Various experiments in the lab at Hideaway Studio to listen in and explore a secret world of reflected and modulated light in the audio-frequency domain from various sources in everyday life.

Literally listening to shadows, no microphones were used to make any of these recordings - they were entirely made using light sources and analog high-gain photo-sensors.  I've dubbed this new technique The Optical Microphone...

Concept & Recordings Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio, 2022-2025.

The Optical Microphone... (Optically Generated Audio Experiments)

Some sonic challenges I've set myself from time to time to synthesize various sound effects from scratch in the studio using all manner of custom designs, vintage studio equipment and test gear....

All Sound Design, Recordings & Compositions Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio.

Synthetic Sound Effects...

The result of an afternoon in the lab experimenting and exploring a newly resurrected and slightly modified little 1964 EICO 488 variable frequency tube dual-channel multiplexing switch, a swept signal generator and a pinch of insanity :)

Several minutes of ensuing material was declicked in iZotope RX (yes, sadly the EICO's tube multiplexor, although lovely in tone and saturation, has a clicking/popping habit) cut up and then randomly triggered in Kontakt with random levels, panning, filtering and reverb depths to create a cacophony of Amazonian birdsong... well that was the general idea anyway...

Rain performance courtesy of my Blue Zone Kontakt library.

Sound Design, Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio, 2022.

1964 EICO 488: Amazon Hideaway.. (SFX With Lab Gear)

Optically reflected sound from the grooves of an 70 year old classical music 78rpm shellac record... 

Recorded over at least 10 grooves at a time using an analog optical sensor resulting in a bizarre ghostly droning effect.  The optical sensor was fixed to a surface some distance from the record to capture the modulated reflections.  It took a great deal of concentration to position the light source by hand at the correct angle to catch the inside of the groove and reflect it towards the light sensor whilst moving it slowly across the surface of the record!  To be honest, I was truly amazed it worked this well.

Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio, 2022.

Sound of Reflected Light From An Old 78 Record... (Optical Sound Experiment)

Made by splashing water creating ripples in a pan whilst shining a bright light onto it and directly receiving the resulting audio frequency domain modulated reflected light some distance away with a photo sensor as sound.  The resulting raw audio was overdubbed 4 times at different points into the recording and various pan positions to create a pseudo-stereo effect. More sound from light recordings here: 

https://soundcloud.com/hideaway-studio/sets/sound-from-light-optically

Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio, 2022.

Sound of Light Reflected From Water Ripples (Optical Sound Experiment)

This is what happens if you place a Picardie tumbler upside down on a turntable, shine a light at it, and pickup the resulting reflected light with a photo sensor :)

I found by carefully moving the position of the light and the sensor it was possible to "perform" the chopper fly-by effect with all manner of interesting sonic artefacts coming out in the process thanks to the imperfections in the glass.

Concept, Sound Design & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio, 2022.

Sound of Light Reflected From Rotating Picardie Glass (Optical Sound Experiment)

This recording was made by shining a light through a small model sail ship measuring less than 6 inches tall and positioned in front of a fan.. as the wind flapped the tiny sails, and made the ropes sing in sympathy the resulting modulated light was captured with eight positions of the photo-sensor carefully placed to pickup the edges of the moving surfaces.  The resulting audio from the sensor was then equalised, mixed and panned in stereo.  All of the sounds in this recording were made with this optical setup.  No microphones were used to make this recording and no reverb was used. 

Concept, Sound Design & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio 2022.

Sound of Light Through A Model Sail Ship In The Wind (Optical Sound Experiment)

Ever wonder what happens if you shine a flashlight through a glass full of water, olive oil and marbles, give it a spin and then record the resulting modulated shadows of light on the other side of the glass with an optical sensor?

All sounds from the optical sensor bar the rain which was courtesy of our back garden one soaking wet afternoon.

Incidentally, the long reverb tails on the thunder claps were the result of the contents of the glass slowly coming to a halt - only a very short reverb was added to increase the effect of outside ambience.

Concept, Sound Design & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio, 2022.

Sound of Light Through Oil, Water & Marbles (Optical Sound Experiment)

This was not recorded with a microphone but made by shining a light through a glass beaker full of water whilst dropping an effervescent Vitamin-C tablet into it and recording the modulated light on the far side of the beaker with a photo sensor whilst it dissolved.  Multiple takes were recorded and layered together at various pan positions to create a pseudo stereo effect.

Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio 2023.

Sound of Light Thru Effervescent Vit-C Tablet... (Optical Sound)

Setting myself another sonic challenge..  made with a 1978 Mk 1 Korg MS-20 making use of the MS-20's superb high and low pass resonant filters and ring-modulator auto-triggered and shaped from an external audio source via the built in Envelope Follower.  The sheer flexibility of the MS-20 really does allow this wonderful instrument to cover a lot of ground.

Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio 2023.

1978 KORG MS-20: The Patch Cord Band..

A segue of recordings played back at normal, twice and half speed of the sound of laser light being modulated by plumes of dust kicked up by dropping nuts and bolts into dry icing sugar in a large glass jar. The optical mic was positioned on the far side of the jar and sometimes you can just make out the glass walls pinging as the bolts land on the bottom of the jar.

The slowly building up vortex was made by swirling the icing sugar and then playing back the resulting return to still  air in reverse.

Rather like the oil in water and electrolysis experiments, since it all takes time to disperse, you get a kind of natural decay tail effect.

Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio 2025.

Sound of Light Through Icing Sugar Dust: Nut Drop Field Segue...

UPDATED RECORDING 08/06/22 now with steam whistle SFX "accidentally" created whilst attempting to build a tube based VCO and ending up with a spectacularly unstable mess with a rather surprising unintended sonic result!

Whilst testing out a monster 3 cabinet classic Moog Modular during major overhaul to my surprise I ended up producing what sounded like there was something monstrously heavy heading my way!!...

Made in one live take with a 960 Sequential Controller feeding a 1528 Sample-Hold triggered by a 921 AUX LFO, 902 VCA modulated by the sawtooth from the S/H, three cross modulated 921B Oscillators into a CP3A 4Ch Mixer all feeding into a 907 Fixed Filter Bank which was madly being hand cranked band by band to create the pass by phasing effect...

The interacting speeds of the sequencer, LFO and sample/hold clock were carefully adjusted until everything started to chug in quite an uncanny manner!

Now with a little ambiance courtesy of the back garden! :)

Original Sound Design & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio 2019.

1977 Moog System 55: The Iron Horse.. (Updated Recording)

100% synthesized water effects made by feeding some randomised FM bell like sounds from an Orla DSE24 and pink noise from a Bruel & Kjaer type 1405 fed hot via a tube mixer into a gorgeous 1965 Bruel & Kjaer type 1612 Band Pass Filter Set.   Around 60 samples were captured with the filter set to each of the 3rd Octave frequency settings and then loaded across the keyboard and auditioned live in various combinations....

The classic Bruel & Kjaer Band Pass Filter Sets such as the type 1615, 1612, 2112 and 2113 are made up of banks of very high quality passive L/C resonators and are extremely selective with very high Q factors and have a sound all of their own!  There are few studio filters that could come close to achieving the same effect.
 
Sound Design & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio, 2020.

1965 Brüel & Kjaer type 1612: Waterwerks (SFX With Lab Gear)

D.A.Wilson is an Electronic Engineer, Sound Designer & Vintage Synth Specialist with a particular interest in combining vintage tube, classic analog and modern digital technologies working as a synth engineer looking after a very considerable amount of vintage studio equipment for Will Gregory (Goldfrapp / Moog Ensemble) and a number of other internationally celebrated electronic musicians and producers.  Having undertaken several major restorations and produced custom electronic designs for a number of major artists including Jean-Michel Jarre, Dani is also known for fully restoring two out of the world's four remaining 1979 Crumar GDS and partially restoring 1938 Novachord 346 (the only known operational Novachord in the UK) to playable order along with developing and producing the new Elfin family of 8-bit polysynths and the popular MIDI Front Panel Animator (FPA), Filter Defeat Module (FDM) and XD-280 Drive Emulator upgrades for the AKAI S612 sampler.

Demos of the S612 Upgrades in Action: 

https://soundcloud.com/hideaway-studio/sets/hideaway-studios-s612-front


Hideaway Studio Kontakt Sound libraries may be purchased directly from: 
https://www.lootaudio.com/category/kontakt-instruments/hideaway-studios
 

..and a nice introduction by Cory Pelizzari to the Hideaway Studio Kontakt Libraries:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-C7a3ChC9U&feature=emb_title


For more on releases from Hideaway Studio for Kontakt please visit the blog at:  www.hideawaystudio.net