Mixing or Magic?
Taking place over the 26th-28th of March 2026 A/VIATION was an immersive audio experience produced by Orchid Digital in association with Rushmoor Borough Council and funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. My responsibilities for the project included recording talent along with sound design, mixing and mastering of a special theatrical audio performance. The end project ended up being over 40 minutes of fully produced theatrical radio drama covering the important and influential aviation history of Farnborough.
This project certainly put my sound design, editing and sequencing chops through their paces. It was a great privilege to be part of such a unique and informative theatrical experience and of theatrical and technological that is becoming a more influential force in the entertainment world year-on-year
1 Legendary Space
Based in Farnborough the Q121 wind tunnel is a truly breathtaking space with a large cavernous hall made entirely of smooth concrete built to house a 30ft fan and the controlled air flow required to pioneer some of the nation’s most important aircraft.
Unique Sound Requirements
With both an intimate binaural headphone listening experience, an array of 4 loud speakers and a huge sub blasting out into the location a unique 7 channel mix was required.
A Virtual Soundscape
To create the required detailed positioning for the character’s in the audio drama I utilised the the IEM suite of VST plugins. This allowed any sounds to be dynamically re-positioned in the stereo field using automation.
A Full Cast of Characters
I also oversaw the recording of the full cast of actors in my studio collaborating with the producer and scriptwriter. We recorded each actor individually and with editing merged all the performances together into convincing conversations. I was eventually trusted enough to give acting direction to supporting cast members with considerations for the rest of the recordings and the end mix.
Footage provided by Orchid Digital for demonstration purposes. Watch the Inside A/VIATION documentary to learn more.
Audio Examples
The pre-show segment demonstrates the possibilities of spatial audio as the host walks around the listener.
This full scene of Samuel Cody’s flight demonstrates simulated crowds, spatial audio covering over a dozen sound sources, outdoor space reflections and round robin looping techniques to emulate the sound of the ship’s engine on ground.
This later scene simulates the workings of the omnipresent fan that dominates the Q121 space where the performance is located. There is a more intimate multi-character dialogue back and forth despite each actor being recorded separately. The speakers as part of the performance would play the wind sound and ship buckling without any filtering showcasing the interesting multi-layered audio setup of the space and the beautiful acoustics of the location.