Reading Response #3

For this reading response I chose Hildergard Westerkamps article on Soundwalking. I really liked this article because it goes into a great deal of things that relate to this class. She defines soundwalking in her own style and how we as a people do it all the time. She then takes on different ways to go on soundwalks and questions to address when doing so. One way she discusses is to go out with a friend and have one person be blindfolded. I liked this idea because you have to identify the sounds yourself without looking. I think this article is helpful because the questions she asks are things that I took into consideration before my soundwalks. For instance, I asked myself if I could walk without making a noise because I did not want myself interfering with what I was recording. But the steps she lays out in her article about going out on a soundwalk have a lot of relation to this class and it was basically a reminder of all that I learned in 116 this semester.

Video Hardware/Software Response

1. How was your experience with the Olympus digital camera? How did it compare with other still or video cameras you have previously used? Were you able to successfully implement your Image Capturing Strategies using the features of this camera? In an ideal world, how would your still/video camera of choice function?
I had a good experience with my digital camera. Comparing to other digital cameras, I think this wasn't top of the line, but it was still very easy to use. I prefer using actual video cameras as well, but I didn't have a problem capturing video with the Olympus. The camera is very simple to use so it pretty much made all my capturing easy to do and it worked well with my strategies. In my ideal world, I would like to have a very professional camera to shoot with just because I have always wanted to use one that shoots in such a high resolution.

2. Discuss your choice of video-editing software and describe your history with this software. 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?
To edit my video, I chose Final Cut Pro. I do not have much history with this program. I have only used it once before to edit a video. I was able to pick up on it fairly quickly because I am familiar with a number of other editing systems. I will most likely use this program for future projects.

Reading Response #2

The article I chose for my second reading response was called “A Manifesto for a New Walking Culture: 'dealing with the city'”. This article talks about a new style of drift walking that has been developed using a deck of cards. Each suit represents a different type of walking strategy devised by four different people. These suits correspond to: The Walker as Artist, The Walker as the writer of the city, The Walker as playful performer, and disrupted walking as the new designing of the city.
Along with these four walking ‘strategies’, each card also represents another aspect of the drift. For instance, the 4 of clubs reads as “WALK: Attempt to redress, in a small way, the overabundance of hierarchical road signs established by our public servants.[1] 'They may, for example, tell you that there is only "one way" to navigate a particular area. Find other ways of walking, mapping and signing routes through these public spaces.”
I find this drift idea very elaborate but somewhat confusing. This article was stuffy to me and it didn’t seem to explain things very well. However, I was still intrigued by the idea of the drift strategy with the deck of cards incorporated. So I decided to read on and discover what it was all about. As I read most of the cards and the strategies, I became more interested in the idea. This type of strategy may even be worth trying out one day.

Audio/Hardware Response

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 think building the microphones was a really good experience. I didn’t think the process would be that easy. That’s not to say I didn’t run into any problems. I found the hardest thing was stripping the wire, but not stripping it too much. My first couple attempts I had to start over because I stripped too much wire. My microphone rigged worked great for me on the soundwalk. I was able to get a lot of good ambience, and some close-up sounds on top of it. I didn’t always hear everything that I captured right away until I uploaded my sounds later. If I had unlimited time and money, I would get one microphone that picked up general ambience and distant sounds real well. The other mic would be more of a shotgun mic and I would point it at things for real close-up sound.

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?

My experience with the MiniDisc recorder was successful for the most part. The worst part about using this recorder is when I accidently hit pause while recording and I missed my chance at recording a really cool sound. This is the first audio equipment that I have used besides a digital camcorder so I don’t really have any comparisons. My ideal MiniDisc recorder would just be a device that recorded to a hard drive where I could upload to my Mac and not have to go through a PC.
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 for my audio-editing. This was not my first time using this program and I enjoy the versatility of the program. It is very easy to maneuver, especially for beginners editing audio like myself separate from film. I will probably use this program again until my audio editing skills advance and I will move to more advanced programs.

10 Questions

Here are some questions I will go into for my Drift 2

1) Where can I go where there are a lot of people with no traffic?
2) What are the most popular areas of Milwaukee to explore?
3) What are some of the biggest landmarks in this area?
4) Are there any events that take place around the city worth going to?
5) What types of visuals can be found in the rural area compared to downtown?
6) Are there other water fountains in this area besides at UWM?
7) What is the best park to go to in the city?
8) Are there high vantage points I can go to besides the top of a building?
9) Are there any low vantage points that work? (Bottoms of hills)
10) What indoor places offer great visuals and sounds?

Drift Assesment

1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)

One situation that particularly aggravated me during my sound walk was the passing cars interrupting with my recordings. I would be in the middle of recording a great sound when a hail of traffic would pass ruining my sound. I would have to wait until traffic was clear to continue my recording.

Another situation that bothered me was when I was recording outside of a middle school. I was trying to record all the gossiping kids after they got out of school, but I kept hearing kids say “what is that guy doing with those headphones on?”. It was comical, but it was not what I was looking for and it put a damper on my recording.

2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.

The first situation I felt very peaceful on my walk was when I was down by the Milwaukee River. The wind blowing, the sound of the water flowing, and the crickets put me in a very calm at ease place.
I went out recording during the rain one day, and I was in someone’s side yard trying to figure out where a dripping noise was coming from. While I was standing there, there had been no passing people are cars. I felt alone, but at the same time peaceful and the only thing I was focused on was the rain.

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!)
The first surprise I got was out on my sound walk and I was just astonished at the quality of the microphone pickups. I did not expect to be able to hear things so far in the distance that I would normally be able to look at but not hear. I found myself picking up things I didn’t even want in particular, but at the same time I found it interesting. It would also confuse me at some points because I would hear a voice in the distance, but I could not find out where it was coming from.

When I was recording down by the Milwaukee River, I was surprised that the dump truck that I passed so long ago was being included in my recording. I enjoyed hearing the glass bottles dumped into the truck and it added a man element to the nature I was recording.
The thing that surprised me the most on my sound walk was when I followed a chipmunk into these rocks trying to get noises from him. I put my mics close to the stacked rocks and the chipmunk jumped out right in front of my face and ran away. I didn’t get any sound out of it, but I was certainly startled.

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 experience from my drift came when I was in West Virginia recording in the forests by my Uncle’s house. I sat down in the woods with my microphones and took in the noises of the wilderness. When my uncle started to play his dulcimer in the distance, the soothing music added with the critters of the forest put me at peace. I sat there for sometime enjoying heightened feeling I was getting. I think this affected me so much because it was an opportunity for me to get away from everything for a short while.

Reading Response #1

For my first reading response, I chose an article by David Troop called "The Art of Noise".

I found this article to take an interesting look on the contrast between music, art, and sound alone. Troop defines sound as an "unpredictable evanescence." He says that artists enjoy working with sound because of this unpredictability. However, David brings up a conflict on sound art being either music or speech. He says that most people think of sounds as just what they are. Others see sound as something more.

David also brings up the differentials between Art and Sound and Sound Art. Sound Art is not what most people would think of as just music. In fact, Sound Art is trying to distance itself from that stereotype. Troop says that "Sound used in art as a raw material is more likely to be an idea within a bigger idea." There is a broad history that goes back to the early 20th century having to do with the relationship between sound and visual art. Back in the early days, Troop says that the two had a closer relationship than they did now.

I think this article is an important read because it outlines sound as something other than just music or effects for a movie. Sound is an art within it's own. Most people do not understand the importance of sound in art and how we do not recognize these sounds that we hear on a daily basis. If one is to become a media artist, he or she must have a firm grasp on the importance of sound in media and how it does not just come as a secondary to visual arts.

SoundWalk Response

* Were you able to find places and spaces where you could really listen?

Yes. I think the forest area outside of the Sandburg towers was a great place to hear everything around me without any big distractions.

* Was it possible to move without making a sound?

Not really. No matter what there always seems to be a sound that iminates from you making a move.

* What happened when you plugged your ears, and then unplugged them?
The sounds that I had made out with my ears plugged were different than they really were when I unplugged them. I was also trying to make out sounds in the distance that I wouldn’t normally hear from that far away while my ears were plugged.

* In your sound log exercise, what types of sounds were you able to hear? List them.

Bike on sidewalk going by my left.
Plastic can thrown in garbage
Chirping in the distance
Shuffled flip flops across the concrete
Laughter between two girls in the grass
High pitched squeek of some creature
Slammed car door and an engine trying to start
Books tossed into dumpster (thud) pages flapping together
Low chirp of grasshoppers below me
Bus brakes squeeking rumble of the diesel engine
Loud techno music in a passing car
Skateboard clunking over sidewalk cracks
Low music from persons earbuds walking by
Woodchips being shuffled on the ground
Sniffling of a persons nose
Car horn honking
Car driving over metal grates
Feet pushing through the grass
Keys jangling together
Papers rustling together
Buzzing noise of lights in garage
Feet simultaneously hitting the steps down the stairs
Trays hitting the table
Chair dragged across floor
Tree branches blowing in wind
Airplane passing overhead
Light mellow tone of Piano in Union

* Were you able to differentiate between sounds that had a recognizable source and those sounds you could not place?

Yes. There were certain sounds that I knew their source. Others I could not recognize what the sound exactly was.

* Human sounds? Mechanical sounds? Natural sounds?

All of them. Lots of laughter and chat. Mechanical sounds of fans running, cars driving by, etc. Natural sounds included creatures buzzing, trees blowing.

* Extremely close sounds? Sounds coming from very far away?

Close sounds were the papers rustling, people coughing. Far away sounds were police sirens and airplanes.

* 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)?

Sometimes the wind would make an eerie sound. Other times I could hear the wind smacking against things.

* Do you feel you have a new understanding or appreciation of the sounds of our contemporary landscape/cityscape?

Yes. Now when I walk I hear sounds differently and react in different ways. My understanding for certain sounds has changed.

• How do you think your soundwalk experience will affect your practice as a media artist, if at all?

I think it will help advance my skills as a media artist. Sound is an important role in media and the more I understand it the better.