Listen closely.
Can you hear the birds chirping, snow melting and wind whistling?
Using a 3Dio binaural microphone — a device capable of 3D audio recording — violinist Anastasia Allison and pianist Rose Freeman captured the sounds of the outdoors while performing traditional hymns on mountaintops, island coastlines and other scenic vistas.
The pair, called The Musical Mountaineers, recently released three songs from those recordings for download on Patreon, an online subscription service.
Unlike before when their music could only be streamed on YouTube, Allison, a 37-year-old Everett resident, said listeners can take their music wherever they go.
She recommended listeners wear headphones for complete immersion.
“We want people to have the full experience, like they’re with us,” Allison said.
The songs, which include covers of “Ashokan Farewell,” “Here I Am” and “Amazing Grace,” were recorded on the coast of Camano Island and in a high alpine rock garden near Skyline Lake. They’ve also recorded music in the North Cascades and on Sauk Mountain.
“The music is truly shaped by the environment,” Allison said. “We try to find places where the acoustics are good.”
Allison and Freeman are lifelong musicians with classical training. They haul their instruments in backpacks and reach secluded locations in the early morning so they don’t disturb other hikers.
They’ve earned a majority of their fans through their YouTube and Facebook videos. They seldom perform for a live audience — unless someone happens to be hiking where they’re performing.
Allison said the binaural microphone helps bridge that gap. Binaural recording captures audio the same way as the human ear, by intercepting and detecting sound waves from all different directions.
“It sort of gives listeners a virtual-reality experience,” Allison said. “It will pick up sounds as if you were there. If there was a bird over on our left tweeting, you would be able to hear that in your left ear as if you were there in the moment.”
Allison and Freeman place the microphone on a tripod between them, then let their music and nature take care of the rest.
“My favorite part about Camano was the birds because they lived in the sand dunes behind us,” said Freeman, a 26-year-old Bothell resident. “Then there’s the waves in front of us.”
The enclosed space of the rock garden, which was accessible only by snowshoe, created an amphitheater-like soundscape for “Ashokan Farewell.” The sounds of chirping birds and melting snow can be detected in the background.
It’s a contrast to the wide and open space of Camano Island’s coastlines, which is the backdrop for “Here I Am” and “Amazing Grace.”
“We were really inspired by simple songs that we can connect with on an emotional level,” Allison said.
The Musical Mountaineers plan to release three new songs every month on Patreon. Listeners can pay $3 per month to download them as they’re released, or up to $10 for additional perks, including piano lessons from Freeman.
When they reach 100 subscribers on Patreon, they will announce their first-ever patron-only concert.
Don’t worry — you won’t have to climb a mountain to see it.
“It will be in a place you can drive to,” Allison said.
The Musical Mountaineers
Download Anastasia Allison and Rose Freeman’s music at www.patreon.com/themusicalmountaineers.
More at www.facebook.com/themusicalmountaineers.
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