Concept
When the project was first introduced, one specific memory came in mind, because those were my happiest days. Due to current situation, I often myself reminiscing those days. I am happiest when it comes down to good food accompanied by friends or family which is what my memory for this project involves. The memory I have chosen is when I was able to dine at a fancy restaurant with my sister. The way I wanted to portray this memory was a sequential order. I started off with sound off getting ready and used the sound of the elevator to make it seem that it was the subway, and I was on my way to meet her at the restaurant. You could also tell I was outside through the background sound with birds. From there, instrumentals begin and that is the main background noise because the restaurant was so tiny, no one really talks and focuses only the meal. Since it was omakase style, I added additional sounds to replicate the sounds that I recall when they prepare the food in front of you. Finally, it fades into the same sounds as the beginning to show that I have left, and I am back to my mundane life.
Process
While this was a rather simple memory, it is one that I constantly like to revisit. In that moment, I was not only happy, but also at really peaceful state because this also took place right when the semester ended. I was able to reward myself for my hard work and think about the all the things I can look forward to during my break. Because my mind was very calm and relaxed, I wanted my composition to do the same. I did those by having specific sounds that each section can be focused rather than have a lot going on because in that moment, I was only focused on the food and environment, and that composition follows how my day was played out.
Conclusion
If I had more time with this assignment, and for future improvements, I would definitely experiment with more recordings. In addition, I also think that it would be interesting to replicate this audio through recordings that I take outside. One of the main challenges I faced was that I was limited to what I can record in my dorms, but this did allow me to think outside of the box. I think that it was a fun experiment and found sounds that I would not typically use if it weren’t for the constraints of not being able to go outside.
