Soundscape Composition: A Forest Year

A Forest Year (2:53) Samuel Orr has created a fascinating time-lapse video made from 40,000 still images taken from his front window over 15 months. Although not a true "soundscape composition" (he has used nature sound clips combined with music) the video  illustrates so well the changes that take place within a forest environment. Actual listening in such a space would be greatly modified by the seasonal shifts and the effect they would have on the acoustic space this scene represents. Source: Vimeo

Soundscape: Glacier Calving

Glacier Calving (4:42) On May 28, 2008, Adam LeWinter and Director Jeff Orlowski filmed a historic breakup at the Ilulissat Glacier in Western Greenland. The calving event lasted for 75 minutes and the glacier retreated a full mile across a calving face three miles wide. The height of the ice is about 3,000 feet, 300-400 feet above water and the rest below water.

The film Chasing Ice won the award for Excellence in Cinematography at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and the Best Documentary from the International Press Association. It has won over 30 awards at festivals worldwide. Still playing in theaters nationwide. Source: YouTube.

Education: The Gift of Sound

The Gift of Sound (2:05) To children who are deaf and hard of hearing, sound can be a beautiful thing. Just listen to the kids of the Center for Hearing and Communication and the sound that fascinate them. The Center is committed to helping people overcome the challenges of hearing and listening issues. Source: YouTube

Education: The Acoustics of Toys

Julius Sumner Miller (May 17, 1909 – April 14, 1987) was an America physicist  and television personality. He is best known for his work on children's television programs in North America and Australia. Click2Read more about Dr. Miller. 

In the following video Dr. Miller explores the acoustics of simple toys that use basic physical principles. He explains how sounds are made and how their soundmaking properties can be altered by simple factors such as heat. These are classic videos in that the toys presented are quite simple in this age of robotic toys and computer chip sounds.

Part 1 (7:53)

Part 2 (6:05)

Project: The Bells of Cologne Cathedral

Survey: Eleven Bells (9:55) This video documents the sound of the 11 bells of the Cologne Cathedral (Germany) and provides specific information about each. It is noted that the largest bell in this cathedral is the "great" of Germany and European Union. A "great bell" is arbitrarily defined as one which weighs at least 4 tons.

Project: Soundwalking Interactions

Soundwalking Interactions (6:16) "This project investigates how people listen during soundwalk activities and artworks. This video documents the process and performance for a presentation at the Society Of Dance History Scholars Conference 2011.

This creative process began with the 7 members of the team participating in a soundwalk together and recording it. Next the team reviewed the recording as a group to identify interesting segments of sound which were then extracted out of the overall sound recording creating a series of shorter clips. These clips were placed in the interactive space to be manipulated by dancer movement. The choreographer then worked with the dancers to create a piece.

Dancers manipulate sound through motion tracking of gestures. Visualizations of transcoding are projected on a screen in the space."  Source: YouTube

Soundscape: Tourist Railroad

Oregon Coast Railroad Soundscape (5:55) The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad is a non-profit museum group that runs antique tourist steam trains between Garibaldi and Wheeler in the US State of Oregon. The goal of the organization is to keep the history of costal railroading available for the public to learn from and to appreciate. Videographer Jeff Johnston captures the sound and sight of a classic locomotive and consist on a beautiful day along the Pacific Ocean just before Christmas. Source: YouTube.

Soundscape: Thermal Sounds of Yellowstone

Sounds of Yellowstone (8:28) This is a beautiful documentation of the sounds of the many thermal vents, mud pots, hot springs and more in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is located in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The 3,468 square mile park was established in 1872 and is considered to be the first national park in the world. It contains half of the world's geothermal features. Its amazing soundscape is effectively captured in this video by Edward Mitchell. Source: VIMEO