From 72aab48d1488622e535d147de521512691102a5a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Anthony Truskinger <anthony.truskinger@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2018 01:52:38 +1000
Subject: [PATCH] [WIP] Removing dynamic yaml

This commit is the bulk of the work required to remove DynamicYaml configuration and replace it with an extendable generic config file, which can also be used for static typing.

Note, build fails, tests fail. More work needed.

Note, nuget also needed to a package reinstall. It looks like the stylecop analyzers might be broken.

By Adding a `Parse` method to the `IAnalyser2` interface we can allow for analyzers to parse their own config files to static classes :grinning:. However, this means the way we resolve Analyses by identifiers has changed and is now dependent on either an explicit argument, or the first two sections (separated by a period) of a config file name.

This work was done for https://github.com/QutEcoacoustics/audio-analysis/issues/119
---
 NuGet.Config                                  |   1 +
 src/AED/AED.fsproj                            |   8 +-
 src/AED/packages.config                       |  22 +-
 .../Acoustics.Shared.FSharp.fsproj            |  66 +--
 src/Acoustics.Shared.FSharp/packages.config   |  34 +-
 src/Acoustics.Shared/Acoustics.Shared.csproj  |  40 +-
 src/Acoustics.Shared/AppConfigHelper.cs       |  41 +-
 src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/Config.cs     | 396 ++++++++++++++++++
 .../ConfigFile/ConfigFile.Profiles.cs         |  77 ++++
 src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/ConfigFile.cs | 167 ++++----
 src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/IProfile.cs   |  13 +
 .../Extensions/ReflectionExtensions.cs        |  13 +-
 src/Acoustics.Shared/Logging/LoggedConsole.cs |   8 +-
 .../Properties/AssemblyInfo.cs                |   2 +
 src/Acoustics.Shared/Yaml.cs                  |  95 ++---
 src/Acoustics.Unsafe/Acoustics.Unsafe.csproj  |   6 +-
 src/Acoustics.Unsafe/packages.config          |   6 +-
 src/AnalysisBase/AbstractStrongAnalyser.cs    |   8 +
 src/AnalysisBase/AnalysisBase.csproj          |   5 +
 src/AnalysisBase/AnalysisCoordinator.cs       |   7 +-
 src/AnalysisBase/AnalysisSettings.cs          |   3 +-
 src/AnalysisBase/AnalyzerConfig.cs            |  68 +++
 src/AnalysisBase/IAnalyser2.cs                |  11 +-
 .../Ecosounds.StandardizedFeatures.yml        |   4 +-
 .../Italy.Acoustic.Parallel.yml               |   4 +-
 src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Mangalam.Sonogram.yml |   4 +-
 .../Ecosounds.MultiRecognizer.yml             |   4 +-
 .../EcosoundsFW.MultiRecognizer.yml           |   4 +-
 .../Stark.CriniaTinnula.yml                   |   4 +-
 .../Stark.LitoriaFreycineti.yml               |   4 +-
 .../Stark.LitoriaOlong.yml                    |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.ArdeaInsignis.yml                  |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.CriniaRemota.yml                   |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.CycloranaNovaehollandiae.yml       |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.Frogs.OBSOLETE.yml                 |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.IctalurusFurcatus.yml              |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.LewiniaPectoralis.yml              |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.LitoriaBicolor.yml                 |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.LitoriaCaerulea.yml                |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.LitoriaFallax.yml                  |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.LitoriaInermis.yml                 |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.LitoriaMicrobelos.yml              |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.LitoriaNasuta.yml                  |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.LitoriaNasutaOLD.yml               |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.LitoriaPallida.yml                 |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.LitoriaRothii.yml                  |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.LitoriaRubella.yml                 |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.LitoriaWatjulumOLD.yml             |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.LitoriaWatjulumensis.yml           |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.RheobatrachusSilus.yml             |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.RhinellaMarina.yml                 |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.UperoleiaMimula.yml                |   4 +-
 .../Truskinger.ExempliGratia.yml              |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.Acoustic.Zooming.yml               |   4 +-
 src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Acoustic.yml   |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.AcousticMarine.yml                 |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.ChannelIntegrity.yml               |   4 +-
 src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Crow.yml       |   4 +-
 src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Default.yml    |   4 +-
 src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Grids.yml      |   4 +-
 src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Human.yml      |   4 +-
 src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.LSKiwi2.yml    |   2 +-
 src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.LSKiwi3.yml    |   2 +-
 src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Machine.yml    |   4 +-
 src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Rain.yml       |   4 +-
 src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Sonogram.yml   |   4 +-
 .../Towsey.SonogramMarine.yml                 |   4 +-
 src/AnalysisPrograms/AED.cs                   |  42 +-
 src/AnalysisPrograms/AcousticIndices.cs       | 234 ++++-------
 .../AnalyseLongRecording.cs                   | 197 +++++----
 .../AnalyseLongRecordings.Arguments.cs        |   3 +
 src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalysesAvailable.cs     |   5 +-
 src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalysisPrograms.csproj  |  51 ++-
 src/AnalysisPrograms/App.config               |  10 +-
 src/AnalysisPrograms/Audio2InputForConvCNN.cs |  23 +-
 src/AnalysisPrograms/Audio2Sonogram.cs        |  42 +-
 src/AnalysisPrograms/Create4Sonograms.cs      |  30 +-
 src/AnalysisPrograms/DifferenceSpectrogram.cs |  10 +-
 .../EventStatisticsAnalysis.cs                |   6 +
 .../EventStatistics/EventStatisticsEntry.cs   |   8 +-
 .../GroundParrotRecogniser.cs                 |  15 +-
 src/AnalysisPrograms/KoalaMale.cs             |   2 +-
 src/AnalysisPrograms/OscillationsGeneric.cs   |  15 +-
 .../SourceConfigOutputDirArguments.cs         |   6 +-
 src/AnalysisPrograms/Production/Exceptions.cs |   9 +-
 .../Recognizers/ArdeaInsignis.cs              |  22 +-
 .../Recognizers/Base/IEventRecognizer.cs      |  59 +--
 .../Recognizers/Base/MultiRecognizer.cs       |  33 +-
 .../Recognizers/Base/RecognizerBase.cs        | 109 ++---
 .../Recognizers/Base/RecognizerEntry.cs       |  25 +-
 .../Recognizers/CriniaRemota.cs               |  44 +-
 .../Recognizers/CriniaTinnula_OBSOLETE.cs     |   2 +-
 .../Recognizers/CycloranaNovaehollandiae.cs   |  29 +-
 .../Recognizers/ExempliGratia.cs              |  36 +-
 .../Recognizers/IctalurusFurcatus.cs          |   8 +-
 .../Recognizers/LewiniaPectoralis.cs          |  37 +-
 .../Recognizers/LimnodynastesConvex.cs        |  22 +-
 .../Recognizers/LitoriaBicolor.cs             |  33 +-
 .../Recognizers/LitoriaCaerulea.cs            |  47 ++-
 .../Recognizers/LitoriaFallax.cs              |  25 +-
 .../Recognizers/LitoriaFreycineti.cs          |  21 +-
 .../Recognizers/LitoriaNasuta.cs              |  42 +-
 .../Recognizers/LitoriaNasutaOLD.cs           |  19 +-
 .../Recognizers/LitoriaOlong.cs               |  27 +-
 .../Recognizers/LitoriaPallida.cs             |  27 +-
 .../Recognizers/LitoriaRothii.cs              |  28 +-
 .../Recognizers/LitoriaRubella.cs             |  28 +-
 .../Recognizers/LitoriaWatjulumensis.cs       |  46 +-
 .../Recognizers/PlatyplectrumOrnatum.cs       |  24 +-
 .../Recognizers/RhinellaMarina.cs             |  23 +-
 .../Recognizers/Tinnula_TRY.cs                |  18 +-
 .../Recognizers/UperoleiaInundata.cs          |  21 +-
 .../Recognizers/UperoleiaLithomoda.cs         |  25 +-
 .../Recognizers/UperoleiaMimula.cs            |  21 +-
 src/AnalysisPrograms/SURFAnalysis.cs          |  24 +-
 src/AnalysisPrograms/SnrAnalysis.cs           |  35 +-
 .../StandardizedFeatureExtraction.cs          |  32 +-
 .../StandardizedFeatureExtractionConfig.cs    |  37 +-
 src/AnalysisPrograms/packages.config          |  30 +-
 src/AudioAnalysisTools/AnalysisKeys.cs        |   1 +
 .../AudioAnalysisTools.csproj                 |  10 +-
 src/AudioAnalysisTools/DSP/FrequencyScale.cs  |  15 +-
 src/AudioAnalysisTools/DSP/SNR.cs             |   6 +-
 .../EventStatisticsConfiguration.cs           |   4 +-
 .../Indices/IndexCalculate.cs                 |   9 +-
 .../Indices/IndexCalculateConfig.cs           | 175 ++++----
 .../Indices/IndexProperties.cs                |  48 ++-
 .../LDSpectrogram3D.cs                        |  13 +-
 .../LDSpectrogramConfig.cs                    |   2 +-
 .../LDSpectrogramConfigOfJie.cs               | 216 ----------
 .../LDSpectrogramDifference.cs                |  27 +-
 .../LDSpectrogramDistance.cs                  |  29 +-
 .../LDSpectrogramTStatistic.cs                |  44 +-
 .../Zooming/SpectrogramZoomingConfig.cs       |  25 +-
 .../Zooming/ZoomFocusedSpectrograms.cs        |  20 +-
 .../Zooming/ZoomParameters.cs                 |  13 +-
 .../Zooming/ZoomTiledSpectrograms.cs          |   2 +-
 src/AudioAnalysisTools/Oscillations2014.cs    |  14 +-
 src/TowseyLibrary/TowseyLibrary.csproj        |  25 +-
 tests/AED.Test/AED.Test.fsproj                |  28 +-
 tests/Acoustics.Test/Acoustics.Test.csproj    |  84 ++--
 .../TestAnalyzeLongRecording.cs               |  10 +-
 tests/Acoustics.Test/App.config               |  12 +-
 .../Indices/IndexCalculateTest.cs             |  23 +-
 .../Acoustics.Test/Shared/ConfigFileTests.cs  |  32 +-
 tests/Acoustics.Test/Shared/ConfigTests.cs    | 152 +++++++
 tests/Acoustics.Test/Shared/YamlTests.cs      |  76 +---
 147 files changed, 2322 insertions(+), 1829 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/Config.cs
 create mode 100644 src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/ConfigFile.Profiles.cs
 create mode 100644 src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/IProfile.cs
 create mode 100644 src/AnalysisBase/AnalyzerConfig.cs
 delete mode 100644 src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramConfigOfJie.cs
 create mode 100644 tests/Acoustics.Test/Shared/ConfigTests.cs

diff --git a/NuGet.Config b/NuGet.Config
index edbeaf8bb..9b9e43665 100644
--- a/NuGet.Config
+++ b/NuGet.Config
@@ -3,5 +3,6 @@
   <packageSources>
     <add key="All" value="(Aggregate source)" />
     <add key="SqLiteFileSystem Packages" value="https://ci.appveyor.com/nuget/sqlitefilesystem-dcfwbf0p9du0" />
+    <add key="natemcmaster Packages" value="https://www.myget.org/F/natemcmaster" />
   </packageSources>
 </configuration>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/AED/AED.fsproj b/src/AED/AED.fsproj
index ae2bf1341..4456cbc89 100644
--- a/src/AED/AED.fsproj
+++ b/src/AED/AED.fsproj
@@ -58,8 +58,8 @@
     <PropertyGroup>
       <ErrorText>This project references NuGet package(s) that are missing on this computer. Use NuGet Package Restore to download them.  For more information, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=322105. The missing file is {0}.</ErrorText>
     </PropertyGroup>
-    <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets'))" />
     <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\FSharp.Compiler.Tools.4.1.29\build\FSharp.Compiler.Tools.props')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\FSharp.Compiler.Tools.4.1.29\build\FSharp.Compiler.Tools.props'))" />
+    <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets'))" />
   </Target>
   <ItemGroup>
     <Compile Include="AssemblyInfo.fs" />
@@ -90,13 +90,13 @@
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Core.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack.Linq">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Linq.Community.3.0.0.0\Lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Linq.dll</HintPath>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Linq.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Linq.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack.Metadata">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Metadata.Community.3.0.0.0\Lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Metadata.dll</HintPath>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Metadata.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Metadata.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack.Parallel.Seq">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Parallel.Seq.Community.3.0.0.0\Lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Parallel.Seq.dll</HintPath>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Parallel.Seq.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Parallel.Seq.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Async.1.0.168\lib\net40\Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.dll</HintPath>
diff --git a/src/AED/packages.config b/src/AED/packages.config
index a1f21ded5..a4f95f4cc 100644
--- a/src/AED/packages.config
+++ b/src/AED/packages.config
@@ -1,15 +1,15 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <packages>
   <package id="FSharp.Compiler.Tools" version="4.1.29" targetFramework="net462" />
-  <package id="FSharp.Core" version="4.2.3" targetFramework="net461" />
-  <package id="FSPowerPack.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net461" />
-  <package id="FSPowerPack.Core.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net461" />
-  <package id="FSPowerPack.Linq.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net461" />
-  <package id="FSPowerPack.Metadata.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net461" />
-  <package id="FSPowerPack.Parallel.Seq.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net461" />
-  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl" version="1.1.10" targetFramework="net461" />
-  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl.Async" version="1.0.168" targetFramework="net461" />
-  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl.Build" version="1.0.21" targetFramework="net461" />
-  <package id="Newtonsoft.Json" version="10.0.3" targetFramework="net461" />
-  <package id="StyleCop.Analyzers" version="1.1.0-beta004" targetFramework="net461" developmentDependency="true" />
+  <package id="FSharp.Core" version="4.2.3" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="FSPowerPack.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="FSPowerPack.Core.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="FSPowerPack.Linq.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="FSPowerPack.Metadata.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="FSPowerPack.Parallel.Seq.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl" version="1.1.10" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl.Async" version="1.0.168" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl.Build" version="1.0.21" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="Newtonsoft.Json" version="10.0.3" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="StyleCop.Analyzers" version="1.1.0-beta004" targetFramework="net462" developmentDependency="true" />
 </packages>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/Acoustics.Shared.FSharp/Acoustics.Shared.FSharp.fsproj b/src/Acoustics.Shared.FSharp/Acoustics.Shared.FSharp.fsproj
index bc182de71..1fcbccc40 100644
--- a/src/Acoustics.Shared.FSharp/Acoustics.Shared.FSharp.fsproj
+++ b/src/Acoustics.Shared.FSharp/Acoustics.Shared.FSharp.fsproj
@@ -72,60 +72,42 @@
     <Compile Include="Math.fs" />
     <Compile Include="Mutex.fs" />
     <Compile Include="Serialization.fs" />
-    <None Include="packages.config" />
+    <Content Include="packages.config" />
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
-    <Reference Include="mscorlib" />
-    <Reference Include="System" />
-    <Reference Include="System.Core" />
-    <Reference Include="System.Numerics" />
-    <Reference Include="System.ValueTuple">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.ValueTuple.4.3.1\lib\netstandard1.0\System.ValueTuple.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
-    </Reference>
     <Reference Include="Accord">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Accord.2.12.0.0\lib\Accord.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="Accord.Math">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Accord.Math.2.12.0.0\lib\Accord.Math.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="Accord.Statistics">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Accord.Statistics.2.12.0.0\lib\Accord.Statistics.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="AForge">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\AForge.2.2.5\lib\AForge.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="AForge.Math">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\AForge.Math.2.2.5\lib\AForge.Math.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="FSharp.Core">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSharp.Core.4.2.3\lib\net45\FSharp.Core.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Core.Community.3.0.0.0\Lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Core.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack.Linq">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Linq.Community.3.0.0.0\Lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Linq.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Linq.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Linq.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack.Metadata">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Metadata.Community.3.0.0.0\Lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Metadata.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Metadata.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Metadata.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack.Parallel.Seq">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Parallel.Seq.Community.3.0.0.0\Lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Parallel.Seq.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Parallel.Seq.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Parallel.Seq.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="log4net">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\log4net.2.0.8\lib\net40-full\log4net.dll</HintPath>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\log4net.2.0.8\lib\net45-full\log4net.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Microsoft.CSharp" />
     <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Async.1.0.168\lib\net40\Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
@@ -138,51 +120,31 @@
     <Reference Include="mscorlib" />
     <Reference Include="QuickGraph">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\QuickGraph.3.6.61119.7\lib\net4\QuickGraph.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="QuickGraph.Data">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\QuickGraph.3.6.61119.7\lib\net4\QuickGraph.Data.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="QuickGraph.Graphviz">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\QuickGraph.3.6.61119.7\lib\net4\QuickGraph.Graphviz.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="QuickGraph.Serialization">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\QuickGraph.3.6.61119.7\lib\net4\QuickGraph.Serialization.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
-    </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="QuickGraph">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\QuickGraph.3.6.61119.7\lib\net4\QuickGraph.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
-    </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="QuickGraph.Data">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\QuickGraph.3.6.61119.7\lib\net4\QuickGraph.Data.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
-    </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="QuickGraph.Graphviz">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\QuickGraph.3.6.61119.7\lib\net4\QuickGraph.Graphviz.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="QuickGraph.Serialization">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\QuickGraph.3.6.61119.7\lib\net4\QuickGraph.Serialization.dll</HintPath>
+    <Reference Include="System" />
+    <Reference Include="System.Core" />
+    <Reference Include="System.Numerics" />
+    <Reference Include="System.ValueTuple">
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.ValueTuple.4.3.1\lib\netstandard1.0\System.ValueTuple.dll</HintPath>
       <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
+    <Reference Include="Microsoft.CSharp" />
+    <Reference Include="mscorlib" />
     <Reference Include="System" />
     <Reference Include="System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations" />
     <Reference Include="System.Core" />
-    <Reference Include="System.IO">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.1.1.10\lib\net40\System.IO.dll</HintPath>
-    </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System.Net" />
     <Reference Include="System.Numerics" />
-    <Reference Include="System.Runtime">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.1.1.10\lib\net40\System.Runtime.dll</HintPath>
-    </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System.Runtime.Serialization" />
-    <Reference Include="System.Threading.Tasks">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.1.1.10\lib\net40\System.Threading.Tasks.dll</HintPath>
-    </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System.Xml" />
   </ItemGroup>
   <Target Name="EnsureNuGetPackageBuildImports" BeforeTargets="PrepareForBuild">
@@ -190,7 +152,9 @@
       <ErrorText>This project references NuGet package(s) that are missing on this computer. Use NuGet Package Restore to download them.  For more information, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=322105. The missing file is {0}.</ErrorText>
     </PropertyGroup>
     <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\FSharp.Compiler.Tools.4.1.29\build\FSharp.Compiler.Tools.props')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\FSharp.Compiler.Tools.4.1.29\build\FSharp.Compiler.Tools.props'))" />
+    <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets'))" />
   </Target>
+  <Import Project="..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets" Condition="Exists('..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets')" />
   <!-- To modify your build process, add your task inside one of the targets below and uncomment it. 
        Other similar extension points exist, see Microsoft.Common.targets.
   <Target Name="BeforeBuild">
diff --git a/src/Acoustics.Shared.FSharp/packages.config b/src/Acoustics.Shared.FSharp/packages.config
index 6c86977bd..eb319ef42 100644
--- a/src/Acoustics.Shared.FSharp/packages.config
+++ b/src/Acoustics.Shared.FSharp/packages.config
@@ -1,21 +1,21 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <packages>
-  <package id="Accord" version="2.12.0.0" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="Accord.Math" version="2.12.0.0" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="Accord.Statistics" version="2.12.0.0" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="AForge" version="2.2.5" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="AForge.Math" version="2.2.5" targetFramework="net40" />
+  <package id="Accord" version="2.12.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="Accord.Math" version="2.12.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="Accord.Statistics" version="2.12.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="AForge" version="2.2.5" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="AForge.Math" version="2.2.5" targetFramework="net462" />
   <package id="FSharp.Compiler.Tools" version="4.1.29" targetFramework="net462" />
-  <package id="FSharp.Core" version="4.2.3" targetFramework="net452" />
-  <package id="FSPowerPack.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="FSPowerPack.Core.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="FSPowerPack.Linq.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="FSPowerPack.Metadata.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="FSPowerPack.Parallel.Seq.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="log4net" version="2.0.8" targetFramework="net40" requireReinstallation="true" />
-  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl" version="1.1.10" targetFramework="net40" requireReinstallation="true" />
-  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl.Async" version="1.0.168" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl.Build" version="1.0.21" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="QuickGraph" version="3.6.61119.7" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="StyleCop.Analyzers" version="1.1.0-beta004" targetFramework="net40" developmentDependency="true" />
+  <package id="FSharp.Core" version="4.2.3" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="FSPowerPack.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="FSPowerPack.Core.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="FSPowerPack.Linq.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="FSPowerPack.Metadata.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="FSPowerPack.Parallel.Seq.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="log4net" version="2.0.8" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl" version="1.1.10" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl.Async" version="1.0.168" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl.Build" version="1.0.21" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="QuickGraph" version="3.6.61119.7" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="StyleCop.Analyzers" version="1.1.0-beta004" targetFramework="net462" developmentDependency="true" />
 </packages>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/Acoustics.Shared/Acoustics.Shared.csproj b/src/Acoustics.Shared/Acoustics.Shared.csproj
index 79316f012..d8995cb58 100644
--- a/src/Acoustics.Shared/Acoustics.Shared.csproj
+++ b/src/Acoustics.Shared/Acoustics.Shared.csproj
@@ -55,13 +55,11 @@
     <Prefer32Bit>false</Prefer32Bit>
   </PropertyGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
-    <Reference Include="CsvHelper">
+    <Reference Include="CsvHelper, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=8c4959082be5c823, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\CsvHelper.2.16.2.0\lib\net45\CsvHelper.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="DotSpinners">
+    <Reference Include="DotSpinners, Version=1.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\DotSpinners.1.2.0\lib\net40\DotSpinners.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="envdte, Version=8.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a">
       <SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
@@ -88,38 +86,31 @@
       <EmbedInteropTypes>True</EmbedInteropTypes>
       <HintPath>..\..\..\..\..\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Enterprise\Common7\IDE\PublicAssemblies\envdte90a.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Fasterflect">
+    <Reference Include="Fasterflect, Version=2.1.3.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=38d18473284c1ca7, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\fasterflect.2.1.3\lib\net40\Fasterflect.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="FSharp.Core, Version=4.4.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSharp.Core.4.2.3\lib\net45\FSharp.Core.dll</HintPath>
       <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="JetBrains.Annotations">
+    <Reference Include="JetBrains.Annotations, Version=11.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=1010a0d8d6380325, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\JetBrains.Annotations.11.0.0\lib\net20\JetBrains.Annotations.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="log4net">
+    <Reference Include="log4net, Version=2.0.8.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=669e0ddf0bb1aa2a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\log4net.2.0.8\lib\net45-full\log4net.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="Microsoft.CSharp" />
-    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks">
+    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks, Version=1.0.12.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Async.1.0.168\lib\net40\Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions">
+    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions, Version=1.0.12.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Async.1.0.168\lib\net40\Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.Desktop">
+    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.Desktop, Version=1.0.168.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Async.1.0.168\lib\net40\Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.Desktop.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Newtonsoft.Json">
+    <Reference Include="Newtonsoft.Json, Version=10.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=30ad4fe6b2a6aeed, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Newtonsoft.Json.10.0.3\lib\net45\Newtonsoft.Json.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System" />
     <Reference Include="System.configuration" />
@@ -129,9 +120,8 @@
     <Reference Include="System.IO.Compression" />
     <Reference Include="System.Net" />
     <Reference Include="System.Runtime.Serialization" />
-    <Reference Include="System.ValueTuple">
+    <Reference Include="System.ValueTuple, Version=4.0.2.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc7b13ffcd2ddd51, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.ValueTuple.4.4.0-preview2-25405-01\lib\net461\System.ValueTuple.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System.Web" />
     <Reference Include="System.Web.Extensions" />
@@ -142,9 +132,8 @@
     <Reference Include="YamlDotNet, Version=4.3.0.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\YamlDotNet.4.3.0\lib\net45\YamlDotNet.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Zio">
+    <Reference Include="Zio, Version=0.3.6.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Zio.0.3.6\lib\net45\Zio.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
@@ -153,8 +142,11 @@
     <Compile Include="Base58.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Binary.cs" />
     <Compile Include="CalcSunTimes.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="ConfigFile\Config.cs" />
     <Compile Include="ConfigFile\ConfigFile.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="ConfigFile\ConfigFile.Profiles.cs" />
     <Compile Include="ConfigFile\ConfigFileException.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="ConfigFile\IProfile.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Contracts\Contract.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Csv\CsvExtensions.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Csv\Csv.cs" />
@@ -243,10 +235,6 @@
     <None Include="app.config" />
     <None Include="packages.config" />
   </ItemGroup>
-  <ItemGroup>
-    <Analyzer Include="..\..\packages\StyleCop.Analyzers.1.1.0-beta004\analyzers\dotnet\cs\StyleCop.Analyzers.CodeFixes.dll" />
-    <Analyzer Include="..\..\packages\StyleCop.Analyzers.1.1.0-beta004\analyzers\dotnet\cs\StyleCop.Analyzers.dll" />
-  </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
     <Content Include="spinners.txt" />
   </ItemGroup>
diff --git a/src/Acoustics.Shared/AppConfigHelper.cs b/src/Acoustics.Shared/AppConfigHelper.cs
index b5168ab22..53633aa54 100644
--- a/src/Acoustics.Shared/AppConfigHelper.cs
+++ b/src/Acoustics.Shared/AppConfigHelper.cs
@@ -21,6 +21,11 @@ namespace Acoustics.Shared
 
     public static class AppConfigHelper
     {
+        private static readonly string ExecutingAssemblyPath =
+            (Assembly.GetEntryAssembly() ?? Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly()).Location;
+
+        public static readonly string ExecutingAssemblyDirectory = Path.GetDirectoryName(ExecutingAssemblyPath);
+
         public const string DefaultTargetSampleRateKey = "DefaultTargetSampleRate";
 
         public static int DefaultTargetSampleRate => GetInt(DefaultTargetSampleRateKey);
@@ -281,7 +286,7 @@ public static DirectoryInfo AssemblyDir
             {
                 var assemblyDirString = Path.GetDirectoryName(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location);
 
-                if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(assemblyDirString))
+                if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(assemblyDirString))
                 {
                     var assemblyDir = new DirectoryInfo(assemblyDirString);
 
@@ -322,7 +327,7 @@ public static bool IsAspNet
                     }
 
                     // app virtual path should not be null and current context usually not null
-                    if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(appDomainPath) || currentContext != null)
+                    if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(appDomainPath) || currentContext != null)
                     {
                         return true;
                     }
@@ -374,12 +379,12 @@ public static string GetString(string key)
             if (ConfigurationManager.AppSettings.AllKeys.All(k => k != key))
             {
                 //throw new ConfigurationErrorsException("Could not find key: " + key);
-                return string.Empty;
+                return String.Empty;
             }
 
             var value = ConfigurationManager.AppSettings[key];
 
-            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(value))
+            if (String.IsNullOrEmpty(value))
             {
                 throw new ConfigurationErrorsException("Found key, but it did not have a value: " + key);
             }
@@ -399,9 +404,9 @@ public static string[] GetStrings(string key, params char[] separators)
             var values = value
                 .Split(separators, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)
                 .Select(s => s.Trim())
-                .Where(v => !string.IsNullOrEmpty(v));
+                .Where(v => !String.IsNullOrEmpty(v));
 
-            if (!values.Any() || values.All(s => string.IsNullOrEmpty(s)))
+            if (!values.Any() || values.All(s => String.IsNullOrEmpty(s)))
             {
                 throw new ConfigurationErrorsException("Key " + key + " exists but does not have a value");
             }
@@ -414,7 +419,7 @@ public static bool GetBool(string key)
             var value = GetString(key);
 
             bool valueParsed;
-            if (bool.TryParse(value, out valueParsed))
+            if (Boolean.TryParse(value, out valueParsed))
             {
                 return valueParsed;
             }
@@ -428,7 +433,7 @@ public static int GetInt(string key)
             var value = GetString(key);
 
             int valueParsed;
-            if (int.TryParse(value, out valueParsed))
+            if (Int32.TryParse(value, out valueParsed))
             {
                 return valueParsed;
             }
@@ -442,7 +447,7 @@ public static double GetDouble(string key)
             var value = GetString(key);
 
             double valueParsed;
-            if (double.TryParse(value, out valueParsed))
+            if (Double.TryParse(value, out valueParsed))
             {
                 return valueParsed;
             }
@@ -457,7 +462,7 @@ public static DirectoryInfo GetDir(string key, bool checkExists)
 
             if (checkExists && !Directory.Exists(value))
             {
-                throw new DirectoryNotFoundException(string.Format("Could not find directory: {0} = {1}", key, value));
+                throw new DirectoryNotFoundException(String.Format("Could not find directory: {0} = {1}", key, value));
             }
 
             return new DirectoryInfo(value);
@@ -469,7 +474,7 @@ public static FileInfo GetFile(string key, bool checkExists)
 
             if (checkExists && !File.Exists(value))
             {
-                throw new FileNotFoundException(string.Format("Could not find file: {0} = {1}", key, value));
+                throw new FileNotFoundException(String.Format("Could not find file: {0} = {1}", key, value));
             }
 
             return new FileInfo(value);
@@ -496,11 +501,11 @@ public static IEnumerable<FileInfo> GetFiles(string key, bool checkAnyExist, par
             var value = GetString(key);
             var values = value.Split(separators, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);
 
-            var files = values.Where(v => !string.IsNullOrEmpty(v)).Select(v => new FileInfo(v)).ToList();
+            var files = values.Where(v => !String.IsNullOrEmpty(v)).Select(v => new FileInfo(v)).ToList();
 
             if (checkAnyExist && files.All(f => !File.Exists(f.FullName)))
             {
-                throw new FileNotFoundException("None of the given files exist: " + string.Join(", ", files.Select(f => f.FullName)));
+                throw new FileNotFoundException("None of the given files exist: " + String.Join(", ", files.Select(f => f.FullName)));
             }
 
             return files;
@@ -511,7 +516,7 @@ public static long GetLong(string key)
             var value = GetString(key);
 
             long valueParsed;
-            if (long.TryParse(value, out valueParsed))
+            if (Int64.TryParse(value, out valueParsed))
             {
                 return valueParsed;
             }
@@ -548,13 +553,13 @@ public static IEnumerable<DirectoryInfo> GetDirs(string webConfigRealDirectory,
             var values = value.Split(separators, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);
 
             var dirs =
-                values.Where(v => !string.IsNullOrEmpty(v)).Select(
+                values.Where(v => !String.IsNullOrEmpty(v)).Select(
                     v => v.StartsWith("..") ? new DirectoryInfo(webConfigRealDirectory + v) : new DirectoryInfo(v))
                     .ToList();
 
             if (checkAnyExist && dirs.All(d => !Directory.Exists(d.FullName)))
             {
-                throw new DirectoryNotFoundException("None of the given directories exist: " + string.Join(", ", dirs.Select(a => a.FullName)));
+                throw new DirectoryNotFoundException("None of the given directories exist: " + String.Join(", ", dirs.Select(a => a.FullName)));
             }
 
             return dirs;
@@ -567,11 +572,11 @@ public static IEnumerable<DirectoryInfo> GetDirs(string key, bool checkAnyExist,
             var values = value.Split(separators, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);
 
             var dirs =
-                values.Where(v => !string.IsNullOrEmpty(v)).Select(v => new DirectoryInfo(v)).ToList();
+                values.Where(v => !String.IsNullOrEmpty(v)).Select(v => new DirectoryInfo(v)).ToList();
 
             if (checkAnyExist && dirs.All(d => !Directory.Exists(d.FullName)))
             {
-                throw new DirectoryNotFoundException("None of the given directories exist: " + string.Join(", ", dirs.Select(a => a.FullName)));
+                throw new DirectoryNotFoundException("None of the given directories exist: " + String.Join(", ", dirs.Select(a => a.FullName)));
             }
 
             return dirs;
diff --git a/src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/Config.cs b/src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/Config.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..43a0c5de7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/Config.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,396 @@
+// <copyright file="Config.cs" company="QutEcoacoustics">
+// All code in this file and all associated files are the copyright and property of the QUT Ecoacoustics Research Group (formerly MQUTeR, and formerly QUT Bioacoustics Research Group).
+// </copyright>
+
+namespace Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile
+{
+    using System;
+    using System.Collections.Generic;
+    using System.Globalization;
+    using System.IO;
+
+    using Acoustics.Shared.Contracts;
+
+    using YamlDotNet.RepresentationModel;
+
+    public class Config
+    {
+        public Config()
+        {
+            // no op
+        }
+
+        internal Config(TextReader streamReader, string configPath)
+        {
+            this.ConfigYamlDocument = Yaml.Load(streamReader);
+            this.ConfigPath = configPath;
+        }
+
+        internal Config(YamlDocument document, string configPath)
+        {
+            this.ConfigYamlDocument = document;
+            this.ConfigPath = configPath;
+        }
+
+        public string ConfigPath { get; internal set; }
+
+        public YamlDocument ConfigYamlDocument { get; internal set; }
+
+        public string this[string key] => this.GetStringOrNull(key);
+
+        public string GetString(string path) => this.MustHaveValue(path, this.GetStringOrNull(path));
+
+        public int GetInt(string path) => this.MustHaveValue(path, this.GetIntOrNull(path)).Value;
+
+        public double GetDouble(string path) => this.MustHaveValue(path, this.GetDoubleOrNull(path)).Value;
+
+        public bool GetBool(string path) => this.MustHaveValue(path, this.GetBoolOrNull(path)).Value;
+
+        public TimeSpan GetTimeSpan(string path) => this.MustHaveValue(path, this.GetTimeSpanOrNull(path)).Value;
+
+        public string GetStringOrNull(string path)
+        {
+            var result = this.TryGetString(path, out var value);
+
+            if (result)
+            {
+                return value;
+            }
+
+            throw new ConfigFileException($"Trying to get value at path {path} failed");
+        }
+
+        public int? GetIntOrNull(string path)
+        {
+            var result = this.TryGetInt(path, out var value);
+
+            if (result)
+            {
+                return value;
+            }
+
+            throw new ConfigFileException($"Trying to get value at path {path} failed");
+        }
+
+        public double? GetDoubleOrNull(string path)
+        {
+            var result = this.TryGetDouble(path, out var value);
+
+            if (result)
+            {
+                return value;
+            }
+
+            throw new ConfigFileException($"Trying to get value at path {path} failed");
+        }
+
+        public bool? GetBoolOrNull(string path)
+        {
+            var result = this.TryGetBool(path, out var value);
+
+            if (result)
+            {
+                return value;
+            }
+
+            throw new ConfigFileException($"Trying to get value at path {path} failed");
+        }
+
+        public TimeSpan? GetTimeSpanOrNull(string path)
+        {
+            var result = this.TryGetTimeSpan(path, out var value);
+
+            if (result)
+            {
+                return value;
+            }
+
+            throw new ConfigFileException($"Trying to get value at path {path} failed");
+        }
+
+        public bool TryGetString(string path, out string value)
+        {
+            value = default(string);
+            var node = this.GetNode(path);
+
+            if (node == null)
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            if (node.Value == null)
+            {
+                return true;
+            }
+
+            value = node.Value;
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        public bool TryGetInt(string path, out int? value)
+        {
+            value = default(int);
+            var node = this.GetNode(path);
+
+            if (node == null)
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            if (node.Value == null)
+            {
+                return true;
+            }
+
+            var result = int.TryParse(node.Value, NumberStyles.Integer, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, out var scalar);
+            value = scalar;
+            return result;
+        }
+
+        public bool TryGetDouble(string path, out double? value)
+        {
+            value = default(double);
+            var node = this.GetNode(path);
+
+            if (node == null)
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            if (node.Value == null)
+            {
+                return true;
+            }
+
+            var result = double.TryParse(node.Value, NumberStyles.Float, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, out var scalar);
+            value = scalar;
+            return result;
+        }
+
+        public bool TryGetBool(string path, out bool? value)
+        {
+            value = default(bool);
+            var node = this.GetNode(path);
+
+            if (node == null)
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            if (node.Value == null)
+            {
+                return true;
+            }
+
+            var result = bool.TryParse(node.Value, out var scalar);
+            value = scalar;
+            return result;
+        }
+
+        public bool TryGetEnum<T>(string path, out T? value)
+            where T : struct 
+        {
+            Contract.Requires(typeof(T).IsSubclassOf(typeof(Enum)), "An Enum must be provided");
+
+            value = null;
+
+            var node = this.GetNode(path);
+
+            if (node == null)
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            if (node.Value == null)
+            {
+                return true;
+            }
+
+            var result = Enum.TryParse<T>(node.Value, true, out var scalar);
+            value = scalar;
+            return result;
+        }
+
+        public bool TryGetTimeSpan(string path, out TimeSpan? value)
+        {
+            value = null;
+
+            var node = this.GetNode(path);
+
+            if (node == null)
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            if (node.Value == null)
+            {
+                return true;
+            }
+
+            var result = TimeSpan.TryParse(node.Value, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, out var scalar);
+            value = scalar;
+            return result;
+        }
+
+    
+
+        [Obsolete("Any code that depends on this is way out of date!")]
+        public Dictionary<string, string> ToDictionary()
+        {
+            var result = new Dictionary<string, string>();
+
+            if (!(this.ConfigYamlDocument.RootNode is YamlMappingNode root))
+            {
+                return result;
+            }
+
+            this.VisitAll(root, result, string.Empty);
+
+            return result;
+        }
+
+        // Recursive!
+        private void VisitAll(YamlNode node, Dictionary<string, string> result, string prefix)
+        {
+            var separator = prefix == string.Empty ? string.Empty : "/";
+
+            switch (node)
+            {
+                case YamlMappingNode mappingNode:
+                    foreach (var child in mappingNode.Children)
+                    {
+                        var newKey = prefix + separator + ((YamlScalarNode)child.Key);
+
+                        VisitChild(child.Value, newKey);
+                    }
+
+                    return;
+                case YamlSequenceNode sequenceNode:
+                    for (var index = 0; index < sequenceNode.Children.Count; index++)
+                    {
+                        var child = sequenceNode.Children[index];
+                        var newKey = prefix + separator + index;
+
+                        VisitChild(child, newKey);
+                    }
+
+                    return;
+                default:
+                    throw new InvalidOperationException();
+            }
+
+            void VisitChild(YamlNode child, string newKey)
+            {
+                switch (child)
+                {
+                    case YamlScalarNode scalar:
+                        result.Add(newKey, scalar.Value);
+                        return;
+                    case YamlMappingNode map:
+                        // recurse
+                        this.VisitAll(map, result, newKey);
+                        return;
+                    case YamlSequenceNode sequence:
+                        // recurse
+                        this.VisitAll(sequence, result, newKey);
+                        return;
+                    default:
+                        throw new InvalidOperationException();
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        private YamlScalarNode GetNode(string path)
+        {
+            // path in the form of
+            //  /key/list/0/value
+
+            if (path.IsNullOrEmpty())
+            {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            var fragments = path.Split(new[] { "/" }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);
+
+            if (fragments.Length == 0)
+            {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            YamlNode current = this.ConfigYamlDocument.RootNode;
+            for (var i = 0; i < fragments.Length; i++)
+            {
+                var fragment = fragments[i];
+                var isLast = i == fragments.Length - 1;
+
+                if (isLast)
+                {
+                    if (current is YamlScalarNode node)
+                    {
+                        return node;
+                    }
+
+                    // path not found
+                    return null;
+                }
+
+                if (current is YamlMappingNode mappingNode)
+                {
+                    YamlNode newNode = null;
+                    foreach (var entry in mappingNode)
+                    {
+                        if (((YamlScalarNode)entry.Key).Value == fragment)
+                        {
+                            newNode = entry.Value;
+                            break;
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    if (newNode != null)
+                    {
+                        current = newNode;
+                        continue;
+                    }
+
+                    // fragment of path not found
+                    return null;
+                }
+
+                if (current is YamlSequenceNode sequenceNode)
+                {
+                    // this part of the fragment must be an index
+                    if (int.TryParse(fragment, NumberStyles.None, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, out var seqIndex))
+                    {
+                        if (seqIndex > sequenceNode.Children.Count - 1)
+                        {
+                            // path index out of index range
+                            return null;
+                        }
+
+                        current = sequenceNode[seqIndex];
+                        continue;
+                    }
+
+                    // not a valid index
+                    return null;
+                }
+            }
+
+            // A valid value is returned my the yaml scalar node case above.
+            // If we get to here something hasn't matched.
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        [JetBrains.Annotations.NotNull]
+        private T MustHaveValue<T>(string path, T value)
+        {
+            if (value == null)
+            {
+                throw new ConfigFileException($"The value for {path} was null but a value must be provided.");
+            }
+
+            return value;
+        }
+
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/ConfigFile.Profiles.cs b/src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/ConfigFile.Profiles.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a66b7e51f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/ConfigFile.Profiles.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+namespace Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile
+{
+    using System;
+    using System.Collections.Generic;
+    using System.Linq;
+    using System.Reflection;
+
+    using YamlDotNet.RepresentationModel;
+
+    public static partial class ConfigFile
+    {
+        public static Config GetProfile<TConfig>(TConfig configuration, string profileName)
+            where TConfig : Config
+        {
+            if (TryGetProfile(configuration, profileName, out var profile))
+            {
+                return profile;
+            }
+
+            throw new ArgumentException("profile not found");
+        }
+
+        public static bool TryGetProfile<TConfig>(TConfig configuration, string profileName, out Config profile)
+            where TConfig : Config
+        {
+            profile = null;
+
+            var root = configuration.ConfigYamlDocument.RootNode as YamlMappingNode;
+            var profiles =
+                (YamlMappingNode)root?.Children.First(kvp => ((YamlScalarNode)kvp.Key).Value == ProfilesKey).Value;
+
+            // find matching profile
+            var foundNodes = profiles.Where(kvp => (string)kvp.Key == profileName);
+            if (foundNodes.Count() != 1)
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            var doc = new YamlDocument(foundNodes.First().Value);
+            profile = new Config(doc, configuration.ConfigPath);
+
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        public static bool HasProfiles(Config configuration)
+        {
+            var root = configuration.ConfigYamlDocument.RootNode as YamlMappingNode;
+            return root?.Children.Any(kvp => ((YamlScalarNode)kvp.Key).Value == ProfilesKey) ?? false;
+        }
+
+        public static string[] GetProfileNames<TConfig>(TConfig configuration)
+            where TConfig : Config
+        {
+            var root = configuration.ConfigYamlDocument.RootNode as YamlMappingNode;
+            var profiles =
+                (YamlMappingNode)root?.Children.First(kvp => ((YamlScalarNode)kvp.Key).Value == ProfilesKey).Value;
+
+            // extract keys
+            return profiles.Select(kvp => (string)kvp.Key).ToArray();
+        }
+
+        public static IEnumerable<(string Name, object Profile)> GetAllProfiles<T>(T configuration)
+            where T : IProfile<T>
+        {
+            Type profileType = typeof(T);
+
+            var props = profileType.GetProperties(BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.Instance);
+            foreach (var propertyInfo in props)
+            {
+                var value = propertyInfo.GetValue(configuration.Profiles);
+                var name = propertyInfo.Name;
+
+                yield return (Name: name, Profile: value);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/ConfigFile.cs b/src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/ConfigFile.cs
index 16044f1f5..8ae1ddb20 100644
--- a/src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/ConfigFile.cs
+++ b/src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/ConfigFile.cs
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@
 // </summary>
 // --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-using System.Dynamic;
-
 namespace Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile
 {
     using System;
@@ -19,23 +17,21 @@ namespace Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile
     using System.Reflection;
     using Contracts;
     using Fasterflect;
+
+    using log4net;
+
     using YamlDotNet.RepresentationModel;
 
     using Zio;
 
-    public static class ConfigFile
+    public static partial class ConfigFile
     {
-        public const string ProfilesKey = "Profiles";
+        public const string ProfilesKey = nameof(IProfile<object>.Profiles);
 
-        private static readonly string ExecutingAssemblyPath =
-            (Assembly.GetEntryAssembly() ?? Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly()).Location;
+        public static readonly Dictionary<Type, string> Defaults = new Dictionary<Type, string>();
 
-        private static readonly string ExecutingAssemblyDirectory = Path.GetDirectoryName(ExecutingAssemblyPath);
-
-        private static string defaultConfigFolder = Path.Combine(ExecutingAssemblyDirectory, "ConfigFiles");
-
-        // Dirty Hack, clean up!
-        public static string LogFolder { get; } = Path.Combine(ExecutingAssemblyDirectory, "Logs");
+        private static readonly ILog Log = LogManager.GetLogger(nameof(ConfigFolder));
+        private static string defaultConfigFolder = Path.Combine(AppConfigHelper.ExecutingAssemblyDirectory, "ConfigFiles");
 
         public static string ConfigFolder
         {
@@ -50,127 +46,130 @@ public static string ConfigFolder
                     $"Cannot find currently set ConfigFiles directory. {defaultConfigFolder} does not exist!");
             }
 
-            set => defaultConfigFolder = value;
+            internal set => defaultConfigFolder = value;
         }
 
-        public static dynamic GetProfile(dynamic configuration, string profileName)
+        public static Config Deserialize(FileInfo file)
         {
-            // TODO: broken when dynamic yaml removed
-            if (configuration.GetType() != typeof(DynamicObject))
-            {
-                throw new ArgumentException("The configuration parameter must be a DynamicYaml object", nameof(configuration));
-            }
-
-            return configuration[ProfilesKey][profileName];
+            return new Config(Yaml.Load(file), file.FullName);
         }
 
-        public static bool HasProfiles(dynamic configuration)
+        public static T Deserialize<T>(FileInfo file)
+            where T : Config
         {
-            // TODO: broken when dynamic yaml removed
-            if (configuration.GetType() != typeof(DynamicObject))
-            {
-                throw new ArgumentException("The configuration parameter must be a DynamicYaml object", nameof(configuration));
-            }
+            
+            (YamlDocument document, T config) = Yaml.LoadAndDeserialize<T>(file);
 
-            DynamicObject profiles = configuration[ProfilesKey] ?? null;
+            config.ConfigYamlDocument = document;
 
-            return profiles != null;
+            return config;
         }
 
-        public static bool TryGetProfile(dynamic configuration, string profileName, out dynamic profile)
+
+        public static FileInfo ResolveOrDefault<T>(FileInfo file, params DirectoryInfo[] searchPaths)
         {
-            // TODO: broken when dynamic yaml removed
-            if (configuration.GetType() != typeof(DynamicObject))
-            {
-                throw new ArgumentException("The configuration parameter must be a DynamicYaml object", nameof(configuration));
-            }
+            return ResolveOrDefault<T>(file.FullName, searchPaths);
+        }
 
-            profile = null;
+        public static FileInfo ResolveOrDefault<T>(string path, params DirectoryInfo[] searchPaths)
+        {
+            if (!path.IsNullOrEmpty())
+            {
+                var success = TryResolve(path, searchPaths.Select(x => x.ToDirectoryEntry()), out FileEntry configFile);
 
-            var hasProfiles = HasProfiles(configuration);
+                if (success)
+                {
+                    return configFile.ToFileInfo();
+                }
+            }
 
-            if (!hasProfiles)
+            if (TryDefault<T>(out var errorMessage, out var fileInfo))
             {
-                return false;
+                return fileInfo;
             }
 
-            profile = configuration[ProfilesKey][profileName] ?? null;
-
-            return profile != null;
+            var message = NotFoundMessage(path, searchPaths)
+                          + "\nAdditionally, no default could be found either because "
+                          + errorMessage;
+            throw new ConfigFileException(message);
         }
-
-        public static string[] GetProfileNames(dynamic configuration)
+        public static FileInfo Default<T>()
         {
-            // TODO: broken when dynamic yaml removed
-            if (configuration.GetType() != typeof(DynamicObject))
-            {
-                throw new ArgumentException("The configuration parameter must be a DynamicYaml object", nameof(configuration));
-            }
-
-            if (!HasProfiles(configuration))
+            if (TryDefault<T>(out var errorMessage, out var fileInfo))
             {
-                return null;
+                return fileInfo;
             }
 
-            // TODO: broken when dynamic yaml removed
-            DynamicObject profiles = configuration[ProfilesKey];
-
-            // WARN: This is a dirty, dirty, hack. I apologize to my mother for writing this vulgarity.
-            var yamlMappingNode = (YamlMappingNode)profiles.GetFieldValue("mappingNode");
-            var yamlNodes = yamlMappingNode.Children.Select(kvp => kvp.Key.ToString());
-            var keys = yamlNodes.ToArray();
-
-            return keys;
+            throw new ConfigFileException("Loading default config failed because " + errorMessage);
         }
 
-        public static Dictionary<string, dynamic> GetAllProfiles(dynamic configuration)
+        private static bool TryDefault<T>(out string errorMessage, out FileInfo fileInfo)
         {
-            // TODO: broken when dynamic yaml removed
-            if (configuration.GetType() != typeof(DynamicObject))
-            {
-                throw new ArgumentException("The configuration parameter must be a DynamicYaml object", nameof(configuration));
-            }
+            errorMessage = string.Empty;
+            fileInfo = null;
+            Type configType = typeof(T);
 
-            var profiles = configuration[ProfilesKey];
+            // lookup default config from well known names list
+            if (Defaults.TryGetValue(configType, out var defaultName))
+            {
+                FileEntry defaultConfig = null;
+                if (TryResolveInConfigFolder(defaultName, ref defaultConfig))
+                {
+                    var file = defaultConfig.ToFileInfo();
+                    Log.Info($"Supplied config file not found, but a default was found and returned (`{file}`)");
+                    {
+                        fileInfo = file;
+                        return true;
+                    }
+                }
 
-            if (profiles == null)
+                errorMessage = $"attempt to find default file `{defaultName}` in config folders failed";
+            }
+            else
             {
-                return null;
+                errorMessage = $"no default was registered for type `{configType.Name}`";
             }
 
-            return (Dictionary<string, dynamic>)profiles;
+            return false;
         }
 
-        public static FileInfo ResolveConfigFile(FileInfo file, params DirectoryInfo[] searchPaths)
+        public static FileInfo Resolve(FileInfo file, params DirectoryInfo[] searchPaths)
         {
             Contract.Requires<ArgumentNullException>(file != null);
 
-            return ResolveConfigFile(file.FullName, searchPaths);
+            return Resolve(file.FullName, searchPaths);
         }
 
-        public static FileInfo ResolveConfigFile(string file, params DirectoryInfo[] searchPaths)
+        public static FileInfo Resolve(string file, params DirectoryInfo[] searchPaths)
         {
             if (file.IsNullOrEmpty())
             {
                 throw new ArgumentException("Try to resolve config failed, because supplied file argument was null or empty.", nameof(file));
             }
 
-            var success = TryResolveConfigFile(file, searchPaths.Select(x => x.ToDirectoryEntry()), out FileEntry configFile);
+            var success = TryResolve(file, searchPaths.Select(x => x.ToDirectoryEntry()), out FileEntry configFile);
 
             if (success)
             {
                 return configFile.ToFileInfo();
             }
 
-            var searchedIn =
-                searchPaths.Select(x => x.FullName)
-                    .Concat(new[] { ConfigFolder + " (and all subdirectories)", Directory.GetCurrentDirectory() })
-                    .Aggregate(string.Empty, (lines, dir) => lines += "\n\t" + dir);
-            var message = $"The specified config file ({file}) could not be found.\nSearched in: {searchedIn}";
+            var message = NotFoundMessage(file, searchPaths);
             throw new ConfigFileException(message, file);
         }
 
-        public static bool TryResolveConfigFile(string file, IEnumerable<DirectoryEntry> searchPaths, out FileEntry configFile)
+        private static string NotFoundMessage(string file, DirectoryInfo[] searchPaths)
+        {
+            var searchedIn = searchPaths
+                .Select(x => x.FullName)
+                .Distinct()
+                .Concat(new[] { ConfigFolder + " (and all subdirectories)", Directory.GetCurrentDirectory() })
+                .Aggregate(string.Empty, (lines, dir) => lines + "\n\t" + dir);
+            var message = $"The specified config file ({file}) could not be found.\nSearched in: {searchedIn}";
+            return message;
+        }
+
+        public static bool TryResolve(string file, IEnumerable<DirectoryEntry> searchPaths, out FileEntry configFile)
         {
             configFile = null;
             if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(file))
@@ -207,6 +206,11 @@ public static bool TryResolveConfigFile(string file, IEnumerable<DirectoryEntry>
                 }
             }
 
+            return TryResolveInConfigFolder(file, ref configFile);
+        }
+
+        private static bool TryResolveInConfigFolder(string file, ref FileEntry configFile)
+        {
             // config files are always packaged with the app so use a physical file system
             var defaultConfigFile = Path.GetFullPath(Path.Combine(ConfigFolder, file));
             if (File.Exists(defaultConfigFile))
@@ -225,7 +229,6 @@ public static bool TryResolveConfigFile(string file, IEnumerable<DirectoryEntry>
                     return true;
                 }
             }
-
             return false;
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/IProfile.cs b/src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/IProfile.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a8ba755d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Acoustics.Shared/ConfigFile/IProfile.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Linq;
+using System.Text;
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
+
+namespace Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile
+{
+    public interface IProfile<T>
+    {
+        T Profiles { get; set; }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Acoustics.Shared/Extensions/ReflectionExtensions.cs b/src/Acoustics.Shared/Extensions/ReflectionExtensions.cs
index 83257176f..c79acfb12 100644
--- a/src/Acoustics.Shared/Extensions/ReflectionExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/Acoustics.Shared/Extensions/ReflectionExtensions.cs
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ namespace System
 {
     using System;
     using Collections.Generic;
-    using Dynamic;
     using Linq.Expressions;
     using Reflection;
 
@@ -147,6 +146,18 @@ public static Dictionary<string, Func<TBase, TType>> GetGetters<TBase, TType>()
 
             return result;
         }
+        public static string[] GetGetterNames<TBase>()
+        {
+            Type thisType = typeof(TBase);
+
+            var props = thisType.GetProperties(BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.Instance);
+            var result = new string[props.Length];
+
+            props.ForEach((p,i) => result[i] = p.Name);
+            
+            return result;
+        }
+
         public static Dictionary<string, Action<TBase, TType>> GetSetters<TBase, TType>()
         {
             Type thisType = typeof(TBase);
diff --git a/src/Acoustics.Shared/Logging/LoggedConsole.cs b/src/Acoustics.Shared/Logging/LoggedConsole.cs
index 9d696c83b..eece12edf 100644
--- a/src/Acoustics.Shared/Logging/LoggedConsole.cs
+++ b/src/Acoustics.Shared/Logging/LoggedConsole.cs
@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@
 // ReSharper disable once CheckNamespace
 namespace System
 {
+    using System.IO;
+
+    using Acoustics.Shared;
+
     using DotSpinners;
     using log4net;
     using Text;
@@ -16,7 +20,9 @@ namespace System
     /// The logging appenders filter out messages for this class and print them in a clean format.
     /// </summary>
     public static class LoggedConsole
-    {
+    {       
+        public static string LogFolder { get; } = Path.Combine(AppConfigHelper.ExecutingAssemblyDirectory, "Logs");
+
         public static readonly ILog Log = LogManager.GetLogger("CleanLogger");
         private static readonly TimeSpan PromptTimeout = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(60);
 
diff --git a/src/Acoustics.Shared/Properties/AssemblyInfo.cs b/src/Acoustics.Shared/Properties/AssemblyInfo.cs
index e5225d4e7..0ac422dbb 100644
--- a/src/Acoustics.Shared/Properties/AssemblyInfo.cs
+++ b/src/Acoustics.Shared/Properties/AssemblyInfo.cs
@@ -40,3 +40,5 @@
 [assembly: AssemblyFileVersion("1.0.0.0")]
 
 [assembly: log4net.Config.XmlConfigurator(ConfigFile = "log4net.config", Watch = true)]
+
+[assembly: InternalsVisibleTo("Acoustics.Test")]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/Acoustics.Shared/Yaml.cs b/src/Acoustics.Shared/Yaml.cs
index 7b7ec130f..a24b682a4 100644
--- a/src/Acoustics.Shared/Yaml.cs
+++ b/src/Acoustics.Shared/Yaml.cs
@@ -20,41 +20,30 @@ namespace Acoustics.Shared
 
     public class Yaml
     {
-        // this method is broken - my first priority is a working build, I'll need to come back to this
-        public static dynamic Deserialise(FileInfo file)
+        internal static Deserializer Deserializer => new Deserializer();
+
+        public static YamlDocument Load(FileInfo file)
         {
             using (var stream = file.OpenText())
             {
-                // allow merging in yaml back references
-                var parser = new MergingParser(new Parser(stream));
-
-                // MEGA HACK TIME - I APOLOGIZE TO FUTURE ME :-(
-                // There's a bug in the YamlStream implementation that does not allow the MergingParser's magic to work because it produces a
-                // a duplicate key in an object mapping graph in a yaml back referencing scenario.
-                // So to deserialize the graph properly, we first deserialize it generically - which expands all the yaml back references - and we
-                // then reserialize to an in memory string, which we can finally send to DynamicYaml (which uses yamlDocument.Load under the sheets).
-                // TODO: file a bug against the YamlDotNet project.
-                var d = new Deserializer();
-                var deserializedObject = d.Deserialize(parser);
-//                var s = new Serializer();
-//
-//                DynamicYaml data;
-//                using (var stream2 = new StringWriter())
-//                {
-//                    s.Serialize(stream2, deserializedObject);
-//
-//                    var yaml = stream2.ToString();
-//                    data = new DynamicYaml(yaml);
-//                }
-
-                return deserializedObject;
+                return Load(stream);
             }
         }
 
-        public static void SerialiseDynamic(FileInfo file, dynamic obj)
+        public static YamlDocument Load(TextReader stream)
         {
-            // YMMV - not tested
-            Serialise(file, obj);
+            // allow merging in yaml back references
+            var parser = new MergingParser(new Parser(stream));
+
+            YamlStream yamlStream = new YamlStream();
+            yamlStream.Load(parser);
+
+            if (yamlStream.Documents.Count != 1)
+            {
+                throw new InvalidOperationException("Acoustics.Shared.Yaml supports loading only one document at a time");
+            }
+
+            return yamlStream.Documents[0];
         }
 
         public static T Deserialise<T>(FileInfo file)
@@ -66,14 +55,19 @@ public static T Deserialise<T>(FileEntry file)
         {
             using (var stream = file.OpenText())
             {
-                // allow merging in yaml back references
-                var parser = new MergingParser(new Parser(stream));
-                var deserializer = new Deserializer();
-
-                return deserializer.Deserialize<T>(parser);
+                return Deserialize<T>(stream);
             }
         }
 
+        public static T Deserialize<T>(TextReader stream)
+        {
+            // allow merging in yaml back references
+            var parser = new MergingParser(new Parser(stream));
+            var deserializer = Deserializer;
+
+            return deserializer.Deserialize<T>(parser);
+        }
+
         public static void Serialise<T>(FileInfo file, T obj)
         {
             using (var stream = file.CreateText())
@@ -83,28 +77,27 @@ public static void Serialise<T>(FileInfo file, T obj)
                 serializer.Serialize(stream, obj);
             }
         }
-    }
 
-    /// <summary>
-    /// An attempt to desrialize custom types - does not work.
-    /// See: https://github.com/aaubry/YamlDotNet/issues/103.
-    /// For now, serialize special types through proxy properties.
-    /// </summary>
-    public class YamlFileInfoConverter : IYamlTypeConverter
-    {
-        public bool Accepts(Type type)
+        internal static (YamlDocument, T) LoadAndDeserialize<T>(FileInfo file)
         {
-            return type == typeof(FileInfo);
-        }
+            using (var stream = file.OpenText())
+            {
+                // allow merging in yaml back references
+                var parser = new MergingParser(new Parser(stream));
 
-        public object ReadYaml(IParser parser, Type type)
-        {
-            throw new NotImplementedException();
-        }
+                YamlStream yamlStream = new YamlStream();
+                yamlStream.Load(parser);
 
-        public void WriteYaml(IEmitter emitter, object value, Type type)
-        {
-            throw new NotImplementedException();
+                if (yamlStream.Documents.Count != 1)
+                {
+                    throw new InvalidOperationException(
+                        "Acoustics.Shared.Yaml supports loading only one document at a time");
+                }
+
+                T obj = Deserializer.Deserialize<T>(parser);
+
+                return (yamlStream.Documents[0], obj);
+            }
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Acoustics.Unsafe/Acoustics.Unsafe.csproj b/src/Acoustics.Unsafe/Acoustics.Unsafe.csproj
index ed58088b6..16d0d641d 100644
--- a/src/Acoustics.Unsafe/Acoustics.Unsafe.csproj
+++ b/src/Acoustics.Unsafe/Acoustics.Unsafe.csproj
@@ -56,14 +56,14 @@
     <Compile Include="UnsafeImage.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs" />
   </ItemGroup>
-  <ItemGroup>
-    <None Include="packages.config" />
-  </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
     <ProjectReference Include="..\Acoustics.Shared\Acoustics.Shared.csproj">
       <Project>{ef04f5a8-d4bd-4cd1-bfc2-f6ad2d9c7927}</Project>
       <Name>Acoustics.Shared</Name>
     </ProjectReference>
   </ItemGroup>
+  <ItemGroup>
+    <None Include="packages.config" />
+  </ItemGroup>
   <Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
 </Project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/Acoustics.Unsafe/packages.config b/src/Acoustics.Unsafe/packages.config
index 66d845361..e1f0d7d34 100644
--- a/src/Acoustics.Unsafe/packages.config
+++ b/src/Acoustics.Unsafe/packages.config
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <packages>
-  <package id="AForge" version="2.2.5" targetFramework="net461" />
-  <package id="AForge.Imaging" version="2.2.5" targetFramework="net461" />
-  <package id="AForge.Math" version="2.2.5" targetFramework="net461" />
+  <package id="AForge" version="2.2.5" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="AForge.Imaging" version="2.2.5" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="AForge.Math" version="2.2.5" targetFramework="net462" />
 </packages>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/AnalysisBase/AbstractStrongAnalyser.cs b/src/AnalysisBase/AbstractStrongAnalyser.cs
index bff0632e1..89e6eb239 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisBase/AbstractStrongAnalyser.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisBase/AbstractStrongAnalyser.cs
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ namespace AnalysisBase
     using System.Collections.Generic;
     using System.IO;
 
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using ResultBases;
 
     /// <summary>
@@ -38,6 +40,12 @@ public virtual AnalysisSettings DefaultSettings
             }
         }
 
+        /// <inheritdoc cref="IAnalyser2.ParseConfig"/>
+        public virtual AnalyzerConfig ParseConfig(FileInfo file)
+        {
+            return ConfigFile.Deserialize<AnalyzerConfig>(file);
+        }
+
         /// <inheritdoc/>
         public virtual void BeforeAnalyze(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings)
         {
diff --git a/src/AnalysisBase/AnalysisBase.csproj b/src/AnalysisBase/AnalysisBase.csproj
index d42ddb311..6eda2de09 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisBase/AnalysisBase.csproj
+++ b/src/AnalysisBase/AnalysisBase.csproj
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@
     <Compile Include="AnalysisResult.cs" />
     <Compile Include="AnalysisResult2.cs" />
     <Compile Include="AnalysisSettings.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="AnalyzerConfig.cs" />
     <Compile Include="AudioRecordingTooShortException.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Extensions\ModifiedInfoExtensions.cs" />
     <Compile Include="FileSegment.cs" />
@@ -110,6 +111,10 @@
     <None Include="app.config" />
     <None Include="packages.config" />
   </ItemGroup>
+  <ItemGroup>
+    <Analyzer Include="..\..\packages\StyleCop.Analyzers.1.1.0-beta004\analyzers\dotnet\cs\StyleCop.Analyzers.CodeFixes.dll" />
+    <Analyzer Include="..\..\packages\StyleCop.Analyzers.1.1.0-beta004\analyzers\dotnet\cs\StyleCop.Analyzers.dll" />
+  </ItemGroup>
   <Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
   <Import Project="..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets" Condition="Exists('..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets')" />
   <Target Name="EnsureNuGetPackageBuildImports" BeforeTargets="PrepareForBuild">
diff --git a/src/AnalysisBase/AnalysisCoordinator.cs b/src/AnalysisBase/AnalysisCoordinator.cs
index 55e678e02..935baadcd 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisBase/AnalysisCoordinator.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisBase/AnalysisCoordinator.cs
@@ -103,17 +103,18 @@ public AnalysisCoordinator(
         /// <returns>
         /// The System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable`1[T -&gt; AnalysisBase.IAnalyzer2].
         /// </returns>
-        public static IEnumerable<IAnalyser2> GetAnalyzers(Assembly assembly)
+        public static IEnumerable<T> GetAnalyzers<T>(Assembly assembly)
+            where T : class, IAnalyser2
         {
             // to find the assembly, get the type of a class in that assembly
             // eg. typeof(MainEntry).Assembly
-            var analyzerType = typeof(IAnalyser2);
+            var analyzerType = typeof(T);
 
             var types = assembly.GetTypes();
             var analyzers = types
                 .Where(analyzerType.IsAssignableFrom)
                 .Where(t => t.IsClass && !t.IsAbstract)
-                .Select(t => Activator.CreateInstance(t) as IAnalyser2);
+                .Select(t => Activator.CreateInstance(t) as T);
 
             return analyzers;
         }
diff --git a/src/AnalysisBase/AnalysisSettings.cs b/src/AnalysisBase/AnalysisSettings.cs
index cf37c6036..11c7b2513 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisBase/AnalysisSettings.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisBase/AnalysisSettings.cs
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ namespace AnalysisBase
     using System.Runtime.Serialization;
 
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Shared.Contracts;
     using GeorgeCloney;
 
@@ -200,7 +201,7 @@ public DirectoryInfo AnalysisTempDirectoryFallback
         /// <summary>
         /// Gets or sets the object of other configuration properties. Should be mutually exclusive with ConfigFile.
         /// </summary>
-        public dynamic Configuration { get; set; }
+        public Config Configuration { get; set; }
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Gets or sets an object that can be used to store arbitrary configuration or options.
diff --git a/src/AnalysisBase/AnalyzerConfig.cs b/src/AnalysisBase/AnalyzerConfig.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fc2aac5bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/AnalysisBase/AnalyzerConfig.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+// <copyright file="AnalyzerConfig.cs" company="QutEcoacoustics">
+// All code in this file and all associated files are the copyright and property of the QUT Ecoacoustics Research Group (formerly MQUTeR, and formerly QUT Bioacoustics Research Group).
+// </copyright>
+
+namespace AnalysisBase
+{
+    using System;
+    using System.Collections.Generic;
+    using System.Linq;
+    using System.Text;
+    using System.Threading.Tasks;
+
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
+    public class AnalyzerConfig
+        : Config
+    {
+        public const double EventThresholdDefault = 0.2;
+
+        public string AnalysisName { get; set; }
+
+        public double EventThreshold { get; set; } = EventThresholdDefault;
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Gets or sets the length of audio block to process
+        /// </summary>
+        public double? SegmentDuration { get; set; }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Gets or sets the amount that each audio block should overlap
+        /// </summary>
+        public double? SegmentOverlap { get; set; }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Gets or sets the default sample rate to reencode all input audio as.
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <remarks>
+        /// ResampleRate must be 2 X the desired Nyquist.
+        /// Default value = 22050.
+        /// Once upon a time we used 17640.
+        /// Units=samples
+        /// Users of this value should always fallback to a default appropriate for the analysis. Currently that default
+        /// must be non-null, but we're considering allowing it to be null to support variable sample rate analysis.
+        /// </remarks>
+        public int? ResampleRate { get; set; }
+
+        public SaveBehavior SaveIntermediateWavFiles { get; set; } = SaveBehavior.Never;
+
+        public bool SaveIntermediateCsvFiles { get; set; } = false;
+
+        public SaveBehavior SaveSonogramImages { get; set; } = SaveBehavior.Never;
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Gets or sets a value indicating whether a file must have a date in the file name
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <remarks>
+        /// if true, an unambiguous date time must be provided in the source file's name.
+        /// if true, an exception will be thrown if no such date is found
+        /// if false, and a valid date is still found in file name, it will still be parsed
+        /// supports formats like:
+        ///     prefix_20140101T235959+1000.mp3
+        ///     prefix_20140101T235959+Z.mp3
+        ///     prefix_20140101-235959+1000.mp3
+        ///     prefix_20140101-235959+Z.mp3
+        /// </remarks>
+        public bool RequireDateInFilename { get; set; } = false;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/AnalysisBase/IAnalyser2.cs b/src/AnalysisBase/IAnalyser2.cs
index 3e469dba5..40804a7b1 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisBase/IAnalyser2.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisBase/IAnalyser2.cs
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ namespace AnalysisBase
     using System.Collections.Generic;
     using System.IO;
 
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using ResultBases;
 
     /// <summary>
@@ -35,7 +37,7 @@ public interface IAnalyser2
         string Identifier { get; }
 
         /// <summary>
-        /// A user friendly string describing the analyzer. Intending for printing in the console.
+        /// Gets a user friendly string describing the analyzer. Intending for printing in the console.
         /// </summary>
         string Description { get; }
 
@@ -44,6 +46,13 @@ public interface IAnalyser2
         /// </summary>
         AnalysisSettings DefaultSettings { get; }
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// An (optional) method for returning a strongly typed config file
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <param name="file">The file that represents the config to read.</param>
+        /// <returns>Ideally a strongly typed config, but as a fallback, a base <see cref="Config"/> can be returned.</returns>
+        AnalyzerConfig ParseConfig(FileInfo file);
+
         /// <summary>
         /// A hook to modify analysis settings before an analysis is run.
         /// Ideally run once (whereas Analyze is run N times).
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Ecosounds.StandardizedFeatures.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Ecosounds.StandardizedFeatures.yml
index 44a9fc486..457e81ada 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Ecosounds.StandardizedFeatures.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Ecosounds.StandardizedFeatures.yml
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
 # Summary: Calculates standardized features for machine learning tasks
 
 AnalysisName: Ecosounds.StandardizedFeatures
-#SegmentDuration: units=minutes;
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds;
+SegmentDuration: 60
 #SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Italy.Acoustic.Parallel.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Italy.Acoustic.Parallel.yml
index 9f2876dee..20c5540bb 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Italy.Acoustic.Parallel.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Italy.Acoustic.Parallel.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 AnalysisName: Towsey.Acoustic
-#SegmentDuration: minutes,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
+SegmentDuration: 60
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 #FRAME LENGTH in samples and Frame Overlap as fraction 
 FrameLength: 1024
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Mangalam.Sonogram.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Mangalam.Sonogram.yml
index 4cfafb5e5..1ed1dc32e 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Mangalam.Sonogram.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Mangalam.Sonogram.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 AnalysisName: Towsey.SpectrogramGenerator
-#SegmentDuration: minutes,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
+SegmentDuration: 60
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 
 #FRAME LENGTH in samples - must be power of 2
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Ecosounds.MultiRecognizer.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Ecosounds.MultiRecognizer.yml
index 25f209824..4ff46a7d6 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Ecosounds.MultiRecognizer.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Ecosounds.MultiRecognizer.yml
@@ -30,8 +30,8 @@ EventThreshold: 0.2
 
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/EcosoundsFW.MultiRecognizer.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/EcosoundsFW.MultiRecognizer.yml
index 606627a0d..14956f60f 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/EcosoundsFW.MultiRecognizer.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/EcosoundsFW.MultiRecognizer.yml
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ EventThreshold: 0.2
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Stark.CriniaTinnula.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Stark.CriniaTinnula.yml
index 07d9ac6a0..b2957d139 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Stark.CriniaTinnula.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Stark.CriniaTinnula.yml
@@ -58,8 +58,8 @@ Profiles:
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Stark.LitoriaFreycineti.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Stark.LitoriaFreycineti.yml
index 99317a2ea..ad53962c0 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Stark.LitoriaFreycineti.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Stark.LitoriaFreycineti.yml
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@ Profiles:
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Stark.LitoriaOlong.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Stark.LitoriaOlong.yml
index 630907f41..563e2f5d2 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Stark.LitoriaOlong.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Stark.LitoriaOlong.yml
@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@ FrameSize: 64
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.ArdeaInsignis.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.ArdeaInsignis.yml
index a1d869dce..880a06104 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.ArdeaInsignis.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.ArdeaInsignis.yml
@@ -30,8 +30,8 @@ EventThreshold: 0.30
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 5
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.CriniaRemota.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.CriniaRemota.yml
index f4495ca32..309a5a109 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.CriniaRemota.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.CriniaRemota.yml
@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ MaxDuration: 0.80
 EventThreshold: 0.5
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.CycloranaNovaehollandiae.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.CycloranaNovaehollandiae.yml
index 39e9227fc..58c6b5289 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.CycloranaNovaehollandiae.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.CycloranaNovaehollandiae.yml
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ ResampleRate: 22050
 FrameSize: 64
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.Frogs.OBSOLETE.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.Frogs.OBSOLETE.yml
index ac922610d..9a0bebd44 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.Frogs.OBSOLETE.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.Frogs.OBSOLETE.yml
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ DisplayColumns: Frog
 # FROG_DATA_FILE=FrogDataAndCompilationFile.csv
 FROG_DATA_FILE: CompilationOf31FrogSpeciesForCurramoreSE-QLD.csv
 
-#SegmentDuration: minutes,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
+SegmentDuration: 60
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 MinPeriod: 0.01
 MaxPeriod: 0.04
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.IctalurusFurcatus.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.IctalurusFurcatus.yml
index d4b9b9c94..8a94efac6 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.IctalurusFurcatus.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.IctalurusFurcatus.yml
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ EventThreshold: 0.30
 # ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LewiniaPectoralis.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LewiniaPectoralis.yml
index 18291f115..04ee7e420 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LewiniaPectoralis.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LewiniaPectoralis.yml
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ ResampleRate: 22050
 #WindowSize:
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-#SegmentDuration: minutes,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
+SegmentDuration: 60
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaBicolor.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaBicolor.yml
index d091dd35a..799a16bf9 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaBicolor.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaBicolor.yml
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ FrameSize: 512
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaCaerulea.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaCaerulea.yml
index 5d1ad07fd..4c2d4d3a1 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaCaerulea.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaCaerulea.yml
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ EventThreshold: 0.5
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaFallax.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaFallax.yml
index a7da97f34..4da96d68e 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaFallax.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaFallax.yml
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@ Profiles:
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaInermis.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaInermis.yml
index f667d7a9f..198924af8 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaInermis.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaInermis.yml
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ FrameSize: 128
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaMicrobelos.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaMicrobelos.yml
index 8325b4287..870b824d1 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaMicrobelos.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaMicrobelos.yml
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ FrameSize: 256
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaNasuta.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaNasuta.yml
index 2f00f9b22..6f8c87b1c 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaNasuta.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaNasuta.yml
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@ EventThreshold: 0.5
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaNasutaOLD.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaNasutaOLD.yml
index d02f40629..17ec24bb5 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaNasutaOLD.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaNasutaOLD.yml
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ FrameSize: 2048
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaPallida.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaPallida.yml
index 1acfad6e0..6fe6e3d47 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaPallida.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaPallida.yml
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ FrameSize: 128
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaRothii.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaRothii.yml
index d01b9b761..90b6ca0d7 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaRothii.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaRothii.yml
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@ EventThreshold: 0.3
 
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaRubella.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaRubella.yml
index c4db4f25f..8b60d4868 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaRubella.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaRubella.yml
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ FrameSize: 256
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaWatjulumOLD.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaWatjulumOLD.yml
index cb72a9707..8c8248604 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaWatjulumOLD.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaWatjulumOLD.yml
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ FrameSize: 256
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaWatjulumensis.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaWatjulumensis.yml
index b21bd4ce0..933570af6 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaWatjulumensis.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.LitoriaWatjulumensis.yml
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ Profiles:
         EventThreshold: 0.4
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.RheobatrachusSilus.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.RheobatrachusSilus.yml
index 691b511d9..bbdc0bad4 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.RheobatrachusSilus.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.RheobatrachusSilus.yml
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ MinHz:
 MaxHz: 
 
 # BELOW PARAMETERS FROM ORIGINAl RECOGNISER
-#SegmentDuration: minutes,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
+SegmentDuration: 60
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 MinPeriod: 0.01
 MaxPeriod: 0.04
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.RhinellaMarina.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.RhinellaMarina.yml
index 60fd52976..4a25fd50f 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.RhinellaMarina.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.RhinellaMarina.yml
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ EventThreshold: 0.45
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.UperoleiaMimula.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.UperoleiaMimula.yml
index 3569a03ad..3a509b7d1 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.UperoleiaMimula.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Towsey.UperoleiaMimula.yml
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ FrameSize: 128
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Truskinger.ExempliGratia.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Truskinger.ExempliGratia.yml
index 8aba66960..8e88f5a1b 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Truskinger.ExempliGratia.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/RecognizerConfigFiles/Truskinger.ExempliGratia.yml
@@ -51,8 +51,8 @@ EventThreshold: 0.2
 ResampleRate: 22050
 
 ## Specifically for AnalyzeLongRecording
-# SegmentDuration: units=minutes;    
-SegmentDuration: 1
+# SegmentDuration: units=seconds;    
+SegmentDuration: 60
 # SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # Available options (case-sensitive): [False/Never | True/Always | WhenEventsDetected]
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Acoustic.Zooming.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Acoustic.Zooming.yml
index 214a54d1c..3add5b849 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Acoustic.Zooming.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Acoustic.Zooming.yml
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@
 #
 
 AnalysisName: Towsey.Acoustic
-#SegmentDuration: units=minutes;
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds;
+SegmentDuration: 60
 #SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Acoustic.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Acoustic.yml
index 4d1f7745e..8154c742f 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Acoustic.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Acoustic.yml
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@
 #
 
 AnalysisName: Towsey.Acoustic
-#SegmentDuration: units=minutes;
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds;
+SegmentDuration: 60
 #SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.AcousticMarine.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.AcousticMarine.yml
index 51a9c1f34..629c2b812 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.AcousticMarine.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.AcousticMarine.yml
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@
 #
 
 AnalysisName: Towsey.Acoustic
-#SegmentDuration: units=minutes;
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds;
+SegmentDuration: 60
 #SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.ChannelIntegrity.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.ChannelIntegrity.yml
index 75c064d21..6de57b4e1 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.ChannelIntegrity.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.ChannelIntegrity.yml
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@
 #
 
 AnalysisName: Towsey.ChannelIntegrity
-#SegmentDuration: units=minutes;     SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds;     SegmentOverlap: units=seconds;
+SegmentDuration: 60
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 
 # Resample rate must be 2 X the desired Nyquist
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Crow.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Crow.yml
index 5903b82d4..d7386a50c 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Crow.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Crow.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 AnalysisName: Towsey.Crow
-#SegmentDuration: minutes,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
+SegmentDuration: 60
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 
 MinHz: 1000          
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Default.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Default.yml
index baf93618c..79adf530b 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Default.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Default.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 AnalysisName: Towsey.Default
-#SegmentDuration: minutes,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
+SegmentDuration: 60
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # min and max of the freq band to search
 MinHz: 100          
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Grids.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Grids.yml
index 92003370e..75c73dede 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Grids.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Grids.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 AnalysisName: Towsey.Grids
-#SegmentDuration: minutes,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
+SegmentDuration: 60
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 #use this threshold if averaging over a period - averaging seems to work better
 IntensityThreshold: 0.03
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Human.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Human.yml
index ea79e8825..2001b424a 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Human.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Human.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 AnalysisName: Towsey.Human
-#SegmentDuration: minutes,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
+SegmentDuration: 60
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 # min and max of the freq band to search
 MinHz: 100          
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.LSKiwi2.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.LSKiwi2.yml
index c9ec1c0fa..b678a8e8f 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.LSKiwi2.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.LSKiwi2.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 AnalysisName: Towsey.LSKiwi2
-#SegmentDuration: minutes,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
 SegmentDuration: 5
 SegmentOverlap: 10
 FrameLength: 2048
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.LSKiwi3.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.LSKiwi3.yml
index 3c5ca0a41..5d25f7d46 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.LSKiwi3.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.LSKiwi3.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 AnalysisName: Towsey.LSKiwi3
-#SegmentDuration: minutes,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
 SegmentDuration: 5
 SegmentOverlap: 10
 FrameLength: 2048
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Machine.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Machine.yml
index 48bc3e2ef..ad3779d50 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Machine.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Machine.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 AnalysisName: Towsey.Machine
-#SegmentDuration: minutes,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
+SegmentDuration: 60
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 
 # min and max of the freq band to search
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Rain.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Rain.yml
index d12ddebe7..90c7e6462 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Rain.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Rain.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 AnalysisName: Towsey.Rain
-#SegmentDuration: minutes,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
+SegmentDuration: 60
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 #FRAME LENGTH in samples and Frame Overlap as fraction 
 FrameLength: 128
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Sonogram.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Sonogram.yml
index 0cf892034..1eba4d819 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Sonogram.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.Sonogram.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 AnalysisName: Towsey.SpectrogramGenerator
-#SegmentDuration: minutes,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
+SegmentDuration: 60
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 
 ResampleRate: 22050
diff --git a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.SonogramMarine.yml b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.SonogramMarine.yml
index 3c3727d22..3f172d9db 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.SonogramMarine.yml
+++ b/src/AnalysisConfigFiles/Towsey.SonogramMarine.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 AnalysisName: Towsey.SpectrogramGenerator
-#SegmentDuration: minutes,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
-SegmentDuration: 1
+#SegmentDuration: units=seconds,   SegmentOverlap=seconds        
+SegmentDuration: 60
 SegmentOverlap: 0
 
 #FRAME LENGTH in samples - must be power of 2
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/AED.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/AED.cs
index 6fefdbe55..5fbb69727 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/AED.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/AED.cs
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms
     using System.Reflection;
     using System.Threading.Tasks;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Shared.Csv;
     using Acoustics.Shared.Extensions;
 
@@ -40,8 +41,6 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms
 
     using TowseyLibrary;
 
-    using YamlDotNet.Dynamic;
-
     /// <summary>
     ///     Acoustic Event Detection.
     /// </summary>
@@ -65,7 +64,7 @@ public override Task<int> Execute(CommandLineApplication app)
             }
         }
 
-        public class AedConfiguration
+        public class AedConfiguration : Config
         {
             public AedConfiguration()
             {
@@ -84,6 +83,7 @@ public AedConfiguration()
 
             public NoiseReductionType NoiseReductionType { get; set; }
 
+            [YamlDotNet.Serialization.YamlMember(Alias = AnalysisKeys.NoiseBgThreshold)]
             public double NoiseReductionParameter { get; set; }
 
             public int ResampleRate { get; set; }
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ public AedConfiguration()
 
             public Color AedHitColor { get; set; }
 
-            public bool IncludeHitElementsInOutput { get; set; }
+            public bool IncludeHitElementsInOutput { get; set; } = false;
         }
 
         #region Constants
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ public static void Execute(Arguments arguments)
             Log.Info("# Recording file: " + recodingFile.Name);
 
             // READ PARAMETER VALUES FROM INI FILE
-            DynamicYaml configruation = Yaml.Deserialise(arguments.Config);
+            AedConfiguration configruation = ConfigFile.Deserialize<AedConfiguration>(arguments.Config);
             var aedConfig = GetAedParametersFromConfigFileOrDefaults(configruation);
             var results = Detect(recodingFile, aedConfig, TimeSpan.Zero);
 
@@ -305,7 +305,7 @@ public override AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, Se
 
             var results = Detect(audioFile, aedConfig, segmentSettings.SegmentStartOffset);
 
-            var analysisResults = new AnalysisResult2(analysisSettings, segmentSettings, results.Item2.Duration());
+            var analysisResults = new AnalysisResult2(analysisSettings, segmentSettings, results.Item2.Duration);
             analysisResults.AnalysisIdentifier = this.Identifier;
             analysisResults.Events = results.Item1;
             BaseSonogram sonogram = results.Item3;
@@ -336,30 +336,26 @@ public override AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, Se
             return analysisResults;
         }
 
-        public static AedConfiguration GetAedParametersFromConfigFileOrDefaults(dynamic configuration)
+        public static AedConfiguration GetAedParametersFromConfigFileOrDefaults(Config configuration)
         {
-            NoiseReductionType noiseReduction = NoiseReductionType.None;
-            if ((bool)configuration[AnalysisKeys.NoiseDoReduction])
-            {
-                noiseReduction = (NoiseReductionType?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.NoiseReductionType] ?? noiseReduction;
-            }
-            else
+            if (!configuration.TryGetEnum(AnalysisKeys.NoiseDoReduction, out NoiseReductionType? noiseReduction) || noiseReduction == null)
             {
+                noiseReduction = NoiseReductionType.None;
                 Log.Warn("Noise reduction disabled, default AED noise removal used - this indicates a bad config file");
             }
 
             return new AedConfiguration()
                        {
-                           IntensityThreshold = configuration.IntensityThreshold,
-                           SmallAreaThreshold = configuration.SmallAreaThreshold,
-                           BandpassMinimum = configuration.BandpassMinimum,
-                           BandpassMaximum = configuration.BandpassMaximum,
-                           IncludeHitElementsInOutput = (bool?)configuration.IncludeHitElementsInOutput ?? false,
-                           AedEventColor = ((string)configuration.AedEventColor).ParseAsColor(),
-                           AedHitColor = ((string)configuration.AedHitColor).ParseAsColor(),
-                           ResampleRate = configuration[AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate],
-                           NoiseReductionType = noiseReduction,
-                           NoiseReductionParameter = configuration[AnalysisKeys.NoiseBgThreshold],
+                           IntensityThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(nameof(AedConfiguration.IntensityThreshold)),
+                           SmallAreaThreshold = configuration.GetInt(nameof(AedConfiguration.SmallAreaThreshold)),
+                           BandpassMinimum = configuration.GetInt(nameof(AedConfiguration.BandpassMinimum)),
+                           BandpassMaximum = configuration.GetInt(nameof(AedConfiguration.BandpassMaximum)),
+                           IncludeHitElementsInOutput = configuration.GetBoolOrNull(nameof(AedConfiguration.IncludeHitElementsInOutput)) ?? false,
+                           AedEventColor = configuration[nameof(AedConfiguration.AedEventColor)].ParseAsColor(),
+                           AedHitColor = configuration[nameof(AedConfiguration.AedHitColor)].ParseAsColor(),
+                           ResampleRate = configuration.GetInt(nameof(AedConfiguration.ResampleRate)),
+                           NoiseReductionType = noiseReduction.Value,
+                           NoiseReductionParameter = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.NoiseBgThreshold),
                        };
         }
 
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/AcousticIndices.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/AcousticIndices.cs
index 1081ba9b7..b1f2d628e 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/AcousticIndices.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/AcousticIndices.cs
@@ -60,11 +60,11 @@ public string Description
             => "Generates all our default acoustic indices, including summary indices and spectral indices. Also generates false color spectrograms IFF IndexCalculationDuration==60.0";
 
         [Obsolete("See https://github.com/QutBioacoustics/audio-analysis/issues/134")]
-        public static void Dev(Arguments arguments)
+        public static void Dev(object arguments)
         {
             if (arguments == null)
             {
-                arguments = new Arguments();
+                arguments = new object();
                 //string recordingPath = @"C:\SensorNetworks\WavFiles\Human\Planitz.wav";
                 //string configPath = @"C:\SensorNetworks\Output\AcousticIndices\Indices.cfg";
                 //string outputDir = @"C:\SensorNetworks\Output\AcousticIndices\";
@@ -98,45 +98,45 @@ public static void Dev(Arguments arguments)
                 //var eventsFname = string.Format("{0}_{1}min.{2}.Events.csv", segmentFileStem, startMinute, "Towsey." + AnalysisName);
                 var indicesFname = string.Format("{0}_{1}min.{2}.Indices.csv", segmentFileStem, startMinute, "Towsey." + AnalysisName);
 
-                if (true)
-                {
-                    // task_ANALYSE
-                    arguments.Task = TaskAnalyse;
-                    arguments.Source = recordingPath.ToFileInfo();
-                    arguments.Config = configPath.ToFileInfo();
-                    arguments.Output = outputDir.ToDirectoryInfo();
-                    arguments.TmpWav = segmentFName;
-                    arguments.Indices = indicesFname;
-                    arguments.Start = (int?)tsStart.TotalSeconds;
-                    arguments.Duration = (int?)tsDuration.TotalSeconds;
-                }
-
-                if (false)
-                {
-                    // task_LOAD_CSV
-                    ////string indicesImagePath = "some path or another";
-                    arguments.Task = TaskLoadCsv;
-                    arguments.InputCsv = csvPath.ToFileInfo();
-                    arguments.Config = configPath.ToFileInfo();
-                }
-
-                string indicesPath = Path.Combine(arguments.Output.FullName, arguments.Indices);
-                FileInfo fiCsvIndices = new FileInfo(indicesPath);
-                if (!fiCsvIndices.Exists)
-                {
-                    Log.InfoFormat(
-                        "\n\n\n############\n WARNING! Indices CSV file not returned from analysis of minute {0} of file <{1}>.",
-                        arguments.Start,
-                        arguments.Source.FullName);
-                }
-                else
-                {
-                    LoggedConsole.WriteLine("\n");
-                    DataTable dt = CsvTools.ReadCSVToTable(indicesPath, true);
-                    DataTableTools.WriteTable2Console(dt);
-                }
-
-                LoggedConsole.WriteLine("\n\n# Finished analysis:- " + arguments.Source.FullName);
+//                if (true)
+//                {
+//                    // task_ANALYSE
+//                    arguments.Task = TaskAnalyse;
+//                    arguments.Source = recordingPath.ToFileInfo();
+//                    arguments.Config = configPath.ToFileInfo();
+//                    arguments.Output = outputDir.ToDirectoryInfo();
+//                    arguments.TmpWav = segmentFName;
+//                    arguments.Indices = indicesFname;
+//                    arguments.Start = (int?)tsStart.TotalSeconds;
+//                    arguments.Duration = (int?)tsDuration.TotalSeconds;
+//                }
+//
+//                if (false)
+//                {
+//                    // task_LOAD_CSV
+//                    ////string indicesImagePath = "some path or another";
+//                    arguments.Task = TaskLoadCsv;
+//                    arguments.InputCsv = csvPath.ToFileInfo();
+//                    arguments.Config = configPath.ToFileInfo();
+//                }
+//
+//                string indicesPath = Path.Combine(arguments.Output.FullName, arguments.Indices);
+//                FileInfo fiCsvIndices = new FileInfo(indicesPath);
+//                if (!fiCsvIndices.Exists)
+//                {
+//                    Log.InfoFormat(
+//                        "\n\n\n############\n WARNING! Indices CSV file not returned from analysis of minute {0} of file <{1}>.",
+//                        arguments.Start,
+//                        arguments.Source.FullName);
+//                }
+//                else
+//                {
+//                    LoggedConsole.WriteLine("\n");
+//                    DataTable dt = CsvTools.ReadCSVToTable(indicesPath, true);
+//                    DataTableTools.WriteTable2Console(dt);
+//                }
+//
+//                LoggedConsole.WriteLine("\n\n# Finished analysis:- " + arguments.Source.FullName);
             }
 
             return;
@@ -144,109 +144,69 @@ public static void Dev(Arguments arguments)
 
         public void BeforeAnalyze(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings)
         {
-            var configuration = analysisSettings.Configuration;
+            var configuration = (AcousticIndicesConfig)analysisSettings.Configuration;
+            
+            configuration.Validate(analysisSettings.AnalysisMaxSegmentDuration.Value);
 
-            var acousticConfiguration = AcousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.FromConfigFile(
-                analysisSettings.Configuration,
-                analysisSettings.ConfigFile,
-                analysisSettings.AnalysisMaxSegmentDuration.Value);
+            analysisSettings.AnalysisAnalyzerSpecificConfiguration = configuration;
+        }
 
-            analysisSettings.AnalysisAnalyzerSpecificConfiguration = acousticConfiguration;
+        public AnalyzerConfig ParseConfig(FileInfo file)
+        {
+            return ConfigFile.Deserialize<AcousticIndicesConfig>(file);
         }
 
         [Serializable]
-        internal class AcousticIndicesParsedConfiguration
+        public class AcousticIndicesConfig : IndexCalculateConfig
         {
-            public dynamic Configuration { get; }
-
-            public AcousticIndicesParsedConfiguration(bool tileOutput, TimeSpan indexCalculationDuration, TimeSpan bgNoiseNeighborhood, FileInfo indexPropertiesFile, FileInfo configFile, dynamic configuration)
+            public void Validate(TimeSpan defaultIndexCalculationDuration)
             {
-                this.Configuration = configuration;
-                this.TileOutput = tileOutput;
-                this.IndexCalculationDuration = indexCalculationDuration;
-                this.BgNoiseNeighborhood = bgNoiseNeighborhood;
-                this.IndexPropertiesFile = indexPropertiesFile;
-                this.ConfigFile = configFile;
-            }
-
-            public static AcousticIndicesParsedConfiguration FromConfigFile(dynamic configuration, FileInfo configFile, TimeSpan defaultDuration)
-            {
-                FileInfo indicesPropertiesConfig = IndexProperties.Find(configuration, configFile);
-                var indexProperties = IndexProperties.GetIndexProperties(indicesPropertiesConfig);
-                SpectralIndexValues.CheckExistenceOfSpectralIndexValues(indexProperties);
-
-                bool filenameDate = (bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.RequireDateInFilename] ?? false;
-                bool tileOutput = (bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.TileImageOutput] ?? false;
+                SpectralIndexValues.CheckExistenceOfSpectralIndexValues(this.IndexProperties);
 
                 // if tiling output we need to be able to parse the date from the file name
-                Log.Info("Image tiling is " + (tileOutput ? string.Empty : "NOT ") + "enabled");
-                if (tileOutput)
+                Log.Info("Image tiling is " + (this.TileOutput ? string.Empty : "NOT ") + "enabled");
+                if (this.TileOutput)
                 {
-                    if (!filenameDate)
+                    if (!this.RequireDateInFilename)
                     {
-                        throw new ConfigFileException("If TileImageOutput is set then RequireDateInFilename must be set as well");
+                        throw new ConfigFileException(
+                            "If TileImageOutput is set then RequireDateInFilename must be set as well");
                     }
                 }
 
                 // set IndexCalculationDuration i.e. duration of a subsegment
-                TimeSpan indexCalculationDuration;
-                try
-                {
-                    double indexCalculationDurationSeconds = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.IndexCalculationDuration];
-                    indexCalculationDuration = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(indexCalculationDurationSeconds);
-                }
-                catch (Exception ex)
-                {
-                    indexCalculationDuration = defaultDuration;
-                    Log.Warn("Cannot read IndexCalculationDuration from config file (Exceptions squashed. Used default value = " + indexCalculationDuration.ToString() + ")");
+                if (this.IndexCalculationDuration <= 0) { 
+                    this.IndexCalculationDuration = defaultIndexCalculationDuration.TotalSeconds;
+                    Log.Warn(
+                        "IndexCalculationDuration from config file is invalid"
+                        + $" (Used default value = {this.IndexCalculationDuration})");
                 }
 
-                if (tileOutput && indexCalculationDuration != TimeSpan.FromSeconds(60))
-                {
-                    throw new ConfigFileException("Invalid configuration detected: tile image output is enabled but ICD != 60.0 so the images won'tbe created");
-                }
-
-                // set background noise neighborhood
-                TimeSpan bgNoiseNeighborhood;
-                try
-                {
-                    int bgnNh = configuration[AnalysisKeys.BgNoiseNeighbourhood];
-                    bgNoiseNeighborhood = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(bgnNh);
-                }
-                catch (Exception ex)
+                if (this.TileOutput && this.IndexCalculationDuration != 60.0)
                 {
-                    bgNoiseNeighborhood = defaultDuration;
-                    Log.Warn("Cannot read BGNNeighborhood from config file (Exceptions squashed. Used default value = " + bgNoiseNeighborhood.ToString() + ")");
+                    throw new ConfigFileException(
+                        "Invalid configuration detected: tile image output is enabled but "
+                        + "ICD != 60.0 so the images won'tbe created");
                 }
-
-                return new AcousticIndicesParsedConfiguration(tileOutput, indexCalculationDuration, bgNoiseNeighborhood, indicesPropertiesConfig, configFile, configuration);
             }
 
-            public bool TileOutput { get; private set; }
+            public bool TileOutput { get; private set; } = false;
 
             /// <summary>
             /// Gets the duration of the sub-segment for which indices are calculated.
             /// Default = 60 seconds i.e. same duration as the Segment.
             /// </summary>
-            public TimeSpan IndexCalculationDuration { get; private set; }
-
-            /// <summary>
-            /// Gets the amount of audio either side of the required subsegment from which to derive an estimate of background noise.
-            /// Units = seconds
-            /// As an example: IF (IndexCalculationDuration = 1 second) AND (BGNNeighborhood = 10 seconds)
-            ///                THEN BG noise estimate will be derived from 21 seconds of audio centred on the subsegment.
-            ///                In case of edge effects, the BGnoise neighborhood will be truncated to start or end of the audio segment (typically expected to be one minute long).
-            /// </summary>
-            public TimeSpan BgNoiseNeighborhood { get; private set; }
-
-            public FileInfo IndexPropertiesFile { get; private set; }
-
-            public FileInfo ConfigFile { get; set; }
+            public new double IndexCalculationDuration
+            {
+                get => base.IndexCalculationDuration.TotalSeconds;
+                private set => base.IndexCalculationDuration = value.Seconds();
+            }
         }
 
         public AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, SegmentSettings<T> segmentSettings)
         {
-            var acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration = (AcousticIndicesParsedConfiguration)analysisSettings.AnalysisAnalyzerSpecificConfiguration;
+            var acousticIndicesConfiguration = (AcousticIndicesConfig)analysisSettings.AnalysisAnalyzerSpecificConfiguration;
+            var indexCalculationDuration = acousticIndicesConfiguration.IndexCalculationDuration.Seconds();
 
             var audioFile = segmentSettings.SegmentAudioFile;
             var recording = new AudioRecording(audioFile.FullName);
@@ -255,21 +215,15 @@ public AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, SegmentSett
             var analysisResults = new AnalysisResult2(analysisSettings, segmentSettings, recording.Duration);
             analysisResults.AnalysisIdentifier = this.Identifier;
 
-            // Convert the dynamic config to IndexCalculateConfig class and merge in the unnecesary parameters.
-            IndexCalculateConfig config = IndexCalculateConfig.GetConfig(analysisSettings.Configuration, false);
-            config.IndexCalculationDuration = acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.IndexCalculationDuration;
-            config.BgNoiseBuffer = acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.BgNoiseNeighborhood;
-
             // calculate indices for each subsegment
             IndexCalculateResult[] subsegmentResults = CalculateIndicesInSubsegments(
                 recording,
                 segmentSettings.SegmentStartOffset,
                 segmentSettings.AnalysisIdealSegmentDuration,
-                acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.IndexCalculationDuration,
-                acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.BgNoiseNeighborhood,
-                acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.IndexPropertiesFile,
+                indexCalculationDuration,
+                acousticIndicesConfiguration.IndexProperties,
                 segmentSettings.Segment.SourceMetadata.SampleRate,
-                config);
+                acousticIndicesConfiguration);
 
             var trackScores = new List<Plot>(subsegmentResults.Length);
             var tracks = new List<SpectralTrack>(subsegmentResults.Length);
@@ -308,17 +262,17 @@ public AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, SegmentSett
 
             // write the segment spectrogram (typically of one minute duration) to CSV
             // this is required if you want to produced zoomed spectrograms at a resolution greater than 0.2 seconds/pixel
-            bool saveSonogramData = (bool?)analysisSettings.Configuration[AnalysisKeys.SaveSonogramData] ?? false;
+            bool saveSonogramData = analysisSettings.Configuration.GetBoolOrNull(AnalysisKeys.SaveSonogramData) ?? false;
             if (saveSonogramData || analysisSettings.AnalysisImageSaveBehavior.ShouldSave(analysisResults.Events.Length))
             {
                 var sonoConfig = new SonogramConfig(); // default values config
                 sonoConfig.SourceFName = recording.FilePath;
-                sonoConfig.WindowSize = (int?)analysisSettings.Configuration[AnalysisKeys.FrameLength] ?? IndexCalculateConfig.DefaultWindowSize;
-                sonoConfig.WindowStep = (int?)analysisSettings.Configuration[AnalysisKeys.FrameStep] ?? sonoConfig.WindowSize; // default = no overlap
+                sonoConfig.WindowSize = acousticIndicesConfiguration.FrameLength;
+                sonoConfig.WindowStep = analysisSettings.Configuration.GetIntOrNull(AnalysisKeys.FrameStep) ?? sonoConfig.WindowSize; // default = no overlap
                 sonoConfig.WindowOverlap = (sonoConfig.WindowSize - sonoConfig.WindowStep) / (double)sonoConfig.WindowSize;
 
                 // Linear or Octave frequency scale?
-                bool octaveScale = (bool?)analysisSettings.Configuration["OctaveFreqScale"] ?? false;
+                bool octaveScale = analysisSettings.Configuration.GetBoolOrNull(AnalysisKeys.KeyOctaveFreqScale) ?? false;
                 if (octaveScale)
                 {
                     sonoConfig.WindowStep = sonoConfig.WindowSize;
@@ -391,16 +345,15 @@ public SummaryIndexBase[] ConvertEventsToSummaryIndices(IEnumerable<EventBase> e
 
         public void SummariseResults(AnalysisSettings settings, FileSegment inputFileSegment, EventBase[] events, SummaryIndexBase[] indices, SpectralIndexBase[] spectralIndices, AnalysisResult2[] results)
         {
-            var acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration = (AcousticIndicesParsedConfiguration)settings.AnalysisAnalyzerSpecificConfiguration;
+            var acousticIndicesConfig = (AcousticIndicesConfig)settings.AnalysisAnalyzerSpecificConfiguration;
 
             var sourceAudio = inputFileSegment.Source;
             var resultsDirectory = AnalysisCoordinator.GetNamedDirectory(settings.AnalysisOutputDirectory, this);
-            bool tileOutput = acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.TileOutput;
+            bool tileOutput = acousticIndicesConfig.TileOutput;
 
-            int frameWidth = 512;
-            frameWidth = settings.Configuration[AnalysisKeys.FrameLength] ?? frameWidth;
+            var frameWidth = acousticIndicesConfig.FrameLength;
             int sampleRate = AppConfigHelper.DefaultTargetSampleRate;
-            sampleRate = settings.Configuration[AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate] ?? sampleRate;
+            sampleRate = acousticIndicesConfig.ResampleRate ?? sampleRate;
 
             // Gather settings for rendering false color spectrograms
             var ldSpectrogramConfig = LdSpectrogramConfig.GetDefaultConfig();
@@ -422,9 +375,9 @@ public void SummariseResults(AnalysisSettings settings, FileSegment inputFileSeg
                     SampleRateOriginal = inputFileSegment.TargetFileSampleRate.Value,
                     SampleRateResampled = sampleRate,
                     FrameLength = frameWidth,
-                    FrameStep = (int?)settings.Configuration[AnalysisKeys.FrameStep] ?? (int?)settings.Configuration[AnalysisKeys.FrameLength] ?? IndexCalculateConfig.DefaultWindowSize,
-                    IndexCalculationDuration = acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.IndexCalculationDuration,
-                    BgNoiseNeighbourhood = acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.BgNoiseNeighborhood,
+                    FrameStep = settings.Configuration.GetIntOrNull(AnalysisKeys.FrameStep) ?? frameWidth,
+                    IndexCalculationDuration = ((IndexCalculateConfig)acousticIndicesConfig).IndexCalculationDuration,
+                    BgNoiseNeighbourhood = acousticIndicesConfig.BgNoiseBuffer,
                     AnalysisStartOffset = inputFileSegment.SegmentStartOffset ?? TimeSpan.Zero,
                     MaximumSegmentDuration = settings.AnalysisMaxSegmentDuration,
                     BackgroundFilterCoeff = SpectrogramConstants.BACKGROUND_FILTER_COEFF,
@@ -447,13 +400,13 @@ public void SummariseResults(AnalysisSettings settings, FileSegment inputFileSeg
             var indexDistributions = IndexDistributions.WriteSpectralIndexDistributionStatistics(dictionaryOfSpectra, resultsDirectory, basename);
 
             // HACK: do not render false color spectrograms unless IndexCalculationDuration = 60.0 (the normal resolution)
-            if (acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.IndexCalculationDuration != TimeSpan.FromSeconds(60.0))
+            if (((IndexCalculateConfig)acousticIndicesConfig).IndexCalculationDuration != 60.0.Seconds())
             {
                 Log.Warn("False color spectrograms were not rendered");
             }
             else
             {
-                FileInfo indicesPropertiesConfig = acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.IndexPropertiesFile;
+                FileInfo indicesPropertiesConfig = acousticIndicesConfig.IndexPropertiesConfig.ToFileInfo();
 
                 // Actually draw false color / long duration spectrograms
                 Tuple<Image, string>[] images =
@@ -473,7 +426,7 @@ public void SummariseResults(AnalysisSettings settings, FileSegment inputFileSeg
                 {
                     Debug.Assert(images.Length == 2);
 
-                    Log.Info("Tiling output at scale: " + acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.IndexCalculationDuration);
+                    Log.Info("Tiling output at scale: " + acousticIndicesConfig.IndexCalculationDuration);
 
                     foreach (var image in images)
                     {
@@ -561,8 +514,7 @@ public static IndexCalculateResult[] CalculateIndicesInSubsegments(
             TimeSpan segmentStartOffset,
             TimeSpan segmentDuration,
             TimeSpan indexCalculationDuration,
-            TimeSpan bgNoiseNeighborhood,
-            FileInfo indexPropertiesFile,
+            Dictionary<string, IndexProperties> indexProperties,
             int sampleRateOfOriginalAudioFile,
             IndexCalculateConfig config)
         {
@@ -607,7 +559,7 @@ public static IndexCalculateResult[] CalculateIndicesInSubsegments(
                 var indexCalculateResult = IndexCalculate.Analysis(
                     recording,
                     subsegmentOffset,
-                    indexPropertiesFile,
+                    indexProperties,
                     sampleRateOfOriginalAudioFile,
                     segmentStartOffset,
                     config);
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalyseLongRecordings/AnalyseLongRecording.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalyseLongRecordings/AnalyseLongRecording.cs
index 79f5f95ae..e88f3f63a 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalyseLongRecordings/AnalyseLongRecording.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalyseLongRecordings/AnalyseLongRecording.cs
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 namespace AnalysisPrograms.AnalyseLongRecordings
 {
     using System;
+    using System.Collections.Generic;
     using System.Diagnostics;
     using System.Drawing;
     using System.IO;
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.AnalyseLongRecordings
     using System.Reflection;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
     using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.Contracts;
     using Acoustics.Tools.Audio;
     using AnalysisBase;
     using AnalysisBase.ResultBases;
@@ -43,7 +45,8 @@ public partial class AnalyseLongRecording
         private static readonly ILog Log = LogManager.GetLogger(nameof(AnalyseLongRecording));
 
         /// <summary>
-        /// 2. Analyses long audio recording (mp3 or wav) as per passed config file. Outputs an events.csv file AND an indices.csv file
+        /// 2. Analyses long audio recording (mp3 or wav) as per passed config file. Outputs an events.csv file AND an
+        /// indices.csv file
         /// Signed off: Michael Towsey 4th December 2012
         /// </summary>
         public static void Execute(Arguments arguments)
@@ -81,7 +84,17 @@ public static void Execute(Arguments arguments)
                 // we use .ToString() here to get the original input string - Using fullname always produces an absolute path wrt to pwd... we don't want to prematurely make asusmptions:
                 // e.g. We require a missing absolute path to fail... that wouldn't work with .Name
                 // e.g. We require a relative path to try and resolve, using .FullName would fail the first absolute check inside ResolveConfigFile
-                configFile = ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(configFile.ToString(), Directory.GetCurrentDirectory().ToDirectoryInfo());
+                configFile = ConfigFile.Resolve(configFile.ToString(), Directory.GetCurrentDirectory().ToDirectoryInfo());
+            }
+
+            if (arguments.StartOffset.HasValue ^ arguments.EndOffset.HasValue)
+            {
+                throw new InvalidStartOrEndException("If StartOffset or EndOffset is specified, then both must be specified");
+            }
+
+            if (arguments.StartOffset.HasValue && arguments.EndOffset.HasValue && arguments.EndOffset.Value <= arguments.StartOffset.Value)
+            {
+                throw new InvalidStartOrEndException("Start offset must be less than end offset.");
             }
 
             LoggedConsole.WriteLine("# Recording file:      " + sourceAudio.FullName);
@@ -90,64 +103,61 @@ public static void Execute(Arguments arguments)
             LoggedConsole.WriteLine("# Temp File Directory: " + tempFilesDirectory);
 
             // optionally copy logs / config to make results easier to understand
+            // TODO: remove, see https://github.com/QutEcoacoustics/audio-analysis/issues/133
             if (arguments.WhenExitCopyConfig || arguments.WhenExitCopyLog)
             {
                 AppDomain.CurrentDomain.ProcessExit += (sender, args) => { Cleanup(arguments, configFile); };
             }
 
-            if (arguments.StartOffset.HasValue ^ arguments.EndOffset.HasValue)
-            {
-                throw new InvalidStartOrEndException("If StartOffset or EndOffset is specified, then both must be specified");
-            }
-
-            if (arguments.StartOffset.HasValue && arguments.EndOffset.HasValue && arguments.EndOffset.Value <= arguments.StartOffset.Value)
-            {
-                throw new InvalidStartOrEndException("Start offset must be less than end offset.");
-            }
-
+            // 2. initialize the analyzer
+            // we're changing the way resolving config files works. Ideally, we'd like to use static type config files
+            // but we can't do that unless we know which type we have to load first! Currently analyzer to load is in 
+            // the config file so we can't know which analyzer we can use. Thus we will change to using the file name,
+            //or an argument to resolve the analyzer to load.
+            // Get analysis name:
+            Log.Warn("The way analysis names are determined has changed. Now either use the CLI option " 
+                + "`AnalysisIdentifier` or name the config file to matach an analysis name");
+
+            IAnalyser2 analyzer = FindAndCheckAnalyser<IAnalyser2>(arguments.AnalysisIdentifier, configFile.Name);
+            
+            
             // 2. get the analysis config
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(configFile);
+            AnalyzerConfig configuration = analyzer.ParseConfig(configFile);
 
-            SaveBehavior saveIntermediateWavFiles = (SaveBehavior?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SaveIntermediateWavFiles] ?? SaveBehavior.Never;
-            bool saveIntermediateDataFiles = (bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SaveIntermediateCsvFiles] ?? false;
-            SaveBehavior saveSonogramsImages = (SaveBehavior?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SaveSonogramImages] ?? SaveBehavior.Never;
 
-            bool filenameDate = (bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.RequireDateInFilename] ?? false;
+            SaveBehavior saveIntermediateWavFiles = configuration.SaveIntermediateWavFiles;
+            bool saveIntermediateDataFiles = configuration.SaveIntermediateCsvFiles;
+            SaveBehavior saveSonogramsImages = configuration.SaveSonogramImages;
 
-            string analysisIdentifier = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName];
-            FileInfo indicesPropertiesConfig = IndexProperties.Find(configuration, arguments.Config);
+            bool filenameDate = configuration.RequireDateInFilename;
 
-            if (indicesPropertiesConfig == null || !indicesPropertiesConfig.Exists)
+            if (configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName].IsNotWhitespace())
             {
-                Log.Warn("IndexProperties config can not be found! This will result in an exception if it is needed later on.");
+                Log.Warn("Your config file has `AnalysisName` set - this property is deprecated and ignored");
             }
-            else
+
+            // AT 2018-02: changed logic so default index properties loaded if not provided
+            FileInfo indicesPropertiesConfig = IndexProperties.Find(configuration, arguments.Config);
+            if (indicesPropertiesConfig == null || !indicesPropertiesConfig.Exists)
             {
-                LoggedConsole.WriteLine("# IndexProperties Cfg: " + indicesPropertiesConfig.FullName);
+                Log.Warn("IndexProperties config can not be found! Loading a default");
+                indicesPropertiesConfig = ConfigFile.Default<Dictionary<string, IndexProperties>>();
             }
-
-            DirectoryInfo[] searchPaths = { configFile.Directory };
-            FileInfo ipConfig = ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile((string)configuration.IndexPropertiesConfig, searchPaths);
-            LoggedConsole.WriteLine("# Resolved IndexProperties Cfg: " + ipConfig);
+            
+            LoggedConsole.WriteLine("# IndexProperties Cfg: " + indicesPropertiesConfig.FullName);
 
             // min score for an acceptable event
-            double scoreThreshold = 0.2;
-            if ((double?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold] != null)
-            {
-                scoreThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
-                Log.Info("Minimum event threshold has been set to " + scoreThreshold);
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                Log.Warn("Minimum event threshold has been set to the default: " + scoreThreshold);
-            }
+            Log.Info("Minimum event threshold has been set to " + configuration.EventThreshold);
+            
 
             FileSegment.FileDateBehavior defaultBehavior = FileSegment.FileDateBehavior.Try;
             if (filenameDate)
             {
                 if (!FileDateHelpers.FileNameContainsDateTime(sourceAudio.Name))
                 {
-                    throw new InvalidFileDateException("When RequireDateInFilename option is set, the filename of the source audio file must contain a valid AND UNAMBIGUOUS date. Such a date was not able to be parsed.");
+                    throw new InvalidFileDateException(
+                        "When RequireDateInFilename option is set, the filename of the source audio file must contain " 
+                        + "a valid AND UNAMBIGUOUS date. Such a date was not able to be parsed.");
                 }
 
                 defaultBehavior = FileSegment.FileDateBehavior.Required;
@@ -173,10 +183,7 @@ public static void Execute(Arguments arguments)
             {
                 Log.Debug("Neither start nor end segment offsets provided. Therefore both were ignored.");
             }
-
-            // 5. initialize the analyzer
-            var analyzer = FindAndCheckAnalyser(analysisIdentifier);
-
+            
             // 6. initialize the analysis settings object
             var analysisSettings = analyzer.DefaultSettings;
             analysisSettings.ConfigFile = configFile;
@@ -188,40 +195,42 @@ public static void Execute(Arguments arguments)
             analysisSettings.AnalysisChannelSelection = arguments.Channels;
             analysisSettings.AnalysisMixDownToMono = arguments.MixDownToMono;
 
-            // #SEGMENT_DURATION=minutes, SEGMENT_OVERLAP=seconds   FOR EXAMPLE: SEGMENT_DURATION=5  and SEGMENT_OVERLAP=10
-            // set the segment offset i.e. time between consecutive segment starts - the key used for this in config file = "SEGMENT_DURATION"
-            try
+            var segmentDuration = configuration.SegmentDuration?.Seconds();
+            if (!segmentDuration.HasValue)
             {
-                int rawDuration = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SegmentDuration];
-                analysisSettings.AnalysisMaxSegmentDuration = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(rawDuration);
-            }
-            catch (Exception ex)
-            {
-                analysisSettings.AnalysisMaxSegmentDuration = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(1.0);
-                Log.Warn("Can't read AnalysisMaxSegmentDuration from config file (exceptions squashed, default value of " + analysisSettings.AnalysisMaxSegmentDuration + " used)");
+                segmentDuration = analysisSettings.AnalysisMaxSegmentDuration ?? TimeSpan.FromMinutes(1);
+                Log.Warn(
+                    $"Can't read `{nameof(AnalyzerConfig.SegmentDuration)}` from config file. "
+                    + $"Default value of {segmentDuration} used)");
             }
+            analysisSettings.AnalysisMaxSegmentDuration = segmentDuration.Value;
 
-            try
-            {
-                int rawOverlap = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SegmentOverlap];
-                analysisSettings.SegmentOverlapDuration = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(rawOverlap);
-            }
-            catch (Exception ex)
+            var segmentOverlap = configuration.SegmentOverlap?.Seconds();
+            if (!segmentOverlap.HasValue)
             {
-                analysisSettings.SegmentOverlapDuration = TimeSpan.Zero;
-                Log.Warn("Can't read SegmentOverlapDuration from config file (exceptions squashed, default value of " + analysisSettings.SegmentOverlapDuration + " used)");
+                segmentOverlap = analysisSettings.SegmentOverlapDuration;
+                Log.Warn(
+                    $"Can't read `{nameof(AnalyzerConfig.SegmentOverlap)}` from config file. "
+                    + $"Default value of {segmentOverlap} used)");
             }
+            analysisSettings.SegmentOverlapDuration = segmentOverlap.Value;
+
 
             // set target sample rate
-            try
-            {
-                int resampleRate = configuration[AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate];
-                analysisSettings.AnalysisTargetSampleRate = resampleRate;
-            }
-            catch (Exception ex)
+            var resampleRate = configuration.ResampleRate;
+            if (!resampleRate.HasValue)
             {
-                Log.Warn("Can't read AnalysisTargetSampleRate from config file (exceptions squashed, default value  of " + analysisSettings.AnalysisTargetSampleRate + " used)");
+                resampleRate = analysisSettings.AnalysisTargetSampleRate ?? AppConfigHelper.DefaultTargetSampleRate;
+                Log.Warn(
+                    $"Can't read {nameof(configuration.ResampleRate)} from config file. "
+                    + $"Default value of {resampleRate} used)");
             }
+            analysisSettings.AnalysisTargetSampleRate = resampleRate;
+
+            Log.Info(
+                $"{nameof(configuration.SegmentDuration)}={segmentDuration}, "
+                + $"{nameof(configuration.SegmentOverlap)}={segmentOverlap}, "
+                + $"{nameof(configuration.ResampleRate)}={resampleRate}");
 
             // 7. ####################################### DO THE ANALYSIS ###################################
             LoggedConsole.WriteLine("START ANALYSIS ...");
@@ -272,7 +281,12 @@ public static void Execute(Arguments arguments)
 #endif
             var duration = fileSegment.TargetFileDuration.Value;
 
-            ResultsTools.ConvertEventsToIndices(analyzer, mergedEventResults, ref mergedIndicesResults, duration, scoreThreshold);
+            ResultsTools.ConvertEventsToIndices(
+                analyzer,
+                mergedEventResults,
+                ref mergedIndicesResults,
+                duration,
+                configuration.EventThreshold);
             int eventsCount = mergedEventResults?.Length ?? 0;
             int numberOfRowsOfIndices = mergedIndicesResults?.Length ?? 0;
 
@@ -350,23 +364,44 @@ public static void Execute(Arguments arguments)
             LoggedConsole.WriteLine(FinishedMessage, sourceAudio.Name, instanceOutputDirectory.FullName);
         }
 
-        public static IAnalyser2 FindAndCheckAnalyser(string analysisIdentifier)
+        public static T FindAndCheckAnalyser<T>(string analysisIdentifier, string partialIdentifier)
+            where T : class, IAnalyser2
         {
-            var analysers = AnalysisCoordinator.GetAnalyzers(typeof(MainEntry).Assembly).ToList();
-            IAnalyser2 analyser = analysers.FirstOrDefault(a => a.Identifier == analysisIdentifier);
+            string searchName;
+            if (analysisIdentifier.IsNotWhitespace())
+            {
+                searchName = analysisIdentifier;
+                Log.Debug($"Searching for exact analysis identifier name {searchName} (from a CLI option)");
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                // split name (e.g. "Towsey.Acoustics.Zooming.yml") on periods
+                var fragments = partialIdentifier.Split(new[] { "." }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);
+
+                Contract.Requires<CommandLineArgumentException>(
+                    fragments.Length >= 2,
+                    $"We need at least two segments to search for an analyzer, supplied name `{partialIdentifier}` is insufficient.");
+
+                // assume indentifier (e.g. "Towsey.Acoustic") in first two segments
+                searchName = fragments[0] + "." + fragments[1];
+                Log.Debug($"Searching for partial analysis identifier name. `{searchName}` extracted from `{partialIdentifier}`");
+            }
+
+            var analysers = AnalysisCoordinator.GetAnalyzers<T>(typeof(MainEntry).Assembly).ToList();
+            T analyser = analysers.FirstOrDefault(a => a.Identifier == searchName);
             if (analyser == null)
             {
-                LoggedConsole.WriteLine("###################################################\n");
-                LoggedConsole.WriteLine("Analysis failed. UNKNOWN Analyser: <{0}>", analysisIdentifier);
-                LoggedConsole.WriteLine("Available analysers are:");
-                foreach (IAnalyser2 anal in analysers)
-                {
-                    LoggedConsole.WriteLine("\t  " + anal.Identifier);
-                }
+                var error = $@"###
+
+We can not determine what analysis you want to run. We tried to search for ""{searchName}""
 
-                LoggedConsole.WriteLine("###################################################\n");
+###
+";
+                LoggedConsole.WriteError(error);
+                var knownAnalyzers = analysers.Aggregate(string.Empty, (a, i) => a + $"\t {i.Identifier}\n");
+                LoggedConsole.WriteLine("Available analysers are:\n" + knownAnalyzers);
 
-                throw new Exception("Cannot find a valid IAnalyser2");
+                throw new CommandLineArgumentException("Cannot find a valid IAnalyser2");
             }
 
             return analyser;
@@ -384,7 +419,7 @@ private static void Cleanup(Arguments args, FileInfo configFile)
 
             if (args.WhenExitCopyLog)
             {
-                var logDirectory = ConfigFile.LogFolder;
+                var logDirectory = LoggedConsole.LogFolder;
                 var logFile = Path.Combine(logDirectory, "log.txt");
 
                 File.Copy(logFile, Path.Combine(args.Output.FullName, "log.txt"), true);
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalyseLongRecordings/AnalyseLongRecordings.Arguments.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalyseLongRecordings/AnalyseLongRecordings.Arguments.cs
index 2e9cf8525..dbd55ef1a 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalyseLongRecordings/AnalyseLongRecordings.Arguments.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalyseLongRecordings/AnalyseLongRecordings.Arguments.cs
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ public Arguments()
 #endif
             }
 
+            [Option("Sets the name of the analysis to run. If not set, analysis identifer is parsed from the config file name.")]
+            public string AnalysisIdentifier { get; set; }
+
             [Option(
                 "A TEMP directory where cut files will be stored. Use this option for efficiency (e.g. write to a RAM Disk).",
                 ShortName = "t"
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalysesAvailable.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalysesAvailable.cs
index 3a61a0ede..9cfb82374 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalysesAvailable.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalysesAvailable.cs
@@ -42,7 +42,10 @@ public override Task<int> Execute(CommandLineApplication app)
 
         private StringBuilder GetAnalyzersTable()
         {
-            var analysers = AnalysisCoordinator.GetAnalyzers(typeof(MainEntry).Assembly).OrderBy(x => x.Identifier).ToArray();
+            var analysers = AnalysisCoordinator
+                .GetAnalyzers<IAnalyser2>(typeof(MainEntry).Assembly)
+                .OrderBy(x => x.Identifier)
+                .ToArray();
 
             const string identifier = "Identifier";
             var indentifierWidth = Math.Max(identifier.Length, analysers.Max((analyser2) => analyser2.Identifier.Length)) + 1;
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalysisPrograms.csproj b/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalysisPrograms.csproj
index e8e9a4e34..d4a1568f5 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalysisPrograms.csproj
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/AnalysisPrograms.csproj
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\AForge.2.2.5\lib\AForge.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="CsvHelper, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=8c4959082be5c823, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\CsvHelper.2.16.2.0\lib\net40\CsvHelper.dll</HintPath>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\CsvHelper.2.16.2.0\lib\net45\CsvHelper.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="Equ, Version=2.0.2.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Equ.2.0.2\lib\netstandard1.5\Equ.dll</HintPath>
@@ -66,21 +66,19 @@
       <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack, Version=4.0.0.1, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
-      <SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Core.Community.3.0.0.0\Lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.dll</HintPath>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Core.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack.Linq">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Linq.Community.3.0.0.0\Lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Linq.dll</HintPath>
+    <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack.Linq, Version=4.0.0.1, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Linq.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Linq.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack.Metadata">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Metadata.Community.3.0.0.0\Lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Metadata.dll</HintPath>
+    <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack.Metadata, Version=4.0.0.1, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Metadata.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Metadata.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack.Parallel.Seq, Version=4.0.0.1, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
-      <SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Parallel.Seq.Community.3.0.0.0\Lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Parallel.Seq.dll</HintPath>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Parallel.Seq.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Parallel.Seq.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="log4net, Version=2.0.8.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=669e0ddf0bb1aa2a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\log4net.2.0.8\lib\net40-full\log4net.dll</HintPath>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\log4net.2.0.8\lib\net45-full\log4net.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="MathNet.Numerics, Version=3.20.2.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\MathNet.Numerics.3.20.2\lib\net40\MathNet.Numerics.dll</HintPath>
@@ -101,9 +99,8 @@
     <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.Desktop, Version=1.0.168.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Async.1.0.168\lib\net40\Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.Desktop.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Win32.Primitives">
+    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Win32.Primitives, Version=4.0.2.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Win32.Primitives.4.3.0\lib\net46\Microsoft.Win32.Primitives.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="SQLitePCLRaw.batteries_green, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=a84b7dcfb1391f7f, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.bundle_green.1.1.9\lib\net45\SQLitePCLRaw.batteries_green.dll</HintPath>
@@ -174,14 +171,12 @@
       <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System.Net.Http.Extensions, Version=2.2.29.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Net.Http.2.2.29\lib\net40\System.Net.Http.Extensions.dll</HintPath>
-    </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="System.Net.Http.Primitives, Version=2.2.29.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Net.Http.2.2.29\lib\net40\System.Net.Http.Primitives.dll</HintPath>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Net.Http.2.2.29\lib\net45\System.Net.Http.Extensions.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="System.Net.Http.WebRequest, Version=2.2.29.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Net.Http.2.2.29\lib\net40\System.Net.Http.WebRequest.dll</HintPath>
+    <Reference Include="System.Net.Http.Primitives, Version=4.2.29.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Net.Http.2.2.29\lib\net45\System.Net.Http.Primitives.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
+    <Reference Include="System.Net.Http.WebRequest" />
     <Reference Include="System.Net.Sockets">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.Net.Sockets.4.3.0\lib\net46\System.Net.Sockets.dll</HintPath>
       <Private>True</Private>
@@ -224,9 +219,6 @@
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.4.3.0\lib\net461\System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.dll</HintPath>
       <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="System.Threading.Tasks, Version=2.6.10.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.1.1.10\lib\net40\System.Threading.Tasks.dll</HintPath>
-    </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System.Threading.Tasks.Dataflow, Version=4.5.24.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Tpl.Dataflow.4.5.24\lib\portable-net45+win8+wpa81\System.Threading.Tasks.Dataflow.dll</HintPath>
       <Private>True</Private>
@@ -249,9 +241,8 @@
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.Xml.ReaderWriter.4.3.0\lib\net46\System.Xml.ReaderWriter.dll</HintPath>
       <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="YamlDotNet">
+    <Reference Include="YamlDotNet, Version=4.3.0.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\YamlDotNet.4.3.0\lib\net45\YamlDotNet.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="Zio, Version=0.3.6.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Zio.0.3.6\lib\net45\Zio.dll</HintPath>
@@ -431,10 +422,6 @@
       <Install>true</Install>
     </BootstrapperPackage>
   </ItemGroup>
-  <ItemGroup>
-    <Analyzer Include="..\..\packages\StyleCop.Analyzers.1.1.0-beta004\analyzers\dotnet\cs\StyleCop.Analyzers.CodeFixes.dll" />
-    <Analyzer Include="..\..\packages\StyleCop.Analyzers.1.1.0-beta004\analyzers\dotnet\cs\StyleCop.Analyzers.dll" />
-  </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup />
   <Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
   <!-- To modify your build process, add your task inside one of the targets below and uncomment it. 
@@ -536,5 +523,15 @@
     <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.targets'))" />
     <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.targets'))" />
     <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.targets'))" />
+    <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets'))" />
+    <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\MSBuildTasks.1.5.0.235\build\MSBuildTasks.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\MSBuildTasks.1.5.0.235\build\MSBuildTasks.targets'))" />
+    <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.targets'))" />
+    <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.targets'))" />
+    <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.targets'))" />
   </Target>
+  <Import Project="..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets" Condition="Exists('..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets')" />
+  <Import Project="..\..\packages\MSBuildTasks.1.5.0.235\build\MSBuildTasks.targets" Condition="Exists('..\..\packages\MSBuildTasks.1.5.0.235\build\MSBuildTasks.targets')" />
+  <Import Project="..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.targets" Condition="Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.targets')" />
+  <Import Project="..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.targets" Condition="Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.targets')" />
+  <Import Project="..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.targets" Condition="Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.targets')" />
 </Project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/App.config b/src/AnalysisPrograms/App.config
index 4b558db04..a480940ef 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/App.config
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/App.config
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@
       </dependentAssembly>
       <dependentAssembly>
         <assemblyIdentity name="System.Net.Http" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
-        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.2.0.0" newVersion="4.2.0.0" />
+        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.1.0" newVersion="4.1.1.0" />
       </dependentAssembly>
       <dependentAssembly>
         <assemblyIdentity name="System.ValueTuple" publicKeyToken="cc7b13ffcd2ddd51" culture="neutral" />
@@ -84,19 +84,19 @@
       </dependentAssembly>
       <dependentAssembly>
         <assemblyIdentity name="System.Runtime" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
-        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.2.0" newVersion="4.1.2.0" />
+        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.1.0" newVersion="4.1.1.0" />
       </dependentAssembly>
       <dependentAssembly>
         <assemblyIdentity name="System.Diagnostics.Tracing" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
-        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.2.0.0" newVersion="4.2.0.0" />
+        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.1.0" newVersion="4.1.1.0" />
       </dependentAssembly>
       <dependentAssembly>
         <assemblyIdentity name="System.Runtime.Extensions" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
-        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.2.0" newVersion="4.1.2.0" />
+        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.1.0" newVersion="4.1.1.0" />
       </dependentAssembly>
       <dependentAssembly>
         <assemblyIdentity name="System.Reflection" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
-        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.2.0" newVersion="4.1.2.0" />
+        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.1.0" newVersion="4.1.1.0" />
       </dependentAssembly>
       <dependentAssembly>
         <assemblyIdentity name="System.Runtime.InteropServices" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Audio2InputForConvCNN.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Audio2InputForConvCNN.cs
index 7404683ac..db88bd749 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Audio2InputForConvCNN.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Audio2InputForConvCNN.cs
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms
     using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
     using System.Threading.Tasks;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Shared.Csv;
     using Acoustics.Tools;
     using Acoustics.Tools.Audio;
@@ -356,17 +357,18 @@ public static void ProcessMeriemsDataset()
 
         private static Dictionary<string, string> GetConfigurationForConvCnn(FileInfo configFile)
         {
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(configFile);
+            Config configuration = ConfigFile.Deserialize(configFile);
 
-            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>((Dictionary<string, string>)configuration)
+            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>(configuration.ToDictionary())
             {
-                [AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = ((bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] ?? true).ToString(),
-                [AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? true,
+                [AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = (configuration.GetBoolOrNull(AnalysisKeys.AddAxes) ?? true).ToString(),
+                [AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = (configuration.GetBoolOrNull(AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack) ?? true).ToString(),
                 [AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] ?? "true",
+
                 [AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] ?? "true",
+
                 [AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? "true",
             };
-
             ////bool makeSoxSonogram = (bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MakeSoxSonogram] ?? false;
             return configDict;
         }
@@ -810,6 +812,11 @@ public PreprocessorForConvDnn()
 
         public AnalysisSettings DefaultSettings { get; private set; }
 
+        public AnalyzerConfig ParseConfig(FileInfo file)
+        {
+            return ConfigFile.Deserialize<AnalyzerConfig>(file);
+        }
+
         public void BeforeAnalyze(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings)
         {
             // noop
@@ -822,17 +829,17 @@ public AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, SegmentSett
             var outputDirectory = segmentSettings.SegmentOutputDirectory;
 
             var analysisResult = new AnalysisResult2(analysisSettings, segmentSettings, recording.Duration);
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(analysisSettings.ConfigFile);
+            Config configuration = ConfigFile.Deserialize(analysisSettings.ConfigFile);
 
             bool saveCsv = analysisSettings.AnalysisDataSaveBehavior;
 
-            if ((bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MakeSoxSonogram] == true)
+            if (configuration.GetBoolOrNull(AnalysisKeys.MakeSoxSonogram) == true)
             {
                 Log.Warn("SoX spectrogram generation config variable found (and set to true) but is ignored when running as an IAnalyzer");
             }
 
             // generate spectrogram
-            var configurationDictionary = new Dictionary<string, string>((Dictionary<string, string>)configuration);
+            var configurationDictionary = new Dictionary<string, string>(configuration.ToDictionary());
             configurationDictionary[ConfigKeys.Recording.Key_RecordingCallName] = audioFile.FullName;
             configurationDictionary[ConfigKeys.Recording.Key_RecordingFileName] = audioFile.Name;
             var soxImage = new FileInfo(Path.Combine(segmentSettings.SegmentOutputDirectory.FullName, audioFile.Name + ".SOX.png"));
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Audio2Sonogram.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Audio2Sonogram.cs
index 6ca50db8b..0ac9d0e33 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Audio2Sonogram.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Audio2Sonogram.cs
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms
     using System.Text;
     using System.Threading.Tasks;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Shared.Csv;
     using Acoustics.Tools.Wav;
     using AnalysisBase;
@@ -167,36 +168,36 @@ public static void Main(Arguments arguments)
 
         private static Dictionary<string, string> GetConfigDictionary(FileInfo configFile, bool writeParameters)
         {
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(configFile);
+            Config configuration = ConfigFile.Deserialize(configFile);
 
             // var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>((Dictionary<string, string>)configuration);
-            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>(dictionary: (Dictionary<string, string>)configuration)
+            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>(configuration.ToDictionary())
             {
-                // below three lines are examples of retrieving info from dynamic config
+                // below three lines are examples of retrieving info from Config config
                 // string analysisIdentifier = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName];
                 // bool saveIntermediateWavFiles = (bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SaveIntermediateWavFiles] ?? false;
                 // scoreThreshold = (double?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold] ?? scoreThreshold;
 
                 // Resample rate must be 2 X the desired Nyquist.
                 // WARNING: Default used to be the SR of the recording. NOW DEFAULT = 22050.
-                [AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate] ?? "22050",
+                [AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate] ?? "22050",
 
-                [AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = ((bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] ?? true).ToString(),
-                [AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? true
+                [AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = (configuration.GetBoolOrNull(AnalysisKeys.AddAxes) ?? true).ToString(),
+                [AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = (configuration.GetBoolOrNull(AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack) ?? true).ToString()
             };
 
             // # REDUCTION FACTORS for freq and time dimensions
             // #TimeReductionFactor: 1
             // #FreqReductionFactor: 1
 
-            bool makeSoxSonogram = (bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MakeSoxSonogram] ?? false;
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.SonogramTitle] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SonogramTitle] ?? "Sonogram";
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.SonogramComment] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SonogramComment] ?? "Sonogram produced using SOX";
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.SonogramColored] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SonogramColored] ?? "false";
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.SonogramQuantisation] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SonogramQuantisation] ?? "128";
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] ?? "true";
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] ?? "true";
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? "true";
+            bool makeSoxSonogram = configuration.GetBoolOrNull(AnalysisKeys.MakeSoxSonogram) ?? false;
+            configDict[AnalysisKeys.SonogramTitle] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SonogramTitle] ?? "Sonogram";
+            configDict[AnalysisKeys.SonogramComment] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SonogramComment] ?? "Sonogram produced using SOX";
+            configDict[AnalysisKeys.SonogramColored] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SonogramColored] ?? "false";
+            configDict[AnalysisKeys.SonogramQuantisation] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SonogramQuantisation] ?? "128";
+            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] ?? "true";
+            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] ?? "true";
+            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? "true";
 
             if (!writeParameters)
             {
@@ -459,6 +460,11 @@ public SpectrogramAnalyzer()
 
         public AnalysisSettings DefaultSettings { get; private set; }
 
+        public AnalyzerConfig ParseConfig(FileInfo file)
+        {
+            return ConfigFile.Deserialize<AnalyzerConfig>(file);
+        }
+
         public void BeforeAnalyze(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings)
         {
             // noop
@@ -471,17 +477,17 @@ public AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, SegmentSett
             var outputDirectory = segmentSettings.SegmentOutputDirectory;
 
             var analysisResult = new AnalysisResult2(analysisSettings, segmentSettings, recording.Duration);
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(analysisSettings.ConfigFile);
 
-            bool saveCsv = (bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SaveIntermediateCsvFiles] ?? false;
 
-            if ((bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MakeSoxSonogram] == true)
+            bool saveCsv = analysisSettings.AnalysisDataSaveBehavior;
+
+            if (analysisSettings.Configuration.GetBool(AnalysisKeys.MakeSoxSonogram))
             {
                 Log.Warn("SoX spectrogram generation config variable found (and set to true) but is ignored when running as an IAnalyzer");
             }
 
             // generate spectrogram
-            var configurationDictionary = new Dictionary<string, string>((Dictionary<string, string>)configuration);
+            var configurationDictionary = new Dictionary<string, string>(analysisSettings.Configuration.ToDictionary());
             configurationDictionary[ConfigKeys.Recording.Key_RecordingCallName] = audioFile.FullName;
             configurationDictionary[ConfigKeys.Recording.Key_RecordingFileName] = audioFile.Name;
             var spectrogramResult = Audio2Sonogram.GenerateFourSpectrogramImages(
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Create4Sonograms.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Create4Sonograms.cs
index f097067bc..6e9a23a4e 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Create4Sonograms.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Create4Sonograms.cs
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms
     using System.Linq;
     using System.Threading.Tasks;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using AudioAnalysisTools;
     using AudioAnalysisTools.DSP;
     using AudioAnalysisTools.StandardSpectrograms;
@@ -85,9 +87,9 @@ public static void Main(Arguments arguments)
             FileInfo fiImage = arguments.Output;
 
             //2. get the config dictionary
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(fiConfig);
+            Config configuration = ConfigFile.Deserialize(fiConfig);
 
-            //below three lines are examples of retrieving info from dynamic config
+            //below three lines are examples of retrieving info from Config config
             //string analysisIdentifier = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName];
             //bool saveIntermediateWavFiles = (bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SaveIntermediateWavFiles] ?? false;
             //scoreThreshold = (double?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold] ?? scoreThreshold;
@@ -96,22 +98,22 @@ public static void Main(Arguments arguments)
             var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>();
 
             // #Resample rate must be 2 X the desired Nyquist. Default is that of recording.
-            configDict["ResampleRate"] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate] ?? 17640;
-            configDict["FrameLength"] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.FrameLength] ?? 512;
-            int frameSize = configuration[AnalysisKeys.FrameLength] ?? 512;
+            configDict["ResampleRate"] = (configuration.GetIntOrNull(AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate) ?? 17640).ToString();
+            configDict["FrameLength"] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.FrameLength] ?? "512";
+            int frameSize = configuration.GetIntOrNull(AnalysisKeys.FrameLength) ?? 512;
 
             // #Frame Overlap as fraction: default=0.0
-            configDict["FrameOverlap"] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.FrameOverlap] ?? 0.0;
-            double windowOverlap = configuration[AnalysisKeys.FrameOverlap] ?? 0.0;
+            configDict["FrameOverlap"] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.FrameOverlap] ?? "0.0";
+            double windowOverlap = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.FrameOverlap) ?? 0.0;
 
             // #MinHz: 500
             // #MaxHz: 3500
             // #NOISE REDUCTION PARAMETERS
-            configDict["DoNoiseReduction"] = configuration["DoNoiseReduction"] ?? true;
-            configDict["BgNoiseThreshold"] = configuration["BgNoiseThreshold"] ?? 3.0;
+            configDict["DoNoiseReduction"] = configuration["DoNoiseReduction"] ?? "true";
+            configDict["BgNoiseThreshold"] = configuration["BgNoiseThreshold"] ?? "3.0";
 
-            configDict["ADD_AXES"] = configuration["ADD_AXES"] ?? true;
-            configDict["AddSegmentationTrack"] = configuration["AddSegmentationTrack"] ?? true;
+            configDict["ADD_AXES"] = configuration["ADD_AXES"] ?? "true";
+            configDict["AddSegmentationTrack"] = configuration["AddSegmentationTrack"] ?? "true";
 
             // 3: GET RECORDING
             var startOffsetMins = TimeSpan.Zero;
@@ -124,7 +126,7 @@ public static void Main(Arguments arguments)
                 fiOutputSegment = new FileInfo(Path.Combine(arguments.Output.DirectoryName, "tempWavFile.wav"));
 
                 //This method extracts segment and saves to disk at the location fiOutputSegment.
-                var resampleRate = (int?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate] ?? AppConfigHelper.DefaultTargetSampleRate;
+                var resampleRate = configuration.GetIntOrNull(AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate) ?? AppConfigHelper.DefaultTargetSampleRate;
                 AudioRecording.ExtractSegment(fiSourceRecording, startOffsetMins, endOffsetMins, buffer, resampleRate, fiOutputSegment);
             }
 
@@ -231,8 +233,8 @@ public static void Main(Arguments arguments)
             //double backgroundThreshold = 4.0;   //SETS MIN DECIBEL BOUND
             //var output = SNR.NoiseReduce(mnr, NoiseReductionType.STANDARD, backgroundThreshold);
 
-            //double dynamicRange = 70;        //sets the the max dB
-            //mnr = SNR.SetDynamicRange(output.Item1, 0.0, dynamicRange);
+            //double ConfigRange = 70;        //sets the the max dB
+            //mnr = SNR.SetConfigRange(output.Item1, 0.0, ConfigRange);
 
             ////3: Spectral tracks sonogram
             //byte[,] binary = MatrixTools.IdentifySpectralRidges(mnr);
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/DifferenceSpectrogram.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/DifferenceSpectrogram.cs
index 7eeeb23a0..b15109695 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/DifferenceSpectrogram.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/DifferenceSpectrogram.cs
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms
     using System.IO;
     using System.Threading.Tasks;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using AudioAnalysisTools.LongDurationSpectrograms;
     using McMaster.Extensions.CommandLineUtils;
     using Production;
@@ -96,7 +98,7 @@ public static Arguments Dev()
             // WRITE THE YAML CONFIG FILE
             string configPath = Path.Combine(opdir, "differenceSpectrogramConfig.yml");
             var cfgFile = new FileInfo(configPath);
-            Yaml.SerialiseDynamic(cfgFile, new
+            Yaml.Serialise(cfgFile, new
             {
                 //paths to required directories and files
                 InputDirectory = ipdir,
@@ -134,11 +136,7 @@ public static void Execute(Arguments arguments)
             }
 
             // load YAML configuration
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(arguments.Config);
-            /*
-             * Warning! The `configuration` variable is dynamic.
-             * Do not use it outside of this method. Extract all params below.
-             */
+            Config configuration = ConfigFile.Deserialize(arguments.Config);
 
             LDSpectrogramDistance.DrawDistanceSpectrogram(configuration);
 
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/EventStatistics/EventStatisticsAnalysis.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/EventStatistics/EventStatisticsAnalysis.cs
index 386e75a43..b07d4c9b8 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/EventStatistics/EventStatisticsAnalysis.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/EventStatistics/EventStatisticsAnalysis.cs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.EventStatistics
     using System.IO;
     using System.Linq;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Shared.Contracts;
     using Acoustics.Shared.Csv;
     using AcousticWorkbench.Orchestration;
@@ -40,6 +41,11 @@ public class EventStatisticsAnalysis : AbstractStrongAnalyser
             AnalysisTargetSampleRate = null,
         };
 
+        public override AnalyzerConfig ParseConfig(FileInfo file)
+        {
+            return ConfigFile.Deserialize<EventStatisticsConfiguration>(file);
+        }
+
         public override void BeforeAnalyze(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings)
         {
             // noop
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/EventStatistics/EventStatisticsEntry.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/EventStatistics/EventStatisticsEntry.cs
index 1a455feb6..ee3d3a897 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/EventStatistics/EventStatisticsEntry.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/EventStatistics/EventStatisticsEntry.cs
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ public static async Task<int> ExecuteAsync(Arguments arguments)
                 // e.g. We require a missing absolute path to fail... that wouldn't work with .Name
                 // e.g. We require a relative path to try and resolve, using .FullName would fail the first absolute 
                 //    check inside ResolveConfigFile
-                arguments.Config = ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(
+                arguments.Config = ConfigFile.Resolve(
                     arguments.Config.ToString(),
                     Directory.GetCurrentDirectory().ToDirectoryInfo());
             }
@@ -78,9 +78,6 @@ public static async Task<int> ExecuteAsync(Arguments arguments)
             Log.Info("Temp File Directory: " + arguments.TempDir);
             Log.Info("Api:                 " + api);
 
-            // derserialize the config file
-            var configuration = Yaml.Deserialise<EventStatisticsConfiguration>(arguments.Config);
-
             // Remote: Test we can log in to the workbench
             var auth = new AuthenticationService(api);
             Task<IAuthenticatedApi> task;
@@ -164,6 +161,9 @@ public static async Task<int> ExecuteAsync(Arguments arguments)
             // instantiate the Analysis
             EventStatisticsAnalysis analysis = new EventStatisticsAnalysis();
 
+            // derserialize the config file
+            var configuration = analysis.ParseConfig(arguments.Config);
+
             AnalysisSettings settings = analysis.DefaultSettings;
             settings.AnalysisOutputDirectory = arguments.Output;
             settings.AnalysisTempDirectory = arguments.TempDir;
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/GroundParrotRecogniser.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/GroundParrotRecogniser.cs
index 8bfd034cd..a8349d893 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/GroundParrotRecogniser.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/GroundParrotRecogniser.cs
@@ -178,7 +178,8 @@ public static void Dev(Arguments arguments)
             // "Example: \"trunk\\AudioAnalysis\\Matlab\\EPR\\Ground Parrot\\GParrots_JB2_20090607-173000.wav_minute_3.wav\""
 
             // READ PARAMETER VALUES FROM INI FILE
-            var aedConfig = Aed.GetAedParametersFromConfigFileOrDefaults(arguments.Config);
+            var config = ConfigFile.Deserialize(arguments.Config);
+            var aedConfig = Aed.GetAedParametersFromConfigFileOrDefaults(config);
 
             Tuple<BaseSonogram, List<AcousticEvent>> result = Detect(arguments.Source, aedConfig, Default.eprNormalisedMinScore, TimeSpan.Zero);
             List<AcousticEvent> eprEvents = result.Item2;
@@ -212,10 +213,10 @@ public static void Dev(Arguments arguments)
         /// <summary>
         /// Get epr parameters from init file.
         /// </summary>
-        /// <param name="configuration">Th=e dynamic configuration object to read</param>
-        internal static double GetEprParametersFromConfigFileOrDefaults(dynamic configuration)
+        /// <param name="configuration">The Config configuration object to read</param>
+        internal static double GetEprParametersFromConfigFileOrDefaults(Config configuration)
         {
-            return (double?)configuration[KeyNormalizedMinScore] ?? Default.eprNormalisedMinScore;
+            return configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(KeyNormalizedMinScore) ?? Default.eprNormalisedMinScore;
         }
 
         /// <summary>
@@ -296,11 +297,11 @@ public override AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, Se
 
             var eprNormalizedMinScore = GetEprParametersFromConfigFileOrDefaults(analysisSettings.Configuration);
 
-            var aedConfigFile = ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(
-                (string)analysisSettings.Configuration.AedConfig,
+            var aedConfigFile = ConfigFile.Resolve(
+                (string)analysisSettings.Configuration["AedConfig"],
                 analysisSettings.ConfigFile.Directory);
 
-            var rawAedConfig = Yaml.Deserialise(aedConfigFile);
+            var rawAedConfig = ConfigFile.Deserialize(aedConfigFile);
             var aedConfig = Aed.GetAedParametersFromConfigFileOrDefaults(rawAedConfig);
 
             Tuple<BaseSonogram, List<AcousticEvent>> results = Detect(audioFile, aedConfig, eprNormalizedMinScore, segmentSettings.SegmentStartOffset);
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/KoalaMale.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/KoalaMale.cs
index 1c49b8a23..4511309b0 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/KoalaMale.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/KoalaMale.cs
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ public override AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, Se
             FileInfo audioFile = segmentSettings.SegmentAudioFile;
 
             /* ###################################################################### */
-            Dictionary<string, string> configuration = analysisSettings.Configuration;
+            Dictionary<string, string> configuration = analysisSettings.Configuration.ToDictionary();
             KoalaMaleResults results = Analysis(audioFile, configuration, segmentSettings.SegmentStartOffset);
 
             /* ###################################################################### */
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/OscillationsGeneric.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/OscillationsGeneric.cs
index 4537b2ae5..249fa395e 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/OscillationsGeneric.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/OscillationsGeneric.cs
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms
     using System.Threading.Tasks;
 
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     //using Acoustics.Shared.Extensions;
     using Acoustics.Tools;
     using Acoustics.Tools.Audio;
@@ -156,24 +157,24 @@ public static void Main(Arguments arguments)
             string sourceName = Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(sourceRecording.FullName);
 
             // 2. get the config dictionary
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(configFile);
+            Config configuration = ConfigFile.Deserialize(configFile);
 
-            // below three lines are examples of retrieving info from dynamic config
+            // below three lines are examples of retrieving info from Config config
             // string analysisIdentifier = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName];
             // bool saveIntermediateWavFiles = (bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SaveIntermediateWavFiles] ?? false;
             // scoreThreshold = (double?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold] ?? scoreThreshold;
 
             // Resample rate must be 2 X the desired Nyquist. Default is that of recording.
-            var resampleRate = (int?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate] ?? AppConfigHelper.DefaultTargetSampleRate;
+            var resampleRate = (int?)configuration.GetIntOrNull(AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate) ?? AppConfigHelper.DefaultTargetSampleRate;
 
-            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>((Dictionary<string, string>)configuration);
+            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>(configuration.ToDictionary());
             // #NOISE REDUCTION PARAMETERS
             //string noisereduce = configDict[ConfigKeys.Mfcc.Key_NoiseReductionType];
             configDict[AnalysisKeys.NoiseDoReduction]   = "false";
             configDict[AnalysisKeys.NoiseReductionType] = "NONE";
 
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = ((bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] ?? true).ToString();
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? true;
+            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] ?? "true";
+            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? "true";
 
             configDict[ConfigKeys.Recording.Key_RecordingCallName] = arguments.Source.FullName;
             configDict[ConfigKeys.Recording.Key_RecordingFileName] = arguments.Source.Name;
@@ -284,7 +285,7 @@ public static void Main(Arguments arguments)
 
             // 3) now draw the noise reduced decibel spectrogram
             sonoConfig.NoiseReductionType = NoiseReductionType.Standard;
-            sonoConfig.NoiseReductionParameter = configuration["BgNoiseThreshold"] ?? 3.0;
+            sonoConfig.NoiseReductionParameter = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.NoiseBgThreshold)?? 3.0;
 
             sonogram = new SpectrogramStandard(sonoConfig, recordingSegment.WavReader);
             image = sonogram.GetImageFullyAnnotated("NOISE-REDUCED DECIBEL  SPECTROGRAM");
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Production/Arguments/SourceConfigOutputDirArguments.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Production/Arguments/SourceConfigOutputDirArguments.cs
index b82b9aaa8..5cbf3c365 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Production/Arguments/SourceConfigOutputDirArguments.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Production/Arguments/SourceConfigOutputDirArguments.cs
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Production.Arguments
     using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;
     using System.IO;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using AnalysisBase;
     using McMaster.Extensions.CommandLineUtils;
     using Validation;
@@ -41,7 +43,7 @@ public virtual AnalysisSettings ToAnalysisSettings(
             AnalysisSettings defaults = null,
             bool outputIntermediate = false,
             string resultSubDirectory = null,
-            dynamic configuration = null)
+            Config configuration = null)
         {
             var analysisSettings = defaults ?? new AnalysisSettings();
 
@@ -59,7 +61,7 @@ public virtual AnalysisSettings ToAnalysisSettings(
                 analysisSettings.AnalysisDataSaveBehavior = true;
             }
 
-            analysisSettings.Configuration = configuration ?? Yaml.Deserialise(this.Config);
+            analysisSettings.Configuration = configuration ?? ConfigFile.Deserialize(this.Config);
 
             return analysisSettings;
         }
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Production/Exceptions.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Production/Exceptions.cs
index 926eb5e43..0e23d4375 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Production/Exceptions.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Production/Exceptions.cs
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ static ExceptionLookup()
                                       new ExceptionStyle { ErrorCode = 2 }
                                   },
                                   {
-                                      typeof(ArgumentException),
+                                      typeof(CommandLineArgumentException),
                                       new ExceptionStyle() { ErrorCode = 3 }
                                   },
                                   {
@@ -179,6 +179,13 @@ public int ErrorCode
         }
     }
 
+    public class CommandLineArgumentException : Exception
+    {
+        public CommandLineArgumentException(string message) : base(message)
+        {
+        }
+    }
+
     public class InvalidDurationException : Exception
     {
         #region Constructors and Destructors
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/ArdeaInsignis.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/ArdeaInsignis.cs
index 2016a36e3..6416d2e09 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/ArdeaInsignis.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/ArdeaInsignis.cs
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.IO;
     using System.Linq;
     using System.Reflection;
+
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Shared.Csv;
     using AnalysisBase;
     using AnalysisBase.ResultBases;
@@ -58,14 +60,14 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <summary>
         /// Do your analysis. This method is called once per segment (typically one-minute segments).
         /// </summary>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             // common properties
-            string speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
-            string abbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
+            string speciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
+            string abbreviatedSpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
 
-            int minHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            int maxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
+            int minHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            int maxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
 
             // BETTER TO CALCULATE THIS. IGNORE USER!
             // double frameOverlap = Double.Parse(configDict[Keys.FRAME_OVERLAP]);
@@ -74,8 +76,8 @@ public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic co
 
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
             //double dctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
-            double noiseReductionParameter = (double?)configuration["SeverityOfNoiseRemoval"] ?? 2.0;
-            double decibelThreshold = (double)configuration["DecibelThreshold"];
+            double noiseReductionParameter = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("SeverityOfNoiseRemoval") ?? 2.0;
+            double decibelThreshold = configuration.GetDouble("DecibelThreshold");
 
             //double minPeriod = (double)configuration["MinPeriod"]; //: 0.18
             //double maxPeriod = (double)configuration["MaxPeriod"]; //
@@ -84,13 +86,13 @@ public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic co
             //int minOscilRate = (int)Math.Floor(1 /maxPeriod);
 
             // min duration of event in seconds
-            double minDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration];
+            double minDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration);
 
             // max duration of event in second
-            var maxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration];
+            var maxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration);
 
             // min score for an acceptable event
-            var eventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
+            var eventThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
 
             // this default framesize and overlap is best for the White Hrron of Bhutan.
             const int frameSize = 2048;
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/IEventRecognizer.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/IEventRecognizer.cs
index ed450003f..e4af052a2 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/IEventRecognizer.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/IEventRecognizer.cs
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers.Base
     using System.Linq;
     using System.Reflection;
 
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Tools.Wav;
 
     using AnalysisBase;
@@ -38,62 +39,6 @@ public interface IEventRecognizer : IAnalyser2
         /// <param name="outputDirectory">The current output directory</param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth">The expected width of output images</param>
         /// <returns>A recognizer results object</returns>
-        RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth);
-    }
-
-    public static class EventRecognizers
-    {
-        private static IEnumerable<IEventRecognizer> eventRecognizersCached;
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Get recognizers using a method that is compatible with MONO environment..
-        /// </summary>
-        /// <param name="assembly">
-        /// The assembly.
-        /// </param>
-        /// <returns>
-        /// The System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable`1[T -&gt; AnalysisPrograms.IEventRecognizer].
-        /// </returns>
-        public static IEnumerable<IEventRecognizer> GetRecognizers(Assembly assembly)
-        {
-            if (eventRecognizersCached == null)
-            {
-                // to find the assembly, get the type of a class in that assembly
-                // eg. typeof(MainEntry).Assembly
-                var analyzerType = typeof(IEventRecognizer);
-
-                var recognizers =
-                    assembly.GetTypes()
-                        .Where(analyzerType.IsAssignableFrom)
-                        .Where(t => t.IsClass && !t.IsAbstract)
-                        .Select(t => Activator.CreateInstance(t) as IEventRecognizer);
-
-                eventRecognizersCached = recognizers;
-            }
-
-            return eventRecognizersCached;
-        }
-
-        public static IEventRecognizer FindAndCheckRecognizers(string analysisIdentifier)
-        {
-            var eventRecognizers = GetRecognizers(typeof(MainEntry).Assembly).ToList();
-            IEventRecognizer foundRecognizer = eventRecognizers.FirstOrDefault(a => a.Identifier == analysisIdentifier);
-            if (foundRecognizer == null)
-            {
-                LoggedConsole.WriteLine("###################################################\n");
-                LoggedConsole.WriteLine("Analysis failed. UNKNOWN EventRecognizer/Analyzer: <{0}>", analysisIdentifier);
-                LoggedConsole.WriteLine("Available analyzers are:");
-                foreach (IEventRecognizer recognizer in eventRecognizers)
-                {
-                    LoggedConsole.WriteLine("\t  " + recognizer.Identifier);
-                }
-                LoggedConsole.WriteLine("###################################################\n");
-
-                throw new Exception("Cannot find a valid IEventRecognizer");
-            }
-
-            return foundRecognizer;
-        }
-
+        RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth);
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/MultiRecognizer.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/MultiRecognizer.cs
index bfd5e4bd4..775ecdeb0 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/MultiRecognizer.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/MultiRecognizer.cs
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers.Base
     using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using AnalysisBase;
     using AnalysisBase.ResultBases;
+
+    using AnalysisPrograms.AnalyseLongRecordings;
+
     using AudioAnalysisTools;
     using AudioAnalysisTools.DSP;
     using AudioAnalysisTools.Indices;
@@ -35,15 +38,26 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers.Base
 
     public class MultiRecognizer : RecognizerBase
     {
+        public class MultiRecognizerConfig : RecognizerConfig
+        {
+            public string[] SpeciesList { get; set; }    
+        }
+
         public override string Author => "Ecosounds";
 
         public override string SpeciesName => "MultiRecognizer";
 
         private static readonly ILog Log = LogManager.GetLogger(MethodBase.GetCurrentMethod().DeclaringType);
 
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override AnalyzerConfig ParseConfig(FileInfo file)
+        {
+            return ConfigFile.Deserialize<MultiRecognizerConfig>(file);
+        }
+
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             // this is a multi recognizer - it does no actual analysis itself
+            MultiRecognizerConfig multiRecognizerConfig = (MultiRecognizerConfig)configuration;
 
             // make a standard spectrogram in which to render acoustic events and to append score tracks
             // currently using Hamming window. Worth trying Hanning Window
@@ -55,14 +69,13 @@ public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynam
             };
             var sonogram = (BaseSonogram)new SpectrogramStandard(config, audioRecording.WavReader);
 
-            // Get list of ID names from config file
-            List <string> speciesList = configuration["SpeciesList"] ?? null;
             var scoreTracks = new List<Image>();
             var plots = new List<Plot>();
             var events = new List<AcousticEvent>();
 
+            // Get list of ID names from config file
             // Loop through recognizers and accumulate the output
-            foreach (string name in speciesList)
+            foreach (string name in multiRecognizerConfig.SpeciesList)
             {
                 // AT: Fixed this... the following should not be needed. If it happens, let me know.
                 // SEEM TO HAVE LOST SAMPLES
@@ -123,16 +136,18 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
 
         public static RecognizerResults DoCallRecognition(string name, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, AudioRecording recording, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> indices, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int imageWidth)
         {
-            // load up the standard config file for this species
+
             Log.Debug("Looking for recognizer and config files for " + name);
-            var configurationFile = ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(name + ".yml");
-            var configuration = (dynamic)Yaml.Deserialise(configurationFile);
 
             // find an appropriate event recognizer
-            IEventRecognizer recognizer = EventRecognizers.FindAndCheckRecognizers(name);
+            var recognizer = AnalyseLongRecording.FindAndCheckAnalyser<IEventRecognizer>(name, name + ".yml");
+
+            // load up the standard config file for this species
+            var configurationFile = ConfigFile.Resolve(name + ".yml");
+            var configuration = recognizer.ParseConfig(configurationFile);
 
             // TODO: adapt sample rate to required rate
-            int? resampleRate = (int?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate];
+            int? resampleRate = configuration.ResampleRate;
             if (resampleRate.HasValue && recording.WavReader.SampleRate != resampleRate.Value)
             {
                 Log.Warn("Sample rate of provided file does does match");
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/RecognizerBase.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/RecognizerBase.cs
index b686c1f9e..e9551b7b0 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/RecognizerBase.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/RecognizerBase.cs
@@ -35,6 +35,28 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers.Base
 
     public abstract class RecognizerBase : AbstractStrongAnalyser, IEventRecognizer
     {
+        public class RecognizerConfig : AnalyzerConfig
+        {
+            private string highResolutionIndicesConfig;
+
+            public string HighResolutionIndicesConfig
+            {
+                get
+                {
+                    return this.highResolutionIndicesConfig;
+                }
+                set
+                {
+                     
+                    this.highResolutionIndicesConfig = value;
+                    var file = ConfigFile.Resolve(this.highResolutionIndicesConfig);
+                    var config = ConfigFile.Deserialize<Acoustic.AcousticIndicesConfig>(file);
+                    this.HighResolutionIndices = config;
+                }
+            }
+
+            public Acoustic.AcousticIndicesConfig HighResolutionIndices { get; private set; }
+        }
 
         public abstract string Author { get; }
 
@@ -53,21 +75,32 @@ public abstract class RecognizerBase : AbstractStrongAnalyser, IEventRecognizer
             AnalysisTargetSampleRate = AppConfigHelper.DefaultTargetSampleRate,
         };
 
+        public override AnalyzerConfig ParseConfig(FileInfo file)
+        {
+            return ConfigFile.Deserialize<RecognizerConfig>(file);
+        }
+
         public override AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, SegmentSettings<T> segmentSettings)
         {
             var recording = new AudioRecording(segmentSettings.SegmentAudioFile.FullName);
 
             // get indices configuration - extracted in BeforeAnalyze
-            var acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration = (Acoustic.AcousticIndicesParsedConfiguration)analysisSettings.AnalysisAnalyzerSpecificConfiguration;
+            var acousticIndicesConfig = (RecognizerConfig)analysisSettings.Configuration;
 
             // get a lazily calculated indices function - if you never get the lazy value, the indices will never be calculated
-            var lazyIndices = this.GetLazyIndices(recording, analysisSettings, segmentSettings, acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration);
+            var lazyIndices = this.GetLazyIndices(
+                recording,
+                analysisSettings,
+                segmentSettings,
+                acousticIndicesConfig.HighResolutionIndices);
 
             // determine imageWidth for output images
-            int imageWidth = (int)Math.Floor(recording.Duration.TotalSeconds / acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.IndexCalculationDuration.TotalSeconds);
+            int imageWidth = (int)Math.Floor(
+                recording.Duration.TotalSeconds
+                / acousticIndicesConfig.HighResolutionIndices.IndexCalculationDuration);
 
             // execute actual analysis
-            dynamic configuration = analysisSettings.Configuration;
+            Config configuration = analysisSettings.Configuration;
             RecognizerResults results = this.Recognize(
                 recording,
                 analysisSettings.Configuration,
@@ -94,7 +127,10 @@ public override AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, Se
             // IF they aren't used, empty values are returned.
             if (lazyIndices.IsValueCreated)
             {
-                this.SummarizeHighResolutionIndices(analysisResults, lazyIndices.Value, acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration);
+                this.SummarizeHighResolutionIndices(
+                    analysisResults,
+                    lazyIndices.Value,
+                    acousticIndicesConfig.HighResolutionIndices);
             }
 
             // write intermediate output if necessary
@@ -137,7 +173,7 @@ public override AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, Se
                         recording.BaseName,
                         results.ScoreTrack,
                         lazyIndices.Value,
-                        acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration);
+                        acousticIndicesConfig.HighResolutionIndices);
                 }
             }
 
@@ -149,16 +185,15 @@ private void DrawLongDurationSpectrogram(
             string fileStem,
             Image scoreTrack,
             IndexCalculateResult[] indexResults,
-            Acoustic.AcousticIndicesParsedConfiguration acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration)
+            Acoustic.AcousticIndicesConfig acousticIndicesConfig)
         {
-            dynamic highResolutionConfiguration = acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.Configuration;
             var dictionaryOfSpectra = indexResults.Select(icr => icr.SpectralIndexValues).ToArray().ToTwoDimensionalArray(SpectralIndexValues.CachedSelectors, TwoDimensionalArray.Rotate90ClockWise);
 
-            FileInfo ipConfig = acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.IndexPropertiesFile;
-            double hiResScale = acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.IndexCalculationDuration.TotalSeconds;
-            TimeSpan hiResTimeScale = TimeSpan.FromSeconds((double)hiResScale);
+            FileInfo ipConfig = acousticIndicesConfig.IndexPropertiesConfig.ToFileInfo();
+            double hiResScale = acousticIndicesConfig.IndexCalculationDuration;
+            TimeSpan hiResTimeScale = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(hiResScale);
 
-            FileInfo spectrogramConfig = ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile((string)highResolutionConfiguration.SpectrogramConfig);
+            FileInfo spectrogramConfig = ConfigFile.Resolve(acousticIndicesConfig["SpectrogramConfig"]);
 
             // Assemble arguments for drawing the GRAY-SCALE and RIDGE SPECTROGRAMS
             var ldfcSpectrogramArguments = new DrawLongDurationSpectrograms.Arguments
@@ -167,7 +202,7 @@ private void DrawLongDurationSpectrogram(
                 InputDataDirectory = null,
                 OutputDirectory = outputDirectory.Combine("SpectrogramImages"),
                 SpectrogramConfigPath = spectrogramConfig,
-                IndexPropertiesConfig = acousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.IndexPropertiesFile,
+                IndexPropertiesConfig = ipConfig,
                 ColourMap1 = "BGN-DMN-EVN",
                 ColourMap2 = "R3D-RVT-SPT", //R3D replaces PHN as new derived index
                 TemporalScale = hiResTimeScale,
@@ -179,7 +214,7 @@ private void DrawLongDurationSpectrogram(
                 ldfcSpectrogramArguments.OutputDirectory.Create();
             }
 
-            bool saveRidgeSpectrograms = (bool?)highResolutionConfiguration["SaveRidgeSpectrograms"] ?? false;
+            bool saveRidgeSpectrograms = acousticIndicesConfig.GetBoolOrNull("SaveRidgeSpectrograms") ?? false;
             if (saveRidgeSpectrograms)
             {
                 // 1: DRAW the coloured ridge spectrograms
@@ -199,7 +234,7 @@ private void DrawLongDurationSpectrogram(
 
             // 2. DRAW the aggregated GREY-SCALE SPECTROGRAMS of SPECTRAL INDICES
             Image opImage;
-            bool saveGrayScaleSpectrograms = (bool?)highResolutionConfiguration["SaveGrayScaleSpectrograms"] ?? false;
+            bool saveGrayScaleSpectrograms = acousticIndicesConfig.GetBoolOrNull("SaveGrayScaleSpectrograms") ?? false;
             if (saveGrayScaleSpectrograms)
             {
                 opImage = DrawLongDurationSpectrograms.DrawGrayScaleSpectrograms(ldfcSpectrogramArguments, fileStem, hiResTimeScale, dictionaryOfSpectra);
@@ -208,7 +243,7 @@ private void DrawLongDurationSpectrogram(
             }
 
             // 3. DRAW False-colour Spectrograms
-            bool saveTwoMapsSpectrograms = (bool?)highResolutionConfiguration["SaveTwoMapsSpectrograms"] ?? false;
+            bool saveTwoMapsSpectrograms = acousticIndicesConfig.GetBoolOrNull("SaveTwoMapsSpectrograms") ?? false;
             if (saveTwoMapsSpectrograms)
             {
                 opImage = DrawLongDurationSpectrograms.DrawFalseColourSpectrograms(ldfcSpectrogramArguments, fileStem, dictionaryOfSpectra);
@@ -229,14 +264,13 @@ private void DrawLongDurationSpectrogram(
         private void SummarizeHighResolutionIndices(
             AnalysisResult2 analysisResults,
             IndexCalculateResult[] indexResults,
-            Acoustic.AcousticIndicesParsedConfiguration highResolutionParsedConfiguration)
+            Acoustic.AcousticIndicesConfig highResolutionParsedConfiguration)
         {
-            dynamic highResolutionConfig = highResolutionParsedConfiguration.Configuration;
 
             // NOW COMPRESS THE HI-RESOLUTION SPECTRAL INDICES TO LOW RES
-            double lowResolution = (double?)highResolutionConfig["LowResolution"] ?? 60.0;
+            double lowResolution = highResolutionParsedConfiguration.GetDoubleOrNull("LowResolution") ?? 60.0;
             TimeSpan imageScale = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(lowResolution);
-            TimeSpan dataScale = highResolutionParsedConfiguration.IndexCalculationDuration;
+            TimeSpan dataScale = highResolutionParsedConfiguration.IndexCalculationDuration.Seconds();
 
             var dictionaryOfSpectra = indexResults.Select(icr => icr.SpectralIndexValues).ToArray().ToTwoDimensionalArray(SpectralIndexValues.CachedSelectors, TwoDimensionalArray.Rotate90ClockWise);
 
@@ -250,7 +284,7 @@ private void SummarizeHighResolutionIndices(
 
             // Place LOW RESOLUTION SPECTRAL INDICES INTO analysisResults before returning.
             //int windowLength = (int?)highResolutionConfig[AnalysisKeys.FrameLength] ?? IndexCalculate.DefaultWindowSize;
-            var indexProperties = IndexProperties.GetIndexProperties(highResolutionParsedConfiguration.IndexPropertiesFile);
+            var indexProperties = highResolutionParsedConfiguration.IndexProperties;
             SpectralIndexValues.CheckExistenceOfSpectralIndexValues(indexProperties);
 
             // Init a new spectral indices class and populate it with spectral indices
@@ -308,7 +342,7 @@ public override List<FileInfo> WriteSpectrumIndicesFiles(DirectoryInfo destinati
         }
 
         /// <inheritdoc />
-        public abstract RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth);
+        public abstract RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth);
 
         protected virtual Image DrawSonogram(
             BaseSonogram sonogram,
@@ -361,22 +395,7 @@ protected virtual Image DrawSonogram(
         /// <param name="analysisSettings"></param>
         public override void BeforeAnalyze(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings)
         {
-            var configuration = analysisSettings.Configuration;
-
-            FileInfo indicesConfigFile = ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(
-                (string)configuration.HighResolutionIndicesConfig,
-                analysisSettings.ConfigFile.Directory
-            );
-
-            var indicesConfiguration = Yaml.Deserialise(indicesConfigFile);
-
-            // extract settings for generating indices
-            var acousticConfiguration = Acoustic.AcousticIndicesParsedConfiguration.FromConfigFile(
-                indicesConfiguration,
-                indicesConfigFile,
-                analysisSettings.AnalysisMaxSegmentDuration.Value);
-
-            analysisSettings.AnalysisAnalyzerSpecificConfiguration = acousticConfiguration;
+            // noop
         }
 
         public override void SummariseResults(
@@ -397,12 +416,9 @@ private Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> GetLazyIndices<T>(
             AudioRecording recording,
             AnalysisSettings analysisSettings,
             SegmentSettings<T> segmentSettings,
-            Acoustic.AcousticIndicesParsedConfiguration acousticConfiguration)
+            Acoustic.AcousticIndicesConfig acousticConfiguration)
         {
-            // Convert the dynamic config to IndexCalculateConfig class and merge in the unnecesary parameters.
-            IndexCalculateConfig config = IndexCalculateConfig.GetConfig(analysisSettings.Configuration, false);
-            config.IndexCalculationDuration = acousticConfiguration.IndexCalculationDuration;
-            config.BgNoiseBuffer = acousticConfiguration.BgNoiseNeighborhood;
+            // Convert the Config config to IndexCalculateConfig class and merge in the unnecesary parameters.
 
             IndexCalculateResult[] Callback()
             {
@@ -410,11 +426,10 @@ IndexCalculateResult[] Callback()
                     recording,
                     segmentSettings.SegmentStartOffset,
                     segmentSettings.AnalysisIdealSegmentDuration,
-                    acousticConfiguration.IndexCalculationDuration,
-                    acousticConfiguration.BgNoiseNeighborhood,
-                    acousticConfiguration.IndexPropertiesFile,
+                    acousticConfiguration.IndexCalculationDuration.Seconds(),
+                    acousticConfiguration.IndexProperties,
                     segmentSettings.Segment.SourceMetadata.SampleRate,
-                    config);
+                    acousticConfiguration);
 
                 return subsegmentResults;
             }
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/RecognizerEntry.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/RecognizerEntry.cs
index 58ed01693..8e1ce1ffb 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/RecognizerEntry.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Base/RecognizerEntry.cs
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers.Base
     using Acoustics.Tools;
     using AnalysisBase;
     using AnalysisBase.Extensions;
+
+    using AnalysisPrograms.AnalyseLongRecordings;
+
     using AudioAnalysisTools;
     using log4net;
     using McMaster.Extensions.CommandLineUtils;
@@ -40,6 +43,9 @@ public class RecognizerEntry
             Description = Description)]
         public class Arguments : SourceConfigOutputDirArguments
         {
+            [Option("Sets the name of the analysis to run. If not set, analysis identifer is parsed from the config file name.")]
+            public string AnalysisIdentifier { get; set; }
+
             public override Task<int> Execute(CommandLineApplication app)
             {
                 RecognizerEntry.Execute(this);
@@ -262,21 +268,24 @@ public static void Execute(Arguments arguments)
             else if (!configFile.Exists)
             {
                 Log.Warn($"Config file {configFile.FullName} not found... attempting to resolve config file");
-                arguments.Config = configFile = ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(configFile.Name, Directory.GetCurrentDirectory().ToDirectoryInfo());
+                arguments.Config = configFile = ConfigFile.Resolve(configFile.Name, Directory.GetCurrentDirectory().ToDirectoryInfo());
             }
 
             LoggedConsole.WriteLine("# Recording file:      " + sourceAudio.FullName);
             LoggedConsole.WriteLine("# Configuration file:  " + configFile);
             LoggedConsole.WriteLine("# Output folder:       " + outputDirectory);
 
-            Log.Info("Reading configuration file");
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(configFile);
-            string analysisIdentifier = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName];
 
-            Log.Info("Attempting to run recognizer: " + analysisIdentifier);
 
             // find an appropriate event IAnalyzer
-            IAnalyser2 recognizer = AnalyseLongRecordings.AnalyseLongRecording.FindAndCheckAnalyser(analysisIdentifier);
+            IAnalyser2 recognizer = AnalyseLongRecording.FindAndCheckAnalyser<IEventRecognizer>(
+                arguments.AnalysisIdentifier,
+                configFile.Name);
+
+            Log.Info("Attempting to run recognizer: " + recognizer.Identifier);
+
+            Log.Info("Reading configuration file");
+            Config configuration = ConfigFile.Deserialize<RecognizerBase.RecognizerConfig>(configFile);
 
             // get default settings
             AnalysisSettings analysisSettings = recognizer.DefaultSettings;
@@ -322,11 +331,11 @@ public static void Execute(Arguments arguments)
             recognizer.BeforeAnalyze(analysisSettings);
 
             // execute actual analysis - output data will be written
-            Log.Info("Running recognizer: " + analysisIdentifier);
+            Log.Info("Running recognizer: " + recognizer.Identifier);
             AnalysisResult2 results = recognizer.Analyze(analysisSettings, segmentSettings);
 
             // run summarize code - output data can be written
-            Log.Info("Running recognizer summary: " + analysisIdentifier);
+            Log.Info("Running recognizer summary: " + recognizer.Identifier);
             recognizer.SummariseResults(
                 analysisSettings,
                 source,
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/CriniaRemota.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/CriniaRemota.cs
index c45cb9b4a..2c62ec8c9 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/CriniaRemota.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/CriniaRemota.cs
@@ -12,15 +12,21 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System;
     using System.Collections.Generic;
     using System.IO;
+
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using AnalysisBase;
     using AnalysisBase.ResultBases;
+
+    using AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers.Base;
+
     using AudioAnalysisTools;
     using AudioAnalysisTools.DSP;
     using AudioAnalysisTools.Indices;
     using AudioAnalysisTools.StandardSpectrograms;
     using AudioAnalysisTools.WavTools;
-    using Base;
+
     using TowseyLibrary;
 
     /// <summary>
@@ -73,7 +79,7 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             var recognizerConfig = new CriniaRemotaConfig();
             recognizerConfig.ReadConfigFile(configuration);
@@ -96,7 +102,7 @@ public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic co
                 // if do not use noise reduction can get a more sensitive recogniser.
                 //NoiseReductionType = NoiseReductionType.None
                 NoiseReductionType = NoiseReductionType.Standard,
-                NoiseReductionParameter = 0.0,
+                NoiseReductionParameter = 0.0
             };
 
             TimeSpan recordingDuration = recording.WavReader.Time;
@@ -225,12 +231,12 @@ public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic co
                 debugImage.Save(debugPath);
             }
 
-            return new RecognizerResults()
-            {
+            return new RecognizerResults
+                       {
                 Sonogram = sonogram,
                 Hits = hits,
                 Plots = plot.AsList(),
-                Events = prunedEvents,
+                Events = prunedEvents
                 //Events = events
             };
 
@@ -251,29 +257,27 @@ internal class CriniaRemotaConfig
         public double MaxDuration { get; set; }
         public double EventThreshold { get; set; }
 
-        internal void ReadConfigFile(dynamic configuration)
+        internal void ReadConfigFile(Config configuration)
         {
             // common properties
-            this.AnalysisName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName] ?? "<no name>";
-            this.SpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
-            this.AbbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
+            this.AnalysisName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName] ?? "<no name>";
+            this.SpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
+            this.AbbreviatedSpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
             // frequency band of the call
-            this.MinHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            this.MaxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
+            this.MinHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            this.MaxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
 
             // duration of DCT in seconds
-            this.DctDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
+            this.DctDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctDuration);
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            this.DctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
+            this.DctThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold);
 
             // min and max duration of event in seconds
-            this.MinDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration];
-            this.MaxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration];
+            this.MinDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration);
+            this.MaxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration);
 
             // min score for an acceptable event
-            this.EventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
+            this.EventThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
         }
-
-    } // Config class
-
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/CriniaTinnula_OBSOLETE.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/CriniaTinnula_OBSOLETE.cs
index d84fe2d81..1b17e9983 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/CriniaTinnula_OBSOLETE.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/CriniaTinnula_OBSOLETE.cs
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             // common properties
             string speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/CycloranaNovaehollandiae.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/CycloranaNovaehollandiae.cs
index 943cfd649..f2f44f3fb 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/CycloranaNovaehollandiae.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/CycloranaNovaehollandiae.cs
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.Text;
 
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Tools.Wav;
 
     using AnalysisBase;
@@ -84,46 +85,46 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <returns></returns>
         public override RecognizerResults Recognize(
             AudioRecording recording,
-            dynamic configuration,
+            Config configuration,
             TimeSpan segmentStartOffset,
             Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes,
             DirectoryInfo outputDirectory,
             int? imageWidth)
         {
-            string speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
-            string abbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
-
-            int minHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            int maxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
+            string speciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
+            string abbreviatedSpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
+            
+            int minHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            int maxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
 
             // BETTER TO CALCULATE THIS. IGNORE USER!
             // double frameOverlap = Double.Parse(configDict[Keys.FRAME_OVERLAP]);
 
             // duration of DCT in seconds
-            double dctDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
+            double dctDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctDuration);
 
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            double dctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
+            double dctThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold);
 
             // ignore oscillations below this threshold freq
-            int minOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq];
+            int minOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq);
 
             // ignore oscillations above this threshold freq
-            int maxOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq];
+            int maxOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq);
 
             // min duration of event in seconds
-            double minDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration];
+            double minDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration);
 
             // max duration of event in seconds
-            double maxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration];
+            double maxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration);
 
             // The default was 512 for Canetoad.
             // Framesize = 128 seems to work for Littoria fallax.
             // frame size
-            int frameSize = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.KeyFrameSize];
+            int frameSize = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.KeyFrameSize);
 
             // min score for an acceptable event
-            double eventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
+            double eventThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
 
             if (recording.WavReader.SampleRate != 22050)
             {
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/ExempliGratia.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/ExempliGratia.cs
index 16b5f60e2..bb5ee6998 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/ExempliGratia.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/ExempliGratia.cs
@@ -34,8 +34,6 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
 
     using TowseyLibrary;
 
-    using YamlDotNet.Dynamic;
-
     /// <summary>
     /// This is a template recognizer
     /// </summary>
@@ -74,17 +72,17 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
 
             // Get a value from the config file - with a backup default
-            int minHz = (int?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz] ?? 600;
+            int minHz = configuration.GetIntOrNull(AnalysisKeys.MinHz) ?? 600;
 
             // Get a value from the config file - with no default, throw an exception if value is not present
             //int maxHz = ((int?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz]).Value;
 
             // Get a value from the config file - without a string accessor, as a double
-            double someExampleSettingA = (double?)configuration.SomeExampleSettingA ?? 0.0;
+            double someExampleSettingA = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("SomeExampleSettingA") ?? 0.0;
 
             // common properties
             string speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
@@ -96,26 +94,26 @@ public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynam
 
             // Examples of the APIs available. You don't need all of these commands! Pick and choose.
             bool hasProfiles = ConfigFile.HasProfiles(configuration);
-            dynamic profile = ConfigFile.GetProfile(configuration, "Groote");
-            dynamic profile2;
-            bool success = ConfigFile.TryGetProfile(configuration, "FemaleRelease", out profile2);
-            string[] profileNames = ConfigFile.GetProfileNames(configuration);
-            Dictionary<string, dynamic> allProfiles = ConfigFile.GetAllProfiles(configuration);
-            foreach (var kvp in allProfiles)
-            {
-                dynamic currentProfile = kvp.Value;
-                Log.Info(kvp.Key + ": " + ((int)currentProfile.MinHz).ToString());
-            }
+            //Config profile = ConfigFile.GetProfile<Config, Aed.AedConfiguration>(configuration, "Groote");
+            Config profile2;
+            //bool success = ConfigFile.TryGetProfile(configuration, "FemaleRelease", out profile2);
+            //string[] profileNames = ConfigFile.GetProfileNames<Config>(configuration);
+//            IEnumerable<(string Name, object Profile)> allProfiles = ConfigFile.GetAllProfiles<IProfile<object>>(configuration);
+//            foreach (var profile in allProfiles)
+//            {
+//                object currentProfile = profile.Profile;
+//                Log.Info(profile.Name + ": " + ((int)currentProfile.MinHz).ToString());
+//            }
 
             // Profile example: running the same algorithm on every profile with different settings (regional variation)
             /*
             List<AcousticEvent> allAcousticEvents = new List<AcousticEvent>();
-            Dictionary<string, dynamic> allProfiles = ConfigFile.GetAllProfiles(configuration);
+            Dictionary<string, Config> allProfiles = ConfigFile.GetAllProfiles(configuration);
             foreach (var kvp in allProfiles)
             {
                 string profileName = kvp.Key;
                 Log.Info($"Analyzing profile: {profileName}");
-                dynamic currentProfile = kvp.Value;
+                Config currentProfile = kvp.Value;
 
                 // extract parameters
                 int minHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
@@ -154,7 +152,7 @@ public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynam
             private static List<AcousticEvent> RunFemaleProfile(configuration, rest of arguments)
             {
                 const string femaleProfile = "Female";
-                dynamic currentProfile = ConfigFile.GetProfile(configuration, femaleProfile);
+                Config currentProfile = ConfigFile.GetProfile(configuration, femaleProfile);
                 Log.Info($"Analyzing profile: {femaleProfile}");
 
                 // extract parameters
@@ -186,7 +184,7 @@ private static List<AcousticEvent> RunFemaleProfile(configuration, rest of argum
             var config = new SonogramConfig
             {
                 NoiseReductionType = NoiseReductionType.Standard,
-                NoiseReductionParameter = (double?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.NoiseBgThreshold] ?? 0.0,
+                NoiseReductionParameter = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.NoiseBgThreshold) ?? 0.0,
             };
             var sonogram = (BaseSonogram)new SpectrogramStandard(config, audioRecording.WavReader);
 
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/IctalurusFurcatus.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/IctalurusFurcatus.cs
index 6409f3f6a..d297220dd 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/IctalurusFurcatus.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/IctalurusFurcatus.cs
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.IO;
     using System.Linq;
     using System.Reflection;
+
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Shared.Csv;
     using AnalysisBase;
     using AnalysisBase.ResultBases;
@@ -72,7 +74,7 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             const double minAmplitudeThreshold = 0.1;
             const int percentile = 5;
@@ -100,7 +102,7 @@ public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynam
             //string abbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
 
             // min score for an acceptable event
-            double eventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
+            double eventThreshold = (double)configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
 
             // get samples
             var samples = audioRecording.WavReader.Samples;
@@ -338,7 +340,7 @@ public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynam
             var config = new SonogramConfig
             {
                 NoiseReductionType = NoiseReductionType.Standard,
-                NoiseReductionParameter = (double?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.NoiseBgThreshold] ?? 0.0,
+                NoiseReductionParameter = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.NoiseBgThreshold) ?? 0.0,
             };
             var sonogram = (BaseSonogram)new SpectrogramStandard(config, audioRecording.WavReader);
 
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LewiniaPectoralis.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LewiniaPectoralis.cs
index 020108795..03ba5b405 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LewiniaPectoralis.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LewiniaPectoralis.cs
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// </summary>
         public override RecognizerResults Recognize(
             AudioRecording recording,
-            dynamic configuration,
+            Config configuration,
             TimeSpan segmentStartOffset,
             Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes,
             DirectoryInfo outputDirectory,
@@ -470,12 +470,12 @@ public class LewinsRailConfig
 
         public double EventThreshold { get; set; }
 
-        public void ReadConfigFile(dynamic configuration, string profileName)
+        public void ReadConfigFile(Config configuration, string profileName)
         {
             // common properties
-            this.AnalysisName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName] ?? "<no name>";
-            this.SpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
-            this.AbbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
+            this.AnalysisName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName] ?? "<no name>";
+            this.SpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
+            this.AbbreviatedSpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
 
             // KEYS TO PARAMETERS IN CONFIG FILE
             const string keyUpperfreqbandTop = "UpperFreqBandTop";
@@ -483,38 +483,37 @@ public void ReadConfigFile(dynamic configuration, string profileName)
             const string keyLowerfreqbandTop = "LowerFreqBandTop";
             const string keyLowerfreqbandBtm = "LowerFreqBandBottom";
 
-            // dynamic profile = ConfigFile.GetProfile(configuration, profileName);
-            dynamic profile;
-            bool success = ConfigFile.TryGetProfile(configuration, profileName, out profile);
+            // Config profile = ConfigFile.GetProfile(configuration, profileName);
+            bool success = ConfigFile.TryGetProfile(configuration, profileName, out var profile);
             if (!success)
             {
                 throw new InvalidOperationException($"The Config file for {this.SpeciesName} must contain a valid {profileName} profile.");
             }
 
             // extract parameters
-            this.UpperBandMaxHz = (int)profile[keyUpperfreqbandTop];
-            this.UpperBandMinHz = (int)profile[keyUpperfreqbandBtm];
-            this.LowerBandMaxHz = (int)profile[keyLowerfreqbandTop];
-            this.LowerBandMinHz = (int)profile[keyLowerfreqbandBtm];
+            this.UpperBandMaxHz = profile.GetInt(keyUpperfreqbandTop);
+            this.UpperBandMinHz = profile.GetInt(keyUpperfreqbandBtm);
+            this.LowerBandMaxHz = profile.GetInt(keyLowerfreqbandTop);
+            this.LowerBandMinHz = profile.GetInt(keyLowerfreqbandBtm);
 
             //double dctDuration = (double)profile[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
             // This is the intensity threshold above
             //double dctThreshold = (double)profile[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
 
             // Periods and Oscillations
-            this.MinPeriod = (double)profile[AnalysisKeys.MinPeriodicity]; //: 0.18
-            this.MaxPeriod = (double)profile[AnalysisKeys.MaxPeriodicity]; //: 0.25
+            this.MinPeriod = profile.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinPeriodicity); //: 0.18
+            this.MaxPeriod = profile.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxPeriodicity); //: 0.25
 
             // minimum duration in seconds of a trill event
-            this.MinDuration = (double)profile[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration]; //:3
+            this.MinDuration = profile.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration); //:3
 
             // maximum duration in seconds of a trill event
-            this.MaxDuration = (double)profile[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration]; //: 15
-            this.DecibelThreshold = (double?)profile[AnalysisKeys.DecibelThreshold] ?? 3.0;
+            this.MaxDuration = profile.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration); //: 15
+            this.DecibelThreshold = profile.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.DecibelThreshold) ?? 3.0;
 
             //// minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            this.IntensityThreshold = (double?)profile[AnalysisKeys.IntensityThreshold] ?? 0.4;
-            this.EventThreshold = (double?)profile[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold] ?? 0.2;
+            this.IntensityThreshold = profile.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.IntensityThreshold) ?? 0.4;
+            this.EventThreshold = profile.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold) ?? 0.2;
         } // ReadConfigFile()
     } // class
 }
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LimnodynastesConvex.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LimnodynastesConvex.cs
index 6be6de8d5..448435091 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LimnodynastesConvex.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LimnodynastesConvex.cs
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.Linq;
     using System.Reflection;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using AnalysisBase;
     using AnalysisBase.ResultBases;
     using AudioAnalysisTools;
@@ -64,7 +66,7 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <summary>
         /// Do your analysis. This method is called once per segment (typically one-minute segments).
         /// </summary>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             // The next line actually calculates the high resolution indices!
             // They are not much help for frogs recognition but could be useful for HiRes spectrogram display
@@ -94,10 +96,10 @@ public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynam
             return results;
         }
 
-        internal RecognizerResults Gruntwork1(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic configuration, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset)
+        internal RecognizerResults Gruntwork1(AudioRecording audioRecording, Config configuration, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset)
         {
             // make a spectrogram
-            double noiseReductionParameter = (double?)configuration["BgNoiseThreshold"] ?? 0.1;
+            double noiseReductionParameter = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.NoiseBgThreshold) ?? 0.1;
             var config = new SonogramConfig
             {
                 WindowSize = 512,
@@ -137,7 +139,7 @@ internal RecognizerResults Gruntwork1(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic con
             double eventThresholdDb = 10.0;
 
             // minimum score for an acceptable event - that is when processing the score array.
-            double similarityThreshold = (double?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold] ?? 0.2;
+            double similarityThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold) ?? 0.2;
 
             // IMPORTANT: The following frame durations assume a sampling rate = 22050 and window size of 512.
             int minFrameWidth = 3;
@@ -168,7 +170,7 @@ internal RecognizerResults Gruntwork1(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic con
             // To this end we produce two templates each of length 25, but having 2nd and 3rd peaks at different intervals.
             var templates = GetLconvexTemplates(callBinWidth, silenceBinBuffer);
 
-            int dominantFrequency = (int)configuration["DominantFrequency"];
+            int dominantFrequency = (int)configuration.GetIntOrNull("DominantFrequency");
 
             // NOTE: could give user control over other call features
             //  Such as frequency gap between peaks. But not in this first iteration of the recognizer.
@@ -324,10 +326,10 @@ internal RecognizerResults Gruntwork1(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic con
         /// <summary>
         /// New and alternative version of Lconvex recogniser because discovered that the call is more variable than I first realised.
         /// </summary>
-        internal RecognizerResults Gruntwork2(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic configuration, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset)
+        internal RecognizerResults Gruntwork2(AudioRecording audioRecording, Config configuration, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset)
         {
             // make a spectrogram
-            double noiseReductionParameter = (double?)configuration["BgNoiseThreshold"] ?? 0.1;
+            double noiseReductionParameter = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.NoiseBgThreshold) ?? 0.1;
             int frameStep = 512;
             int sampleRate = audioRecording.SampleRate;
             double frameStepInSeconds = frameStep / (double)sampleRate;
@@ -357,10 +359,10 @@ internal RecognizerResults Gruntwork2(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic con
 
             // ## TWO THRESHOLDS
             // The threshold dB amplitude in the dominant freq bin required to yield an event
-            double eventThresholdDb = (double?)configuration["PeakThresholdDecibels"] ?? 3.0;
+            double eventThresholdDb = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("PeakThresholdDecibels") ?? 3.0;
 
             // minimum score for an acceptable event - that is when processing the score array.
-            double similarityThreshold = (double?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold] ?? 0.5;
+            double similarityThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold) ?? 0.5;
 
             // IMPORTANT: The following frame durations assume a sampling rate = 22050 and window size of 512.
             int callFrameWidth = 5;
@@ -370,7 +372,7 @@ internal RecognizerResults Gruntwork2(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic con
             // call has binWidth=25 but we want zero buffer of four bins either side.
             int callBinWidth = 25;
             int binSilenceBuffer = 4;
-            int topFrequency = (int)configuration["TopFrequency"];
+            int topFrequency = (int)configuration.GetInt("TopFrequency");
 
             // # The Limnodynastes call has a duration of 3-5 frames given the above settings.
             // # But we will assume 5-7 because sometimes the three harmonics are not exactly alligned!!
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaBicolor.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaBicolor.cs
index 6dee6cf82..1637a05c0 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaBicolor.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaBicolor.cs
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using AudioAnalysisTools.Indices;
     using System.Drawing;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
 
     /// <summary>
     /// To call this LitoriaBicolor recognizer, the first command line argument must be "EventRecognizer".
@@ -80,7 +81,7 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
 
             var recognizerConfig = new LitoriaBicolorConfig();
@@ -385,29 +386,29 @@ public class LitoriaBicolorConfig
         public double DecibelThreshold { get; set; }
         public double EventThreshold { get; set; }
 
-        internal void ReadConfigFile(dynamic configuration)
+        internal void ReadConfigFile(Config configuration)
         {
             // common properties
-            this.AnalysisName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName] ?? "<no name>";
-            this.SpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
-            this.AbbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
-            this.UpperBandMaxHz = (int)configuration["UpperFreqBandTop"];
-            this.UpperBandMinHz = (int)configuration["UpperFreqBandBottom"];
-            this.LowerBandMaxHz = (int)configuration["LowerFreqBandTop"];
-            this.LowerBandMinHz = (int)configuration["LowerFreqBandBottom"];
+            this.AnalysisName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName] ?? "<no name>";
+            this.SpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
+            this.AbbreviatedSpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
+            this.UpperBandMaxHz = configuration.GetInt("UpperFreqBandTop");
+            this.UpperBandMinHz = configuration.GetInt("UpperFreqBandBottom");
+            this.LowerBandMaxHz = configuration.GetInt("LowerFreqBandTop");
+            this.LowerBandMinHz = configuration.GetInt("LowerFreqBandBottom");
 
             // Periods and Oscillations
-            this.MinPeriod = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinPeriodicity]; //: 0.18
-            this.MaxPeriod = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxPeriodicity]; //: 0.25
+            this.MinPeriod = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinPeriodicity); //: 0.18
+            this.MaxPeriod = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxPeriodicity); //: 0.25
 
             // minimum duration in seconds of an event
-            this.MinDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration]; //:3
+            this.MinDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration); //:3
             // maximum duration in seconds of an event
-            this.MaxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration]; //: 15
+            this.MaxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration); //: 15
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            this.IntensityThreshold = (double?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.IntensityThreshold] ?? 0.4;
-            this.DecibelThreshold = (double?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DecibelThreshold] ?? 3.0;
-            this.EventThreshold = (double?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold] ?? 0.2;
+            this.IntensityThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.IntensityThreshold) ?? 0.4;
+            this.DecibelThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.DecibelThreshold) ?? 3.0;
+            this.EventThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold) ?? 0.2;
         } // ReadConfigFile()
 
     } // class LitoriaBicolorConfig
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaCaerulea.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaCaerulea.cs
index b406e8323..0567faba4 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaCaerulea.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaCaerulea.cs
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.IO;
     using System.Reflection;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using AnalysisBase;
     using AnalysisBase.ResultBases;
     using AudioAnalysisTools;
@@ -34,7 +36,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     /// To call this recognizer, the first command line argument must be "EventRecognizer".
     /// Alternatively, this recognizer can be called via the MultiRecognizer.
     /// </summary>
-    class LitoriaCaerulea : RecognizerBase
+    public class LitoriaCaerulea : RecognizerBase
     {
         public override string Author => "Towsey";
 
@@ -67,14 +69,14 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             var recognizerConfig = new LitoriaCaeruleaConfig();
             recognizerConfig.ReadConfigFile(configuration);
 
             // common properties
-            string speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
-            string abbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
+            string speciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
+            string abbreviatedSpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
 
             // BETTER TO SET THESE. IGNORE USER!
             // This framesize is large because the oscillation we wish to detect is due to repeated croaks
@@ -263,34 +265,37 @@ internal class LitoriaCaeruleaConfig
         public double MaxDuration { get; set; }
         public double EventThreshold { get; set; }
 
-        internal void ReadConfigFile(dynamic configuration)
+        internal void ReadConfigFile(Config configuration)
         {
             // common properties
-            this.AnalysisName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName] ?? "<no name>";
-            this.SpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
-            this.AbbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
+            this.AnalysisName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName] ?? "<no name>";
+            this.SpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
+            this.AbbreviatedSpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
             // frequency band of the call
-            this.MinHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            this.MaxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
-            this.DominantFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DominantFrequency];
+            this.MinHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            this.MaxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
+            this.DominantFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.DominantFrequency);
 
             // duration of DCT in seconds
-            this.DctDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
+            this.DctDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctDuration);
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            this.DctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
+            this.DctThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold);
+
+            // Periods and Oscillations
+            this.MinPeriod = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinPeriodicity); 
+            this.MaxPeriod = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxPeriodicity);
 
-            this.MinPeriod = configuration["MinInterval"];
-            this.MaxPeriod = configuration["MaxInterval"];
+            // minimum duration in seconds of an event
+            this.MinDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration);
+            // maximum duration in seconds of an event
+            this.MaxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration);
 
-            // min and max duration of a sequence of croaks or a croak train
-            this.MinDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration];
-            this.MaxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration];
             // min and max duration of a single croak event in seconds
-            this.MinCroakDuration = (double)configuration["MinCroakDuration"];
-            this.MaxCroakDuration = (double)configuration["MaxCroakDuration"];
+            this.MinCroakDuration = configuration.GetDouble("MinCroakDuration");
+            this.MaxCroakDuration = configuration.GetDouble("MaxCroakDuration");
 
             // min score for an acceptable event
-            this.EventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
+            this.EventThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
         }
 
     } // Config class
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaFallax.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaFallax.cs
index 9d1f736a4..c25f2b8f3 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaFallax.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaFallax.cs
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.Text;
 
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Tools.Wav;
 
     using AnalysisBase;
@@ -76,37 +77,37 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
-            string speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
-            string abbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
+            string speciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
+            string abbreviatedSpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
 
-            int minHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            int maxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
+            int minHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            int maxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
 
             // BETTER TO CALCULATE THIS. IGNORE USER!
             // double frameOverlap = Double.Parse(configDict[Keys.FRAME_OVERLAP]);
 
             // duration of DCT in seconds
-            double dctDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
+            double dctDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctDuration);
 
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            double dctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
+            double dctThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold);
 
             // ignore oscillations below this threshold freq
-            int minOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq];
+            int minOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq);
 
             // ignore oscillations above this threshold freq
-            int maxOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq];
+            int maxOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq);
 
             // min duration of event in seconds
-            double minDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration];
+            double minDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration);
 
             // max duration of event in seconds
-            double maxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration];
+            double maxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration);
 
             // min score for an acceptable event
-            double eventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
+            double eventThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
 
             if (recording.WavReader.SampleRate != 22050)
             {
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaFreycineti.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaFreycineti.cs
index a8c76d280..2beadfee9 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaFreycineti.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaFreycineti.cs
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.Text;
 
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Tools.Wav;
 
     using AnalysisBase;
@@ -76,37 +77,37 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             string speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
             string abbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
 
-            int minHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            int maxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
+            int minHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            int maxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
 
             // BETTER TO CALCULATE THIS. IGNORE USER!
             // double frameOverlap = Double.Parse(configDict[Keys.FRAME_OVERLAP]);
 
             // duration of DCT in seconds
-            double dctDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
+            double dctDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctDuration);
 
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            double dctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
+            double dctThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold);
 
             // ignore oscillations below this threshold freq
-            int minOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq];
+            int minOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq);
 
             // ignore oscillations above this threshold freq
-            int maxOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq];
+            int maxOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq);
 
             // min duration of event in seconds
-            double minDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration];
+            double minDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration);
 
             // max duration of event in seconds
-            double maxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration];
+            double maxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration);
 
             // min score for an acceptable event
-            double eventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
+            double eventThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
 
             if (recording.WavReader.SampleRate != 22050)
             {
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaNasuta.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaNasuta.cs
index b4a967393..cf8b87760 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaNasuta.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaNasuta.cs
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.IO;
     using System.Reflection;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using AnalysisBase;
     using AnalysisBase.ResultBases;
     using AudioAnalysisTools;
@@ -70,14 +72,14 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             var recognizerConfig = new LitoriaNasutaConfig();
             recognizerConfig.ReadConfigFile(configuration);
 
             // common properties
-            string speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
-            string abbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
+            string speciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
+            string abbreviatedSpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
 
             // BETTER TO SET THESE. IGNORE USER!
             // This framesize is large because the oscillation we wish to detect is due to repeated croaks
@@ -281,35 +283,35 @@ internal class LitoriaNasutaConfig
         public double MaxDuration { get; set; }
         public double EventThreshold { get; set; }
 
-        internal void ReadConfigFile(dynamic configuration)
+        internal void ReadConfigFile(Config configuration)
         {
             // common properties
-            this.AnalysisName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName] ?? "<no name>";
-            this.SpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
-            this.AbbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
+            this.AnalysisName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName] ?? "<no name>";
+            this.SpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
+            this.AbbreviatedSpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
             // frequency band of the call
-            this.MinHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            this.MaxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
-            this.DominantFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DominantFrequency];
-            this.SubdominantFreq = (int)configuration["SubDominantFrequency"];
+            this.MinHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            this.MaxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
+            this.DominantFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.DominantFrequency);
+            this.SubdominantFreq = configuration.GetInt("SubDominantFrequency");
 
             // duration of DCT in seconds
-            this.DctDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
+            this.DctDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctDuration);
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            this.DctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
+            this.DctThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold);
 
-            this.MinPeriod = configuration["MinInterval"];
-            this.MaxPeriod = configuration["MaxInterval"];
+            this.MinPeriod = configuration.GetDouble("MinInterval");
+            this.MaxPeriod = configuration.GetDouble("MaxInterval");
 
             // min and max duration of a sequence of croaks or a croak train
-            this.MinDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration];
-            this.MaxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration];
+            this.MinDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration);
+            this.MaxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration);
             // min and max duration of a single croak event in seconds
-            this.MinCroakDuration = (double)configuration["MinCroakDuration"];
-            this.MaxCroakDuration = (double)configuration["MaxCroakDuration"];
+            this.MinCroakDuration = configuration.GetDouble("MinCroakDuration");
+            this.MaxCroakDuration = configuration.GetDouble("MaxCroakDuration");
 
             // min score for an acceptable event
-            this.EventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
+            this.EventThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
         }
 
     } // Config class
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaNasutaOLD.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaNasutaOLD.cs
index 865198627..293cbcc86 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaNasutaOLD.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaNasutaOLD.cs
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.Reflection;
 
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
 
     using AnalysisBase;
     using AnalysisBase.ResultBases;
@@ -71,7 +72,7 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             var recognizerConfig = new LitoriaNasutaConfig();
             recognizerConfig.ReadConfigFile(configuration);
@@ -187,27 +188,27 @@ internal class LitoriaNasutaOLDConfig
         public double MaxDuration { get; set; }
         public double EventThreshold { get; set; }
 
-        internal void ReadConfigFile(dynamic configuration)
+        internal void ReadConfigFile(Config configuration)
         {
             // common properties
             this.AnalysisName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName] ?? "<no name>";
             this.SpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no name>";
             this.AbbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
             // frequency band of the call
-            this.MinHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            this.MaxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
+            this.MinHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            this.MaxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
 
             // duration of DCT in seconds
-            this.DctDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
+            this.DctDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctDuration);
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            this.DctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
+            this.DctThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold);
 
             // min and max duration of event in seconds
-            this.MinDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration];
-            this.MaxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration];
+            this.MinDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration);
+            this.MaxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration);
 
             // min score for an acceptable event
-            this.EventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
+            this.EventThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
         }
 
     } // Config class
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaOlong.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaOlong.cs
index 114346c5a..89550a9eb 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaOlong.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaOlong.cs
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.Reflection;
     using System.Text;
 
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Tools.Wav;
 
     using AnalysisBase;
@@ -70,7 +71,7 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
 
             // WARNING: TODO TODO TODO = this method simply duplicates the CANETOAD analyser!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ###################
@@ -78,37 +79,37 @@ public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic co
             string speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
             string abbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
 
-            int minHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            int maxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
+            int minHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            int maxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
 
             // BETTER TO CALCULATE THIS. IGNORE USER!
             // double frameOverlap = Double.Parse(configDict[Keys.FRAME_OVERLAP]);
 
             // duration of DCT in seconds
-            double dctDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
+            double dctDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctDuration);
 
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            double dctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
+            double dctThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold);
 
             // ignore oscillations below this threshold freq
-            int minOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq];
+            int minOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq);
 
             // ignore oscillations above this threshold freq
-            int maxOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq];
+            int maxOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq);
 
             // min duration of event in seconds
-            double minDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration];
+            double minDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration);
 
             // max duration of event in seconds
-            double maxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration];
+            double maxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration);
+
+            // min score for an acceptable event
+            double eventThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
 
             // The default was 512 for Canetoad.
             // Framesize = 128 seems to work for Littoria fallax.
             // frame size
-            int frameSize = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.KeyFrameSize];
-
-            // min score for an acceptable event
-            double eventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
+            int frameSize = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.KeyFrameSize);
 
             if (recording.WavReader.SampleRate != 22050)
             {
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaPallida.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaPallida.cs
index e9fa496de..e3a866253 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaPallida.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaPallida.cs
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.Text;
 
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Tools.Wav;
 
     using AnalysisBase;
@@ -81,42 +82,42 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             string speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
             string abbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
 
-            int minHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            int maxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
+            int minHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            int maxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
 
             // BETTER TO CALCULATE THIS. IGNORE USER!
             // double frameOverlap = Double.Parse(configDict[Keys.FRAME_OVERLAP]);
 
             // duration of DCT in seconds
-            double dctDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
+            double dctDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctDuration);
 
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            double dctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
+            double dctThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold);
 
             // ignore oscillations below this threshold freq
-            int minOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq];
+            int minOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq);
 
             // ignore oscillations above this threshold freq
-            int maxOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq];
+            int maxOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq);
 
             // min duration of event in seconds
-            double minDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration];
+            double minDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration);
 
             // max duration of event in seconds
-            double maxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration];
+            double maxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration);
+
+            // min score for an acceptable event
+            double eventThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
 
             // The default was 512 for Canetoad.
             // Framesize = 128 seems to work for Littoria fallax.
             // frame size
-            int frameSize = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.KeyFrameSize];
-
-            // min score for an acceptable event
-            double eventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
+            int frameSize = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.KeyFrameSize);
 
             if (recording.WavReader.SampleRate != 22050)
             {
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaRothii.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaRothii.cs
index a8b853ac1..c8e42735a 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaRothii.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaRothii.cs
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.Drawing;
     using System.IO;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using AnalysisBase;
     using AnalysisBase.ResultBases;
     using AudioAnalysisTools;
@@ -61,41 +63,41 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <summary>
         /// Do your analysis. This method is called once per segment (typically one-minute segments).
         /// </summary>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
-            string speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
-            string abbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
+            string speciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
+            string abbreviatedSpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
             const int frameSize = 256;
             const double windowOverlap = 0.0;
 
-            double noiseReductionParameter = (double?)configuration["SeverityOfNoiseRemoval"] ?? 2.0;
+            double noiseReductionParameter = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("SeverityOfNoiseRemoval") ?? 2.0;
 
-            int minHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            int maxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
+            int minHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            int maxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
 
             // ignore oscillations below this threshold freq
-            int minOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq];
+            int minOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq);
 
             // ignore oscillations above this threshold freq
-            int maxOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq];
+            int maxOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq);
 
             // duration of DCT in seconds
             //double dctDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
 
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            double dctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
+            double dctThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold);
 
             // min duration of event in seconds
-            double minDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration];
+            double minDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration);
 
             // max duration of event in seconds
-            double maxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration];
+            double maxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration);
 
             // min score for an acceptable event
-            double decibelThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DecibelThreshold];
+            double decibelThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DecibelThreshold);
 
             // min score for an acceptable event
-            double eventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
+            double eventThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
 
             if (recording.WavReader.SampleRate != 22050)
             {
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaRubella.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaRubella.cs
index fe69161d4..773c3011c 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaRubella.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaRubella.cs
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.IO;
     using System.Reflection;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using AnalysisBase;
     using AnalysisBase.ResultBases;
     using AudioAnalysisTools;
@@ -65,42 +67,44 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <summary>
         /// Do your analysis. This method is called once per segment (typically one-minute segments).
         /// </summary>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             string speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
             string abbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
 
-            int minHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            int maxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
+
+            int minHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            int maxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
 
             // BETTER TO CALCULATE THIS. IGNORE USER!
             // double frameOverlap = Double.Parse(configDict[Keys.FRAME_OVERLAP]);
 
             // duration of DCT in seconds
-            double dctDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
+            double dctDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctDuration);
 
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            double dctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
+            double dctThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold);
 
             // ignore oscillations below this threshold freq
-            int minOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq];
+            int minOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq);
 
             // ignore oscillations above this threshold freq
-            int maxOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq];
+            int maxOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq);
 
             // min duration of event in seconds
-            double minDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration];
+            double minDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration);
 
             // max duration of event in seconds
-            double maxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration];
+            double maxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration);
+
+            // min score for an acceptable event
+            double eventThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
 
             // The default was 512 for Canetoad.
             // Framesize = 128 seems to work for Littoria fallax.
             // frame size
-            int frameSize = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.KeyFrameSize];
+            int frameSize = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.KeyFrameSize);
 
-            // min score for an acceptable event
-            double eventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
 
             if (recording.WavReader.SampleRate != 22050)
             {
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaWatjulumensis.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaWatjulumensis.cs
index ad79767b4..a4d24bda7 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaWatjulumensis.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/LitoriaWatjulumensis.cs
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             var recognizerConfig = new LitoriaWatjulumConfig();
             recognizerConfig.ReadConfigFile(configuration);
@@ -401,17 +401,17 @@ internal class LitoriaWatjulumConfig
         public double MaxDurationOfTink { get; set; }
         public string[] ProfileNames { get; set; }
 
-        internal void ReadConfigFile(dynamic configuration)
+        internal void ReadConfigFile(Config configuration)
         {
             // common properties
-            this.AnalysisName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName] ?? "<no name>";
-            this.SpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
-            this.AbbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
-            this.UpperBandMaxHz = (int)configuration["UpperFreqBandTop"];
-            this.UpperBandMinHz = (int)configuration["UpperFreqBandBottom"];
-            this.LowerBandMaxHz = (int)configuration["LowerFreqBandTop"];
-            this.LowerBandMinHz = (int)configuration["LowerFreqBandBottom"];
-            this.DecibelThreshold = (double?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DecibelThreshold] ?? 3.0;
+            this.AnalysisName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName] ?? "<no name>";
+            this.SpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
+            this.AbbreviatedSpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
+            this.UpperBandMaxHz = configuration.GetInt("UpperFreqBandTop");
+            this.UpperBandMinHz = configuration.GetInt("UpperFreqBandBottom");
+            this.LowerBandMaxHz = configuration.GetInt("LowerFreqBandTop");
+            this.LowerBandMinHz = configuration.GetInt("LowerFreqBandBottom");
+            this.DecibelThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.DecibelThreshold) ?? 3.0;
 
             // extract profiles
             bool hasProfiles = ConfigFile.HasProfiles(configuration);
@@ -425,8 +425,8 @@ internal void ReadConfigFile(dynamic configuration)
                 LoggedConsole.WriteLine($"The Config file for {this.SpeciesName}  contains the profile <{name}>.");
             }
 
-            // dynamic profile = ConfigFile.GetProfile(configuration, "Trill");
-            dynamic trillProfile;
+            // Config profile = ConfigFile.GetProfile(configuration, "Trill");
+            Config trillProfile;
             bool success = ConfigFile.TryGetProfile(configuration, "Trill", out trillProfile);
             if (!success)
             {
@@ -436,31 +436,31 @@ internal void ReadConfigFile(dynamic configuration)
             LoggedConsole.WriteLine($"Analyzing profile: {this.ProfileNames[0]}");
 
             // Periods and Oscillations
-            this.MinPeriod = (double)trillProfile[AnalysisKeys.MinPeriodicity]; //: 0.18
-            this.MaxPeriod = (double)trillProfile[AnalysisKeys.MaxPeriodicity]; //: 0.25
+            this.MinPeriod = trillProfile.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinPeriodicity); //: 0.18
+            this.MaxPeriod = trillProfile.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxPeriodicity); //: 0.25
 
             // minimum duration in seconds of a trill event
-            this.MinDurationOfTrill = (double)trillProfile[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration]; //:3
+            this.MinDurationOfTrill = trillProfile.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration); //:3
             // maximum duration in seconds of a trill event
-            this.MaxDurationOfTrill = (double)trillProfile[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration]; //: 15
+            this.MaxDurationOfTrill = trillProfile.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration); //: 15
             //// minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            this.IntensityThreshold = (double?)trillProfile[AnalysisKeys.IntensityThreshold] ?? 0.4;
+            this.IntensityThreshold = trillProfile.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.IntensityThreshold) ?? 0.4;
 
-            //double dctDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
+            //double dctDuration = (double)configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctDuration);
             // This is the intensity threshold above
-            //double dctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
+            //double dctThreshold = (double)configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold);
 
             LoggedConsole.WriteLine($"Analyzing profile: {this.ProfileNames[1]}");
-            dynamic tinkProfile;
+            Config tinkProfile;
             success = ConfigFile.TryGetProfile(configuration, "Tink", out tinkProfile);
             if (!success)
             {
                 throw new ConfigFileException($"The Config file for {this.SpeciesName} must contain a \"Tink\" profile.");
             }
-            this.MinDurationOfTink = (double)tinkProfile[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration]; //
+            this.MinDurationOfTink = tinkProfile.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration); //
             // maximum duration in seconds of a tink event
-            this.MaxDurationOfTink = (double)tinkProfile[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration]; //
-            this.EventThreshold = (double?)trillProfile[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold] ?? 0.2;
+            this.MaxDurationOfTink = tinkProfile.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration); //
+            this.EventThreshold = trillProfile.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold) ?? 0.2;
         }
 
     } //class LitoriaWatjulumConfig
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/PlatyplectrumOrnatum.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/PlatyplectrumOrnatum.cs
index 9edf3efcc..eb2d6e8bb 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/PlatyplectrumOrnatum.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/PlatyplectrumOrnatum.cs
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.Reflection;
 
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using AnalysisBase;
     using AnalysisBase.ResultBases;
     using Base;
@@ -84,7 +86,7 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
 
             // The next line actually calculates the high resolution indices!
@@ -115,9 +117,9 @@ public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynam
             return results;
         }
 
-        internal RecognizerResults Algorithm1(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic configuration, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset)
+        internal RecognizerResults Algorithm1(AudioRecording audioRecording, Config configuration, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset)
         {
-            double noiseReductionParameter = (double?)configuration["BgNoiseThreshold"] ?? 0.1;
+            double noiseReductionParameter = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("BgNoiseThreshold") ?? 0.1;
             // make a spectrogram
             var config = new SonogramConfig
             {
@@ -152,9 +154,9 @@ internal RecognizerResults Algorithm1(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic con
             // minimum dB to register a dominant freq peak. After noise removal
             double peakThresholdDb = 3.0;
             // The threshold dB amplitude in the dominant freq bin required to yield an event
-            double eventDecibelThreshold = (double?)configuration["EventDecibelThreshold"] ?? 6.0;
+            double eventDecibelThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("EventDecibelThreshold") ?? 6.0;
             // minimum score for an acceptable event - that is when processing the score array.
-            double eventSimilarityThreshold = (double?)configuration["EventSimilarityThreshold"] ?? 0.2;
+            double eventSimilarityThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("EventSimilarityThreshold") ?? 0.2;
 
             // IMPORTANT: The following frame durations assume a sampling rate = 22050 and window size of 512.
             int minFrameWidth = 2;
@@ -169,7 +171,7 @@ internal RecognizerResults Algorithm1(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic con
             // To this end we produce two templates.
             var templates = GetTemplatesForAlgorithm1(callBinWidth);
 
-            int dominantFrequency = (int)configuration["DominantFrequency"];
+            int dominantFrequency = configuration.GetInt("DominantFrequency");
             // NOTE: could give user control over other call features
             //  Such as frequency gap between peaks. But not in this first iteration of the recognizer.
             //int peakGapInHerz = (int)configuration["PeakGap"];
@@ -321,9 +323,9 @@ internal RecognizerResults Algorithm1(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic con
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="segmentStartOffset"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        internal RecognizerResults Algorithm2(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset)
+        internal RecognizerResults Algorithm2(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset)
         {
-            double noiseReductionParameter = (double?)configuration["BgNoiseThreshold"] ?? 0.1;
+            double noiseReductionParameter = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("BgNoiseThreshold") ?? 0.1;
             // make a spectrogram
             var config = new SonogramConfig
             {
@@ -358,9 +360,9 @@ internal RecognizerResults Algorithm2(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configur
             // minimum dB to register a dominant freq peak. After noise removal
             double peakThresholdDb = 3.0;
             // The threshold dB amplitude in the dominant freq bin required to yield an event
-            double eventDecibelThreshold = (double?)configuration["EventDecibelThreshold"] ?? 6.0;
+            double eventDecibelThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("EventDecibelThreshold") ?? 6.0;
             // minimum score for an acceptable event - that is when processing the score array.
-            double eventSimilarityThreshold = (double?)configuration["EventSimilarityThreshold"] ?? 0.2;
+            double eventSimilarityThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("EventSimilarityThreshold") ?? 0.2;
 
             // IMPORTANT: The following frame durations assume a sampling rate = 22050 and window size of 512.
             //int minFrameWidth = 2;
@@ -375,7 +377,7 @@ internal RecognizerResults Algorithm2(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configur
             // Get the call templates and their dimensions
             var templates = GetTemplatesForAlgorithm2(out callFrameDuration, out callBinWidth);
 
-            int dominantFrequency = (int)configuration["DominantFrequency"];
+            int dominantFrequency = configuration.GetInt("DominantFrequency");
 
             const int hzBuffer = 100;
             int dominantBin = (int)Math.Round(dominantFrequency / herzPerBin);
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/RhinellaMarina.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/RhinellaMarina.cs
index bc4edfbbf..36cea7bf2 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/RhinellaMarina.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/RhinellaMarina.cs
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.Reflection;
     using System.Text;
 
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using AnalysisBase;
     using AnalysisBase.ResultBases;
 
@@ -75,38 +77,39 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
 
             // common properties
             var speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
             var abbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
 
-            int minHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            int maxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
+            int minHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            int maxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
 
             // BETTER TO CALCULATE THIS. IGNORE USER!
             // double frameOverlap = Double.Parse(configDict[Keys.FRAME_OVERLAP]);
+
             // duration of DCT in seconds
-            double dctDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
+            double dctDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctDuration);
 
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            double dctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
+            double dctThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold);
 
             // ignore oscillations below this threshold freq
-            int minOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq];
+            int minOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq);
 
             // ignore oscillations above this threshold freq
-            int maxOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq];
+            int maxOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq);
 
             // min duration of event in seconds
-            double minDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration];
+            double minDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration);
 
             // max duration of event in seconds
-            double maxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration];
+            double maxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration);
 
             // min score for an acceptable event
-            double eventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
+            double eventThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
 
             // this default framesize seems to work for Canetoad
             const int frameSize = 512;
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Tinnula_TRY.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Tinnula_TRY.cs
index 271781b40..42f543b77 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Tinnula_TRY.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/Tinnula_TRY.cs
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.Text;
 
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Tools.Wav;
 
     using AnalysisBase;
@@ -76,16 +77,17 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             RecognizerResults results = Gruntwork(audioRecording, configuration, outputDirectory, segmentStartOffset);
 
             return results;
         }
 
-        internal RecognizerResults Gruntwork(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic configuration, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset)
+        internal RecognizerResults Gruntwork(AudioRecording audioRecording, Config configuration, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset)
         {
-            double noiseReductionParameter = (double?)configuration["BgNoiseThreshold"] ?? 0.1;
+            
+            double noiseReductionParameter = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.NoiseBgThreshold) ?? 0.1;
             // make a spectrogram
             var config = new SonogramConfig
             {
@@ -110,10 +112,10 @@ internal RecognizerResults Gruntwork(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic conf
             double framesPerSec = 1 / frameStepInSeconds;
 
             // reading in variables from the config file
-            string speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
-            string abbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
-            int minHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            int maxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
+            string speciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
+            string abbreviatedSpeciesName = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
+            int minHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            int maxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
 
             // ## THREE THRESHOLDS ---- only one of these is given to user.
             // minimum dB to register a dominant freq peak. After noise removal
@@ -121,7 +123,7 @@ internal RecognizerResults Gruntwork(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic conf
             // The threshold dB amplitude in the dominant freq bin required to yield an event
             double eventThresholdDb = 6;
             // minimum score for an acceptable event - that is when processing the score array.
-            double similarityThreshold = (double?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold] ?? 0.2;
+            double similarityThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold) ?? 0.2;
 
             // IMPORTANT: The following frame durations assume a sampling rate = 22050 and window size of 256.
             int minFrameWidth = 7;
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/UperoleiaInundata.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/UperoleiaInundata.cs
index 1f0e78851..50cdbb145 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/UperoleiaInundata.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/UperoleiaInundata.cs
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.Text;
 
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Tools.Wav;
 
     using AnalysisBase;
@@ -76,37 +77,37 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             string speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
             string abbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
 
-            int minHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            int maxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
+            int minHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            int maxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
 
             // BETTER TO CALCULATE THIS. IGNORE USER!
             // double frameOverlap = Double.Parse(configDict[Keys.FRAME_OVERLAP]);
 
             // duration of DCT in seconds
-            double dctDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
+            double dctDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctDuration);
 
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            double dctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
+            double dctThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold);
 
             // ignore oscillations below this threshold freq
-            int minOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq];
+            int minOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq);
 
             // ignore oscillations above this threshold freq
-            int maxOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq];
+            int maxOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq);
 
             // min duration of event in seconds
-            double minDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration];
+            double minDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration);
 
             // max duration of event in seconds
-            double maxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration];
+            double maxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration);
 
             // min score for an acceptable event
-            double eventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
+            double eventThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
 
             if (recording.WavReader.SampleRate != 22050)
             {
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/UperoleiaLithomoda.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/UperoleiaLithomoda.cs
index 97f098e66..c899d6b07 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/UperoleiaLithomoda.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/UperoleiaLithomoda.cs
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.IO;
 
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using AnalysisBase;
     using AnalysisBase.ResultBases;
     using Base;
@@ -83,7 +85,7 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
 
             // The next line actually calculates the high resolution indices!
@@ -114,9 +116,9 @@ public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynam
             return results;
         }
 
-        internal RecognizerResults Algorithm1(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic configuration, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset)
+        internal RecognizerResults Algorithm1(AudioRecording audioRecording, Config configuration, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset)
         {
-            double noiseReductionParameter = (double?)configuration["BgNoiseThreshold"] ?? 0.1;
+            double noiseReductionParameter = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("BgNoiseThreshold") ?? 0.1;
             // make a spectrogram
             var config = new SonogramConfig
             {
@@ -151,9 +153,10 @@ internal RecognizerResults Algorithm1(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic con
             // minimum dB to register a dominant freq peak. After noise removal
             double peakThresholdDb = 3.0;
             // The threshold dB amplitude in the dominant freq bin required to yield an event
-            double eventDecibelThreshold = (double?)configuration["EventDecibelThreshold"] ?? 6.0;
+            // The threshold dB amplitude in the dominant freq bin required to yield an event
+            double eventDecibelThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("EventDecibelThreshold") ?? 6.0;
             // minimum score for an acceptable event - that is when processing the score array.
-            double eventSimilarityThreshold = (double?)configuration["EventSimilarityThreshold"] ?? 0.2;
+            double eventSimilarityThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("EventSimilarityThreshold") ?? 0.2;
 
             // IMPORTANT: The following frame durations assume a sampling rate = 22050 and window size of 512.
             int minFrameWidth = 2;
@@ -168,7 +171,7 @@ internal RecognizerResults Algorithm1(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic con
             // To this end we produce two templates.
             var templates = GetTemplatesForAlgorithm1(callBinWidth);
 
-            int dominantFrequency = (int)configuration["DominantFrequency"];
+            int dominantFrequency = configuration.GetInt("DominantFrequency");
             // NOTE: could give user control over other call features
             //  Such as frequency gap between peaks. But not in this first iteration of the recognizer.
             //int peakGapInHerz = (int)configuration["PeakGap"];
@@ -320,9 +323,9 @@ internal RecognizerResults Algorithm1(AudioRecording audioRecording, dynamic con
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="segmentStartOffset"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        internal RecognizerResults Algorithm2(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset)
+        internal RecognizerResults Algorithm2(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset)
         {
-            double noiseReductionParameter = (double?)configuration["BgNoiseThreshold"] ?? 0.1;
+            double noiseReductionParameter = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("BgNoiseThreshold") ?? 0.1;
             // make a spectrogram
             var config = new SonogramConfig
             {
@@ -357,9 +360,9 @@ internal RecognizerResults Algorithm2(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configur
             // minimum dB to register a dominant freq peak. After noise removal
             double peakThresholdDb = 3.0;
             // The threshold dB amplitude in the dominant freq bin required to yield an event
-            double eventDecibelThreshold = (double?)configuration["EventDecibelThreshold"] ?? 6.0;
+            double eventDecibelThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("EventDecibelThreshold") ?? 6.0;
             // minimum score for an acceptable event - that is when processing the score array.
-            double eventSimilarityThreshold = (double?)configuration["EventSimilarityThreshold"] ?? 0.2;
+            double eventSimilarityThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("EventSimilarityThreshold") ?? 0.2;
 
             // IMPORTANT: The following frame durations assume a sampling rate = 22050 and window size of 512.
             //int minFrameWidth = 2;
@@ -374,7 +377,7 @@ internal RecognizerResults Algorithm2(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configur
             // Get the call templates and their dimensions
             var templates = GetTemplatesForAlgorithm2(out callFrameDuration, out callBinWidth);
 
-            int dominantFrequency = (int)configuration["DominantFrequency"];
+            int dominantFrequency = configuration.GetInt("DominantFrequency");
 
             const int hzBuffer = 200;
             int dominantBin = (int)Math.Round(dominantFrequency / herzPerBin);
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/UperoleiaMimula.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/UperoleiaMimula.cs
index e17e5a00c..b91628ba4 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/UperoleiaMimula.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/Recognizers/UperoleiaMimula.cs
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.Recognizers
     using System.Text;
 
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Tools.Wav;
 
     using AnalysisBase;
@@ -81,37 +82,37 @@ public override void SummariseResults(
         /// <param name="outputDirectory"></param>
         /// <param name="imageWidth"></param>
         /// <returns></returns>
-        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, dynamic configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
+        public override RecognizerResults Recognize(AudioRecording recording, Config configuration, TimeSpan segmentStartOffset, Lazy<IndexCalculateResult[]> getSpectralIndexes, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory, int? imageWidth)
         {
             string speciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SpeciesName] ?? "<no species>";
             string abbreviatedSpeciesName = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AbbreviatedSpeciesName] ?? "<no.sp>";
 
-            int minHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinHz];
-            int maxHz = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxHz];
+            int minHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinHz);
+            int maxHz = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxHz);
 
             // BETTER TO CALCULATE THIS. IGNORE USER!
             // double frameOverlap = Double.Parse(configDict[Keys.FRAME_OVERLAP]);
 
             // duration of DCT in seconds
-            double dctDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctDuration];
+            double dctDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctDuration);
 
             // minimum acceptable value of a DCT coefficient
-            double dctThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold];
+            double dctThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.DctThreshold);
 
             // ignore oscillations below this threshold freq
-            int minOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq];
+            int minOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MinOscilFreq);
 
             // ignore oscillations above this threshold freq
-            int maxOscilFreq = (int)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq];
+            int maxOscilFreq = configuration.GetInt(AnalysisKeys.MaxOscilFreq);
 
             // min duration of event in seconds
-            double minDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MinDuration];
+            double minDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MinDuration);
 
             // max duration of event in seconds
-            double maxDuration = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration];
+            double maxDuration = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.MaxDuration);
 
             // min score for an acceptable event
-            double eventThreshold = (double)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold];
+            double eventThreshold = configuration.GetDouble(AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold);
 
             if (recording.WavReader.SampleRate != 22050)
             {
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/SURFAnalysis.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/SURFAnalysis.cs
index 01224c002..5e1df093f 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/SURFAnalysis.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/SURFAnalysis.cs
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms
     using System.Reflection;
     using System.Threading.Tasks;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Shared.Csv;
     using Acoustics.Tools;
     using Acoustics.Tools.Audio;
@@ -93,17 +94,17 @@ public static void Main(Arguments arguments)
             DirectoryInfo opDir = arguments.Output;
 
             // 2. get the config dictionary
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(configFile);
+            Config configuration = ConfigFile.Deserialize(configFile);
 
-            // below four lines are examples of retrieving info from dynamic config
-            //dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(configFile);
+            // below four lines are examples of retrieving info from Config config
+            //Config configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(configFile);
             // string analysisIdentifier = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName];
             // int resampleRate = (int?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate] ?? AppConfigHelper.DefaultTargetSampleRate;
 
-            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>((Dictionary<string, string>)configuration);
+            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>(configuration.ToDictionary());
 
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = ((bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] ?? true).ToString();
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? true;
+            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] ?? "true";
+            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? "true";
 
             //bool makeSoxSonogram = (bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MakeSoxSonogram] ?? false;
             configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] ?? "true";
@@ -499,6 +500,11 @@ public PreprocessorForSurfAnalysis()
 
         public AnalysisSettings DefaultSettings { get; private set; }
 
+        public AnalyzerConfig ParseConfig(FileInfo file)
+        {
+            return ConfigFile.Deserialize<AnalyzerConfig>(file);
+        }
+
         public void BeforeAnalyze(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings)
         {
             // noop
@@ -511,17 +517,17 @@ public AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, SegmentSett
             var outputDirectory = segmentSettings.SegmentOutputDirectory;
 
             var analysisResult = new AnalysisResult2(analysisSettings, segmentSettings, recording.Duration);
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(analysisSettings.ConfigFile);
+            Config configuration = ConfigFile.Deserialize(analysisSettings.ConfigFile);
 
             bool saveCsv = analysisSettings.AnalysisDataSaveBehavior;
 
-            if ((bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MakeSoxSonogram] == true)
+            if (configuration.GetBool(AnalysisKeys.MakeSoxSonogram))
             {
                 Log.Warn("SoX spectrogram generation config variable found (and set to true) but is ignored when running as an IAnalyzer");
             }
 
             // generate spectrogram
-            var configurationDictionary = new Dictionary<string, string>((Dictionary<string, string>)configuration);
+            var configurationDictionary = new Dictionary<string, string>(configuration.ToDictionary());
             configurationDictionary[ConfigKeys.Recording.Key_RecordingCallName] = audioFile.FullName;
             configurationDictionary[ConfigKeys.Recording.Key_RecordingFileName] = audioFile.Name;
             var soxImage = new FileInfo(Path.Combine(segmentSettings.SegmentOutputDirectory.FullName, audioFile.Name + ".SOX.png"));
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/SnrAnalysis.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/SnrAnalysis.cs
index 9e87efcde..ff0b402fb 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/SnrAnalysis.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/SnrAnalysis.cs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
     using System.Text;
     using System.Threading.Tasks;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Shared.Extensions;
     using Acoustics.Tools;
     using Production;
@@ -85,28 +86,24 @@ public static void Execute(Arguments arguments)
 
             //READ PARAMETER VALUES FROM INI FILE
             // load YAML configuration
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(arguments.Config);
-            /*
-             * Warning! The `configuration` variable is dynamic.
-             * Do not use it outside of this method. Extract all params below.
-             */
+            Config configuration = ConfigFile.Deserialize(arguments.Config);
 
             //ii: SET SONOGRAM CONFIGURATION
             SonogramConfig sonoConfig = new SonogramConfig(); //default values config
             sonoConfig.SourceFName = arguments.Source.FullName;
-            sonoConfig.WindowSize = (int?)configuration.FrameSize ?? 512; //
-            sonoConfig.WindowOverlap = (double?)configuration.FrameOverlap ?? 0.5;
-            sonoConfig.WindowFunction = configuration.WindowFunction;
-            sonoConfig.NPointSmoothFFT = (int?)configuration.NpointSmoothFFT ?? 256;
-            sonoConfig.NoiseReductionType = SNR.KeyToNoiseReductionType((string)configuration.NoiseReductionType);
-
-            int minHz = (int?)configuration.MIN_HZ ?? 0;
-            int maxHz = (int?)configuration.MAX_HZ ?? 11050;
-            double segK1 = (double?)configuration.SEGMENTATION_THRESHOLD_K1 ?? 0;
-            double segK2 = (double?)configuration.SEGMENTATION_THRESHOLD_K2 ?? 0;
-            double latency = (double?)configuration.K1_K2_LATENCY ?? 0;
-            double vocalGap = (double?)configuration.VOCAL_GAP ?? 0;
-            double minVocalLength = (double?)configuration.MIN_VOCAL_DURATION ?? 0;
+            sonoConfig.WindowSize = configuration.GetIntOrNull(AnalysisKeys.KeyFrameSize) ?? 512; //
+            sonoConfig.WindowOverlap = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.FrameOverlap) ?? 0.5;
+            sonoConfig.WindowFunction = configuration[AnalysisKeys.KeyWindowFunction];
+            sonoConfig.NPointSmoothFFT = configuration.GetIntOrNull(AnalysisKeys.KeyNPointSmoothFft) ?? 256;
+            sonoConfig.NoiseReductionType = SNR.KeyToNoiseReductionType(configuration[AnalysisKeys.NoiseReductionType]);
+
+            int minHz = configuration.GetIntOrNull("MIN_HZ") ?? 0;
+            int maxHz = configuration.GetIntOrNull("MAX_HZ") ?? 11050;
+            double segK1 = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("SEGMENTATION_THRESHOLD_K1") ?? 0;
+            double segK2 = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("SEGMENTATION_THRESHOLD_K2") ?? 0;
+            double latency = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("K1_K2_LATENCY") ?? 0;
+            double vocalGap = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("VOCAL_GAP") ?? 0;
+            double minVocalLength = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("MIN_VOCAL_DURATION") ?? 0;
             //bool DRAW_SONOGRAMS = (bool?)configuration.DrawSonograms ?? true;    //options to draw sonogram
 
             //double intensityThreshold = QutSensors.AudioAnalysis.AED.Default.intensityThreshold;
@@ -137,7 +134,7 @@ public static void Execute(Arguments arguments)
             TimeSpan frameDuration = TimeSpan.FromTicks((long)(frameDurationInSeconds * TimeSpan.TicksPerSecond));
             int stepSize = (int)Math.Floor(sonoConfig.WindowSize * (1 - sonoConfig.WindowOverlap));
             double stepDurationInSeconds = sonoConfig.WindowSize * (1 - sonoConfig.WindowOverlap)
-                                           / (double)recording.SampleRate;
+                                           / recording.SampleRate;
             TimeSpan stepDuration = TimeSpan.FromTicks((long)(stepDurationInSeconds * TimeSpan.TicksPerSecond));
             double framesPerSecond = 1 / stepDuration.TotalSeconds;
             int frameCount = signalLength / stepSize;
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/StandardizedFeatures/StandardizedFeatureExtraction.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/StandardizedFeatures/StandardizedFeatureExtraction.cs
index 40c99711c..0758781f6 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/StandardizedFeatures/StandardizedFeatureExtraction.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/StandardizedFeatures/StandardizedFeatureExtraction.cs
@@ -30,10 +30,8 @@ public class StandardizedFeatureExtraction : AbstractStrongAnalyser
 
         public override void BeforeAnalyze(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings)
         {
-            // Construct variable 'configuration' that stores the properties of config file in non-dynamic way
+ 
             base.BeforeAnalyze(analysisSettings);
-            StandardizedFeatureExtractionConfig configuration = Yaml.Deserialise<StandardizedFeatureExtractionConfig>(analysisSettings.ConfigFile);
-            analysisSettings.AnalysisAnalyzerSpecificConfiguration = configuration;
         }
 
         // Implemented from AbstractStrongAnalyser
@@ -52,16 +50,21 @@ public virtual string Description
             get { return "Performs a standardized feature extraction for ML tasks identifying faunal vocalisations."; }
         }
 
+        public override AnalyzerConfig ParseConfig(FileInfo file)
+        {
+            // Construct variable 'configuration' that stores the properties of config file as strongly typed object
+            return ConfigFile.Deserialize<StandardizedFeatureExtractionConfig>(file);
+        }
+
         public override AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, SegmentSettings<T> segmentSettings)
         {
-            StandardizedFeatureExtractionConfig configuration = (StandardizedFeatureExtractionConfig)analysisSettings.AnalysisAnalyzerSpecificConfiguration;
+            var configuration = (StandardizedFeatureExtractionConfig)analysisSettings.Configuration;
             var audioFile = segmentSettings.SegmentAudioFile;
             var recording = new AudioRecording(audioFile.FullName);
 
             // Configurations non-specific for bands
-            FileInfo indexPropertiesConfig = new FileInfo(configuration.IndexPropertiesConfig);
-            TimeSpan indexCalculationDuration = configuration.IndexCalculationDuration.Seconds();
-            TimeSpan bgNoiseNeighbourhood = configuration.BgNoiseNeighbourhood;
+            TimeSpan indexCalculationDuration = configuration.IndexCalculationDuration;
+            TimeSpan bgNoiseNeighbourhood = configuration.BgNoiseBuffer;
 
             // Bands
             List<StandardizedFeatureExtractionConfig.BandsProperties> bandsList = configuration.Bands;
@@ -97,23 +100,21 @@ public override AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, Se
 
                 // Calculate spectral indices
 
-                // Convert the dynamic config to IndexCalculateConfig class and merge in the unnecesary parameters.
-                IndexCalculateConfig config = IndexCalculateConfig.GetConfig(analysisSettings.Configuration, false);
-                config.IndexCalculationDuration = indexCalculationDuration;
-                config.BgNoiseBuffer = bgNoiseNeighbourhood;
-
+                // get a fresh copy of the ICC config
+                var config = (IndexCalculateConfig)((ICloneable)configuration).Clone();
+                
                 // Add values specific for band from custom configuration file to config
                 config.MinBandWidth = band.Bandwidth.Min;
                 config.MaxBandWidth = band.Bandwidth.Max;
                 config.FrameLength = band.FftWindow;
                 if (band.MelScale != 0)
                 {
-                    config.frequencyScaleType = FreqScaleType.Mel;
+                    config.FrequencyScaleType = FreqScaleType.Mel;
                     config.MelScale = band.MelScale;
                 }
                 else
                 {
-                    config.frequencyScaleType = FreqScaleType.Linear;
+                    config.FrequencyScaleType = FreqScaleType.Linear;
                 }
 
                 // Calculate indices for each subsegment and for each band
@@ -122,8 +123,7 @@ public override AnalysisResult2 Analyze<T>(AnalysisSettings analysisSettings, Se
                     segmentSettings.SegmentStartOffset,
                     segmentSettings.AnalysisIdealSegmentDuration,
                     indexCalculationDuration,
-                    bgNoiseNeighbourhood,
-                    indexPropertiesConfig,
+                    config.IndexProperties,
                     segmentSettings.Segment.SourceMetadata.SampleRate,
                     config);
 
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/StandardizedFeatures/StandardizedFeatureExtractionConfig.cs b/src/AnalysisPrograms/StandardizedFeatures/StandardizedFeatureExtractionConfig.cs
index eb342dc53..99e6fdfff 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/StandardizedFeatures/StandardizedFeatureExtractionConfig.cs
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/StandardizedFeatures/StandardizedFeatureExtractionConfig.cs
@@ -8,45 +8,16 @@ namespace AnalysisPrograms.StandardizedFeatures
     using System.Collections.Generic;
     using System.IO;
     using AnalysisBase;
+
+    using AudioAnalysisTools.Indices;
+
     using Equ;
 
-    // Note: Most of the properties in this class will likely be removed in the future to some common base class (e.g. an theoretical AnalyzerConfiguration class).
     [Serializable]
-    public class StandardizedFeatureExtractionConfig
+    public class StandardizedFeatureExtractionConfig : IndexCalculateConfig
     {
-        public string AnalysisName { get; set; }
-
-        public int SegmentDuration { get; set; }
-
-        public int SegmentOverlap { get; set; }
-
         public List<BandsProperties> Bands { get; set; }
 
-        public double IndexCalculationDuration { get; set; }
-
-        public TimeSpan BgNoiseNeighbourhood { get; set; }
-
-        public int ResampleRate { get; set; }
-
-        public int FrameLength { get; set; }
-
-        public int LowFreqBound { get; set; }
-
-        public int MidFreqBound { get; set; }
-
-        public int HighFreqBound { get; set; }
-
-        public string FrequencyScale { get; set; }
-
-        public SaveBehavior SaveIntermediateWavFiles { get; set; }
-
-        public bool SaveIntermediateCsvFiles { get; set; }
-
-        public SaveBehavior SaveSonogramImages { get; set; }
-
-        public bool RequireDateInFilename { get; set; }
-
-        public string IndexPropertiesConfig { get; set; }
 
         [Serializable]
         public class BandsProperties : IEquatable<BandsProperties>
diff --git a/src/AnalysisPrograms/packages.config b/src/AnalysisPrograms/packages.config
index 991628d6e..8ef15461b 100644
--- a/src/AnalysisPrograms/packages.config
+++ b/src/AnalysisPrograms/packages.config
@@ -1,27 +1,27 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <packages>
   <package id="AForge" version="2.2.5" targetFramework="net462" />
-  <package id="CsvHelper" version="2.16.2.0" targetFramework="net40" requireReinstallation="true" />
+  <package id="CsvHelper" version="2.16.2.0" targetFramework="net462" />
   <package id="Equ" version="2.0.2" targetFramework="net462" />
-  <package id="FSharp.Core" version="4.2.3" targetFramework="net452" />
-  <package id="FSPowerPack.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="FSPowerPack.Core.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="FSPowerPack.Linq.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="FSPowerPack.Metadata.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="FSPowerPack.Parallel.Seq.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="log4net" version="2.0.8" targetFramework="net40" requireReinstallation="true" />
+  <package id="FSharp.Core" version="4.2.3" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="FSPowerPack.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="FSPowerPack.Core.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="FSPowerPack.Linq.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="FSPowerPack.Metadata.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="FSPowerPack.Parallel.Seq.Community" version="3.0.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="log4net" version="2.0.8" targetFramework="net462" />
   <package id="MathNet.Numerics" version="3.20.2" targetFramework="net462" />
   <package id="McMaster.Extensions.CommandLineUtils" version="2.2.0-alpha.162" targetFramework="net462" />
-  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl" version="1.1.10" targetFramework="net40" requireReinstallation="true" />
-  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl.Async" version="1.0.168" targetFramework="net40" />
-  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl.Build" version="1.0.21" targetFramework="net40" />
+  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl" version="1.1.10" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl.Async" version="1.0.168" targetFramework="net462" />
+  <package id="Microsoft.Bcl.Build" version="1.0.21" targetFramework="net462" />
   <package id="Microsoft.Data.Sqlite" version="2.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
   <package id="Microsoft.Data.Sqlite.Core" version="2.0.0" targetFramework="net462" />
-  <package id="Microsoft.Net.Http" version="2.2.29" targetFramework="net40" requireReinstallation="true" />
+  <package id="Microsoft.Net.Http" version="2.2.29" targetFramework="net462" />
   <package id="Microsoft.NETCore.Platforms" version="1.1.0" targetFramework="net462" />
-  <package id="Microsoft.Tpl.Dataflow" version="4.5.24" targetFramework="net452" />
+  <package id="Microsoft.Tpl.Dataflow" version="4.5.24" targetFramework="net462" />
   <package id="Microsoft.Win32.Primitives" version="4.3.0" targetFramework="net462" />
-  <package id="MSBuildTasks" version="1.5.0.235" targetFramework="net40" developmentDependency="true" />
+  <package id="MSBuildTasks" version="1.5.0.235" targetFramework="net462" developmentDependency="true" />
   <package id="NETStandard.Library" version="1.6.1" targetFramework="net462" />
   <package id="SQLitePCLRaw.bundle_green" version="1.1.9" targetFramework="net462" />
   <package id="SQLitePCLRaw.core" version="1.1.9" targetFramework="net462" />
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
   <package id="SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx" version="1.1.9" targetFramework="net462" />
   <package id="SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp" version="1.1.9" targetFramework="net462" />
   <package id="SQLitePCLRaw.provider.e_sqlite3.net45" version="1.1.9" targetFramework="net462" />
-  <package id="StyleCop.Analyzers" version="1.1.0-beta004" targetFramework="net40" developmentDependency="true" />
+  <package id="StyleCop.Analyzers" version="1.1.0-beta004" targetFramework="net462" developmentDependency="true" />
   <package id="System.AppContext" version="4.3.0" targetFramework="net462" />
   <package id="System.Collections" version="4.3.0" targetFramework="net462" />
   <package id="System.Collections.Concurrent" version="4.3.0" targetFramework="net462" />
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/AnalysisKeys.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/AnalysisKeys.cs
index 21af04026..f6d6a2525 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/AnalysisKeys.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/AnalysisKeys.cs
@@ -123,6 +123,7 @@ public static class AnalysisKeys
         public const string KeyVocalGap = "VocalGap";
         public const string KeyMinVocalDuration = "MinVocalDuraton";
         public const string KeyDrawSonograms = "DrawSonograms";
+        public const string KeyOctaveFreqScale = "OctaveFreqScale";
 
         // Other config keys
         public const string KeyIndexPropertiesConfig = "IndexPropertiesConfig";
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/AudioAnalysisTools.csproj b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/AudioAnalysisTools.csproj
index 221d01390..26a669484 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/AudioAnalysisTools.csproj
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/AudioAnalysisTools.csproj
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.IO.4.3.0\lib\net462\System.IO.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System.IO.Compression, Version=4.1.2.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
-      <HintPath>..\packages\System.IO.Compression.4.3.0\lib\net46\System.IO.Compression.dll</HintPath>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.IO.Compression.4.3.0\lib\net46\System.IO.Compression.dll</HintPath>
       <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System.IO.Compression.FileSystem" />
@@ -203,9 +203,8 @@
     <Reference Include="System.Xml.ReaderWriter, Version=4.1.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.Xml.ReaderWriter.4.3.0\lib\net46\System.Xml.ReaderWriter.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="YamlDotNet">
+    <Reference Include="YamlDotNet, Version=4.3.0.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\YamlDotNet.4.3.0\lib\net45\YamlDotNet.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="YamlDotNet.Dynamic, Version=3.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
@@ -256,7 +255,6 @@
     <Compile Include="Indices\InitialiseIndexProperties.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Indices\RainIndices.cs" />
     <Compile Include="LongDurationSpectrograms\LDSpectrogramClusters.cs" />
-    <Compile Include="LongDurationSpectrograms\LDSpectrogramConfigOfJie.cs" />
     <Compile Include="LongDurationSpectrograms\TimeOffsetSingleLayerSuperTile.cs" />
     <Compile Include="LongDurationSpectrograms\Zooming\InvalidScaleException.cs" />
     <Compile Include="LongDurationSpectrograms\Zooming\SpectrogramZoomingConfig.cs" />
@@ -383,10 +381,6 @@
   <ItemGroup>
     <WCFMetadata Include="Connected Services\" />
   </ItemGroup>
-  <ItemGroup>
-    <Analyzer Include="..\..\packages\StyleCop.Analyzers.1.1.0-beta004\analyzers\dotnet\cs\StyleCop.Analyzers.CodeFixes.dll" />
-    <Analyzer Include="..\..\packages\StyleCop.Analyzers.1.1.0-beta004\analyzers\dotnet\cs\StyleCop.Analyzers.dll" />
-  </ItemGroup>
   <Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
   <!-- To modify your build process, add your task inside one of the targets below and uncomment it. 
        Other similar extension points exist, see Microsoft.Common.targets.
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/DSP/FrequencyScale.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/DSP/FrequencyScale.cs
index aaf703595..7cb293555 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/DSP/FrequencyScale.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/DSP/FrequencyScale.cs
@@ -20,12 +20,15 @@ namespace AudioAnalysisTools.DSP
     /// </summary>
     public enum FreqScaleType
     {
-        Linear,
-        Mel,
-        Linear62Octaves7Tones31Nyquist11025,
-        Linear125Octaves6Tones30Nyquist11025,
-        Octaves24Nyquist32000,
-        Linear125Octaves7Tones28Nyquist32000
+        Linear = 0,
+        Mel = 1,
+        Linear62Octaves7Tones31Nyquist11025 = 2,
+        Linear125Octaves6Tones30Nyquist11025 = 3,
+        Octaves24Nyquist32000 = 4,
+        Linear125Octaves7Tones28Nyquist32000 = 5,
+
+        // alias Octave to predefined choice
+        Octave = Linear125Octaves7Tones28Nyquist32000,
     }
 
     public class FrequencyScale
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/DSP/SNR.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/DSP/SNR.cs
index 0b5a56cd9..3b47f0052 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/DSP/SNR.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/DSP/SNR.cs
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ namespace AudioAnalysisTools.DSP
     using System.Collections.Generic;
     using System.IO;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using StandardSpectrograms;
     using TowseyLibrary;
     using WavTools;
@@ -695,8 +697,8 @@ public static void Calculate_SNR_ofXueyans_data()
             var sourceDir = csvFileInfo.Directory;
             var opDir = csvFileInfo.Directory;
 
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(configFile);
-            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>((Dictionary<string, string>)configuration);
+            Config configuration = ConfigFile.Deserialize(configFile);
+            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>(configuration.ToDictionary());
 
             //set up text for the output file
             var opText = new List<string>();
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/EventStatistics/EventStatisticsConfiguration.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/EventStatistics/EventStatisticsConfiguration.cs
index 4a28744ce..dbb538f8e 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/EventStatistics/EventStatisticsConfiguration.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/EventStatistics/EventStatisticsConfiguration.cs
@@ -6,8 +6,10 @@ namespace AudioAnalysisTools.EventStatistics
 {
     using System;
 
+    using AnalysisBase;
+
     [Serializable]
-    public class EventStatisticsConfiguration
+    public class EventStatisticsConfiguration : AnalyzerConfig
     {
         public int FrameSize { get; set; } = 512;
 
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexCalculate.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexCalculate.cs
index 71c165d63..f32dcd639 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexCalculate.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexCalculate.cs
@@ -38,17 +38,17 @@ public class IndexCalculate
         /// <param name="subsegmentOffsetTimeSpan">
         /// The start time of the required subsegment relative to start of SOURCE audio recording.
         ///     i.e. SegmentStartOffset + time duration from Segment start to subsegment start. </param>
-        /// <param name="indicesPropertiesConfig">file containing info about index value distributions. Used when drawing false-colour spectrograms. </param>
+        /// <param name="indexProperties">info about index value distributions. Used when drawing false-colour spectrograms. </param>
         /// <param name="sampleRateOfOriginalAudioFile"> That is, prior to being resample to the default of 22050.</param>
         /// <param name="segmentStartOffset"> Time elapsed from absolute start of total recording and start of the passed recording segment i.e. line37. </param>
-        /// <param name="config"> dynamic variable containing info about the configuration for index calculation</param>
+        /// <param name="config"> Config variable containing info about the configuration for index calculation</param>
         /// <param name="returnSonogramInfo"> boolean with default value = false </param>
         /// <returns> An IndexCalculateResult </returns>
         [SuppressMessage("StyleCop.CSharp.NamingRules", "SA1305:FieldNamesMustNotUseHungarianNotation", Justification = "Reviewed. Suppression is OK here.")]
         public static IndexCalculateResult Analysis(
             AudioRecording recording,
             TimeSpan subsegmentOffsetTimeSpan,
-            FileInfo indicesPropertiesConfig,
+            Dictionary<string, IndexProperties> indexProperties,
             int sampleRateOfOriginalAudioFile,
             TimeSpan segmentStartOffset,
             IndexCalculateConfig config,
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ public static IndexCalculateResult Analysis(
             int sampleRate = recording.WavReader.SampleRate;
             var segmentDuration = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(recording.WavReader.Time.TotalSeconds);
             var indexCalculationDuration = config.IndexCalculationDuration;
-            var indexProperties = IndexProperties.GetIndexProperties(indicesPropertiesConfig);
             int nyquist = sampleRate / 2;
 
             // Get FRAME parameters for the calculation of Acoustic Indices
@@ -160,7 +159,7 @@ public static IndexCalculateResult Analysis(
 
             // Linear or Octave or Mel frequency scale? Set Linear as default.
             var freqScale = new FrequencyScale(nyquist: nyquist, frameSize: frameSize, hertzLinearGridInterval: 1000);
-            var freqScaleType = config.GetTypeOfFreqScale();
+            var freqScaleType = config.FrequencyScaleType;
             bool octaveScale = freqScaleType == FreqScaleType.Linear125Octaves7Tones28Nyquist32000;
             bool melScale = freqScaleType == FreqScaleType.Mel;
             if (octaveScale)
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexCalculateConfig.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexCalculateConfig.cs
index fcd97f318..d1d3ae26b 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexCalculateConfig.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexCalculateConfig.cs
@@ -7,16 +7,28 @@ namespace AudioAnalysisTools.Indices
     using System;
     using System.IO;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using DSP;
     using Equ;
 
+    using Fasterflect;
+
+    using log4net;
+
+    using Newtonsoft.Json;
+
+    using YamlDotNet.Serialization;
+
     /// <summary>
     /// CONFIG CLASS FOR the class IndexCalculate.cs
     /// </summary>
-    public class IndexCalculateConfig : IEquatable<IndexCalculateConfig>
+    public class IndexCalculateConfig : AnalyzerConfigIndexProperties, IEquatable<IndexCalculateConfig>, ICloneable
     {
+        private static readonly ILog Log = LogManager.GetLogger(nameof(IndexCalculateConfig));
+
         // Make sure the comparer is static, so that the equality operations are only generated once
-        private static readonly MemberwiseEqualityComparer<IndexCalculateConfig> _comparer =
+        private static readonly MemberwiseEqualityComparer<IndexCalculateConfig> Comparer =
             MemberwiseEqualityComparer<IndexCalculateConfig>.ByFields;
 
         // EXTRACT INDICES: IF (frameLength = 128 AND sample rate = 22050) THEN frame duration = 5.805ms.
@@ -36,12 +48,17 @@ public class IndexCalculateConfig : IEquatable<IndexCalculateConfig>
         public const int DefaultMidFreqBound = 8000;
         public const int DefaultLowFreqBound = 1000;
 
-        public const string DefaultFrequencyScaleType = "Linear";
+        public const FreqScaleType DefaultFrequencyScaleType = FreqScaleType.Linear;
 
         public const double DefaultMinBandWidth = 0.0;
         public const double DefaultMaxBandWidth = 1.0;
 
         public const int DefaultMelScale = 0;
+
+        public const double DefaultBgNoiseNeighborhood = 5;
+
+        private FreqScaleType frequencyScaleType;
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="IndexCalculateConfig"/> class.
         /// CONSTRUCTOR
@@ -49,7 +66,7 @@ public class IndexCalculateConfig : IEquatable<IndexCalculateConfig>
         public IndexCalculateConfig()
         {
             this.IndexCalculationDuration = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(DefaultIndexCalculationDurationInSeconds);
-            this.BgNoiseBuffer = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(5);
+            this.BgNoiseNeighborhood = DefaultBgNoiseNeighborhood;
 
             this.FrameLength = DefaultWindowSize;
 
@@ -57,7 +74,7 @@ public IndexCalculateConfig()
 
             this.LowFreqBound = DefaultLowFreqBound;
             this.MidFreqBound = DefaultMidFreqBound;
-            this.SetTypeOfFreqScale(DefaultFrequencyScaleType);
+            this.FrequencyScaleType = DefaultFrequencyScaleType;
 
             this.MinBandWidth = DefaultMinBandWidth;
             this.MaxBandWidth = DefaultMaxBandWidth;
@@ -67,38 +84,41 @@ public IndexCalculateConfig()
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Gets or sets the Timespan (in seconds) over which summary and spectral indices are calculated
-        /// Default=
+        /// Default=60.0
         /// Units=seconds
         /// </summary>
         public TimeSpan IndexCalculationDuration { get; set; }
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Gets or sets bG noise for any location is calculated by extending the region of index calculation from 5 seconds before start to 5 sec after end of current index interval.
+        /// </summary>
+        [YamlIgnore]
+        [JsonIgnore]
+        public TimeSpan BgNoiseBuffer => this.BgNoiseNeighborhood.Seconds();
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Gets the amount of audio either side of the required subsegment from which to derive an estimate of background noise.
+        /// Units = seconds
+        /// As an example: IF (IndexCalculationDuration = 1 second) AND (BGNNeighborhood = 10 seconds)
+        ///                THEN BG noise estimate will be derived from 21 seconds of audio centred on the subsegment.
+        ///                In case of edge effects, the BGnoise neighborhood will be truncated to start or end of the audio segment (typically expected to be one minute long).
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <remarks>
         /// Ten seconds is considered a minimum interval to obtain a reliable estimate of BG noise.
         /// The  BG noise interval is not extended beyond start or end of recording segment.
         /// Consequently for a 60sec Index calculation duration, the  BG noise is calculated form the 60sec segment only.
         /// Default=5 seconds
-        /// Units=seconds
-        /// </summary>
-        public TimeSpan BgNoiseBuffer { get; set; }
+        /// </remarks>
+        public double BgNoiseNeighborhood { get; set; }
 
         /// <summary>
-        /// Gets or sets the FrameWidth.
+        /// Gets or sets the FrameWidth - the number of samples to use per FFT window.
         /// FrameWidth is used WITHOUT overlap to calculate the spectral indices.
         /// Default value = 512.
         /// Units=samples
         /// </summary>
         public int FrameLength { get; set; }
 
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Gets or sets the ResampleRate.
-        /// ResampleRate must be 2 X the desired Nyquist.
-        /// Default value = 22050.
-        /// Once upon a time we used 17640.
-        /// Units=samples
-        /// </summary>
-        public int ResampleRate { get; set; }
-
         /// <summary>
         /// Gets or sets the LowFreqBound.
         /// Default value = 1000.
@@ -116,84 +136,71 @@ public IndexCalculateConfig()
         /// <summary>
         /// Frequency scale is Linear or OCtave
         /// </summary>
-        public FreqScaleType frequencyScaleType;
-
-        // Added details for bands
-        public double MinBandWidth { get; set; }
-
-        public double MaxBandWidth { get; set; }
-
-        public int MelScale { get; set; }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Gets or sets the type of Herz frequency scale
-        /// </summary>
-        public void SetTypeOfFreqScale(string scaleName)
+        public FreqScaleType FrequencyScaleType
         {
-            if (scaleName == "Linear")
+            get => this.frequencyScaleType;
+            set
             {
-                this.frequencyScaleType = FreqScaleType.Linear;
-            }
-            else
-            if (scaleName == "Linear125Octaves7Tones28Nyquist32000")
-            {
-                this.frequencyScaleType = FreqScaleType.Linear125Octaves7Tones28Nyquist32000;
-            }
-            else
-            if (scaleName == "Octave")
-            {
-                this.frequencyScaleType = FreqScaleType.Linear125Octaves7Tones28Nyquist32000;
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                throw new Exception("ERROR:    Invalid FrequencyScaleType");
+                // only a subset of FreqScaleType are supported
+                switch (value)
+                {
+                    case FreqScaleType.Linear:
+                    case FreqScaleType.Octave:
+                        this.frequencyScaleType = value;
+                        break;
+                    default:
+                        throw new ArgumentException($"Invalid value set for {nameof(this.frequencyScaleType)}");
+                }
+                this.frequencyScaleType = value;
             }
         }
 
-        public FreqScaleType GetTypeOfFreqScale()
-        {
-            return this.frequencyScaleType;
-        }
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Gets or sets the fraction-valued minimum to be used in a pseudo-bandpass filter.
+        /// </summary>
+        public double MinBandWidth { get; set; }
 
-        public static IndexCalculateConfig GetDefaultConfig()
-        {
-            return new IndexCalculateConfig();
-        }
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Gets or sets the fraction-valued maximum to be used in a pseudo-bandpass filter.
+        /// </summary>
+        public double MaxBandWidth { get; set; }
 
         /// <summary>
-        /// Link method to one which does the real work.
+        /// Gets or sets the number of Mel-scale filter banks to use.
         /// </summary>
-        /// <param name="configFile">the config file to be read dynamically</param>
-        public static IndexCalculateConfig GetConfig(FileInfo configFile)
-        {
-            dynamic dynamicConfig = Yaml.Deserialise(configFile);
-            var config = IndexCalculateConfig.GetConfig(dynamicConfig, false);
-            return config;
-        }
+        /// <remarks>
+        /// The default, 0, implies no operation
+        /// </remarks>
+        public int MelScale { get; set; }
 
         /// <summary>
         /// WARNING: This method does not incorporate all the parameters in the config.yml file.
         /// Only those that are likely to change.
         /// If you want to change a config parameter in the yml file make sure it appears in this method.
         /// </summary>
-        /// <param name="dynamicConfig">the dynamic config</param>
+        /// <param name="configuration">the Config config</param>
         /// <param name="writeParameters">default = false</param>
-        public static IndexCalculateConfig GetConfig(dynamic dynamicConfig, bool writeParameters = false)
+        [Obsolete("Incorporation of statically typed config should obviate need for this method")]
+        public static IndexCalculateConfig GetConfig(Config configuration,  bool writeParameters = false)
         {
             var config = new IndexCalculateConfig
             {
-                ResampleRate = (int?)dynamicConfig[AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate] ?? DefaultResampleRate,
-                FrameLength = (int?)dynamicConfig[AnalysisKeys.FrameLength] ?? DefaultWindowSize,
-                MidFreqBound = (int?)dynamicConfig[AnalysisKeys.MidFreqBound] ?? DefaultMidFreqBound,
-                LowFreqBound = (int?)dynamicConfig[AnalysisKeys.LowFreqBound] ?? DefaultLowFreqBound,
+                ResampleRate = configuration.GetIntOrNull(AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate) ?? DefaultResampleRate,
+                FrameLength = configuration.GetIntOrNull(AnalysisKeys.FrameLength) ?? DefaultWindowSize,
+                MidFreqBound = configuration.GetIntOrNull(AnalysisKeys.MidFreqBound) ?? DefaultMidFreqBound,
+                LowFreqBound = configuration.GetIntOrNull(AnalysisKeys.LowFreqBound) ?? DefaultLowFreqBound,
             };
 
-            double duration = (double?)dynamicConfig[AnalysisKeys.IndexCalculationDuration] ?? DefaultIndexCalculationDurationInSeconds;
-            config.IndexCalculationDuration = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(duration);
-            duration = (double?)dynamicConfig[AnalysisKeys.BgNoiseNeighbourhood] ?? 5.0;
-            config.BgNoiseBuffer = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(duration);
-            string stringvalue = (string)dynamicConfig["FrequencyScale"];
-            config.SetTypeOfFreqScale(stringvalue);
+            var duration = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.IndexCalculationDuration);
+            config.IndexCalculationDuration = (duration ?? DefaultIndexCalculationDurationInSeconds).Seconds();
+            duration = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull(AnalysisKeys.BgNoiseNeighbourhood) ;
+            config.BgNoiseNeighborhood = duration ?? DefaultBgNoiseNeighborhood;
+
+            if (!Enum.TryParse<FreqScaleType>(configuration["FrequencyScale"], true, out var scaleType))
+            {
+                scaleType = DefaultFrequencyScaleType;
+            }
+            config.FrequencyScaleType = scaleType;
 
             if (writeParameters)
             {
@@ -208,14 +215,9 @@ public static IndexCalculateConfig GetConfig(dynamic dynamicConfig, bool writePa
             return config;
         }
 
-        public static void WriteConfig(IndexCalculateConfig config, FileInfo configFile)
-        {
-            Yaml.Serialise<IndexCalculateConfig>(configFile, config);
-        }
-
         public bool Equals(IndexCalculateConfig other)
         {
-            return _comparer.Equals(this, other);
+            return Comparer.Equals(this, other);
         }
 
         public override bool Equals(object obj)
@@ -225,7 +227,14 @@ public override bool Equals(object obj)
 
         public override int GetHashCode()
         {
-            return _comparer.GetHashCode(this);
+            return Comparer.GetHashCode(this);
+        }
+
+        object ICloneable.Clone()
+        {
+            IndexCalculateConfig deepClone = this.DeepClone<IndexCalculateConfig>();
+            Log.Trace("Cloning a copy of IndexCalculateConfig");
+            return deepClone;
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexProperties.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexProperties.cs
index 06f00bced..27fafe27b 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexProperties.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexProperties.cs
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ namespace AudioAnalysisTools.Indices
     using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Shared.Contracts;
 
+    using AnalysisBase;
+
     using TowseyLibrary;
     using YamlDotNet.Serialization;
 
@@ -30,6 +32,27 @@ namespace AudioAnalysisTools.Indices
     public interface IIndexPropertyReferenceConfiguration
     {
         string IndexPropertiesConfig { get; set; }
+
+        Dictionary<string, IndexProperties> IndexProperties { get; }
+    }
+
+    public abstract class AnalyzerConfigIndexProperties : AnalyzerConfig, IIndexPropertyReferenceConfiguration
+    {
+        private string indexPropertiesConfig;
+
+        public string IndexPropertiesConfig
+        {
+            get => this.indexPropertiesConfig;
+            set
+            {
+                this.indexPropertiesConfig = value;
+                var indicesPropertiesConfig = Indices.IndexProperties.Find(this, this.ConfigPath);
+                this.indexPropertiesConfig = indicesPropertiesConfig.Path.ToOsPath();
+                this.IndexProperties = Indices.IndexProperties.GetIndexProperties(indicesPropertiesConfig);
+            }
+        }
+
+        public Dictionary<string, IndexProperties> IndexProperties { get; private set; }
     }
 
     /// <summary>
@@ -40,6 +63,12 @@ public interface IIndexPropertyReferenceConfiguration
     /// </summary>
     public class IndexProperties
     {
+
+        static IndexProperties()
+        {
+            ConfigFile.Defaults.Add(typeof(Dictionary<string, IndexProperties>), "IndexPropertiesConfig.yml");
+        }
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="IndexProperties"/> class.
         /// constructor sets default values
@@ -272,13 +301,14 @@ public static Dictionary<string, IndexProperties> GetIndexProperties(FileInfo co
             return GetIndexProperties(configFile.ToFileEntry());
         }
 
+        // TODO: refactor this caching into ConfigFile generally
         public static Dictionary<string, IndexProperties> GetIndexProperties(FileEntry configFile)
         {
             Contract.RequiresNotNull(configFile, nameof(configFile));
 
             // AT: the effects of this method have been significantly altered
             // a) caching introduced - unknown effects for parallelism and dodgy file rewriting stuff
-            // b) static deserialization utilized (instead of dynamic)
+            // b) static deserialization utilized (instead of Config)
             lock (CachedProperties)
             {
                 Dictionary<string, IndexProperties> props;
@@ -307,45 +337,45 @@ public static Dictionary<string, IndexProperties> GetIndexProperties(FileEntry c
             }
         }
 
-        public static FileInfo Find(dynamic configuration, FileInfo originalConfigFile)
+        public static FileInfo Find(Config configuration, FileInfo originalConfigFile, bool allowDefault = false)
         {
             if (configuration == null)
             {
                 return null;
             }
 
-            return Find((string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.KeyIndexPropertiesConfig], originalConfigFile?.ToFileEntry())?.ToFileInfo();
+            return Find(configuration[AnalysisKeys.KeyIndexPropertiesConfig], originalConfigFile?.ToFileEntry(), allowDefault)?.ToFileInfo();
         }
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Locate and IndexPropertiesConfig.yml file from the IndexPropertiesConfig key in a config file.
         /// </summary>
-        public static FileEntry Find(IIndexPropertyReferenceConfiguration configuration, FileInfo originalConfigFile)
+        public static FileEntry Find(IIndexPropertyReferenceConfiguration configuration, string originalConfigpath, bool allowDefault = false)
         {
             if (configuration == null)
             {
                 return null;
             }
 
-            return Find(configuration.IndexPropertiesConfig, originalConfigFile.ToFileEntry());
+            return Find(configuration.IndexPropertiesConfig, originalConfigpath.ToFileEntry());
         }
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Locate and IndexPropertiesConfig.yml file from the IndexPropertiesConfig key in a config file.
         /// </summary>
-        public static FileEntry Find(IIndexPropertyReferenceConfiguration configuration, FileEntry originalConfigFile)
+        public static FileEntry Find(IIndexPropertyReferenceConfiguration configuration, FileEntry originalConfigFile, bool allowDefault = false)
         {
             if (configuration == null)
             {
                 return null;
             }
 
-            return Find(configuration.IndexPropertiesConfig, originalConfigFile);
+            return Find(configuration.IndexPropertiesConfig, originalConfigFile, allowDefault);
         }
 
-        public static FileEntry Find(string relativePath, FileEntry originalConfigFile)
+        public static FileEntry Find(string relativePath, FileEntry originalConfigFile, bool allowDefault = false)
         {
-            var found = ConfigFile.TryResolveConfigFile(
+            var found = ConfigFile.TryResolve(
                 relativePath,
                 new[] { originalConfigFile.Parent },
                 out var configFile);
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogram3D.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogram3D.cs
index 18f7a96f0..6c8ab67cc 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogram3D.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogram3D.cs
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ namespace AudioAnalysisTools.LongDurationSpectrograms
     using System.IO;
     using System.Reflection;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using Indices;
     using log4net;
     using StandardSpectrograms;
@@ -616,16 +618,15 @@ public static List<string> GetDataSlice(DirectoryInfo dataTableDir, string key,
 
         private static Dictionary<string, string> GetConfiguration(FileInfo configFile)
         {
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(configFile);
+            var configuration = ConfigFile.Deserialize(configFile);
 
-            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>((Dictionary<string, string>)configuration)
+            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>(configuration.ToDictionary())
             {
-                [AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = ((bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] ?? true).ToString(),
-                [AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? true,
+                [AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = (configuration.GetBoolOrNull(AnalysisKeys.AddAxes) ?? true).ToString(),
+                [AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = (configuration.GetBoolOrNull(AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack) ?? true).ToString(),
                 [AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] ?? "true",
                 [AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] ?? "true",
-                [AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] =
-                (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? "true",
+                [AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? "true",
             };
 
             return configDict;
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramConfig.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramConfig.cs
index 8cb3d6042..eed1c8d35 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramConfig.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramConfig.cs
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ public double CalculateYAxisTickInterval(double sampleRate, double frameWidth)
         }
 
         /// <summary>
-        /// READS A YAML CONFIG FILE into a dynamic variable and then transfers all values into the appropriate config class
+        /// READS A YAML CONFIG FILE into a Config variable and then transfers all values into the appropriate config class
         /// </summary>
         /// <returns>
         /// The <see cref="LdSpectrogramConfig"/>.
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramConfigOfJie.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramConfigOfJie.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index 48fd40dc4..000000000
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramConfigOfJie.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,216 +0,0 @@
-// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// <copyright file="LDSpectrogramConfigOfJie.cs" company="QutEcoacoustics">
-// All code in this file and all associated files are the copyright and property of the QUT Ecoacoustics Research Group (formerly MQUTeR, and formerly QUT Bioacoustics Research Group).
-// </copyright>
-// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-namespace AudioAnalysisTools.LongDurationSpectrograms
-{
-    using System;
-    using System.IO;
-
-    using Acoustics.Shared;
-
-    using YamlDotNet.Serialization;
-
-    /// <summary>
-    ///     CONFIG CLASS FOR the class LDSpectrogramRGB
-    /// </summary>
-    public class LdSpectrogramConfigOfJie
-    {
-        /// <summary>
-        ///  mark 1 kHz intervals
-        /// </summary>
-        private int yAxisTicInterval = 1000;
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="LdSpectrogramConfig"/> class.
-        /// CONSTRUCTOR
-        /// </summary>
-        /// <param name="fileName">
-        /// </param>
-        /// <param name="inputDirectory">
-        /// </param>
-        /// <param name="outputDirectory">
-        /// </param>
-        public LdSpectrogramConfigOfJie(string fileName, DirectoryInfo inputDirectory, DirectoryInfo outputDirectory)
-            : this()
-        {
-            this.FileName = fileName;
-            this.InputDirectoryInfo = inputDirectory;
-            this.OutputDirectoryInfo = outputDirectory;
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="LdSpectrogramConfig"/> class.
-        /// CONSTRUCTOR
-        /// </summary>
-        public LdSpectrogramConfigOfJie()
-        {
-            // default values
-            this.AnalysisType = SpectrogramConstants.DefaultAnalysisType;
-            this.XAxisTicInterval = SpectrogramConstants.X_AXIS_TIC_INTERVAL;
-            this.IndexCalculationDuration = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(1.0);
-            this.SampleRate = SpectrogramConstants.SAMPLE_RATE;
-            this.MinuteOffset = SpectrogramConstants.MINUTE_OFFSET;
-            this.FrameWidth = SpectrogramConstants.FRAME_LENGTH;
-            this.ColourMap1 = SpectrogramConstants.RGBMap_BGN_PMN_EVN;
-            this.ColourMap2 = SpectrogramConstants.RGBMap_ACI_ENT_CVR;
-            this.BackgroundFilterCoeff = SpectrogramConstants.BACKGROUND_FILTER_COEFF;
-        }
-
-        private string comment1 = "LIST OF PARAMETER SETTINGS USED TO OBTAIN THE SUMMARY AND SPECTRAL INDICES IN THIS DIRECTORY.";
-        public  string COMMENT1 { get { return this.comment1; } set { this.comment1 = value; } }
-        private string comment2 = "RESULTS OBTAINED WITH CLASS: AnalyseLongRecording.         ACTIVITY: audio2csv";
-        public  string COMMENT2 { get { return this.comment2; } set { this.comment2 = value; } }
-        private string comment3 = "THE BELOW PARAMETER VALUES ARE RELEVANT FOR CONSTRUCTING THE TILES OF A ZOOMING SPECTROGRAM.";
-        public  string COMMENT3 { get { return this.comment3; } set { this.comment3 = value; } }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Name of the analysis type used in file name extentions etc.
-        /// </summary>
-        public string AnalysisType { get; set; }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///
-        /// </summary>
-        public double BackgroundFilterCoeff { get; set; }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// these parameters manipulate the colour map and appearance of the false-colour spectrogram
-        /// </summary>
-        public string ColourMap1 { get; set; }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// these parameters manipulate the colour map and appearance of the false-colour spectrogram
-        ///  pass two colour maps because interesting to draw a double image.
-        /// </summary>
-        public string ColourMap2 { get; set; }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///
-        /// </summary>
-        public string FileName { get; set; }
-
-        private string comment4 = "FRAME WIDTH is used without overlap to calculate spectral indices";
-        public  string COMMENT4 { get { return this.comment4; } set { this.comment4 = value; } }
-        /// <summary>
-        ///  default value for frame width from which spectrogram was derived.
-        /// </summary>
-        public int FrameWidth { get; set; }
-
-        private string comment5 = "FRAME STEP (in samples) is only used for saving spectrogram data. Not used when calculating indices";
-        public  string COMMENT5 { get { return this.comment5; } set { this.comment5 = value; } }
-        /// <summary>
-        ///  default value for frame step from which spectrogram was derived. There may be overlap.
-        /// </summary>
-        public int FrameStep { get; set; }
-
-        [YamlIgnore]
-        public DirectoryInfo InputDirectoryInfo { get; set; }
-
-        public string InputDirectory
-        {
-            get
-            {
-                return this.InputDirectoryInfo.FullName;
-            }
-
-            set
-            {
-                this.InputDirectoryInfo = value.ToDirectoryInfo();
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// default recording starts at zero minute of day i.e. midnight
-        /// </summary>
-        public TimeSpan MinuteOffset { get; set; }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///
-        /// </summary>
-        [YamlIgnore]
-        public DirectoryInfo OutputDirectoryInfo { get; set; }
-
-        public string OutputDirectory
-        {
-            get
-            {
-                return this.OutputDirectoryInfo.FullName;
-            }
-
-            set
-            {
-                this.OutputDirectoryInfo = value.ToDirectoryInfo();
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        ///
-        /// </summary>
-        public int SampleRate { get; set; }
-
-
-
-        private string comment6 = "IndexCalculationDuration (TimeSpan in seconds) is used to calculate summary and spectral indices";
-        public  string COMMENT6 { get { return this.comment6; } set { this.comment6 = value; } }
-        /// <summary>
-        /// The default is one minute spectra i.e. 60 per hour.  However, as of January 2015, this is not fixed.
-        /// User must enter the time span over which indices are calculated.
-        /// This TimeSpan is used to calculate a tic interval that is appropriate to the time scale of the spectrogram.
-        /// </summary>
-        public TimeSpan IndexCalculationDuration { get; set; }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// The default is the entire segment i.e. typically of one minute duration.  However, as of January 2015, this is not fixed.
-        /// User must enter the time span over which indices are calculated.
-        /// If IndexCalculationDuration is set to a brief duration such as 0.2 seconds, then
-        /// the backgroundnoise will be calculated from N seconds before the current subsegment to N seconds after => N secs + subseg duration + N secs
-        /// </summary>
-        public TimeSpan BGNoiseNeighbourhood { get; set; }
-
-
-
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// The default is one minute spectra i.e. 60 per hour
-        /// But as of January 2015, this is not fixed. The user can adjust
-        ///  the tic interval to be appropriate to the time scale of the spectrogram.
-        /// </summary>
-        public TimeSpan XAxisTicInterval { get; set; }
-
-        public int YAxisTicInterval
-        {
-            get
-            {
-                // convert 1000 Hz to a freq bin interval.
-                double freqBinWidth = this.SampleRate / (double)this.FrameWidth;
-                return (int)Math.Round(this.yAxisTicInterval / freqBinWidth);
-            }
-
-            set
-            {
-                this.yAxisTicInterval = value;
-            }
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// READS A YAML CONFIG FILE into a dynamic variable and then transfers all values into the appropriate config class
-        /// </summary>
-        /// <param name="path">
-        /// </param>
-        /// <returns>
-        /// The <see cref="LdSpectrogramConfig"/>.
-        /// </returns>
-        public static LdSpectrogramConfigOfJie ReadYamlToConfig(FileInfo path)
-        {
-            return Yaml.Deserialise<LdSpectrogramConfigOfJie>(path);
-        }
-
-        public void WriteConfigToYaml(FileInfo path)
-        {
-            Yaml.Serialise(path, this);
-        }
-    }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramDifference.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramDifference.cs
index 5fe98fa27..e4e17808c 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramDifference.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramDifference.cs
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ namespace AudioAnalysisTools.LongDurationSpectrograms
     using System.Drawing;
     using System.Drawing.Imaging;
     using System.IO;
+
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using TowseyLibrary;
 
     public static class LdSpectrogramDifference
@@ -25,29 +28,29 @@ public static class LdSpectrogramDifference
         // depracated May 2017
         // private static double colourGain = SpectrogramConstants.COLOUR_GAIN;
 
-        public static void DrawDifferenceSpectrogram(dynamic configuration)
+        public static void DrawDifferenceSpectrogram(Config configuration)
         {
-            string ipdir = configuration.InputDirectory;
-            string ipFileName1 = configuration.IndexFile1;
-            string ipFileName2 = configuration.IndexFile2;
-            string opdir = configuration.OutputDirectory;
-            string map = configuration.ColorMap;
+            var ipdir = configuration["InputDirectory"].ToDirectoryInfo();
+            var ipFileName1 = configuration["IndexFile1"].ToFileInfo();
+            var ipFileName2 = configuration["IndexFile2"].ToFileInfo();
+            var opdir = configuration["OutputDirectory"].ToDirectoryInfo();
+            string map = configuration.GetStringOrNull("ColorMap");
 
             // assigns indices to RGB
             colorMap = map ?? SpectrogramConstants.RGBMap_ACI_ENT_CVR;
 
-            backgroundFilterCoeff = (double?)configuration.BackgroundFilterCoeff ?? SpectrogramConstants.BACKGROUND_FILTER_COEFF;
+            backgroundFilterCoeff = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("BackgroundFilterCoeff") ?? SpectrogramConstants.BACKGROUND_FILTER_COEFF;
 
             // depracated May 2017
             // colourGain = (double?)configuration.ColourGain ?? SpectrogramConstants.COLOUR_GAIN;  // determines colour saturation
 
             // These parameters describe the frequency and time scales for drawing the X and Y axes on the spectrograms
-            minuteOffset = (TimeSpan?)configuration.MinuteOffset ?? SpectrogramConstants.MINUTE_OFFSET;   // default = zero minute of day i.e. midnight
-            xScale = (TimeSpan?)configuration.X_Scale ?? SpectrogramConstants.X_AXIS_TIC_INTERVAL; // default is one minute spectra i.e. 60 per hour
-            sampleRate = (int?)configuration.SampleRate ?? SpectrogramConstants.SAMPLE_RATE;
-            frameWidth = (int?)configuration.FrameWidth ?? SpectrogramConstants.FRAME_LENGTH;
+            minuteOffset = configuration.GetTimeSpanOrNull("MinuteOffset") ?? SpectrogramConstants.MINUTE_OFFSET;   // default = zero minute of day i.e. midnight
+            xScale = configuration.GetTimeSpanOrNull("X_Scale") ?? SpectrogramConstants.X_AXIS_TIC_INTERVAL; // default is one minute spectra i.e. 60 per hour
+            sampleRate = configuration.GetIntOrNull("SampleRate") ?? SpectrogramConstants.SAMPLE_RATE;
+            frameWidth = configuration.GetIntOrNull("FrameWidth") ?? SpectrogramConstants.FRAME_LENGTH;
 
-            DrawDifferenceSpectrogram(new DirectoryInfo(ipdir), new FileInfo(ipFileName1), new FileInfo(ipFileName2), new DirectoryInfo(opdir));
+            DrawDifferenceSpectrogram(ipdir, ipFileName1, ipFileName2, opdir);
         }
 
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramDistance.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramDistance.cs
index 89eded50a..580f1cd1f 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramDistance.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramDistance.cs
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ namespace AudioAnalysisTools.LongDurationSpectrograms
     using System.Drawing.Imaging;
     using System.IO;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using Indices;
     using TowseyLibrary;
 
@@ -36,12 +38,12 @@ public static class LDSpectrogramDistance
         // assume one minute spectra and hourly time lines
         private static TimeSpan xScale = SpectrogramConstants.X_AXIS_TIC_INTERVAL;
 
-        public static void DrawDistanceSpectrogram(dynamic configuration)
+        public static void DrawDistanceSpectrogram(Config configuration)
         {
-            var inputDirectory = ((string)configuration.InputDirectory).ToDirectoryInfo();
-            var inputFileName1 = ((string)configuration.IndexFile1).ToFileInfo();
-            var inputFileName2 = ((string)configuration.IndexFile2).ToFileInfo();
-            var outputDirectory = ((string)configuration.OutputDirectory).ToDirectoryInfo();
+            var inputDirectory = ((string)configuration["InputDirectory"]).ToDirectoryInfo();
+            var inputFileName1 = ((string)configuration["IndexFile1"]).ToFileInfo();
+            var inputFileName2 = ((string)configuration["IndexFile2"]).ToFileInfo();
+            var outputDirectory = ((string)configuration["OutputDirectory"]).ToDirectoryInfo();
 
             // First, need to make an optional cast:
             // int? minuteOffset = confirguration.AnalysisStartOffset;
@@ -56,23 +58,22 @@ public static void DrawDistanceSpectrogram(dynamic configuration)
             // int minuteOffset = (int?)configuration.AnalysisStartOffset ?? 0;
 
             // These parameters manipulate the colour map and appearance of the false-colour spectrogram
-            string map = configuration.ColorMap;
+            string map = configuration.GetStringOrNull("ColorMap");
 
             // assigns indices to RGB
             colorMap = map ?? SpectrogramConstants.RGBMap_ACI_ENT_CVR;
-            backgroundFilterCoeff = (double?)configuration.BackgroundFilterCoeff ?? backgroundFilterCoeff;
+
+            backgroundFilterCoeff = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("BackgroundFilterCoeff") ?? backgroundFilterCoeff;
+
 
             // must be value <=1.0
 
             // These parameters describe the frequency and time scales for drawing the X and Y axes on the spectrograms
             // default recording starts at zero minute of day i.e. midnight
-            minuteOffset = (TimeSpan?)configuration.MinuteOffset ?? TimeSpan.Zero;
-
-            xScale = (TimeSpan?)configuration.X_Scale ?? SpectrogramConstants.X_AXIS_TIC_INTERVAL;
-
-            // default is one minute spectra i.e. 60 per hour
-            sampleRate = (int?)configuration.SampleRate ?? sampleRate; // default value - after resampling
-            frameWidth = (int?)configuration.FrameWidth ?? frameWidth;
+            minuteOffset = configuration.GetTimeSpanOrNull("MinuteOffset") ?? SpectrogramConstants.MINUTE_OFFSET;   // default = zero minute of day i.e. midnight
+            xScale = configuration.GetTimeSpanOrNull("X_Scale") ?? SpectrogramConstants.X_AXIS_TIC_INTERVAL; // default is one minute spectra i.e. 60 per hour
+            sampleRate = configuration.GetIntOrNull("SampleRate") ?? sampleRate;
+            frameWidth = configuration.GetIntOrNull("FrameWidth") ?? frameWidth;
 
             // frame width from which spectrogram was derived. Assume no frame overlap.
             DrawDistanceSpectrogram(inputDirectory, inputFileName1, inputFileName2, outputDirectory);
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramTStatistic.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramTStatistic.cs
index b20833a99..f4d01eb55 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramTStatistic.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/LDSpectrogramTStatistic.cs
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ namespace AudioAnalysisTools.LongDurationSpectrograms
     using System.Drawing;
     using System.Drawing.Imaging;
     using System.IO;
+
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using TowseyLibrary;
 
     public static class LdSpectrogramTStatistic
@@ -34,39 +37,40 @@ public static class LdSpectrogramTStatistic
         public const double T_STAT_THRESHOLD = 3.29;    // 0.05% confidence @ df=infinity
         private static double tStatThreshold = T_STAT_THRESHOLD;
 
-        public static void DrawTStatisticThresholdedDifferenceSpectrograms(dynamic configuration)
+        public static void DrawTStatisticThresholdedDifferenceSpectrograms(Config configuration)
         {
-            string ipdir = configuration.InputDirectory;
-            string ipFileName1 = configuration.IndexFile1;
-            string ipSdFileName1 = configuration.StdDevFile1;
-            string ipFileName2 = configuration.IndexFile2;
-            string ipSdFileName2 = configuration.StdDevFile2;
-            string opdir = configuration.OutputDirectory;
+            var ipdir = configuration["InputDirectory"].ToDirectoryInfo();
+            var ipFileName1 = configuration["IndexFile1"].ToFileInfo();
+            var ipFileName2 = configuration["IndexFile2"].ToFileInfo();
+            var opdir = configuration["OutputDirectory"].ToDirectoryInfo();
+            var ipSdFileName1 = configuration.GetStringOrNull("StdDevFile1").ToFileInfo();
+            var ipSdFileName2 = configuration.GetStringOrNull("StdDevFile2").ToFileInfo();
+            
 
             // These parameters manipulate the colour map and appearance of the false-colour spectrogram
-            string map = configuration.ColorMap;
+            string map = configuration.GetStringOrNull("ColorMap");
             colorMap = map ?? SpectrogramConstants.RGBMap_ACI_ENT_CVR;
 
-            backgroundFilterCoeff = (double?)configuration.BackgroundFilterCoeff ?? SpectrogramConstants.BACKGROUND_FILTER_COEFF;
+            backgroundFilterCoeff = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("BackgroundFilterCoeff") ?? SpectrogramConstants.BACKGROUND_FILTER_COEFF;
 
             // depracated May 2017
             // colourGain = (double?)configuration.ColourGain ?? SpectrogramConstants.COLOUR_GAIN;  // determines colour saturation
 
             // These parameters describe the frequency and time scales for drawing the X and Y axes on the spectrograms
-            minuteOffset = (TimeSpan?)configuration.MinuteOffset ?? SpectrogramConstants.MINUTE_OFFSET; // default = zero minute of day i.e. midnight
-            xScale = (TimeSpan?)configuration.X_Scale ?? SpectrogramConstants.X_AXIS_TIC_INTERVAL; // default is one minute spectra i.e. 60 per hour
-            sampleRate = (int?)configuration.SampleRate ?? SpectrogramConstants.SAMPLE_RATE;
-            frameWidth = (int?)configuration.FrameWidth ?? SpectrogramConstants.FRAME_LENGTH;
+            minuteOffset = configuration.GetTimeSpanOrNull("MinuteOffset") ?? SpectrogramConstants.MINUTE_OFFSET;   // default = zero minute of day i.e. midnight
+            xScale = configuration.GetTimeSpanOrNull("X_Scale") ?? SpectrogramConstants.X_AXIS_TIC_INTERVAL; // default is one minute spectra i.e. 60 per hour
+            sampleRate = configuration.GetIntOrNull("SampleRate") ?? SpectrogramConstants.SAMPLE_RATE;
+            frameWidth = configuration.GetIntOrNull("FrameWidth") ?? SpectrogramConstants.FRAME_LENGTH;
 
-            tStatThreshold = (double?)configuration.TStatThreshold ?? T_STAT_THRESHOLD;
+            tStatThreshold = configuration.GetDoubleOrNull("TStatThreshold") ?? T_STAT_THRESHOLD;
 
             DrawTStatisticThresholdedDifferenceSpectrograms(
-                new DirectoryInfo(ipdir),
-                new FileInfo(ipFileName1),
-                new FileInfo(ipSdFileName1),
-                new FileInfo(ipFileName2),
-                new FileInfo(ipSdFileName2),
-                new DirectoryInfo(opdir));
+                ipdir,
+                ipFileName1,
+                ipSdFileName1,
+                ipFileName2,
+                ipSdFileName2,
+                opdir);
         }
 
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/SpectrogramZoomingConfig.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/SpectrogramZoomingConfig.cs
index d6a88dfd2..ca5ca9ddb 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/SpectrogramZoomingConfig.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/SpectrogramZoomingConfig.cs
@@ -10,17 +10,38 @@
 namespace AudioAnalysisTools.LongDurationSpectrograms.Zooming
 {
     using System;
+    using System.Collections.Generic;
+
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
 
     using AudioAnalysisTools.Indices;
     using AudioAnalysisTools.TileImage;
 
-    public class SpectrogramZoomingConfig : IIndexPropertyReferenceConfiguration
+    using Zio;
+
+    public class SpectrogramZoomingConfig : Config, IIndexPropertyReferenceConfiguration
     {
         public SpectrogramZoomingConfig()
         {
         }
 
-        public string IndexPropertiesConfig { get; set; }
+        private string indexPropertiesConfig;
+
+        public string IndexPropertiesConfig
+        {
+            get => this.indexPropertiesConfig;
+            set
+            {
+                this.indexPropertiesConfig = value;
+                // search
+                var indicesPropertiesConfig = Indices.IndexProperties.Find(this, this.ConfigPath);
+                this.indexPropertiesConfig = indicesPropertiesConfig.Path.ToOsPath();
+                // load
+                this.IndexProperties = Indices.IndexProperties.GetIndexProperties(indicesPropertiesConfig);
+            }
+        }
+
+        public Dictionary<string, IndexProperties> IndexProperties { get; set; }
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Gets or sets an optional reference to a config that defines
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/ZoomFocusedSpectrograms.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/ZoomFocusedSpectrograms.cs
index bd74f2cca..7900a8192 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/ZoomFocusedSpectrograms.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/ZoomFocusedSpectrograms.cs
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ namespace AudioAnalysisTools.LongDurationSpectrograms
     using System.IO;
     using System.Linq;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using DSP;
     using Indices;
     using StandardSpectrograms;
@@ -43,7 +45,7 @@ public static void DrawStackOfZoomedSpectrograms(DirectoryInfo inputDirectory, D
 
             var distributions = common.IndexDistributions;
             var indexGeneration = common.IndexGenerationData;
-            var indexProperties = common.IndexProperties;
+            var indexProperties = zoomConfig.IndexProperties;
 
             string fileStem = common.OriginalBasename;
 
@@ -456,17 +458,17 @@ public static Dictionary<string, double[,]> CompressFrameSpectrogram(Dictionary<
 
         private static Dictionary<string, string> GetConfigurationForConvCNN(FileInfo configFile)
         {
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(configFile);
+            Config configuration = ConfigFile.Deserialize(configFile);
 
-            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>((Dictionary<string, string>)configuration);
+            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>(configuration.ToDictionary()) {
+                [AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = (configuration.GetBoolOrNull(AnalysisKeys.AddAxes) ?? true).ToString(),
+                [AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = (configuration.GetBoolOrNull(AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack) ?? true).ToString(),
+                [AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] = (string) configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] ?? "true",
 
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = ((bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] ?? true).ToString();
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? true;
+                [AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] ?? "true",
 
-            ////bool makeSoxSonogram = (bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.MakeSoxSonogram] ?? false;
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] ?? "true";
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] ?? "true";
-            configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? "true";
+                [AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? "true",
+            };
             return configDict;
         }
 
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/ZoomParameters.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/ZoomParameters.cs
index e9afa1110..9e15c1e04 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/ZoomParameters.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/ZoomParameters.cs
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ namespace AudioAnalysisTools.LongDurationSpectrograms.Zooming
     using System.Linq;
 
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
     using Acoustics.Shared.Contracts;
     using Indices;
 
@@ -23,14 +24,10 @@ public class ZoomParameters
 
         public ZoomParameters(DirectoryEntry inputDirectory, FileEntry config, bool omitBasename)
         {
-            this.SpectrogramZoomingConfig = Yaml.Deserialise<SpectrogramZoomingConfig>(config);
+            this.SpectrogramZoomingConfig = ConfigFile.Deserialize<SpectrogramZoomingConfig>(config.ToFileInfo());
 
-            // search for index properties config
-            var indexPropertiesPath = Indices.IndexProperties.Find(this.SpectrogramZoomingConfig, config);
-            Log.Debug("Using index properties file: " + indexPropertiesPath?.FullName);
-
-            // load the index properties
-            this.IndexProperties = Indices.IndexProperties.GetIndexProperties(indexPropertiesPath);
+            // results of search for index properties config
+            Log.Debug("Using index properties file: " + this.SpectrogramZoomingConfig.IndexPropertiesConfig);
 
             // get the indexDistributions and the indexGenerationData AND the common.OriginalBasename
             var paths = CheckNeededFilesExist(inputDirectory);
@@ -48,8 +45,6 @@ public ZoomParameters(DirectoryEntry inputDirectory, FileEntry config, bool omit
 
         public SpectrogramZoomingConfig SpectrogramZoomingConfig { get; }
 
-        public Dictionary<string, IndexProperties> IndexProperties { get; }
-
         public IndexGenerationData IndexGenerationData { get; }
 
         public Dictionary<string, IndexDistributions.SpectralStats> IndexDistributions { get; }
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/ZoomTiledSpectrograms.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/ZoomTiledSpectrograms.cs
index 2e6014887..9d2cd68ff 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/ZoomTiledSpectrograms.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/LongDurationSpectrograms/Zooming/ZoomTiledSpectrograms.cs
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ public static void DrawTiles(
             LdSpectrogramConfig ldsConfig = common.SpectrogramZoomingConfig.LdSpectrogramConfig;
             var distributions = common.IndexDistributions;
             var indexGenerationData = common.IndexGenerationData;
-            var indexProperties = common.IndexProperties;
+            var indexProperties = zoomConfig.IndexProperties;
 
             string fileStem = common.OriginalBasename;
 
diff --git a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Oscillations2014.cs b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Oscillations2014.cs
index 7d1d333e7..1bf8a5b48 100644
--- a/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Oscillations2014.cs
+++ b/src/AudioAnalysisTools/Oscillations2014.cs
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ namespace AudioAnalysisTools
     using System.IO;
     using System.Linq;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using DSP;
     using MathNet.Numerics.LinearAlgebra.Double;
     using StandardSpectrograms;
@@ -140,12 +142,12 @@ public static void TESTMETHOD_DrawOscillationSpectrogram()
 
         public static Dictionary<string, string> GetConfigDictionary(FileInfo configFile, bool writeParameters)
         {
-            dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(configFile);
+            Config configuration = ConfigFile.Deserialize(configFile);
 
             // var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>((Dictionary<string, string>)configuration);
-            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>(dictionary: (Dictionary<string, string>)configuration)
+            var configDict = new Dictionary<string, string>()
             {
-                // below three lines are examples of retrieving info from dynamic config
+                // below three lines are examples of retrieving info from Config config
                 // string analysisIdentifier = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AnalysisName];
                 // bool saveIntermediateWavFiles = (bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.SaveIntermediateWavFiles] ?? false;
                 // scoreThreshold = (double?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.EventThreshold] ?? scoreThreshold;
@@ -153,10 +155,10 @@ public static Dictionary<string, string> GetConfigDictionary(FileInfo configFile
 
                 // Resample rate must be 2 X the desired Nyquist.
                 // WARNING: Default used to be the SR of the recording. NOW DEFAULT = 22050.
-                [AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate] ?? "22050",
+                [AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.ResampleRate] ?? "22050",
 
-                [AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = ((bool?)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] ?? true).ToString(),
-                [AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] ?? true,
+                [AnalysisKeys.AddAxes] = (configuration.GetBoolOrNull(AnalysisKeys.AddAxes) ?? true).ToString(),
+                [AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack] = (configuration.GetBoolOrNull(AnalysisKeys.AddSegmentationTrack) ?? true).ToString(),
             };
 
             configDict[AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] = (string)configuration[AnalysisKeys.AddTimeScale] ?? "true";
diff --git a/src/TowseyLibrary/TowseyLibrary.csproj b/src/TowseyLibrary/TowseyLibrary.csproj
index ac819ca6f..9a8b21357 100644
--- a/src/TowseyLibrary/TowseyLibrary.csproj
+++ b/src/TowseyLibrary/TowseyLibrary.csproj
@@ -95,32 +95,26 @@
     <Reference Include="alglibnet2, Version=0.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\alglibnet2.0.0.0\lib\alglibnet2.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="ColorMine">
+    <Reference Include="ColorMine, Version=1.1.3.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\ColorMine.1.1.3.0\lib\ColorMine.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="CsvHelper">
+    <Reference Include="CsvHelper, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=8c4959082be5c823, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\CsvHelper.2.16.2.0\lib\net45\CsvHelper.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="log4net">
+    <Reference Include="log4net, Version=2.0.8.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=669e0ddf0bb1aa2a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\log4net.2.0.8\lib\net45-full\log4net.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="MathNet.Numerics, Version=3.20.2.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\MathNet.Numerics.3.20.2\lib\net40\MathNet.Numerics.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks">
+    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks, Version=1.0.12.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Async.1.0.168\lib\net40\Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions">
+    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions, Version=1.0.12.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Async.1.0.168\lib\net40\Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.Desktop">
+    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.Desktop, Version=1.0.168.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Async.1.0.168\lib\net40\Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.Desktop.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System" />
     <Reference Include="System.Core">
@@ -130,9 +124,8 @@
     <Reference Include="System.Drawing" />
     <Reference Include="System.Net" />
     <Reference Include="System.Numerics" />
-    <Reference Include="System.ValueTuple">
+    <Reference Include="System.ValueTuple, Version=4.0.2.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc7b13ffcd2ddd51, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.ValueTuple.4.4.0-preview2-25405-01\lib\net461\System.ValueTuple.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System.Windows.Forms" />
     <Reference Include="System.Xml" />
@@ -211,10 +204,6 @@
       <Name>Acoustics.Shared</Name>
     </ProjectReference>
   </ItemGroup>
-  <ItemGroup>
-    <Analyzer Include="..\..\packages\StyleCop.Analyzers.1.1.0-beta004\analyzers\dotnet\cs\StyleCop.Analyzers.CodeFixes.dll" />
-    <Analyzer Include="..\..\packages\StyleCop.Analyzers.1.1.0-beta004\analyzers\dotnet\cs\StyleCop.Analyzers.dll" />
-  </ItemGroup>
   <Import Project="$(MSBuildBinPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
   <Import Project="..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets" Condition="Exists('..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets')" />
   <Target Name="EnsureNuGetPackageBuildImports" BeforeTargets="PrepareForBuild">
diff --git a/tests/AED.Test/AED.Test.fsproj b/tests/AED.Test/AED.Test.fsproj
index ffd315da5..a261c5f31 100644
--- a/tests/AED.Test/AED.Test.fsproj
+++ b/tests/AED.Test/AED.Test.fsproj
@@ -86,13 +86,13 @@
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Core.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack.Linq">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Linq.Community.3.0.0.0\Lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Linq.dll</HintPath>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Linq.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Linq.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack.Metadata">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Metadata.Community.3.0.0.0\Lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Metadata.dll</HintPath>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Metadata.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Metadata.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="FSharp.PowerPack.Parallel.Seq">
-      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Parallel.Seq.Community.3.0.0.0\Lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Parallel.Seq.dll</HintPath>
+      <HintPath>..\..\packages\FSPowerPack.Parallel.Seq.Community.3.0.0.0\lib\Net40\FSharp.PowerPack.Parallel.Seq.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="FsUnit.Xunit">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\FsUnit.xUnit.3.0.0\lib\net45\FsUnit.Xunit.dll</HintPath>
@@ -124,6 +124,16 @@
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.ValueTuple.4.3.1\lib\netstandard1.0\System.ValueTuple.dll</HintPath>
       <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
+    <ProjectReference Include="..\..\src\Acoustics.Shared.FSharp\Acoustics.Shared.FSharp.fsproj">
+      <Name>Acoustics.Shared.FSharp</Name>
+      <Project>{0a247cb0-779d-4e71-bd86-d3f1d233b7e9}</Project>
+      <Private>True</Private>
+    </ProjectReference>
+    <ProjectReference Include="..\..\src\AED\AED.fsproj">
+      <Name>AED</Name>
+      <Project>{d5dfd3d5-ef64-4f5b-867f-192daa7594fc}</Project>
+      <Private>True</Private>
+    </ProjectReference>
     <Reference Include="xunit.abstractions">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\xunit.abstractions.2.0.1\lib\net35\xunit.abstractions.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
@@ -137,18 +147,6 @@
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\xunit.extensibility.execution.2.2.0\lib\net452\xunit.execution.desktop.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
   </ItemGroup>
-  <ItemGroup>
-    <ProjectReference Include="..\..\src\Acoustics.Shared.FSharp\Acoustics.Shared.FSharp.fsproj">
-      <Name>Acoustics.Shared.FSharp</Name>
-      <Project>{0a247cb0-779d-4e71-bd86-d3f1d233b7e9}</Project>
-      <Private>True</Private>
-    </ProjectReference>
-    <ProjectReference Include="..\..\src\AED\AED.fsproj">
-      <Name>AED</Name>
-      <Project>{d5dfd3d5-ef64-4f5b-867f-192daa7594fc}</Project>
-      <Private>True</Private>
-    </ProjectReference>
-  </ItemGroup>
   <Import Project="..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets" Condition="Exists('..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets')" />
   <!-- To modify your build process, add your task inside one of the targets below and uncomment it. 
        Other similar extension points exist, see Microsoft.Common.targets.
diff --git a/tests/Acoustics.Test/Acoustics.Test.csproj b/tests/Acoustics.Test/Acoustics.Test.csproj
index c7b4288e6..c1dedaea3 100644
--- a/tests/Acoustics.Test/Acoustics.Test.csproj
+++ b/tests/Acoustics.Test/Acoustics.Test.csproj
@@ -42,74 +42,57 @@
     <Prefer32Bit>false</Prefer32Bit>
   </PropertyGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
-    <Reference Include="CsvHelper">
+    <Reference Include="CsvHelper, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=8c4959082be5c823, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\CsvHelper.2.16.2.0\lib\net45\CsvHelper.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Fasterflect">
+    <Reference Include="Fasterflect, Version=2.1.3.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=38d18473284c1ca7, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\fasterflect.2.1.3\lib\net40\Fasterflect.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="Microsoft.CSharp" />
-    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Data.Sqlite">
+    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Data.Sqlite, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=adb9793829ddae60, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Data.Sqlite.Core.2.0.0\lib\netstandard2.0\Microsoft.Data.Sqlite.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks">
+    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks, Version=1.0.12.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Async.1.0.168\lib\net40\Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions">
+    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions, Version=1.0.12.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Async.1.0.168\lib\net40\Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.Desktop">
+    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.Desktop, Version=1.0.168.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Async.1.0.168\lib\net40\Microsoft.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.Desktop.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestPlatform.TestFramework">
+    <Reference Include="Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestPlatform.TestFramework, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\MSTest.TestFramework.1.2.0-beta3\lib\net45\Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestPlatform.TestFramework.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestPlatform.TestFramework.Extensions">
+    <Reference Include="Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestPlatform.TestFramework.Extensions, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\MSTest.TestFramework.1.2.0-beta3\lib\net45\Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestPlatform.TestFramework.Extensions.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Win32.Primitives">
+    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Win32.Primitives, Version=4.0.2.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Microsoft.Win32.Primitives.4.3.0\lib\net46\Microsoft.Win32.Primitives.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Moq">
+    <Reference Include="Moq, Version=4.2.1502.911, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=69f491c39445e920, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Moq.4.2.1502.0911\lib\net40\Moq.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="MSTestExtensions">
+    <Reference Include="MSTestExtensions, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\MSTestExtensions.4.0.0\lib\MSTestExtensions.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Newtonsoft.Json">
+    <Reference Include="Newtonsoft.Json, Version=10.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=30ad4fe6b2a6aeed, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Newtonsoft.Json.10.0.3\lib\net45\Newtonsoft.Json.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="SmartFormat">
+    <Reference Include="SmartFormat, Version=2.1.0.2, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=568866805651201f, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\SmartFormat.Net.2.1.0.2\lib\net45\SmartFormat.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="SQLitePCLRaw.batteries_green">
+    <Reference Include="SQLitePCLRaw.batteries_green, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=a84b7dcfb1391f7f, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.bundle_green.1.1.9\lib\net45\SQLitePCLRaw.batteries_green.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="SQLitePCLRaw.batteries_v2">
+    <Reference Include="SQLitePCLRaw.batteries_v2, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=8226ea5df37bcae9, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.bundle_green.1.1.9\lib\net45\SQLitePCLRaw.batteries_v2.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="SQLitePCLRaw.core">
+    <Reference Include="SQLitePCLRaw.core, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=1488e028ca7ab535, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.core.1.1.9\lib\net45\SQLitePCLRaw.core.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="SQLitePCLRaw.provider.e_sqlite3">
+    <Reference Include="SQLitePCLRaw.provider.e_sqlite3, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=9c301db686d0bd12, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.provider.e_sqlite3.net45.1.1.9\lib\net45\SQLitePCLRaw.provider.e_sqlite3.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System" />
     <Reference Include="System.AppContext">
@@ -126,9 +109,8 @@
       <RequiredTargetFramework>3.5</RequiredTargetFramework>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System.Data" />
-    <Reference Include="System.Diagnostics.DiagnosticSource">
+    <Reference Include="System.Diagnostics.DiagnosticSource, Version=4.0.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=cc7b13ffcd2ddd51, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.Diagnostics.DiagnosticSource.4.3.0\lib\net46\System.Diagnostics.DiagnosticSource.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System.Diagnostics.Tracing">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.Diagnostics.Tracing.4.3.0\lib\net462\System.Diagnostics.Tracing.dll</HintPath>
@@ -183,9 +165,8 @@
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.Reflection.4.3.0\lib\net462\System.Reflection.dll</HintPath>
       <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="System.Reflection.TypeExtensions">
+    <Reference Include="System.Reflection.TypeExtensions, Version=4.1.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.Reflection.TypeExtensions.4.1.0\lib\net462\System.Reflection.TypeExtensions.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System.Runtime">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.Runtime.4.3.0\lib\net462\System.Runtime.dll</HintPath>
@@ -233,25 +214,21 @@
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\System.Xml.ReaderWriter.4.3.0\lib\net46\System.Xml.ReaderWriter.dll</HintPath>
       <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="xunit">
+    <Reference Include="xunit, Version=1.9.2.1705, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=8d05b1bb7a6fdb6c, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\xunit.1.9.2\lib\net20\xunit.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="YamlDotNet">
+    <Reference Include="YamlDotNet, Version=4.3.0.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\YamlDotNet.4.3.0\lib\net45\YamlDotNet.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
     <Reference Include="YamlDotNet.Dynamic, Version=3.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
       <HintPath>..\..\Extra Assemblies\YamlDotNet\YamlDotNet.Dynamic.dll</HintPath>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Zio">
+    <Reference Include="Zio, Version=0.3.6.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Zio.0.3.6\lib\net45\Zio.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
-    <Reference Include="Zio.FileSystems.Community.SqliteFileSystem">
+    <Reference Include="Zio.FileSystems.Community.SqliteFileSystem, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
       <HintPath>..\..\packages\Zio.FileSystems.Community.SqliteFileSystem.1.0.0\lib\netstandard2.0\Zio.FileSystems.Community.SqliteFileSystem.dll</HintPath>
-      <Private>True</Private>
     </Reference>
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
@@ -290,6 +267,7 @@
     <Compile Include="AudioAnalysisTools\TileImage\TilerTests.cs" />
     <Compile Include="AudioAnalysisTools\LongDurationSpectrograms\Zooming\ZoomTiledSpectrogramTests.cs" />
     <Compile Include="DotNetVersionTests.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="Shared\ConfigTests.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Shared\RangeTests.cs" />
     <Compile Include="TestHelpers\Factories\AudioRecordingFactory.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Tools\AudioFilePreparerTests.cs" />
@@ -394,10 +372,6 @@
       <Install>true</Install>
     </BootstrapperPackage>
   </ItemGroup>
-  <ItemGroup>
-    <Analyzer Include="..\..\packages\StyleCop.Analyzers.1.1.0-beta004\analyzers\dotnet\cs\StyleCop.Analyzers.CodeFixes.dll" />
-    <Analyzer Include="..\..\packages\StyleCop.Analyzers.1.1.0-beta004\analyzers\dotnet\cs\StyleCop.Analyzers.dll" />
-  </ItemGroup>
   <Import Project="$(MSBuildBinPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
   <PropertyGroup>
     <PostBuildEvent>rem copy configs
@@ -408,12 +382,22 @@ xcopy "$(SolutionDir)AnalysisConfigFiles" "$(TargetDir)ConfigFiles\" /S /Y</Post
       <ErrorText>This project references NuGet package(s) that are missing on this computer. Use NuGet Package Restore to download them.  For more information, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=322105. The missing file is {0}.</ErrorText>
     </PropertyGroup>
     <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets'))" />
+    <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\MSTest.TestAdapter.1.2.0-beta3\build\net45\MSTest.TestAdapter.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\MSTest.TestAdapter.1.2.0-beta3\build\net45\MSTest.TestAdapter.targets'))" />
+    <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.targets'))" />
+    <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.targets'))" />
+    <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.targets'))" />
+    <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets'))" />
     <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\MSTest.TestAdapter.1.2.0-beta3\build\net45\MSTest.TestAdapter.props')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\MSTest.TestAdapter.1.2.0-beta3\build\net45\MSTest.TestAdapter.props'))" />
     <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\MSTest.TestAdapter.1.2.0-beta3\build\net45\MSTest.TestAdapter.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\MSTest.TestAdapter.1.2.0-beta3\build\net45\MSTest.TestAdapter.targets'))" />
     <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.targets'))" />
     <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.targets'))" />
     <Error Condition="!Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.targets'))" />
   </Target>
+  <Import Project="..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets" Condition="Exists('..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.21\build\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets')" />
+  <Import Project="..\..\packages\MSTest.TestAdapter.1.2.0-beta3\build\net45\MSTest.TestAdapter.targets" Condition="Exists('..\..\packages\MSTest.TestAdapter.1.2.0-beta3\build\net45\MSTest.TestAdapter.targets')" />
+  <Import Project="..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.targets" Condition="Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.linux.targets')" />
+  <Import Project="..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.targets" Condition="Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.osx.targets')" />
+  <Import Project="..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.targets" Condition="Exists('..\..\packages\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.1.1.9\build\net35\SQLitePCLRaw.lib.e_sqlite3.v110_xp.targets')" />
   <!-- To modify your build process, add your task inside one of the targets below and uncomment it. 
        Other similar extension points exist, see Microsoft.Common.targets.
   <Target Name="BeforeBuild">
diff --git a/tests/Acoustics.Test/AnalysisPrograms/AnalyzeLongRecordings/TestAnalyzeLongRecording.cs b/tests/Acoustics.Test/AnalysisPrograms/AnalyzeLongRecordings/TestAnalyzeLongRecording.cs
index 87c3749ed..0f421a1ef 100644
--- a/tests/Acoustics.Test/AnalysisPrograms/AnalyzeLongRecordings/TestAnalyzeLongRecording.cs
+++ b/tests/Acoustics.Test/AnalysisPrograms/AnalyzeLongRecordings/TestAnalyzeLongRecording.cs
@@ -176,11 +176,11 @@ public void TestAnalyzeSr64000Recording()
             // Now need to rewrite the config file with new parameter settings
             var configPath = PathHelper.ResolveConfigFile("Towsey.Acoustic.yml");
 
-            // Convert the dynamic config to IndexCalculateConfig class and merge in the unnecesary parameters.
-            //dynamic configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(configPath);
+            // Convert the Config config to IndexCalculateConfig class and merge in the unnecesary parameters.
+            //Config configuration = Yaml.Deserialise(configPath);
             //IndexCalculateConfig config = IndexCalculateConfig.GetConfig(configuration, false);
 
-            // because of difficulties in dealing with dynamic config files, just edit the text file!!!!!
+            // because of difficulties in dealing with Config config files, just edit the text file!!!!!
             var configLines = File.ReadAllLines(configPath.FullName);
             configLines[configLines.IndexOf(x => x.StartsWith("IndexCalculationDuration: "))] = "IndexCalculationDuration: 15.0";
 
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ public void TestEnsuresFailureForNoDate()
             //indexPropertiesFile.CopyTo(Path.Combine(this.outputDirectory.FullName, "IndexPropertiesConfig.yml"));
 
             // modify config file
-            // because of difficulties in dealing with dynamic config files, just edit the text file!!!!!
+            // because of difficulties in dealing with Config config files, just edit the text file!!!!!
             var configLines = File.ReadAllLines(configPath.FullName);
             configLines[configLines.IndexOf(x => x.StartsWith("RequireDateInFilename:"))] = "RequireDateInFilename: true";
 
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ public void TestEnsuresFailureWithAmbiguousDate()
             //indexPropertiesFile.CopyTo(Path.Combine(this.outputDirectory.FullName, "IndexPropertiesConfig.yml"));
 
             // modify config file
-            // because of difficulties in dealing with dynamic config files, just edit the text file!!!!!
+            // because of difficulties in dealing with Config config files, just edit the text file!!!!!
             var configLines = File.ReadAllLines(configPath.FullName);
             configLines[configLines.IndexOf(x => x.StartsWith("RequireDateInFilename:"))] = "RequireDateInFilename: true";
 
diff --git a/tests/Acoustics.Test/App.config b/tests/Acoustics.Test/App.config
index cfaf69007..645178e8c 100644
--- a/tests/Acoustics.Test/App.config
+++ b/tests/Acoustics.Test/App.config
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@
       </dependentAssembly>
       <dependentAssembly>
         <assemblyIdentity name="System.Runtime" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
-        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.2.0" newVersion="4.1.2.0" />
+        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.1.0" newVersion="4.1.1.0" />
       </dependentAssembly>
       <dependentAssembly>
         <assemblyIdentity name="System.Threading.Tasks" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
@@ -113,23 +113,23 @@
       </dependentAssembly>
       <dependentAssembly>
         <assemblyIdentity name="System.Reflection" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
-        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.2.0" newVersion="4.1.2.0" />
+        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.1.0" newVersion="4.1.1.0" />
       </dependentAssembly>
       <dependentAssembly>
         <assemblyIdentity name="System.Runtime.Extensions" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
-        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.2.0" newVersion="4.1.2.0" />
+        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.1.0" newVersion="4.1.1.0" />
       </dependentAssembly>
       <dependentAssembly>
         <assemblyIdentity name="System.Diagnostics.Tracing" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
-        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.2.0.0" newVersion="4.2.0.0" />
+        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.1.0" newVersion="4.1.1.0" />
       </dependentAssembly>
       <dependentAssembly>
         <assemblyIdentity name="System.Net.Http" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
-        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.2.0.0" newVersion="4.2.0.0" />
+        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.1.0" newVersion="4.1.1.0" />
       </dependentAssembly>
       <dependentAssembly>
         <assemblyIdentity name="System.Runtime.InteropServices" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
-        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.2.0" newVersion="4.1.2.0" />
+        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-4.1.0.0" newVersion="4.1.0.0" />
       </dependentAssembly>
       <dependentAssembly>
         <assemblyIdentity name="FSharp.Core" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
diff --git a/tests/Acoustics.Test/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexCalculateTest.cs b/tests/Acoustics.Test/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexCalculateTest.cs
index e681efdea..b1ffd2f1f 100644
--- a/tests/Acoustics.Test/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexCalculateTest.cs
+++ b/tests/Acoustics.Test/AudioAnalysisTools/Indices/IndexCalculateTest.cs
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ namespace Acoustics.Test.AudioAnalysisTools.Indices
     using System;
     using System.IO;
     using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
     using global::AudioAnalysisTools.DSP;
     using global::AudioAnalysisTools.Indices;
     using global::AudioAnalysisTools.WavTools;
@@ -59,7 +61,7 @@ public void TestOfSummaryIndices()
                 this.outputDirectory.Create();
             }
 
-            var indexCalculateConfig = IndexCalculateConfig.GetConfig(configFile);
+            var indexCalculateConfig = ConfigFile.Deserialize<IndexCalculateConfig>(configFile);
 
             // CHANGE CONFIG PARAMETERS HERE IF REQUIRED
             //indexCalculateConfig.IndexCalculationDuration = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(20);
@@ -68,7 +70,7 @@ public void TestOfSummaryIndices()
             var results = IndexCalculate.Analysis(
                 new AudioRecording(sourceRecording),
                 TimeSpan.Zero,
-                indexPropertiesConfig,
+                indexCalculateConfig.IndexProperties,
                 22050,
                 TimeSpan.Zero,
                 indexCalculateConfig,
@@ -118,7 +120,7 @@ public void TestOfSpectralIndices()
                 this.outputDirectory.Create();
             }
 
-            var indexCalculateConfig = IndexCalculateConfig.GetConfig(configFile);
+            var indexCalculateConfig = ConfigFile.Deserialize<IndexCalculateConfig>(configFile);
 
             // CHANGE CONFIG PARAMETERS HERE IF REQUIRED
             //indexCalculateConfig.IndexCalculationDuration = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(20);
@@ -127,7 +129,7 @@ public void TestOfSpectralIndices()
             var results = IndexCalculate.Analysis(
                 new AudioRecording(sourceRecording),
                 TimeSpan.Zero,
-                indexPropertiesConfig,
+                indexCalculateConfig.IndexProperties,
                 22050,
                 TimeSpan.Zero,
                 indexCalculateConfig,
@@ -254,13 +256,13 @@ public void TestOfSpectralIndices_ICD20()
             var recording = new AudioRecording(sourceRecording);
 
             // CHANGE CONFIG PARAMETERS HERE IF REQUIRED
-            var indexCalculateConfig = IndexCalculateConfig.GetConfig(configFile);
+            var indexCalculateConfig = ConfigFile.Deserialize<IndexCalculateConfig>(configFile);
             indexCalculateConfig.IndexCalculationDuration = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(20);
 
             var results = IndexCalculate.Analysis(
                 recording,
                 TimeSpan.FromSeconds(40), // assume that this is the third of three 20 second subsegments
-                indexPropertiesConfig,
+                indexCalculateConfig.IndexProperties,
                 22050,
                 TimeSpan.Zero,
                 indexCalculateConfig,
@@ -317,15 +319,16 @@ public void TestOfSpectralIndices_Octave()
             }
 
             // CHANGE CONFIG PARAMETERS HERE IF REQUIRED
-            var indexCalculateConfig = IndexCalculateConfig.GetConfig(configFile);
-            indexCalculateConfig.SetTypeOfFreqScale("Octave");
-            var freqScale = new FrequencyScale(indexCalculateConfig.GetTypeOfFreqScale());
+            var indexCalculateConfig = ConfigFile.Deserialize<IndexCalculateConfig>(configFile);
+            indexCalculateConfig.FrequencyScaleType = FreqScaleType.Octave;
+
+            var freqScale = new FrequencyScale(indexCalculateConfig.FrequencyScaleType);
             indexCalculateConfig.FrameLength = freqScale.WindowSize;
 
             var results = IndexCalculate.Analysis(
                 subsegmentRecording,
                 TimeSpan.Zero,
-                indexPropertiesConfig,
+                indexCalculateConfig.IndexProperties,
                 sampleRate,
                 TimeSpan.Zero,
                 indexCalculateConfig,
diff --git a/tests/Acoustics.Test/Shared/ConfigFileTests.cs b/tests/Acoustics.Test/Shared/ConfigFileTests.cs
index b971d1444..630fc05e1 100644
--- a/tests/Acoustics.Test/Shared/ConfigFileTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Acoustics.Test/Shared/ConfigFileTests.cs
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ public void ChecksPresentWorkingDirectory()
             // check for file of the same name in (relative to) working directory
             var config = this.WriteConfigFile().Name;
 
-            var actual = ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(config);
+            var actual = ConfigFile.Resolve(config);
 
             Assert.AreEqual(config, actual.Name);
             Assert.IsTrue(actual.Exists);
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ public void ChecksShippedConfigFiles()
             // check for file of the same name in (relative to AnalysisPrograms.exe) ConfigFiles directory
             var config = "Towsey.Acoustic.yml";
 
-            var actual = ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(config);
+            var actual = ConfigFile.Resolve(config);
 
             Assert.AreEqual(config, actual.Name);
             Assert.IsTrue(actual.Exists);
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ public void ChecksShippedConfigFilesNested()
             string fullPath = Path.Combine(AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory, "nested folder", "nestedAgain!");
             var config = this.WriteConfigFile(fullPath.ToDirectoryInfo());
 
-            var actual = ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(config);
+            var actual = ConfigFile.Resolve(config);
 
             Assert.AreEqual(config.FullName, actual.FullName);
 
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ public void ConfigFolderPropertyThrowsIfDoesNotExist()
             Assert.Throws<DirectoryNotFoundException>(
                 () =>
                     {
-                        var actual = ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile("whatever.yml");
+                        var actual = ConfigFile.Resolve("whatever.yml");
                     });
         }
 
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ public void IfAbsolutePathReturnsSameFile()
             // an absolute file path returns whatever config exists
             var config = this.WriteConfigFile(TempFileHelper.TempDir());
 
-            var actual = ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(config.FullName);
+            var actual = ConfigFile.Resolve(config.FullName);
 
             Assert.AreEqual(config.FullName, actual.FullName);
         }
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ public void IfAbsolutePathReturnsSameFileEvenFailing()
             // the below file will not exist
             var config = TempFileHelper.NewTempFile();
 
-            var actual = ConfigFile.TryResolveConfigFile(config.FullName, null, out _);
+            var actual = ConfigFile.TryResolve(config.FullName, null, out _);
 
             Assert.IsFalse(actual);
         }
@@ -111,9 +111,9 @@ public void TheResolveMethodThrows()
         {
             string config = "doesNotExist.yml";
 
-            Assert.Throws<ConfigFileException>(() => { ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(config); });
+            Assert.Throws<ConfigFileException>(() => { ConfigFile.Resolve(config); });
             Assert.Throws<ConfigFileException>(
-                () => { ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(config, Environment.CurrentDirectory.ToDirectoryInfo()); });
+                () => { ConfigFile.Resolve(config, Environment.CurrentDirectory.ToDirectoryInfo()); });
         }
 
         [TestMethod]
@@ -121,21 +121,21 @@ public void TheResolveMethodThrowsAbsolute()
         {
             string config = "C:\\doesNotExist.yml";
 
-            Assert.Throws<ConfigFileException>(() => { ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(config); });
+            Assert.Throws<ConfigFileException>(() => { ConfigFile.Resolve(config); });
             Assert.Throws<ConfigFileException>(
-                () => { ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(config, Environment.CurrentDirectory.ToDirectoryInfo()); });
+                () => { ConfigFile.Resolve(config, Environment.CurrentDirectory.ToDirectoryInfo()); });
         }
 
         [TestMethod]
         public void TheResolveMethodThrowsForBadInput()
         {
-            Assert.Throws<ConfigFileException>(() => { ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile("   "); });
+            Assert.Throws<ConfigFileException>(() => { ConfigFile.Resolve("   "); });
 
-            Assert.Throws<ArgumentException>(() => { ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(string.Empty); });
+            Assert.Throws<ArgumentException>(() => { ConfigFile.Resolve(string.Empty); });
 
-            Assert.Throws<ArgumentException>(() => { ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile((string)null); });
+            Assert.Throws<ArgumentException>(() => { ConfigFile.Resolve((string)null); });
 
-            Assert.Throws<ArgumentNullException>(() => { ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile((FileInfo)null); });
+            Assert.Throws<ArgumentNullException>(() => { ConfigFile.Resolve((FileInfo)null); });
         }
 
         [TestMethod]
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ public void TheResolveMethodWorksForFileInfo()
         {
             var config = this.WriteConfigFile();
 
-            var actual = ConfigFile.ResolveConfigFile(config);
+            var actual = ConfigFile.Resolve(config);
 
             Assert.AreEqual(config.FullName, actual.FullName);
         }
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ public void TheTryMethodDoesNotThrow()
         {
             string config = "doesNotExist.yml";
 
-            Assert.IsFalse(ConfigFile.TryResolveConfigFile(config, null, out _));
+            Assert.IsFalse(ConfigFile.TryResolve(config, null, out _));
         }
 
         [TestCleanup]
diff --git a/tests/Acoustics.Test/Shared/ConfigTests.cs b/tests/Acoustics.Test/Shared/ConfigTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..78f651203
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Acoustics.Test/Shared/ConfigTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+// <copyright file="ConfigTests.cs" company="QutEcoacoustics">
+// All code in this file and all associated files are the copyright and property of the QUT Ecoacoustics Research Group (formerly MQUTeR, and formerly QUT Bioacoustics Research Group).
+// </copyright>
+
+namespace Acoustics.Test.Shared
+{
+    using System;
+    using System.Collections.Generic;
+    using System.IO;
+
+    using Acoustics.Shared;
+    using Acoustics.Shared.ConfigFile;
+
+    using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
+
+    [TestClass]
+    public class ConfigTests
+    {
+        public const string TestYaml = @"---
+a: 123
+b: 456
+c:
+  d: whatever
+  e: 123.456
+f:
+  - g: 1
+    h: 2
+  - i: hello
+  - j: world
+k:
+  - ~
+  - null
+  - Null
+  - NULL
+  -
+l: true
+m: false
+";
+
+        private Config config;
+
+        [TestInitialize]
+        public void Initialize()
+        {
+            var reader = new StringReader(TestYaml);
+            this.config = new Config(reader, null);
+        }
+
+        [TestMethod]
+        public void ToDictionary()
+        {
+            var expected = new Dictionary<string, string>()
+                               {
+                                   { "a", "123" },
+                                   { "b", "456" },
+                                   { "c/d", "whatever" },
+                                   { "c/e", "123.456" },
+                                   { "f/0/g", "1" },
+                                   { "f/0/h", "2" },
+                                   { "f/1/i", "hello" },
+                                   { "f/2/j", "world" },
+                                   { "k/0", "~" },
+                                   { "k/0", "null" },
+                                   { "k/0", "Null" },
+                                   { "k/0", "NULL" },
+                                   { "l", "true" },
+                                   { "m", "false" },
+                               };
+
+#pragma warning disable 618 // obsolete method still needs to have tests
+            var actual = this.config.ToDictionary();
+#pragma warning restore 618
+            CollectionAssert.AreEquivalent(expected, actual);
+        }
+
+        [DataTestMethod]
+        [DataRow("a", 123)]
+        [DataRow("b", 456)]
+        [DataRow("c/d", "whatever")]
+        [DataRow("c/e", 123.456)]
+        [DataRow("f/0/g", 1)]
+        [DataRow("f/0/h", 2)]
+        [DataRow("f/1/i", "hello")]
+        [DataRow("f/2/j", "world")]
+        [DataRow("k/0", null)]
+        [DataRow("k/1", null)]
+        [DataRow("k/2", null)]
+        [DataRow("k/3", null)]
+        [DataRow("l", true)]
+        [DataRow("m", false)]
+        public void TestGetValue(string path, object value)
+        {
+            switch (value)
+            {
+                case bool b:
+                    var actualBool = this.config.GetBoolOrNull(path);
+                    Assert.AreEqual(b, actualBool);
+                    break;
+                case double d:
+                    var actualDouble = this.config.GetDoubleOrNull(path);
+                    Assert.AreEqual(d, actualDouble);
+                    break;
+                case int i:
+                    var actualInt = this.config.GetIntOrNull(path);
+                    Assert.AreEqual(i, actualInt);
+                    break;
+                case string s:
+                    var actualString = this.config.GetDoubleOrNull(path);
+                    Assert.AreEqual(s, actualString);
+                    break;
+                case null:
+                    Assert.IsTrue(this.config.TryGetDouble(path, out var actual));
+                    Assert.AreEqual(null, actual);
+                    Assert.IsTrue(this.config.TryGetDouble(path, out var actual1));
+                    Assert.AreEqual(null, actual1);
+                    Assert.IsTrue(this.config.TryGetDouble(path, out var actual2));
+                    Assert.AreEqual(null, actual2);
+                    break;
+                default:
+                    throw new InvalidOperationException();
+            }
+        }
+
+        // note the values here aren't actually used other than to get their type and call right method
+        [DataTestMethod]
+        [DataRow("", 123)]
+        [DataRow("z", 456)]
+        [DataRow("///", 456)]
+        [DataRow("\\", 456)]
+        [DataRow("a", "whatever")]
+        [DataRow("c/d", 123.456)]
+        [DataRow("f/10/g", 1)]
+        [DataRow("f/-1/h", 2)]
+        [DataRow("f/a/i", "hello")]
+        [DataRow("f/b/j", "world")]
+        public void TestGetValueFailing(string path, object value)
+        {
+            switch (value)
+            {
+                case double _:
+                    Assert.IsFalse(this.config.TryGetDouble(path, out var _));
+                    break;
+                case int _:
+                    Assert.IsFalse(this.config.TryGetInt(path, out var _));
+                    break;
+                case string _:
+                    Assert.IsFalse(this.config.TryGetString(path, out var _));
+                    break;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/Acoustics.Test/Shared/YamlTests.cs b/tests/Acoustics.Test/Shared/YamlTests.cs
index 27058260e..0df5ef6c9 100644
--- a/tests/Acoustics.Test/Shared/YamlTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Acoustics.Test/Shared/YamlTests.cs
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ public class YamlTests
         private const string TestObjectYaml = @"---
 TestFile: C:\\Temp\\test.tmp
 SomeProperty: Hello world
+PrivateSetter: 123456
 ...";
 
         private const string WrapperDocument = @"
@@ -170,31 +171,18 @@ public void OurDefaultDeserializerSupportsMergingDocumentsAndZio()
         }
 
         [TestMethod]
-        public void OurDefaultDeserializerSupportsMergingDocumentsDynamic()
+        public void SerializerCanDecodePrivateSetters()
         {
-            dynamic wrapper = Yaml.Deserialise(this.testDocument);
-
-            Assert.AreEqual(this.wrapperTestCase.InfoA.SomeProperty, (string)wrapper.InfoA.SomeProperty);
-            Assert.AreEqual(this.wrapperTestCase.InfoB.SomeProperty, (string)wrapper.InfoB.SomeProperty);
-            Assert.AreEqual(this.wrapperTestCase.InfoC.SomeProperty, (string)wrapper.InfoC.SomeProperty);
-            Assert.AreEqual(this.wrapperTestCase.InfoA.TestFile, (string)wrapper.InfoA.TestFile);
-            Assert.AreEqual(this.wrapperTestCase.InfoB.TestFile, (string)wrapper.InfoB.TestFile);
-            Assert.AreEqual(this.wrapperTestCase.InfoC.TestFile, (string)wrapper.InfoC.TestFile);
-        }
-
-        [TestMethod]
-        public void OurDefaultDeserializerSupportDynamic()
-        {
-            File.WriteAllText(this.testDocument.FullName, ConfigDocument);
-
-            dynamic config = Yaml.Deserialise(this.testDocument);
-
+            YamlTestDataClass testObject;
+            using (var stream = new StringReader(TestObjectYaml))
+            {
+                testObject = Yaml.Deserialize<YamlTestDataClass>(stream);
+            }
 
-            Assert.AreEqual(60.0, (double)config.IndexCalculationDuration);
-            Assert.AreEqual(1000, (int)config.LowFreqBound);
-            Assert.AreEqual(false, (bool)config.SaveIntermediateWavFiles);
-            Assert.AreEqual("./IndexPropertiesConfig.yml", (string)config.IndexPropertiesConfig);
-            Assert.AreEqual("Towsey.Acoustic", (string)config.AnalysisName);
+            Assert.AreEqual("C:\\Temp\\test.tmp", testObject.TestFile);
+            Assert.AreEqual("Hello world", testObject.SomeProperty);
+            Assert.IsTrue(testObject.PrivateSetter.HasValue);
+            Assert.AreEqual(123456, testObject.PrivateSetter.Value);
         }
 
         [TestCleanup]
@@ -210,51 +198,13 @@ public void TestInitialize()
             File.WriteAllText(this.testDocument.FullName, WrapperDocument);
         }
 
-//        [TestMethod]
-//        [ExpectedException(typeof(InvalidCastException))]
-//        public void TestYamlFileInfoDeserializerFails()
-//        {
-//            var stringStream = new StringReader(TestObjectYaml);
-//
-//            using (var stream = stringStream)
-//            {
-//                var deserializer = new Deserializer();
-//                deserializer.Deserialize<YamlTestDataClass>(stream);
-//            }
-//        }
-//
-//        [TestMethod]
-//        [ExpectedException(typeof(Exception), AllowDerivedTypes = true)]
-//        public void TestYamlFileInfoSerializerFails()
-//        {
-//            using (var stream = new StringWriter())
-//            {
-//                var serializer = new Serializer(SerializationOptions.EmitDefaults);
-//                serializer.Serialize(stream, TestObject);
-//            }
-//        }
-//
-//        [TestMethod]
-//        public void TestYamlFileInfoSerializerWithResolver()
-//        {
-//            var fileInfoResolver = new YamlFileInfoConverter();
-//
-//            // this functionality is blocked by the yaml library not properly traversing object graphs
-//            // see: https://github.com/aaubry/YamlDotNet/issues/103.
-//            Assert.Inconclusive();
-//            using (var stream = new StringWriter())
-//            {
-//                var serialiser = new Serializer(SerializationOptions.EmitDefaults);
-//                serialiser.RegisterTypeConverter(fileInfoResolver);
-//                serialiser.Serialize(stream, TestObject);
-//            }
-//        }
-
         public class YamlTestDataClass
         {
             public string SomeProperty { get; set; }
 
             public string TestFile { get; set; }
+
+            public int? PrivateSetter { get; }
         }
 
         public class YamlTestWrapperClass