Student Spotlight - Finlay Sorrie
Step into the world of audio excellence with Scotland's oldest audio engineering course! With a rich history spanning decades, we offer a unique opportunity to dive deep into music production, game audio, sound design, and live sound - all under the guidance of industry veterans in our state-of-the-art recording studios here in Perth.
The diverse curriculum is designed to equip learners with the skills needed to excel in various audio fields. We spoke with a second-year student to gain insight into their experience of the course so far 👇
Can you introduce yourself?
Hi, my name is Finlay Sorrie and I’m from Dundee, Scotland.
What course are you studying at UHI Perth?
I’m currently in my second year of the Audio Engineering Honours degree.
How did you hear about UHI Perth?
I heard about UHI Perth from my 6th year teacher in high-school and the course was recommended for those looking for a more local option.
What were you doing before you came to UHI Perth?
I was studying Advanced Higher Music Production in my final year of high school alongside doing Advanced Higher PE.
Why did you decide to pick this course?
I decided to choose my current course in audio engineering as at the time of applying to universities, as I was enjoying my music production course a lot more than I was enjoying my Advanced PE course. I had planned on applying to Stirling University to pursue Sport Coaching and Development, but I decided to go down the path of Audio Engineering and I’m thankful I made this decision.
What is your favourite thing about the course?
Being able to work in various disciplines in audio - such as game audio, cinematic audio, live audio, and studio recordings.
Has there been any standout/memorable moments from your course?
The first time we took a live band into the studio and recorded them with the help from our lecturer. It was the first time we were using the skills we had learnt throughout the year and were using them to help produce a song for a band who were also students on a music course at UHI.
What knowledge, skills and experience have you gained from your course that will help you when you leave UHI Perth?
I have gained multiple skills in studio recordings and how to run a recording session with live bands. I have also heavily developed my skills in cinematic audio production as this is one of my passions and is a career I would like to pursue in the future. I feel my socials skills have developed significantly as I have to work with multiple different people in a recording session.
Have you undertaken a placement or work experience whilst at UHI Perth?
I have not been accepted into any work placements currently, but I am hoping to work as an assistant engineer during the summer.
Have your lecturers been supportive during your studies?
My lecturers are very supportive during all parts of my course; they understand that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses in certain areas and they will fully support you in the areas that they feel you need help in.
What do you like about the campus/facilities?
The campus has a lot to offer in the Audio Engineering department with three full recording studios, two surround sound studios, multiple different types of microphones for any form of recording, and a full classroom that has been transformed into a mini stage to help you better understand live performances.
Have you enjoyed studying at UHI Perth? Any highlights?
I have enjoyed my time at UHI and will continue to enjoy the next two years of my course.
You currently play volleyball for the UHI Perth Team. Did you play the sport prior to joining the team?
I currently play for the UHI Perth volleyball first team, and I recently captained the team when we went to compete at the Scottish Student Cup. This tournament had some of the best university teams in Scotland competing so we knew it would be tough. We put in a very good performance but ended up coming short in our games. I also unfortunately suffered a broken finger injury in our final game.
I have been playing volleyball for around three years and started my volleyball at my local club in Dundee called Anchor. I represented them in the U18 Scottish league where we secured third place. I then went on to sign for Dundee University in my second year of playing and we finished second in the league in our first season. I still currently play for Dundee University, and we have recently won the second division of Scottish volleyball and have been promoted.
For anyone thinking about joining a sports club at UHI Perth, what advice would you give them?
For anyone coming to UHI I would highly recommend joining a sport team or club as it allows you to form friendships with people you might not speak to as they are not on your course. I also feel that playing a sport, or having another hobby in Uni, gives you a mental break from the workload which is always nice to have.
Lindsey Brown is our Active Campus Coordinator. How important is her support on campus to your team? Does her enthusiasm make a difference to the success of the team?
Lindsey’s coordinator role is very important to our team, as she helps us enter all the tournaments we play and makes sure, we are able to take any opportunities we can to represent UHI. She is a very enthusiastic person and is always supporting our team whenever she can and we all appreciate the effort she puts in for us!
Have you had any successes as a team that you can share with us?
The UHI team won gold at the 2025 UHI Varsity and the college finals - we aim to do the same again this year.
Competing in the Scottish Student Cup, as mentioned before, and giving the other teams tough games is something we are proud of as the teams we are up against compete nearly every week and they also train together around three times a week, with a coach at every session. Our club is very new and still developing - so we are proud of the performances that we put in.
If someone would like to join the volleyball team, how do they go about this?
If someone was to join UHI, and would like to join the volleyball team, I would highly recommend it. We train on Wednesdays from 3-5pm and we also have a session on Fridays that is for the first team players. You can be invited along to the Friday session if you want to improve and join the team in competition. The Wednesday sessions are a great way to get an introduction to the sport and learn in a friendly environment.
Once you finish your course, what are your future career plans?
I hope to go into cinematic audio production (specifically ‘Foley’ recording) or go into surround sound and try work in the development of it.
And finally, what advice would you give to someone thinking about studying at UHI Perth?
For anyone thinking of joining UHI, I would highly recommend coming to an open day and meet some students and lecturers as this will help you to see how good it is to study at UHI Perth.
