A Sound Map of Harrogate

"A Sound Map of Harrogate" is project to map Harrogate, North Yorkshire through found sound and field recording. Find out more at ⁠www.backhouse.wtf⁠.

Recored at 3am, when I should have been asleep. The snow was falling heavily and turning in to a slushy mess as it lay - I am unsure if it will still be there at dawn.

"A Sound Map of Harrogate" is project to map Harrogate, North Yorkshire through found sound and field recording. Find out more at ⁠⁠www.backhouse.wtf⁠⁠.

I left the mic recording as I went for a walk, hidden under a bush. There was quite a bit of editing to remove the air conditioning fans I could hear in the recording from ASDA.

Part of A Sound Map Of Harrogate. For more details, please see https://asoundmapofharrogate.co.uk - thanks for listening.

Part of A Sound Map Of Harrogate. For more details, please see https://asoundmapofharrogate.co.uk - thanks for listening.

I went to Devonshire House... v. good beer...

"A Sound Map of Harrogate" is project to map Harrogate, North Yorkshire through found sound and field recording. Find out more at ⁠⁠www.backhouse.wtf⁠⁠.

Plenty of these are needed. Always Yorkshire Tea.

"A Sound Map of Harrogate" is project to map Harrogate, North Yorkshire through found sound and field recording. Find out more at ⁠⁠www.backhouse.wtf⁠⁠.

I was stood under a massive beech tree in the breeze, which is what the rustling is. However, there is some good refraction of the noise of the passing cars on East Parade.

Part of A Sound Map Of Harrogate - for more details please see www.asoundmapofharrogate.co.uk

This is a binaural recording of me making a cup of Yorkshire Tea.

Part of the Harrogate Sound Portrait. For more details, please see https://backhouse.wtf - thanks for listening.

This was recorded on Sunday 4th May 2025 - International Dawn Chorus Day - in Mowbray Square.

The equipment used was a Zoom H1n - I did not want to use my good, costly equipment as this was a dead drop. I had to edit out a lot of wind rumble in the recording.

This recording is probably the first recording I have made in around three years (well, since the last podcast) and, as a result rookie errors crept in. I hope you can forgive my enthusiastic approach.

Part of the Harrogate Sound Portrait. For more details, please see www.backhouse.wtf

International Dawn Chorus Day is a bit of a celebration for us Field Recordists. Globally, we all rise early to hide in bushes and record the dawn chorus.

The equipment used in this recording was a Zoom H1n because it was the first dead drop I have done in a town and I did not want my good, costly gear to be pinched. Also, this is the first field recording I have made for 3 years – so rookie errors crept in. The breeze in the surrounding trees is a bit harsh, you can hear the air-conditioning in ASDA and people were starting their cars. Yup, I had Auto-Gain on and the compressor is very keen...

This really is just a lofi, badly recorded version of the Dawn Chorus as it played out in Mowbray Square, Harrogate on the morning of 4th May 2025. But, hopefully it will spur me on to make better recordings.

Thanks for listening. Especially if you listen to it all.

Part of the Harrogate Sound Portrait. For more details, please see www.harrogatesoundportrait.co.uk - thanks for listening. 

This was recorded in a home studio, for Harrogate Community Radio. For more on the podcast in question, please see www.backhouse.wtf