This semester, my research expands on a deceptively simple question: What if we could photograph sound?
In the age of mobile spatial computing, we no longer need heavy microphones or studio rigs to capture acoustic character. Instead, we can begin to treat spaces as sonic images — snapshots not of light, but of reflection, decay, and depth.
Through the combination of impulse response recording, real-time convolution, and MEMS microphone arrays, I’m developing a system that captures and reconstructs spatial audio impressions in real-world environments. Using mobile tools and 3D sound formats like Ambisonics, the project proposes a new workflow: lightweight, precise, and perceptually informed.
But more importantly, this shift is artistic. Just like a photographer frames a scene, we as sound designers can frame how a space sounds — and how it feels. This opens up new territory between documentation, storytelling, and sonic composition.
