictional detective?
Sexton Blake
Who’s your favourite fictional dog?
Snoopy
Which book has affected you the most?
Lila by Robert Pirsig. Or Sophie’s World. Am I allowed 2? I’ll add Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl just in case
When and where do you read the most?
My bed, before falling asleep
Where’s your favourite ‘booky’ place?
Tchai’o'vna in Glasgow. Great place to have tea and read a book
What do you like most about a book apart from the story: its size, its smell, its cover, its…?
Losing myself
For you what does a book lack the most – music, moving pictures, …?
A foldout map of Herzegovina
Have you ever used a book as a 1) doorstop, 2) missile, 3) an excuse not to do the washing up?
2 and 3, all the time. My mother would testify.
Have you ever regarded a book as a friend, or indeed a monster?
Not literally. Possibly when I was a wee nipper.
Ooo that was fun. I should point out this actually took me 4½ minutes. Yes, I timed it.
Augustinos has been a calm presence in the background of several of the recording sessions for The Lost Book.
One minute interview: Augoustinos Tsiros
Occupation:
Msc Sound design student
Where were you born?
Chania, Crete, Greece
Where do you live now?
During the week days Edinburgh and at the weekends Glasgow
How many books are there on your shelves? (Approx.)
About 20 to 30
What’s been the most fun thing about this project? (The first word of your answer must begin with L and the last word begin with B!)
Lovely blend
Do you think that constraints are creative?
It’s really dependent on what kind of constraints. Sometimes constraints make you creative because you have to find way to work around them, but from the other hand they may not let you do things the way you would like to.
Who do you think stole the book from the National Library?
Nobody, they just lost it!
Which book would you most hate to lose?
Side effects by Woody Allen
Who’s your favourite fictional detective?
Inspector Gadget.
Who’s your favourite fictional dog?
Rantanplan
Which book has affected you the most?
Listen Little Men by Wilhelm Reich and Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media by Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky among others.
When and where do you read the most?
On the sofa on the computer screen in my spare time
Where’s your favourite ‘booky’ place?
Elephant House in Edinburgh
What do you like most about a book apart from the story: its size, its smell, its cover, its…?
Its physicality as a tangible object to many intangible objects nowadays
For you what does a book lack the most – music, moving pictures, …?
I believe that a book has the means to give the impression of music or moving pictures through the narrative’s descriptions in a much more interactive manner than a film, reconstructed into the reader head. Possibly is more subtle than a film.
Have you ever used a book as a 1) doorstop, 2) missile, 3) an excuse not to do the washing up?
1
Have you ever regarded a book as a friend, or indeed a monster?
Yes, both
Gavin FortGavin is Head Sound Engineer/Designer at Verden Studios in Edinburgh.
He grew up in Glasgow before moving to Edinburgh to study Popular Music at Napier University. He is currently studying MSc Sound Design at the University of Edinburgh. With several friends he runs Offline Events who put on the Spectrum mini festival as well as various unique events of interest. He also DJs.
One minute interview: Gavin Fort
Occupation:
Studio Engineer
Where were you born?
Preston
Where do you live now?
Edinburgh
How many books are there on your shelves? (Approx.)
100 (most are in boxes under my bed)
What’s been the most fun thing about this project? (The first word of your answer must begin with L and the last word begin with B!)
Listening to the various members of the SCO playing, beautiful.
Do you think that constraints are creative?
Absolutely, I find it very hard to work without them.
Who do you think stole the book from the National Library?
Too early to say
Which book would you most hate to lose?
My MacBook
Who’s your favourite fictional detective?
Depending what mood I’m in its either Taggart or Frank Drebin.
Who’s your favourite fictional dog?
Dogmatix
Which book has affected you the most?
Changes with each book I read but currently News from Nowhere by William Morris
When and where do you read the most?
Bed
Where’s your favourite ‘booky’ place?
My parents’ house
What do you like most about a book apart from the story: its size, its smell, its cover, its…?
Cover
For you what does a book lack the most – music, moving pictures, …?
Its own arms to hold itself in front of your face.
Have you ever used a book as a 1) doorstop, 2) missile, 3) an excuse not to do the washing up?
No
Have you ever regarded a book as a friend, or indeed a monster?
Probably when I was wee, would have to ask my mum though.
Music has always been around. After my education in Jazz Performance and Recording Engineering, I spent time in mastering in Toronto, as a studio engineer in Los Angeles, technical manager on a cruise ship, and live sound in Vancouver. Basically, if you need it to make or record a sound, I’ve worked with it. Now I’m here to get creative experience (and a couple extra letters in my name) before heading back to Toronto to a career in Post Production.
One minute interview: Liam Webster
Occupation:
Audio Engineer
Where were you born?
Toronto, Canada
Where do you live now?
Edinburgh
How many books are there on your shelves? (Approx.)
Alas most are still in storage in Canada. But I’ve managed to amass a couple dozen since September
What’s been the most fun thing about this project? (The first word of your answer must begin with L and the last word begin with B!)
Lugubrious exchanges over talkback with composers benign.
Do you think that constraints are creative?
It’s the only way I can work. Less options means more creative necessity.
Who do you think stole the book from the National Library?
Someone’s stealing books? Do they know you can just get a card? Free too. Some people.
Which book would you most hate to lose?
Alas it is a picture book, Claxography, by William Claxton. It has the most fantastic portraits and pictures of many of my favourite and idolized figures in Jazz.
Who’s your favourite fictional detective?
Inspector Gadget. I’m pretty sure he’s based on Holmes. The similarities are striking.
Who’s your favourite fictional dog?
Those Baskerville Hounds.
Which book has affected you the most?
Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels. I can quote from it liberally. For whatever reason, her language stays in my head.
When and where do you read the most?
When travelling. Trains preferred. Its much harder when driving.
Where’s your favourite ‘booky’ place?
David Mirvish Books in Toronto, and it just closed in Feb. Sad day for Toronto art and literature fans.
What do you like most about a book apart from the story: its size, its smell, its cover, its…?
ability to stand on end and make me crane my neck around in a most uncomfortable way to read the spine. You’d think I’d be smart enough to move the tiny object instead of hurting my body.
For you what does a book lack the most – music, moving pictures, …?
An espresso maker, or foldable wine glass.
Have you ever used a book as a 1) doorstop, 2) missile, 3) an excuse not to do the washing up?
Why would I throw a book? It’ll ruin the pages. I become more easily absorbed in what I’m reading if I’m finished my chores.
Have you ever regarded a book as a friend, or indeed a monster?
I lost a fight with a large atlas on the top shelf when I was a boy.
*The University of Edinburgh’s MSc in Sound Design is a 1 year Interdisciplinary Taught Masters programme that recently emerged from the University of Edinburgh’s rich expertise in the creative arts and digital media design.
The Lost Book is an animated web series where you wrote the plot.
