Video Hardware/Software Repsonses

Q: 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?

A: My experience with the digital camera was overall pretty good. The camera is easy to use and records video easily. My only problem with the camera is the quality of the images and video, but I understand that this is part of the project and our ability to get past this obstacle. I was able to implement my capturing strategies with the camera. Although the camera was not super high quality, it was able to capture images as I needed it to. In an ideal world, I would use a quality video camera with good zoom and record clear video in a high resolution.

Q: 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?

A: At first I used windows movie maker for my editing software, but later changed to Sony Vegas movie studio platinum. I found a good deal on this software and knew it was supposed to be very good so I bought it. This software is incredibly good for the price and has a lot of options for effects and editing. Everything is easy to do and the software allows for you to do almost anything you want when it comes to editing. This software gave me many options for drift 2 editing and allowed me to implement my creative ideas within my video. I will definitely use this software again and would recommend it to anybody who is interested in quality video editing on a pc.

Reading Response #2

The article that I selected was Aaron Ximm’s Sound, Art, Music?. The main reason why I chose this article was because I found out that Aaron Ximm would be visiting our class and wanted to know more about him. I also felt that this article was very prevalent to what we were doing in class right now with everything going on with drift 2. Besides those two reasons for choosing this article, I mainly was just interested in the subject matter. I had wondered myself about whether sound art was music or art or just merely sounds, and this is what Ximm contemplates. Ximm meditates on himself as a sound artist and what that means in our world.

Ximm has some main points that he puts forth in his essay. One of his main points that he puts across is that he labels himself as a sound artist. He goes into how he could be labeled as other things, but he finds that this label is most fitting for what he does. Another point Ximm puts across is that a sound artist’s work can not be classified as sound, art, or music exclusively. It is such a wide medium that the work can fit into any of those classifications and so therefore should try to be classified into those descriptions. The overall main point that Ximm makes in his essay is that he really does not know how to classify his work. He says he is a sound artist, but he does not want to be forced into a certain niche. Ximm wants to be able to work freely without having to place himself into a certain classification of artist.

Ximm’s ideas are very relevant to my practice as a media artist. I can specifically connect with his conundrums on whether sound recording and editing is music, art, or just sound. I felt that way during drift 1 and I felt that his article addressed a lot of my thoughts on sound recording. I have always felt that sound recording is hard to classify as anything, and Ximm reflects on this. I find Ximm saying that he really does not know what sound art is, to be very true and I connect with this completely.

Audio Hardware/Software Repsonses

Q: 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.

A: I thought that the overall experience building my microphone was very frustrating. It was difficult to strip the thin wires and then weld them without having them touch each other. The process of building the microphone was more than I though it would be, in that it required more time and effort than I thought it would. My microphone rig worked perfectly on my drift walk. I had no problems with it and it recorded the sounds well. My microphone rig was able to pick up both ambient and specific noises. My ideal microphone and recorder setup would be a high quality digital microphone recorder that was all self-contained.

Q: 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?

A: My experience with the MiniDisc recorder was fairly good. In the beginning of my walk I forgot how to start recording and that frustrated me for a while, until I remembered and got it to work. The recorder is a little more confusing than other equipment I’ve used in the past, but the MiniDisc recorder worked fine. In an ideal world my recorder would be extremely simple, doing everything automatically with just a record and stop button.

Q: 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?

A: The audio-editing software that I used was audacity. This was the first time I had used it and I found it to be fairly easy. I chose this software because it was straightforward and it was free. It helped me accomplish all of my audio editing techniques and has a lot of different functions. I will definitely use this software again in a future project. It is a simple but very extensive audio-editing software.

Ten Important Questions

1)Where can I find more natural landscapes like the last one I went to?
2)Would I get better nature sounds in a less public place?
3)Maybe I should go to an urban environment for a contrast?
4)How do I capture urban sounds without the sound of traffic?
5)Where is the best place in Minneapolis to capture urban sounds?
6)If I record for longer amounts of time, will I come up with better sounds?
7)Which sounds are more exciting: natural or man-made?
8)Should I use different methods for sound recording for urban as opposed to natural areas?
9)Where are the best places around my neighborhood to record nature sounds?
10)Is there an area that mixes an urban environment with a natural environment?

My Drift One Assessment

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

A: One situation that was very aggravating during my first drift was the amount of wind there was in my drift area. The microphones picked up the wind and it was difficult to edit this out in the editing stages of this project. Another situation that was difficult during drift one was trying to capture a specific sound with not too much background noise. I recorded in a public space and there were always people talking or other things happening during my sound recording. I just had to accept this and record to the best of my ability.

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

A: One situation where I felt unusually peaceful was when I was recording a cricket sound. I had gone under a large tree to get this sound at its best and felt a sense of calmness. I recorded for a prolonged amount of time and felt that this may have been my best sound recorded. Another peaceful moment was when I was recording the waterfall sound. I think that many people find the sound of water calming and that is what it did for me. I know that waterfalls are somewhat generic sounds, but this one stood out to me and I enjoyed it.

Q: 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!)

A: One unexpected situation that I had during drift one dealt with a wedding. I had gone to a landscape arboretum expecting to capture only nature sounds, but when I got there I found that there were multiple weddings there that day. I got to record some of the sounds of the weddings being set up. This was unexpected, but it led to some good sounds that I recorded. Another unexpected situation was the recording of the geese sounds. I had almost finished capturing all of my sounds, when I came across a large field full of geese. I had to record these sounds, and they came out okay despite the loud wind sounds in the background. One more unanticipated situation during my drift one was the time and patience it took to accomplish this drift. I really had to spend time not only recording the sounds, but also really looking for good sounds to record. It requires a high level of patience to find the perfect sounds for this project.

Q: 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.

A: My favorite experience from drift one was when I recorded the sound of geese in a field. It was a much unexpected moment as I was almost finished recording and came across this large field full of geese. I placed the microphone very close to the geese and just let it record the natural sounds of the birds. My family was with me and we watched the geese as they flew away and made loud noises. Although it was not my best quality recording, the moment was exciting and was a good end to my day of recording.

Reading Response #1

I chose the David Toop article from The Art of Noise. The reason that I chose this article was because it has specific relevance to what we are doing in class now with the sound recording. Toop goes into detail about how sounds are now being used for art and this directly relates to our drift projects. Toop also talks about the difference between sound and music, and how these differences are now being cast aside. Now sounds are being perceived as not just sounds, but as important aspects of our surroundings and the makeup of what we perceive as music.

There are some main points that David Toop poses in his article from The Art of Noise. One of his main points is that sound is an essential sense for humans. He talks about how sound helps us to find our bearings in different environments and without sound the world becomes a “remote and dangerous place.” Another point that Toop puts across is how sound can be used as an art form. He talks about how sound can be a greater medium of art than painting, in that sound is all around you and not just in front of you. Toop describes many sound artists in his article and then poses a question to the reader as to whether new forms of sound art should be in galleries or not. This question addresses the fact that sound as an art form is still not widely accepted as a true form of art, but wants the reader to decide for themselves.

The ideas in this article are extremely relevant to my practices as a media artist. This article goes into the importance of sounds and how these sounds can be used to create art. Toop’s article opened my mind to the possibilities of different noises or sounds being used to convey a message much like a painting. I found his thoughts on how sound is all around you, while art is just in front of you, to be very insightful. Toop’s article informed me about the importance of sound and how sounds can be used in a variety of artistic ways.

Soundwalk notes cont. 3

This is a visual map of what I was looking at as I turned around 360 degrees outside of a parking ramp. I made pictures of what I could see and took notes on the sounds I was hearing.

Soundwalk notes cont. 2

These are some notes I took as a walked on the sidewalk and into the student union. I describe how it was all of the noises I heard outside of the union and also the noises I heard inside.

Soundwalk notes cont.

These are some continued notes from my soundwalk. The drawings are my visuals as I took notes.

Soundwalk notes

These are some notes that I took during the soundwalk last Wednesday. The pictures describe what I could see as I recorded the sounds I was hearing. Click the picture for a better view.

Soundwalk Response

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

A: Yes and no. When I was outdoors and away from large groups of people, I was able to listen and focus on specific sounds. For example, I could hear birds chirping, the wind softly blowing, etc. It was more difficult to pick up on certain sounds when I was in the union. There was an overload of sound and it was harder to focus and really listen to the different sounds. People’s voices and the sound of walking really drowned out sounds I was trying to focus on.

Q: Was it possible to move without making a sound?

A: It was possible in some cases. However, when I was inside you could hear the echo of my footsteps. Also, when I was in the forest outside, I could hear the footsteps on the woodchips. When I was walking on concrete outside, I found it was possible to be completely quiet if I was walking slowly enough.

Q: What happened when you plugged your ears, and then unplugged them?

A: When I plugged my ears, the sounds were still present, but they were muffled. I could still hear various loud noises, such as cars driving by, but the quieter noises became non-existent. When I unplugged my ears, all of the sounds came back as they were supposed to. It was as if I had been covering speakers on a stereo and then uncovered them. The sounds all came back instantly.

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

A: I was able to hear many different kinds of sounds. I could hear: the sound of footsteps on concrete, bikes rolling past me, the sound of girls talking loudly, airplanes flying overhead, buses stopping and the brakes making a screeching sound, woodchips being brushed by my footsteps, the buzzing of ceiling lights in the parking garage, cars starting, the sound of a door creaking open, the rumble of a diesel engine on a bus, chairs sliding across floor, trays slamming off and on tables, dryers and washers running.

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

A: Yes, there were certain sounds like a bus coming to a screeching stop that I could place right away. I could see the bus and knew that it had created the sound. There were other sounds that I could not place as easily, like the buzzing of the lights in the parking garage. I heard the sound, but did not connect it with the lights immediately. After thinking about the sound, I made the connection as to where it was coming from.

Q: Human sounds? Mechanical sounds? Natural sounds?

A: Human sounds were easy to place. I could detect when I heard people talking even if it was far away with no visual cue. Mechanical sounds have a distinct sound to them and I heard a lot of these. I could hear cars and buses driving by, and also the sound of dryers and washers spinning inside a building. I found natural sounds the hardest to place. I would hear a sound outside and had trouble finding where it was coming from. Some of the natural sounds I couldn’t decide if it was a bird or just some other natural sound.

Q: Were you able to detect subtleties in the everpresent drone?

A: Yes, I never really have paid close attention to the everpresent drone you can hear outdoors. When I focused on it, I found that it was not constant. It would be a loud buzzing at some points and others it would be almost impossible to hear.

Q: Extremely close sounds? Sounds coming from very far away?

A: Some of the extremely close sounds were the woodchips rustling under my feet and cars whizzing by as I walked near the street. One of the far away sounds I heard was the sound of a police siren off in the distance. I could not tell where it was coming from exactly, but I could tell it was very far away.

Q: 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)?

A: I was able to hear the wind blowing through the trees. I was also able to hear the wind blowing through the grass on the ground. It was a quiet sound, but when I focused on it in complete silence, I could hear it clearly.

Q: 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.?

A: Yes, when walking I would shuffle my feet or step loudly and see the effect it created against the surface of the ground. I found that it created a loud scraping sound when I shuffled my feet on concrete.

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

A: Yes, I have never really stopped and listened to sounds purely for the reason of listening. There are so many sounds that I have never heard because I don’t take the time to listen to them.

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

A: Sound is an extremely important aspect of media and this experience teaches a lot about sound. Most people do not take the time to listen intensely to the sounds around them and this project makes us do exactly that. In order to become a media artist, one must understand the sound around them and how these sounds are created.