My plans for this year is to expand my experience beyond game audio and composing, so I am now the tech lead for the Huddersfield University Podcast society. This involved making jingles and setting up recording sessions mostly. My final year project for university is going to involve recording a live performance of a small brass ensemble, to expand my knowledge in the field of recording ensembles.

My plans for the distant future depend on the circumstances of the next few years, but I'd love to live abroad, on a narrowboat or some other whacky lifestyle. I am still unsure what profession within music technology I would like to do. Though I seem to have the most experience in game audio, especially because of the Game Republic Pitstop Production award for game audio.

This spring has marked a huge increase in classical recordings, from a Brass Band live concert, to multiple wind orchestras, classical piano recordings and tuba quartets, I've been learning loads from these experiences. I think the decca tree is my new favourite microphone set up (huge tall one with three microphones).

Quite a lot has happened over the summer, having completed my commission from the Huddersfield singers, who have now agreed to perform the piece next Easter (2025). This will mark the 150 year anneversary of the Huddersfield Singers.

I have also spent a good deal of my time over summer working on Rebound Rivals which is an air hockey-cross-tanks party game. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Small Man Studios , and it will be the first YellowDuckAudio production! Rebound Rivals will be released this December (2024) on Steam. 

Also, for unknown reasons, the universe has bestowed upon me the urge to learn the euphonium (a sort of small tuba).

On October the 6th, I managed to run a marathon! the only new-years resolution I have completed - but blimey, was it difficult.

I have now turned 20 - seems like a bit of a milestone. The final year games projects are now 'complete', though I believe Emlis is carrying on in development so I will continue to help out there. I'll be uploading the soundtrack to these games to Youtube, and some of my favourite sound design elements soon. If you are reading this later on, they may already be up.

Amidst working on all my projects like composing for the Huddersfield Singers, I'd completely forgotten about the game republic student showcase - both Emlis and Call to the Cinder Circus got in, Emlis winning 3rd in narrative, and Call to the Cinder Circus winning first place... for audio! (that's me!). needless to say I am chuffed to bits, and am now technically an award-winning sound designer and composer.

During these months, work has been hectic to say the least! I spent all of the Easter break working on the sound design and music for the final-year games that I volunteered for during late last year, and am now on the home-straight for both games which is quite exciting. 

I even managed to dabble in some implementation for Emlis too (with the team leader there so that I didn't break anything) and put my Game Audio module to some good use. 

Outside of that, it's been hammering assignments: making slimy frog noises, composing and orchestrating like mad because, due to the game projects, I wasn't working on them over Easter. Overall I have come out on top and everything is on time! I am certainly looking forwards to a summer of some fun projects and down-time.

For the start of this year, I have been trying to build on my skills in the sound for games industry. I am taking part in two game projects, taking on both sound and music for each project. These are final year team projects for people who know a lot more about computers than I do, but they are in need of some sounds so I am supplying them.

The first of these projects is a slime-elemental-forest game, Emlis, where you have to free the forest from corrupt elementals. it's quite a fun premise and I am thoroughly enjoying disembowelling several watermelons, and squeezing raw meat in order to achieve my slimey goals. I have placed some of the slime sounds on my sound design demo reel. In terms of music, I've only just started on a vague theme for 'Emlis' (the slime/main character), and each time the slime travels to a new area, the theme will be morphed. This team has so many meetings that you would have to isolate yourself from both the university and the internet to avoid them, it's fantastic because I am never out of the loop, and it has taught me a good deal about communication in a company.

The second of the projects is a sort of circus-office-dungeon game, where money earned from the office buys you time in the dungeon. it is certainly one of the most creative game ideas I have ever come across. so far me and Callum Barr (who I am collaborating with for this particular project) have made sword swings, coffee sips and a bit of office ambience. personally, I think the coffee slurps (coffee regenerates health in the dungeon) are some of the best sound design work that I've done. - I put the coffee slurp in my sound design reel too.

beyond the team projects, I am wanting to learn how to use Wwise and F-Mod (which are Middle-ware, bridging the gap between DAW and game engine). unfortunately, I haven't got much further than the basics of F-Mod, but there is still time yet!