1. The building of the microphones went way smoother than I was expecting it to go. I haven't done anything like that before, but it wasn't very difficult. They worked like a charm if the charm was a really well working set of microphones. I don't really know enough about sound recording to want anything more than my very own homemade set.
2. As for the MiniDisc recorder, I often had trouble figuring out how to start the recording. Although, once it got going it was easy to work with and did a very nice job. Ideally, I would hope for a recorder with only two buttons; stop and record.
3. For my audio-editing software I used Audacity. Again, this was a very user friendly application. I have never used an audio-editing software previous to this class and Audacity was easy to pick up right away. I will definately use this software in the future as it can do everything I would currently need to do with sound and it does it easily and efficiently.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Ten Questions
Some questions that need answers...
1. Are there any places other than churches where music might be frequently heard?
2. What difference would downtown bring from the University Housing area?
3. Are there any animals near?
4. Are there any small roads or paths near the park by my house that lead anywhere interesting?
5. Are there any places where sound echoes or has a lot of reverb?
6. Is there a certain place where stars are more visible?
7. What difference would the night have from day?
8. What secrets do the mysterious woods by my new home here in Milwaukee hold?
9. What kind of sounds does the crazy cat lady down the road make from within her abode?
10. Are there any interesting sculptures such as gargoyles in the area?
1. Are there any places other than churches where music might be frequently heard?
2. What difference would downtown bring from the University Housing area?
3. Are there any animals near?
4. Are there any small roads or paths near the park by my house that lead anywhere interesting?
5. Are there any places where sound echoes or has a lot of reverb?
6. Is there a certain place where stars are more visible?
7. What difference would the night have from day?
8. What secrets do the mysterious woods by my new home here in Milwaukee hold?
9. What kind of sounds does the crazy cat lady down the road make from within her abode?
10. Are there any interesting sculptures such as gargoyles in the area?
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Drift Assessment
During Drift 1, I found myself frustrated with my soundwalk route. My algorithm took me in a loop only about 6 blocks in diameter. Unfortunately, I was so focused on the sounds around me that I didn’t catch on to this until my loop was about finished. Looking back, I should have adjusted my path at that point to extend my route, but I left it at that hour of walking. This path did not take me very far away from campus as I was practically in university housing the entire time. Thus, my sounds were not the most interesting or unusual. What else I found to my annoyance was that throughout my walk, I hardly ever stopped walking. You would think that would be ideal for a walk of sound, but it’s a real pain when you have footsteps in most of your interesting sounds. I think this also had part to do with my location in Milwaukee. Because everything was pretty normal, I wasn’t intrigued to stop often.
But wait, don’t think that the whole experience was a downer. There were actually some moments during Drift 1 where I felt at peace. So get this, there I was walking to the sound of traffic as I was throughout most of my adventure when the sound of angels came in through one of my headphone speakers. What made this sound even more mysterious was that I could not locate it right away due to my left and right microphones being switched. The sound turned out to be from a church choir, but was soothing nonetheless. Also, I stumbled upon a bumble bee. I would declare it impossible to hide a smile in the presence of a bumble bee.
Other than those peaceful surprises, I came across a few others worthy of mention. Probably the most shocking encounter was that of a police car turning on its siren right as it passed me. Clearly, he was either being a jerk and trying to scare me or being a jerk and running a red light. Regardless, I nearly peed myself. Another little surprise was that of the warped sound of a car blasting Guns N’ Roses from its window as it drove by. All my attention was on the can that I was kicking when the circus sounds of “Sweet Child Of Mine” went by. A third more simple surprise was the clarity and magnification my microphones provided. Expecting mediocrity at best, I will not forget the first time I recorded with those microphones.
Between all the wonderful events that took place, I would have to say my favorite recollection of Drift 1 is walking past the church to the sound of their choir. Now, I’m not the biggest believer in religion, but those voices were almost enough for me to consider believing. I didn’t even know I was near a church until I heard their unexpected angel-like voices. Right then, I knew I had gold (as far as recorded sound in my walking area goes).
But wait, don’t think that the whole experience was a downer. There were actually some moments during Drift 1 where I felt at peace. So get this, there I was walking to the sound of traffic as I was throughout most of my adventure when the sound of angels came in through one of my headphone speakers. What made this sound even more mysterious was that I could not locate it right away due to my left and right microphones being switched. The sound turned out to be from a church choir, but was soothing nonetheless. Also, I stumbled upon a bumble bee. I would declare it impossible to hide a smile in the presence of a bumble bee.
Other than those peaceful surprises, I came across a few others worthy of mention. Probably the most shocking encounter was that of a police car turning on its siren right as it passed me. Clearly, he was either being a jerk and trying to scare me or being a jerk and running a red light. Regardless, I nearly peed myself. Another little surprise was that of the warped sound of a car blasting Guns N’ Roses from its window as it drove by. All my attention was on the can that I was kicking when the circus sounds of “Sweet Child Of Mine” went by. A third more simple surprise was the clarity and magnification my microphones provided. Expecting mediocrity at best, I will not forget the first time I recorded with those microphones.
Between all the wonderful events that took place, I would have to say my favorite recollection of Drift 1 is walking past the church to the sound of their choir. Now, I’m not the biggest believer in religion, but those voices were almost enough for me to consider believing. I didn’t even know I was near a church until I heard their unexpected angel-like voices. Right then, I knew I had gold (as far as recorded sound in my walking area goes).
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