Sound maps

Sound maps

* are of particular interest.

*Sound Seeker, NYC google interface.

http://fm.hunter.cuny.edu/nysae/nysoundmap/soundseeker.html

Puget Soundscape

http://homepage.mac.com/brettbecker/soundscape/pugetsoundscape-flash.html

*Cinco Cidades.  5 cities in Portugal, make your own mix of multiple layers.

http://www.cincocidades.com/

London Sound Survey

http://www.soundsurvey.org.uk/index.php/survey/soundmaps/more/96/35/

Soundcities

http://soundcities.com/

Soundtransit, create a sound journey from one city to another.

http://soundtransit.nl

Locus Sonus, live audio streams from around the world.

http://locusonus.org/

Radio Aporee, worldwide sound map, you can add your own.

http://aporee.org/maps/

Mapping Desire at UT

http://www.utexas.edu/cofa/mappingdesire/

Open Sound New Orleans

http://www.opensoundneworleans.com/core/

Lists of soundmaps

http://www.weirdvibrations.com/2010/01/13/sound-maps-ii/

Music links for everyone

A few places for music:

The most obvious place is the stock music from the UT servers.  We've paid for that already, and it is free to use.  There is the regular stock music, but also loops and beats such that you can create some simple and complex compositions a la garage band for yourself, and time it perfectly to what you're doing.  Sounds daunting, but it's really pretty easy to do.  Thousands of possibilities here.

Search for creative commons music, and inspect the licenses carefully.  There's a lot of free music out there, but you have to be sure that it's royalty free, and that you can use it in broadcast.  Try http://www.jamendo.com/en/     http://www.ccmixter.org/ and http://www.thesixtyone.com

hey, it's Moby!  Yes, your favorite elevator music poseur / pop ambient composer (depending on your pov)  offers free music to filmmakers on his website http://www.mobygratis.com/film-music.html .  It's really not so terrible (or maybe I'm just that seriously uncool) and it's useful stuff for docs that need easily loopable stuff.

Search for royalty-free music, and pay to download a track.  You will pay a one-time charge for download but this comes with the ability to use as you wish ("pay once, use it forever," as one site says).  You are essentially paying for a license.  Some sites that offer this:  http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/  , http://musicbakery.com/  (this has moods you can choose-- very helpful) , http://www.neosounds.com/  . 

And there are tons of other sites as well.  Here's a list from Evan, some repeats:

Archival Sound Recordings <http://sounds. bl.uk/Default. aspx>
Internet Archive <http://www.archive. org/index. php>
ccMixter <http://ccmixter. org/>
Free Music Archive <http://freemusicarc hive.org/>
freesound <http://www.freesoun d.org/>
Jamendo Free Music <http://www.jamendo. com/en/>
British Library <http://www.guardian .co.uk/books/ british-library>
test tube - a netlabel <http://www.monocrom atica.com/ netlabel/ index.htm>
FindSounds <http://findsounds. com/>

Soundsnap.com <http://www.soundsna p.com/>
SoundDogs.com <http://www.sounddog s.com/>
Soundrangers <http://www.soundran gers.com/>
<http://www.soundran gers.com/> 

freeSFX <http://www.freesfx. co.uk/> 

Free Sound Effects <http://www.stonewas hed.net/sfx. html>
thesixtyone <http://www.thesixty one.com/>
mp3.com <http://www.mp3. com/>
Magnatune: license music and MP3 download <http://magnatune. com/>
Royalty Free Music <http://incompetech. com/m/c/royalty- free/>
Music Playlists: Rhapsody Music <http://www.rhapsody .com/playlistcen tral>
CC: Legal Music For Videos <http://creativecomm ons.org/legalmus icforvideos>
music alley <http://www.musicall ey.com/>
Magnatune: we are not evil <http://www.magnatun e.com/>

Radio: An Illustrated Guide

This reading was good in giving advice on how to get a good story. One aspect of a story that draws the listener in is to try to create some sort of suspense. The reading gave the example of creating a question and then saying this happened, then this, and so on until the question is answered. But it is not just enough to tell a good story, there has to be an explanation or reflection on what the story means. There could be a really interesting story, but in the end the listener usually wants to hear a reflection on what someone learned, what something meant, etc. There was also a section on making the story more visual. Since radio is an aural medium, one goal is to try to create visual images in the minds of the listeners. In order to create these images, the interviewer may have to ask more questions to get deeper and more detailed answers.

Radio, An Illustrated Guide

Apart from the humorously outdated technological sections and super long passages of text at times, this was a pretty effective comic. I have heard/read most of the information conveyed by the piece already, but this is perhaps the most comprehensive and efficient guide on introducing contemporary radio that I have seen (and it fools readers into thinking that it's just a harmless comic before distilling great nuggets of wisdom, so that's cool and sly).

The Brett story about the guy on the subway platform whispering, "You can stay" and "You have to go," crystallizes an essential facet of storytelling: anticipation. You have to be told or shown that you want something before you know that you want it; the host has to promise you that your time will be well spent over the next however-long-expanse-of-time, or else why are you listening?

In class during the This American Life presentation, an excerpt from one of the shows stood out to me that is STILL BOTHERING ME. Why? Because Ira Glass was introducing the show about personal recordings meant for just one person and said (I paraphrase), "The first recording you will hear is the greatest love letter ever written in the entire history of the universe."

Admittedly that was embellished, but that's what I wanted to believe it was. In just 5 seconds, Ira created more anticipation inside me to hear a love letter simply by promising that it was the best one ever. It is a cold scientific fact, said Ira. He did not say, "I thought it was the best" or "This is one of the best" or even "The best I've heard in recent times." Oh no, it is. The. Best.

I still haven't listened to that clip yet (busy busy busy), but the anticipation lingers.

This is a big reason why I am not a very good storyteller. You have to tease and tickle and even torture your audience if your story is going to have the most effective impact. You can't just tell the punchline immediately (in most cases); nobody would understand. It's the journey and the longing and the wondering right before that final, climactic moment of realization and fulfillment that makes the whole story worthwhile and meaningful – even if that moment is being told an empty statement: "You can stay." What does it even mean? Who cares, that was an awesome ride.

Although hopefully, then, a host or someone would give you closure and explain some wisdom for you to take away and apply to your general life.

Illustrated Radio

I really enjoyed reading this (graphic) novel for a better word. It was written to keep the reader engaged and made all the points and tips about radio understandable and tangible. There are two things that really stood out to me once I was finished reading this little cartoon guide. The part about doing interviews and the part about community radio.

Reading the whole anecdote about Canalou really grabbed my attention. Not only was it an interesting story but it interwove tips and illustrations about how to better you interviews and interviewing style. After doing my first project I really realized doing interviews is harder then you might think. Not only do you have to get engaging answers but you have to keep your interviewee on track and focused on the story at hand. The whole Canalou story helped explain how to do these things better and without your interviewee noticing. Ira really emphasizes knowing your end goal and where you want to take the story, knowing the order in which you want the story to be told and keeping to that order. Something I had trouble doing for project 1. I really like how specific he gets with some of his questions so you can really bring out a good answer from you interviewee. Not only are the questions provocative, but they seem like normal questions to ask someone so your interviewee wont be caught off guard.

As for the community radio section I just found it interesting. I listen to the koop a lot and never really thought about how much work must go into the production of the shows. How time and effort must go into the shows and that most of the people are just normal everyday people who enjoy radio. Someone needs to be there as long as they are on air which means Christmas, New Years, and Thanksgiving. I never realized how much work must go into the station to keep in local, local stories, local music, and local DJs. That doesn't sound like a lot of work but it would be so much easier to just play the hits from the bigger stations then go digging for local music. It would be easier to just tap into a bigger story from a different part of the nation. But people listen to and like the koop because it is an Austin station. The community radio part of the story points all these things out and brings to light just how much work these people put into local stations because the enjoy it.

Radio: An Illustrated Guide

I'm not completely sure what we are supposed to blog about with this reading. Our reflections? I have a few.

I thoroughly enjoyed how this reading what structured as a graphic novel. I was actually chatting with my boyfriend this weekend about what the djs on NPR look like. We looked up Robert Siegel and Michele Norris, but never thought to look up Ira Glass. Daniel can't stand Ira Glass, he says his cadence rubs him the wrong way. I can see what he means as he doesn't really have a consistent rhythm like other radio personalties, but I still like This American Life enough to not think about it too much.

To be honest, this reading was on of the most informative and helpful readings I've been assigned in my college life. I've recently discovered - because this is my first audio production class - that I am actually much more interested in radio and sound than film and television. I feel like I "get it" much more and take greater pleasure in recording and editing audio, listening to audio more than watching, reading about, recording and editing film. I dont really know why, but then again, do I need to explain why I like what I like?

This reading was helpful in that it was interesting to read how programs like This American Life are structured, what kind of recording devices and mics they usually use, how they prerecord things and do others live. I appreciated the tidbit on how to make your own sound programs in your laptop and home with free editing software (and they provided links- how awesome is that!?), and what makes a story interesting and successful.

The most helpful thing, though, was the section where Ira Glass, Julie Snyder and Alix Siegel each explain the circumstances under which they acquired their jobs at NPR. Last week I had an anxiety attack (which I'm very prone to, unfortunately) after looking for internships and paying jobs in San Antonio - where I might move after graduation in May. My highest hope was to get an internship with KSTX, which is the NPR station in SA. I looked - nothing. They need accountants and writers. I was crippled with the anxiety that I'll never find a job where I'm happy with what I'm doing. Readug about the expectations one should have if you want to get into public radio: working for free and moving up slowly, helped ease my frustration. I know it's not impossible now. I would be happy being a gofer or doing menial things if it meant I could potentially get a job doing, well, anything for my favorite radio station. Really, this reading helped me in many ways that other reading for school have never.

Well, this turned out to be uber long. But those are my reactions! I will be saving this reading so reference after this class and after school.

Soundwalk

1.  Start inside the Harry Ransom Center on the first floor (300 West 21st Street)
2.  Walk outside of the Center and walk towards your right -- down the steps.
3.  Walk along 21st street -- towards the PCL Library.
4.  On the way, stop by fountain and the food stand.
5.  Cross the street right after the security checkpoint.
6.  Walk into the PCL library.
7.  Spend some time on the ground floor in the front computer room.
8.  Take the elevator to the 6th floor -- go to a "quiet study area"
9.  End soundwalk in silence.

Extra Soundwalk- To Lab

shutters of blinds hitting against the door

my door slams shut

house creaking as I walk across the porch

beep beep as I unlock my car door

bird are chirping

squirrels are dropping pecans on my car roof

drop drop drop

engine starts as my keys jingle against each other

voices on KUT comes on

talking about donations

switch

sounds of "Blue Sky Blue" from Wilco fills my car

drive

rumbling of my car as I go across potholes

*DRIVE SOME MORE*

parked my car

slams my door

students start to chatter around Kinsolving

"Hello! How are you?" the nice cashier man from Kinsolving shouts at me

construction site noise is fading as the day is dying

students complaining about homework on Deen Keaton and Whitis

beep beep beep beep

time to cross the street!!!

cars come to a stop, rumbling of the engines

my footsteps up the concrete stairs

the sound of wind is slightly blowing

door creak as I open it

chatter of students working in the lobby

open the door to stairwell

more door creaking

footsteps are getting louder as people walk down

echoes of voices from up above

swoosh, as I swing the door open to the 4th floor

the water fountain cooler turns on

and my phone rings

and I am in sound lab tonight.

My own soundwalk

After class I went to go design my own sound walk and take someone else's but I couldn't find anyone's on the blog? So I just wrote down everything I heard on my own walk.


Directions:(From the Union)
1) Cross the drag and take a left towards Medici's and stand in the threshold to listen.
2) Continue down Guadelupe, passed 22nd until you come to St. Austin's Catholic Church, go inside
3) From St. Austin's come back out onto the drag heading north and take a left onto 22nd. Walk a block to the moon tower, the tall tower with three bright lights and take a moment to stand under it.
 4) Walk west and take a left on Nueces. Follow the street to the corner of 21st and Nueces, under 21Rio apartment complex stand out side for a while.
 5) Walk west up 21st to the corner of Rio Grande, to your right should be a shop called the Bodega, go inside.

1) Street Intersection:
 Bus breaking
Students talking about their exam
Cars passing
Bike spoke 
Footsteps on concrete
Crosswalk beep
    Medici's
Computer keys
Murmuring

glass clinking
forks on plates
metal chair moving against concrete
people talking about Arrested Development

2) St. Austins
Creeking wooden door
Wooden pews creeking
Footsteps on marble floors
Humming of the AC

3) Moon Tower
Humming of the lights

Bugs floating in the air
Cars stopping at the stop sign
Guitar playing from the porch of a nearby house
Dog sniffing the ground, owner's footsteps on gravel and glass

4) Outside 21Rio
Music blaring from an apartment above
 Someone banging on the dumpster in the alley
cars breaking
street cat meowing
flies around the trash can
footsteps one the concrete
cars on loose gravel

5) Inside Bodega:
A\C running
cash register beeping
coolers humming
cashier saying total
rustling of a plastic bag
cooler door opening
clinking of cans
steps on the linoleum
bell attached to the door ringing

Sound Walk

Stairs
Resonance of voices and doors opening and closing.
Sound of outside traffic through the walls.

Outside
Sounds of traffic: cars, trucks, buses starting and stopping, accelerating.
People walking and chatting.
Sounds of construction and an odd laser noise
Birds chirping

Cafe
Dinnerware and conversations.
Radio coming through crummy speakers.
Constant ambient him of streets is overwhelmed by the sounds of people talking

Construction
Sounds of construction, power tools.
Bizarre laser noise
Constant noise of a pump