Soundscape: Portland Cacophony

Portland Cacophony (1:34) This Portland, Oregon soundscape includes a cacophony of acoustic events including the departure of an afternoon Amtrak train for Seattle, construction of a new city park called "The Fields", and the ambient sound of freeway traffic on the steel-tied arched Freemont bridge over the Willamette River. Source: Vimeo

Education: Jammin' Session

Jammin’ Session (5:11) Animated characters Bing and Bong go on a sound walk and discover rhythm in the crunching of fallen leaves and, are gradually joined by various Flockers, locals and even plants, all adding new layers of sound, such as percussion, bass, melody – even a trombone and banjo. Each addition raises the original beat to new heights. As the group jams together in crescendo, each musician and sound get a moment in the spotlight. Just as the final chord fades, the alarm sounds, the musicians bow and all line up and march off to the original beat.  Source: National Geographic.

Research: Aging and Auditory Perception

Auditory Perception and Aging. Dr. Claude Alain's research interest is in how aging affects the perception of auditory events and how technology can be designed to better assist hearing in the future. Alain  talks about his research using convergent imaging technologies at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, and how basic science can be applied to clinical practice. Diminished hearing capacity greatly limits human interaction with the soundscape.

Documentary: 90 Degrees South

90 Degrees South (4:35) is a superb short documentary by Meredith Drum about the work of Andrea Polli's 2008 National Science Foundation Artist's Residency in Antarctica and includes field recordings of the soundscape she made during her stay. Andrea is the ASAE representative on the WFAE Board. 

Meredith Drum creates cinema projects as linear screenings, interactive exhibitions and mobile media walking tours. Her work has been screened in New York, Basel, Mexico City, and Valencia, Spain. Source: Vimeo

Soundscape Composition: John Cage's Radio Music

Radio Music  (6:00). In the 1950's television was still in its infancy and radio was at the end of its Golden Era. John Cage, with his ear always tuned to  the acoustic landscape, composed Radio Music (1956) around the concept that society was awash in a diversity of sounds broadcast by radio throughout the day. These sounds, disconnected from their original sources, could prove to be interesting in a soundscape mixed live by eight performers with radios as their instruments.

This video is a presentation of Radio Music by performers Juan Hidalgo, Walter Marchetti, and Gianni-Emilio Simonett. It is based on live radio transmissions at the time of its performance.  Each performer was instructed to tune his radio to different frequencies between 55 and 156 kHz through at specific times throughout the 6 minute score. Given the chance operations involved, any performance of this work will be different depending on where it is performed, the availability of radio stations within the community and the type of content available. Any performance today will be greatly different than that of its first performance on May 30, 1956 at the Carl Fisher Hall in New York City with artists John Cage, Maro Ajemain, David Tudor, Grete Sultan and the four members of the Juillard String Quartet. Click2View a related Video (6:16). in which you see performers following Cage's score. Source: You Tube

Soundscape Composition: Basin Falls

The Basin Falls (9:50) By Tim Opie.  A composition based on analysis of a sound recording of the Basin Falls. Using the eco-structuralist analysis and composition technique. In this work Opie analysed the sound recording harvesting variables such as change in amplitudes and frequencies. Using jMusic and Apple Logic he then mapped these variables to various MIDI components, such as note, note length, pitch, effect automation, and overall tempo. Source: Vimeo

Documentary: The Song of the Earth

The Song of the Earth (50:00) BBC with David Attenborough. "The deepest mystery of all: What purpose does music serve? Famed naturalist Sir David Attenborough examines various exotic members of the animal kingdom for clues to this fascinating puzzle.

After laying out for the audience the complex structures that transform sound into music – musical phrases, melodies, themes, and variations – Sir David introduces us to the animal acknowledged to produce the most complicated and longest song yet discovered – the humpback whale.

With Cornell University researcher Katy Payne as his guide, he eavesdrops on these gigantic mammals through a hydrophone dropped into the Dominican Republic’s Samana Bay, where the whales congregate during the winter months.

From the Caribbean, the documentary hopscotches to various points on the globe to show viewers a diverse array of animals that make music: to Australia, for the lyre bird; Sumatra, for the Siamang gibbon; and Sweden, for the great weed warbler." Source: YouTube.

Research: Noise pollution in the Mediterranean

LIDO Acoustic Research (8:00) Although the negative effects of underwater noise pollution may seem straightforward, scientific data is limited indeed. Researchers use hydrophones (microphones designed for underwater use) to collect new data in deep waters, up to thousands of metres below sea level. An array of such devices can also be used to locate the source of any sound nearby. Arrays deployed on the sea bed create an acoustic observatory that does not interfere with marine life, compared with using ordinary listening devices aboard a ship. It also allows for continuous access to data.

Such acoustic observatories have been installed as part of the European demonstration mission called LIDO (LIstening to the Deep Ocean environment). The sound data collected is sent to onshore laboratories via optical fibre cables. Sounds made by whales and dolphins can be heard in real time, with a range of several kilometres. LIDO is coordinated from the Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics in Vilanova i la Geltrú, near Barcelona. It is here where all the sound data is analysed. The sound data is sent from eleven acoustic observatories across Europe that together are known as ESONET (the European Sea-Floor Observatories Network).