Thomas Baynes

Thomas Baynes

Mr

Personal profile

Research interests

"Developing a creative practice for immersive audio as a means of historical and cultural heritage conservation."

Spatial Audio, Immersive Sound, and 3D Audio are terms being increasingly pitched to us from the marketing departments of major technology companies across the world. Apple, Samsung, Google, and Facebook have all taken steps to create in their mobile phones, smart speakers, and televisions an immersive experience, often accompanied by a Dolby Atmos logo declaring their allegiance to the company behind this immersive audio revolution. Whilst this technology grips the imagination of consumers, its implementation outside of gimmick has yet to be developed effectively into a tool for education, heritage, or conservation. This interdisciplinary project seeks to establish how this expanding technology can be implemented in these contexts to enhance and protect our understanding of history and culture in the coming age of immersive technology experiences.

Personal profile

Described as ‘authentic, elegant, and multifaceted’,1 Thomas is a composer of concert, film, and multimedia music whose musical voice seeks to strike a balance between the intimate aesthetics of contemporary chamber music and cutting-edge sound technologies. In demand by filmmakers and performers alike for his original musical energy, Thomas seeks with each new project to experience music and sound in exciting and original ways and expand what it means to connect with and explore the world through his ‘beautifully presented’ compositions.2 His stylistic use of environmental and studio-recorded sampling and electronic programming stand Thomas out as an up-and-coming composer of mixed media music. Alongside lecturing in undergraduate film and video game composition at Royal Holloway (UoL), Thomas is currently undertaking a fully funded UKRI rated PhD in Music (Composition) under composers Nina Whiteman and Tom Parkinson researching immersive audio composition as a creative practice (2021-).

 

1 Aaron Holloway-Nahum, a leading international composer and conductor.
2 Johnathan Willcocks, Festival Conductor of the Leith Hill Musical Festival and former director of the Junior Academy at the Royal Academy of Music in London.