Memory Soundscape: Documentation

A. Concept

The memory I chose for the assignment was going home after a busy day from school and buy some food from a deli store. I wanted to make it very vivid, to share the actual sounds I heard at that time with the audience. To imitate the real environment of the market, I used mutiple tracks, and played many different sounds at the same time to show the busy atmosphere.

B. Process

(1)  I used these sounds:

• • Basketball
  • Bell
  • Bike chain
  • Bike ring
  • Motorcycle engine
  • Chopping vegetables
  • Counting cash
  • Meat being shaked in a pot
  • Using plastic bag
  • Dog barking
  • Zipping
  • Warning alert from an e-bike
  • Giving change
  • Footstep
  • Frying food
  • Kicking bottles
  • Piano playing (to imitate the bell for the end of class)

During the recoring process, sometimes the sound recorded might be greatly different from the sound heard. For example, when I was recording the sound of a bike, the sound of chains could not be recorded, because the sound of wheels on the ground was too loud. To solve this problem, we moved the bike into a quite basement to avoid some noices, and hold the bike a bit above the ground.

To create the busy atmosphere, I modified the speed of the footsteps, making a couple of copied sounds being played in different speed to create the effect of many students leaving school. I also used some different sounds for motorcycles and bicicles to make the sound more layered. I also used panning function for the sound of vehicles, in order to provide a more realistic experience. In the process, I learned more about how to deal with various sounds and make them more harmonious together by dividing tracks and adding effects.

C. Conclusion

If I had more time, I would like to add more sounds, like the sound of fans moving and the sound of electronic bicycle starting (it’s like a small but clear sound of an engine). Also, I would like to make adjustment according to the speaker. I finished all those process with my headphones on, so on the presentation day, it really sounded different from what I had during the process. It is a perspective that is worth noticing. Some of my peers couldn’t get the implication of the soundtrack because they didn’t share the same experience with me, they thought the footstep meant being chased by someone, while some peers who had a similar childhood (growing up in Shanghai, China) could easily get what I tried to express because we listened to the same school bell, so it is also important to give general implications that more people can understand.

D. Image of Audition