1. Discuss your experiences with building your microphones. Was this process more or less what you thought it would be? How did your microphone rig work on your Drift walks? Were you able to capture both overall ambiance and extreme closeups? Describe your ideal microphone and recorder setup, with unlimited time and money.
I liked building my microphone even though it took me forever to build it because we didn't have enough equipment for everyone, but it was fun. It was quicker than I thought it would be but that's only because I really didn't know what to expect so I just figured it would take longer than it actually did. The microphones were really convienient, they weren't heavy at all so it made recording easy, I captured a wide range of sounds. My ideal mic and recorder setup would be, probably just to have a mic that captures more than just one type of sound. Like I would've liked to have made a mic that captured regular sound and then maybe even capture sounds of like peoples heart beats like a stehoscope or ultrasound because I like the sounds that both instruments give off. The recorder would stay the same pretty much, except I wouldn't want to have to set the recording volume to manual all the time.
2. How was your experience with operating the MiniDisc recorder? How does this recorder compare to other audio equipment you've used? In an ideal world, how would your recorder of choice function?
The MiniDisc recorder was alright I almost dropped it a couple of times but I ended up catching it each time. I'm glad it was small and pretty light because it made it easier to record and travel at the same time. I've never used any audio equipment before so this was a good first time experience for me. My ideal recorder would probably have a sound effect button so that as you're recording you could alter your sounds.
3. Discuss the audio-editing software you chose and your history with this application. If you used this software for the first time, explain why you chose this particular application and how you think it helped you to accomplish your creative goals (or proved detrimental). Will you use this software again for future projects?
I used audacity,this was the fiirst time that i've used an audio-editing software and I think I did pretty good for my first try. I didn't think I would understand it because it looked complicated but after playing around with it for a while I began to understand the concept. I choose audacity because it was already under my file and I really didn't know about any other software at hte time. I will use it again at least for some of my sounds on my drift 2 project since I know how to use it now and I might download another software just to try something new.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Ten Questions for Drift 2
Describe the atmosphere of your Drift 2 location. What’s the significant about the location?
Is there anything in this location that produces an abnormal or exhilarating sound?
What are the dominant colors in this location? How do they impact the “scene”?
Are there any hidden passages in this area?
What would you classify this area as? Why?
What type of people generate in this particular area?
Do you have access to a specific angle off a building that you could shoot from?
Are there any mountains or valleys in the area?
Does this area have a significant amount of animals in the area? (Does every house have pets like dogs?)
Is there a pond or creek near the area? Can you hear it from the location that you’re at?
Is there anything in this location that produces an abnormal or exhilarating sound?
What are the dominant colors in this location? How do they impact the “scene”?
Are there any hidden passages in this area?
What would you classify this area as? Why?
What type of people generate in this particular area?
Do you have access to a specific angle off a building that you could shoot from?
Are there any mountains or valleys in the area?
Does this area have a significant amount of animals in the area? (Does every house have pets like dogs?)
Is there a pond or creek near the area? Can you hear it from the location that you’re at?
Drift Assesment Q&A
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
Some of the things that frustrated me during my drift walk were things like not having enough sonic varieties, it seemed like every corner I stopped at had pretty much the same sound. Like you could always hear busses pulling off or car breaks and engines in just about every stop I made. I also didn’t like the way the people at Qdoba kept staring at me when I was recording by there, but I guess with all my equipment I looked kind of suspicious or something.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
I had a few peaceful moments during my drift walk one of them was at a staircase where I was recording at and it was kind of peaceful to me because the people in the neighborhood weren’t outside and the block was quiet except for occasional footsteps here and there. I also felt peaceful by the fountain on Lake Drive, I think it was the sound of water that made me felt relaxed.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
I really didn’t run into any surprises or cultural/social issues during my walk because I did my walk during the late afternoon early evening time; and most of the people that I’d encountered were pretty much coming from work or the grocery store and going home to unwind. I did hear a couple arguing though, and overheard a few conversations from some of the apartments. Which was kind of unexpected because I didn’t think it was warm enough to have windows open on the day of my walk but apparently I was wrong. I’m happy with the spots I chose though, because overall I recorded some good sounds and enjoyed the process.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite spot would be the Qdoba stop just because I liked the variety of sounds I recorded there and I got to put my recorder on a tree branch right in front of Qdoba which was sturdier than I thought it would be. And even though it wasn’t the quietest spot, it was a pretty calm environment which gave me a good start because it made me feel comfortable.
Some of the things that frustrated me during my drift walk were things like not having enough sonic varieties, it seemed like every corner I stopped at had pretty much the same sound. Like you could always hear busses pulling off or car breaks and engines in just about every stop I made. I also didn’t like the way the people at Qdoba kept staring at me when I was recording by there, but I guess with all my equipment I looked kind of suspicious or something.
2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
I had a few peaceful moments during my drift walk one of them was at a staircase where I was recording at and it was kind of peaceful to me because the people in the neighborhood weren’t outside and the block was quiet except for occasional footsteps here and there. I also felt peaceful by the fountain on Lake Drive, I think it was the sound of water that made me felt relaxed.
3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
I really didn’t run into any surprises or cultural/social issues during my walk because I did my walk during the late afternoon early evening time; and most of the people that I’d encountered were pretty much coming from work or the grocery store and going home to unwind. I did hear a couple arguing though, and overheard a few conversations from some of the apartments. Which was kind of unexpected because I didn’t think it was warm enough to have windows open on the day of my walk but apparently I was wrong. I’m happy with the spots I chose though, because overall I recorded some good sounds and enjoyed the process.
4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite spot would be the Qdoba stop just because I liked the variety of sounds I recorded there and I got to put my recorder on a tree branch right in front of Qdoba which was sturdier than I thought it would be. And even though it wasn’t the quietest spot, it was a pretty calm environment which gave me a good start because it made me feel comfortable.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Reading Response 1
1. Identify the article you have selected and why you chose it.
I chose the "This American Life" article because the title seemed interesting . The article talks about artists who've made maps using the five senses, sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste. Each summer these people pick a sense and only using that sense they map out a piece of their world. These people pay very close attention to detail in order to bring a sense of reality to their maps. This article considers maps to be very important because they focus on a particular street or region. According to the article this is "the age of maps" just about all of the maps in the world today have been created within the last 100 years.
2. What are the main points of the essay?
One of the main points of this article is to show how important maps are to our world, and how the world we live in can be completely remapped based on our senses. Some of these people like Dennis Wood, would create maps out of addresses of a certain neighborhood. He also made maps out of graffiti in the neighborhood and he believes these maps represent these neighborhoods and show the potential of the whole world. Toby Lester, another map creator would make maps based strictly on sound he focuses on the harmonies of everyday sound which was inspired by a distraction between his heater’s hum and computer’s fan. There’s also an electronic nose which will be able to track smells like “decaying bacteria”, and Channel Perfume which are the only smells it can really identify until more research will be done. The electronic nose is expected to be used first for mainly, scientific purposes because it can detect certain gas sensors. There’s also a women who made a map using touch by listing possible diseases and her obsessive hypochondria behavior. She talks about her life within the last ten years by explaining her lumps, cramps, and rashes which she believed would be a symptom to some severe condition. For example the year 2005 for her would be mapped out as the year of the brain tumor and for weeks she would be convinced that she had bad headaches and that she feels a knot by her ear which is the “tumor”.
3. How are the ideas or arguments in this article relevant to your own practice as a media artist?
Media and the five senses kind of work hand in hand because most mediums include visual and audio examples. This article sort of put a an emphasis on our senses and it sort of opened up a creative window for me because I got the idea that I can use other senses besides sight and hearing to make media projects. The idea of making maps focused on nothing else but sound or smells is intriguing because most people only visualize maps as a visual source and don’t realize that the visual is so much more because of the things you smell or hear or taste in that particular area.
I chose the "This American Life" article because the title seemed interesting . The article talks about artists who've made maps using the five senses, sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste. Each summer these people pick a sense and only using that sense they map out a piece of their world. These people pay very close attention to detail in order to bring a sense of reality to their maps. This article considers maps to be very important because they focus on a particular street or region. According to the article this is "the age of maps" just about all of the maps in the world today have been created within the last 100 years.
2. What are the main points of the essay?
One of the main points of this article is to show how important maps are to our world, and how the world we live in can be completely remapped based on our senses. Some of these people like Dennis Wood, would create maps out of addresses of a certain neighborhood. He also made maps out of graffiti in the neighborhood and he believes these maps represent these neighborhoods and show the potential of the whole world. Toby Lester, another map creator would make maps based strictly on sound he focuses on the harmonies of everyday sound which was inspired by a distraction between his heater’s hum and computer’s fan. There’s also an electronic nose which will be able to track smells like “decaying bacteria”, and Channel Perfume which are the only smells it can really identify until more research will be done. The electronic nose is expected to be used first for mainly, scientific purposes because it can detect certain gas sensors. There’s also a women who made a map using touch by listing possible diseases and her obsessive hypochondria behavior. She talks about her life within the last ten years by explaining her lumps, cramps, and rashes which she believed would be a symptom to some severe condition. For example the year 2005 for her would be mapped out as the year of the brain tumor and for weeks she would be convinced that she had bad headaches and that she feels a knot by her ear which is the “tumor”.
3. How are the ideas or arguments in this article relevant to your own practice as a media artist?
Media and the five senses kind of work hand in hand because most mediums include visual and audio examples. This article sort of put a an emphasis on our senses and it sort of opened up a creative window for me because I got the idea that I can use other senses besides sight and hearing to make media projects. The idea of making maps focused on nothing else but sound or smells is intriguing because most people only visualize maps as a visual source and don’t realize that the visual is so much more because of the things you smell or hear or taste in that particular area.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Soundwalk
Were you able to find places and spaces where you could really listen? Yes, we sat out on the side by the Mitchell building next to the bus loading area.
Was it possible to move without making a sound? Not exactly, were sitting in the grass so whenever someone moved, you could hear the grass ruffling under thier feet/body.
What happened when you plugged your ears, and then unplugged them? It sounded like a seashell, everything seemed to be at a distance and there was no particular noise you could hear just a shallow, airy sound.
In your sound log exercise, what types of sounds were you able to hear? List them.
Leaves Crunching
Laughter
Trees and wind swishing
Car/Bus engines
Planes
Shoes ruffling in grass
Bus or Truck beeps(backing up)
Girl coughing
Squeaky brakes
Keys
Food wrappers(Burger King)
Phone vibrating
Paper blowing in wind
Birds
Kids
Were you able to differentiate between sounds that had a recognizable source and those sounds you could not place? Yes because I usually hear alot of these sounds on a daily so alot of them are easy to name.
Human sounds? Mechanical sounds? Natural sounds? All,people were constantly walking by, listening to thier iPods, talking amongst themselves,etc. Cars and busses were the loudest the busses brakes were really squeaky and cars would constantly zoom by or people would honk at the pedestrians. The wind was also blowing constantly so we could hear the leaves and branches brushing up against one another.
Were you able to detect subtleties in the everpresent drone? Yes I could hear the humming of some of the buildings that were close by.(Mitchell, the Arts Building and the Union.)
Extremely close sounds? Sounds coming from very far away? I was close to a bush and a tree so I could hear the birds chirp even with my ears closed;I couldn't really hear much far away though, maybe music from peoples' cars.
What kinds of wind effects were you able to detect (for example, the leaves of trees don't make sounds until they are activated by the wind)? I could hear alot of swishing with the bushes and trees, there was also paper ruffeling from our notebooks.
Were you able to intervene in the urban landscape and create your own sounds by knocking on a resonant piece of metal, activating wind chimes, etc.? Yes we heard slight echoing when we tapped a medal ramp handles and at a certain angle in the corner of the Lubar building.
Do you feel you have a new understanding or appreciation of the sounds of our contemporary landscape/cityscape? Yes, not exactlly new though just a little bit of an altered understanding because our focus was to try to describe some of the noises we heard with words and some sounds can't be described. It was also a little intresting to try and see how far I could actually hear.
How do you think your soundwalk experience will affect your practice as a media artist, if at all? As a media artist I am now more aware when it comes to sound, as a media artist my aim would be to find new ways to explore sound and experiment with my results.
Was it possible to move without making a sound? Not exactly, were sitting in the grass so whenever someone moved, you could hear the grass ruffling under thier feet/body.
What happened when you plugged your ears, and then unplugged them? It sounded like a seashell, everything seemed to be at a distance and there was no particular noise you could hear just a shallow, airy sound.
In your sound log exercise, what types of sounds were you able to hear? List them.
Leaves Crunching
Laughter
Trees and wind swishing
Car/Bus engines
Planes
Shoes ruffling in grass
Bus or Truck beeps(backing up)
Girl coughing
Squeaky brakes
Keys
Food wrappers(Burger King)
Phone vibrating
Paper blowing in wind
Birds
Kids
Were you able to differentiate between sounds that had a recognizable source and those sounds you could not place? Yes because I usually hear alot of these sounds on a daily so alot of them are easy to name.
Human sounds? Mechanical sounds? Natural sounds? All,people were constantly walking by, listening to thier iPods, talking amongst themselves,etc. Cars and busses were the loudest the busses brakes were really squeaky and cars would constantly zoom by or people would honk at the pedestrians. The wind was also blowing constantly so we could hear the leaves and branches brushing up against one another.
Were you able to detect subtleties in the everpresent drone? Yes I could hear the humming of some of the buildings that were close by.(Mitchell, the Arts Building and the Union.)
Extremely close sounds? Sounds coming from very far away? I was close to a bush and a tree so I could hear the birds chirp even with my ears closed;I couldn't really hear much far away though, maybe music from peoples' cars.
What kinds of wind effects were you able to detect (for example, the leaves of trees don't make sounds until they are activated by the wind)? I could hear alot of swishing with the bushes and trees, there was also paper ruffeling from our notebooks.
Were you able to intervene in the urban landscape and create your own sounds by knocking on a resonant piece of metal, activating wind chimes, etc.? Yes we heard slight echoing when we tapped a medal ramp handles and at a certain angle in the corner of the Lubar building.
Do you feel you have a new understanding or appreciation of the sounds of our contemporary landscape/cityscape? Yes, not exactlly new though just a little bit of an altered understanding because our focus was to try to describe some of the noises we heard with words and some sounds can't be described. It was also a little intresting to try and see how far I could actually hear.
How do you think your soundwalk experience will affect your practice as a media artist, if at all? As a media artist I am now more aware when it comes to sound, as a media artist my aim would be to find new ways to explore sound and experiment with my results.
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