Memory Soundspace

My Memory Soundscape is derived from my memory of Chinese New Year. It’s a way for me to reminisce a nostalgic memory. I lived in China until I was 4, but after that, I lived in the US my whole life. Some part of me is always going to miss the traditional ways of celebration in China. Its authenticity can’t be replicated because it’s the people, food, and traditional values that make it special. At first it’s raining outside, but it’s the type of rainstorm that is calming. My grandma goes to close the windows and curtains and then proceeds to prepare food for New Year’s Night.Whilst everything is going on, I hear the sound of the TV which usually plays 春晚. It’s the channel every Chinese family turns on that day. Later, we are all eating, laughing, celebrating the new beginning with a cheer. The background fills again with sounds of firecrackers and traditional instruments. 

Because this memory is so old, I wanted my audio to kind of resemble how we remember things. At first, there are small distinct noises, but towards the end, the details begin to fall together creating a fuller image of the memory. Additionally, the memory consists of two separate moments: one of my grandma cooking, and one of the family gathering. There is a pause between the transition of the two because those moments are the ones I value and remember the most.

 

Process:

For this project, I first outlined a story line for the soundtrack. This was the basic outline of what I had before, but because of limited resources, I minimized to the soundtrack I have now.  

• Door opens 
• Greetings 
• Some music/television in the background, soft sound 
• Plastic bags shuffling (taking out groceries) 
• Wash food 
• Slice lettuce 
• Thunk in sink 
• Frying in pan 
• Water boiling 
• Plates and utensils clinking 
• Gradually hears more people chatting and the music 
• Cheers! 
• Glass clink 
• Fireworks 
• Laughing 

I started the soundtrack by building the background noises. The gradual increase in the rain’s pitter-patter begins the memory. Its presence is soft and welcoming. The footsteps are introduced to indicate someone is there now and that the following actions are from them. I tried to follow somewhat of a cooking procedure such as washing hands, finding pot and pans, and chopping food. Later, this event dissipates and transitions to people laughing and cheering. I used the echo effect to show it was in the past but something that fills up the room if I hear it again. I had glasses clinging to show toasting. Firecrackers and the TV played almost all throughout the soundtrack. They’re sounds that will always be present even if you don’t pay attention to them. I didn’t want my soundtrack to be so clear since New Year’s celebration should be loud and chaotic. Even after the family gathering, we resume to focusing on the rain and TV. I wanted to use this type of focus in and out of sounds as that gives it a feel that you are remembering something. Even in the present, we don’t always focus on the main subject all the time. We pay attention to our surroundings such as the sound of the cars on the road or the AC blowing from the ceiling. The window and curtain is closed again to symbolize the memory has ended, yet if you restart the recording again, it seems like the memory can be played over and over like a loop. 

My memory is nostalgic and happy which is in contrast to one that’s traumatic, I wasn’t sure which types of effects to use. To convey a scary scene, you can use a high pitched screech or increasing loud thumps. The sequential aspect of my project made it easier to know which sounds should come first, but sometimes I faced a problem where I would have empty spaces because the actions are singular, coming one at a time. With this, I had to repeat a sound that made sense to add between one another. 

During class discussion, I had some great feedback. For more improvement, I should try adding more sounds directly in front of my to create contrast of foreground and background. Otherwise, it seems like the soundtrack is everything happening around me. Although I did intend to do this because it’s me observing the world around me, it would still be cool to add those first perspective tracks. Also at the end, there was also too much going on. I can reduce the sounds and isolate them to one such as the rain to close off the memory soundtrack. If I could improve this project and had more time to work on it, I would record all the audios again paying more attention to the background noise. I want it reduced as much as possible because even if I reduce it with Audition, sometimes it’s not gone completely. After clipping the audios together, I can tell a clearer differentiation between the left and right microphones, so I might also want to utilize that detail in my soundtrack as well.