“‘Here Be Dragons’ was such an incredible and formative piece for me when I was getting into audio. It fundamentally transformed my expectations of what stories in audio could sound like. Whenever I want to share references for deeply immersive, experimental non-narrated pieces, I use Diane’s work”
Photo by Frank Kraljic
Audio Production/Sound recording & design
research/writing
Originally from northern England, I have three science degrees (BSc, MSc, PhD) and was a research scientist in the fields of ecology and environmental science, before developing a love for audio over 15 years ago. I got my start in local radio, then moved onto making immersive, sound-rich audio documentary features for clients like BBC Radio, Australian Broadcasting Corporation and many podcasts. I’ve worked with Martin Smith at the BBC’s Audio Science Unit, as well as independents like Alan Hall (Falling Tree), Matt Thompson (Loftus Productions/Rockethouse), Peregrine Andrews (Moving Air), and make features for podcasts as diverse as BirdNote, Distillations (The Science History Institute), Proof (America’s Test Kitchen) and The Vedic Worldview (thomknoles.com) .
In addition I produce educational podcasts for universities, government and state agencies, and audio guides for museums & websites. I also supply custom location sound for tv, movies, theme parks and audio games.
Wired to record while crewing on a yacht passage from Punta Arenas to Cape Town across the South Atlantic
Photos: (1) I am forever grateful to KUYI Hopi Radio for my first opportunity to produce and present a radio show: Modern Jazz from the Mesas https://www.kuyi.net/ (2) The sound of the American freight train featured on my first audio documentary for BBC Radio Four (3) Recording from the back of a motorbike on Banpo Bridge in Seoul, South Korea (4) Riding across the Andes - later made into a travel documentary for London’s Resonance FM
Sound Kit includes:
Sound Devices digital recorders; an old school SQN 4-channel mixer
Sennheiser, Rode & Danish Pro Audio mics & DolphinEar hydrophone
Rycote windshielding and binaural dummy head arrays
Binaural stereo
I use this dummy head to record in binaural stereo - to give an immersive sense of being located in the center of the sound field on headphone playback.
I’ve recorded in a wide range of environments - including the Sonoran & Mohave deserts, while crossing the Andes on horseback, cycling across Korea, in the rain forests of Panama and in the heart of Asian megacities.
More details on my approaches and the equipment I use are available in these articles:
https://flypaper.soundfly.com/discover/10-of-the-most-interesting-field-recordists-working-across-aesthetic-boundaries/
and
https://www.creativefieldrecording.com/2016/09/14/a-month-of-field-recordists-diane-hope/
and
shanghai sounds guide
What's it like to explore the Asian mega city of Shanghai with your EARS?
Vibrant soundscapes from bustling main streets, street markets, quiet lilong alleyways after midnight, water towns and river banks, parks and playgrounds, to the interiors of giant skyscrapers and Buddhist temples
Hear more at Shanghai Sounds Guide (in English & Mandarin):