Machines recording session

One of my favorite things to record is Machinery. Machines are some of the most fun sources of material for air releases, hums, mechanical motors, cogs, latches, buttons and switches. Generally, the older and more worn the machine, the more interesting the sound!

Many of the sounds are loud thanks to the powerful internal motors and mechanisms. Some hummed along gently while others were aggressive and abrasive.

Below you can see a selection of photos from my last ‘machine’ session which included recordings of the following machinery:

• Plasma metal cutter
• 100 tonne press
• Large and small guillotines
• Mig-welder
• Industrial extraction fans
• Power rollers
• Swaging and edging machines
• Lock-former
• Industrial water pump
• Pedestal drill
• Air compressors
• Air release valves

All of these machine were recorded on location so it was important to get in close and personal with the mics to avoid room reverberation, but also because many of the machines had multiple sound producing components such as cogs, electronic buzzes, resonant chambers etc. which I wanted to capture. Close miking and the use of the shotgun mics helped here.

Gallery