Sound Design for Visual Artists
New Course!
Sound Design for Visual Artists
Tutor: Ed Devane
Date: Saturday 28th March 2026 (10am-5pm full day)
Participants: 10 max
Level: beginners
Cost: €65
Booking: to book a space please contact digitalmedia(at)firestation.ie with a short description of your arts practice an a link to your work.
Course Outline:
This one-day introductory course gives visual artists a practical grounding in sound capture, editing, and creative sound design. Participants will learn to record audio using both dedicated portable recorders and smartphones, working with different microphone types and sensors, and editing and manipulating sound using free software.
The workshop is designed for artists working with video, installation, and other moving-image or multimedia forms who want to develop confidence with sound. The day will culminate in a hands-on field recording exercise and a creative session where participants produce a short sound piece or add sound to moving image.
Areas covered:
The course will provide an overview of capturing and recording tools, editing and sound design, field recording, and sound generating.
In addition to recording and editing, the workshop will briefly introduce small portable synthesisers and free online sound-generation tools, as well a flexible creative session allowing participants to work toward their own interests — whether that is producing a standalone sound piece, scoring a video clip, or experimenting with the tools and techniques introduced during the day.
All software used in the workshop is free and open-source (Audacity) or freely available
(DaVinci Resolve, Awesome Voice Recorder). Participants can continue using these tools
independently after the workshop at no cost.
Requirements:
To be a professional visual artist (all our facilities are subsidised by the Arts Council of Ireland and reserved for artists, we cannot accommodate students or commercial, and non artist-led projects).
To be computer literate and reasonably comfortable with editing software.
No prior audio experience is required
To use your own PC or Mac laptop (Fire Station has a limited amount of Mac/PC desktop computers and these can be made available on a first come first served basis).
Details on software and other equipment will be sent to participants in advance of the course.
About the Tutor:
Ed Devane is a sound artist, instrument builder, and workshop facilitator based in Donegal, Ireland. He is the founder of Soniphorm, a practice dedicated to exploring the relationship between sound and form through creative tools, audio equipment, and educational experiences. Ed has extensive practical experience supporting technical and creative projects at NCAD Dublin, University of Limerick, and many other organisations including Science Gallery, The Ark, DCCI, and Creative Ireland. He operates the Soniphorm Soundcraft Studio in Donegal.