Field Recordist Captures Humpback Whale Songs With Immersive Audio Techniques

Background and context

Field recording has become an important part of both creative audio production and scientific documentation, extending well beyond traditional studio work. Nature sound specialists increasingly rely on location recording techniques to capture detailed, spatially accurate audio for film, games, installations, and research.

Within this niche, marine environments present a particular challenge. Wind, water movement, vessel noise, and large recording distances all make it difficult to achieve clear and realistic sound. Despite these conditions, interest in underwater and coastal soundscapes is growing, driven by demand for immersive content and more authentic natural sound libraries.

Sound artist and field recordist Thomas Rex Beverly has built a practice around documenting remote environments, including deserts, glaciers, and coastal areas. His recent work focuses on recording the songs of humpback whales using techniques that aim to reproduce not just the sound itself, but the spatial experience of listening in the field.

Key announcement

In a recent project, Beverly traveled to a coastal location known for humpback whale activity and set up an array of microphones along the shoreline and near the surf. Rather than working underwater with hydrophones, he concentrated on capturing how the whale songs are heard above the surface, at a distance, in combination with the surrounding environment.

The recordings were made using a multichannel setup designed for immersive playback, with microphones positioned to collect both direct sound and ambience. This included close perspectives on the breaking waves and wider perspectives that integrate wind, distant sea noise, and the subtle tonal patterns of the whales’ vocalizations.

Beverly’s goal was to create material suitable for spatial formats such as surround and immersive audio systems, which are increasingly used in galleries, installations, and virtual experiences. According to his account of the project, careful placement, wind protection, and patience were essential to isolating the whale songs within a naturally noisy coastal soundscape.

The field recordist notes that the resulting library is intended for use in sound design, educational projects, and ambient listening. Further details of his workflow and equipment choices are outlined on the manufacturer’s site at sennheiser.com, where the project is profiled as a case study in location recording.

Industry impact

For the wider audio and event technology community, projects like this highlight how field recording techniques are converging with practices common in live events and immersive installations. Multi-microphone arrays, careful attention to spatial imaging, and robust outdoor deployment are all concerns shared by live sound engineers and nature recordists.

The humpback whale recordings also align with a shift toward more experiential, environment-driven content. Venues, museums, and experiential event producers increasingly integrate natural soundscapes into exhibitions and branded environments. High-quality, spatial field recordings provide source material that can be adapted for multichannel playback systems already common in larger venues.

For audio professionals, this underscores the value of understanding not just microphone types, but also positioning strategies, phase coherence, and the practicalities of working in uncontrolled environments. Lessons learned in the field—such as dealing with wind, weather, and unpredictable sound sources—carry over to outdoor festivals, coastal events, and temporary installations.

Why this matters

While the subject of this project is specifically humpback whale song, the methods used are relevant to anyone working with immersive audio for live or installed experiences. The emphasis on realism, perspective, and listener position mirrors current trends in spatial sound design for events, where audiences expect more than simple stereo playback.

For event technology providers, high-quality natural sound libraries recorded with spatial intent can support a range of applications: ambient sound beds for exhibitions, relaxation and wellness spaces at conferences, or thematic overlays for coastal and marine-focused events. They also serve as useful demonstration material for showcasing multichannel systems and immersive audio setups.

As audio workflows continue to move toward formats that prioritize listener immersion, projects like Beverly’s humpback whale recordings illustrate both the creative possibilities and the technical demands of building convincing soundscapes from real-world locations. For practitioners across event production, broadcast, and installation, they offer a practical example of how detailed field recording can feed into more engaging audience experiences.