Sonic Journal

Sonic Journal EP20: Chase End Hill. Dark wet woodland, distant rumbles - Binaural Soundscape.

— Recorded on July 30th 2023 / 2215h —

Day seven of 'Seven days of Hills' mini series exploring the soundscapes of the Malvern Hills area every day for one week.

**As this is a Binaural recording - please wear headphones for the best spatial stereo listening experience**

For the seventh and final day of this week of daily hill soundscapes we make our way down to Chase End Hill and as the most southernly point of the Malverns we are now in Gloucestershire. And for this day rather than early morning, it is a night recording we present from the final hill. It has been a very blustery day and evening with winds and rain coming and going. Now, after 10pm the rain has held up a touch but the trees are still holding a lot of water. This area, while quite remote in some ways is actually quite close as the crow flies to a large dual carriage way road, and with the strong South-westerly wind the sound from the road rumbles up the valley and woodlands and into my microphones, creating an extra rumbling layer to pair with the rumble of the moving winds. Well, who am I to deny some additional rumble on this dark wet final night of 7 days of hills recordings!

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Sonic Journal EP19: Ragged Stone Hill. Oaks swaying in the summer breeze - Binaural Nature Soundscape.

Day six of 'Seven days of Hills' mini series exploring the soundscapes of the Malvern Hills area every day for one week.

**As this is a Binaural recording - please wear headphones for the best spatial stereo listening experience**

On this, the sixth day of seven we are approaching the end (or should that be the beginning?) of the Malvern hills range, where the terrain narrows a little, but if anything things get more interesting. There are far less people around these parts, making for an interesting place to explore. Today the recording location is up and over Ragged Stone Hill, then steep down into a woodland made up of mostly Beech and Oak (at least where I was situated). Most noticeable is the height of these trees - so so tall, reaching up and swaying in the breeze as the sun cuts through, lighting up the leaf littered forest floor.

Recorded on July 29th 2023 / 0753h

For more pics, info and things https://instagram.com/recordinguk/

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Sonic Journal EP18: Gullet Quarry / Midsummer Hill. Deer barking / Angsty Robins - Binaural Nature Soundscape. Recorded on July 28th 2023 / 0536h

Day five of 'Seven days of Hills' mini series exploring the soundscapes of the Malvern Hills area every day for one week.

**As this is a Binaural recording - wearing headphones will help put you in the place of the blue head**

Day five and around 2.5km further south along the hills and we reach Gullet Quarry, a beautiful space surrounded on two sides by woodland with one particularly impressive towering rock face. It is between here and Midsummer Hill that today's recording was made. I love this space for its acoustic and tall Ash trees, although there is a mix of trees throughout the valley including old moss covered Oaks and Sycamore. The recording location is a little off the beaten track and has an ancient feel about it. You can hear the distant low level stream running alongside the quarry all the way up here the valley, and impressive winds can really rip through this place in winter months. The soundscape heard today included a conversation between two Muntjac deer, Ravens passing by high over head and some angsty Robins!

For more - https://instagram.com/recordinguk/

— Sonic Journal is now featured in the top 25 Best Field Recording Podcasts list by Feedspot, take a look and listen: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/field_recording_podcasts/ —

Sonic Journal EP17: British Camp / Herefordshire Beacon. Crickets in the dry Grasses / Woodland stream - Binaural Soundscape.

Day four of 'Seven days of Hills' mini series exploring the soundscapes of the Malvern Hills area every day for one week.

**As this is a Binaural recording - please wear headphones for the best sound reproduction in yer ears**

We hop along a little further today, crossing over the A449 for the continuation of the hills at todays recording spot of British Camp. This area was once a fort and has also been radically re-shaped to look 'nicer' by the Victorians back in the day, giving the Herefordshire Beacon a very distinctive loaf-like appearance from afar. The terrain is mostly grassland and very open with a series of small connecting hills and valleys making up the first section near the beacon, but I was more interested in the lower lying section near the reservoir today, discovering some shelter from the wind and nearby road noise. My microphones were positioned for a wide sound picture from the low level crickets and insects, to distant Buzzards in the older surrounding wooded areas. Oh, and then moving around the corner and into the closest woodland to hear a lovely little stream running past an ancient Holly tree more than a meter in diameter!

Recorded on July 27th 2023 / 0827h

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— Sonic Journal is now featured in the top 25 Best Field Recording Podcasts list by Feedspot, take a look and listen: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/field_recording_podcasts/ —

Sonic Journal EP16: Jubilee Hill Sycamore in the breeze - Binaural Nature Soundscape. Recorded on July 26th 2023 / 0530h

Day three of 'Seven days of Hills' mini series exploring the soundscapes of the Malvern Hills area every day for one week.

**As this is a binaural recording - it's best to use headphones**

Moving along and down from the Worcestershire Beacon high point, across the Wyche cutting and along Perseverance Hill, Jubilee Hill is today's location. As a relatively small bump of a hill, this Hill is interesting because it sits on a crossroad of walking paths as well as dropping off steeply on both the west and east sides into different kinds of wooded coverage. Owls and rooks can often be heard around this location, although no owls this morning, instead my ear was taken by the rattling of a medium sized Sycamore tree in full leaf... so I placed the microphones up among the branches to really try and get amongst the movement of the leaves in the morning breeze.

For more audio goings on head to https://instagram.com/recordinguk/

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Sonic Journal EP15: Sugarloaf Hill - Binaural Soundscape. Recorded by Mike Rucinski on July 25th 2023 / 0550h

Day two of 'Seven days of Hills' mini series exploring the soundscapes of the Malvern Hills area every day for one week - A soundscape snapshot.

**As this is a Binaural recording - please wear headphones for best listening experience**

Sugarloaf Hill is today's location, which sits between North Hill and the beacon high point. To the east the hill drops down into a tree lined valley and eventually into the town, yet somehow it can be very quiet up here. Weather wise there was a proper clear sunrise and the wind speed was very low, so good conditions for recording up here. There was a little very light rain which quickly passed, and a little vehicle sound from nearby roads, although the bees in the fresh growth Wood Sage were certainly making themselves known while going about their busy busy chores!

For more of my sound and recording goings on: https://instagram.com/recordinguk/

— Sonic Journal is now featured in the top 25 Best Field Recording Podcasts list by Feedspot, take a look and listen: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/field_recording_podcasts/ —

Sonic Journal EP14: North Hill Quarry Rain - Binaural Soundscape. Recorded on July 24th 2023 / 0615h

This is the first episode of Sonic Journal 'Seven days of Hills'; a mini series exploring the soundscapes of a particular location over the space of seven days in July 2023 - A soundscape snapshot.

**As this is a Binaural recording - please wear headphones for best spatial feels in your ears**

The area of interest is the Malvern Hills in the UK, which spans three counties (Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire) and is shaped a little like a narrow dragons back. To walk from the north to the south you will meet 13 hills and cover around 12 miles. This area is a local stomping ground of mine which I have been exploring and recording for quite a few years now, and while it is not a vastly large area one thing I have noticed is the variety in soundscape as you pass through when walking or biking the paths and trails from hill to hill.

The focus is on bringing a sample of the soundscape recorded from a selection of different locations along the hills over a seven day period, with recordings made around the same time each day, using the same equipment and settings, and the location being the alternating factor. Episode one will start in the north, and as the week progresses recordings will be made gradually moving south.

For more info on head over to https://instagram.com/recordinguk/

— Sonic Journal is now featured in the top 25 Best Field Recording Podcasts list by Feedspot, take a look and listen: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/field_recording_podcasts/ —

While on trip to Iceland in late May 2022 I didn’t plan on making many recordings but, as always, packed a little travel rig so managed to press record on a number of occasions in and around walking, driving and generally exploring the Snaefellsnes peninsula. There are many wild animal species to be seen and heard around this time of year in the west, including Whimbrel, Snipe, Arctic turn, White tail Eagle, Eider Duck and Artic Fox (which we did see once, briefly!). And of course, i was more than excited to record some geothermal action at a very remote natural hot spring while looking out over fields and snow topped mountains.

> 5 audio sketches, included in this continuous soundscape:

Búðir coast, nr Búðakirkja church, a little after midnight;

Arnastapi camp ground, mid morning;

Öndverðarnes coast, early evening;

Berserkjahraun lagoon, mid afternoon;

Geothermal Springs a little north of Snaefellsnes, early afternoon. 

> Thanks for listening!

Each week or so i look forward to visiting a local spring, where water flows out of an old pipe in the side of a hill, under a road, into a stone basin and out down into the fields. There are many springs in the Malvern Hills area, some flowing fast and clean, some barely dripping, presumably due to not being looked after over the years. But this one is a favourite as it's surrounded by trees that tower over you while collecting water. At night, when there are very few cars it is really quiet and I am often serenaded by owls hooting.

Park Wood Binaural listening

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I'm fascinated by the ways different cultures around the world use sound to celebrate, progress and mark time in the calendar; from the raucous carnival season through to altogether quieter affairs of silent retreats and also Nyepi, which is unique to the island of Bali. Nyepi, the day of silence, is an important part of the celebrations that bring in the Balian new year, where for a full 24 hours 6am-6am nothing open, no transport runs, no electricity, no sounds, no party no work. It is used for meditation, arts and crafts, detox and simply having quiet time just being. So everything is turned off, everything of course apart from the sounds of nature all around. I have not been to Bali during Nyepi but can only imagine the peace that this day brings.

Trip notes / Early May 2022 Dryburn Moor, Allendale, Northumberland

🔊 For the audio podcast of this blog Listen Here (Apple Podcasts), or below (on Spotify)

Day one / Mon 2nd It's early May 2022 and i'm heading due north from the midlands for a few days of recording in and around the North Pennine moors.

I arrive at my location at 2330 after leaving home at 1800ish with one stop at Tebay services for a coffee and some food. The last leg of the journey was from Penrith across and over the North Pennines towards Allendale, and unsurprisingly it was very dark, windy and ascending; although quite spectacular in its increasing remoteness. After setting up kit and prepping the back of van for sleep and food and living in it for a few days it was later than i'd hoped, meaning not a lot of sleep was to be had, but it's often difficult to sleep after focussing on driving for 5 hours, especially with the anticipation of a new location and soundscape to be recorded!

The plan recording wise was to capture wild soundscapes from a binaural dummy head perspective using a pair of DPA 6060 miniature mics. I also had an alternative backup Rycote blimp with a spaced pair of DPA 4060s and a black stealthy wind jammer, to use if the wind picks up... (Which is likely!)

Day Two / Tues 3rd Mornings of recording sessions are like a kind of military routine - I was up at 0300h/3am and on the Moor by half past. Of course, having thoroughly thought through the pattern of tasks required so that I would be fully prepared and ready to record with minimum fuss!

When I arrived just a few hours earlier under darkness with my only knowledge of the area coming from the study of aerial maps, at ground level it was very much new territory and being a bog moorland and very dark I would have to be careful with my footing. Following a solid track, I make my way down a hill from the small road, gradually banking back up until I see the vague silhouette of what I assumed was one of the two old (and tall) lime chimneys. On approach I realised I was correct, thankfully. Although not knowing exactly where to set up my microphones I see the top of the other chimney so carefully and quietly continue on.

The Quiet

Its incredibly quiet, but there is sound starting to build already: the odd gurgle of red grouse and distant descending calls of curlew, was that a Snipe... I know I can't hang about here deliberating, I need to set and go as soon as possible! This is difficult but with what little information on I have gathered on my surroundings in this dark place, I position the mic stand and go hunker down. My presence did not go unnoticed, with the start of curlew alarming... but this thankfully calmed back down quite quickly; back to the sparse quiet of the nighttime moor.

It's difficult to describe the level of quiet that these moorland areas possess. Hours can pass with no human derived sounds being heard, so no engines or signs of nearby life. There are people living around here, but there's a lot of wild space. This, in theory makes it ideal for wildlife soundscape recording. I say in theory because the moorland terrain is extremely exposed, there are no trees and so nothing to block the winds and often brutal weather systems bellowing over the Pennines. All I can do is hope the wind doesn't pick up too much during my short visit...

Improving audio project workflow

🔊 To listen to the audio podcast version of this blog entry head over here [Apple Podcasts]< or here [Spotify]  

Thoughts for this piece were inspired by a discussion with an audio friend on creativity vs use of time in relation to music and audio production projects. In particular, how to know a creative mix or production, project etc is actually finished, and most importantly when to stop. It is all too easy to get wrapped up in the minute detail of one tiny edit, but when you have one hundred or more of these edits to do before the work is technically close to completion, how long should you spend on each step? Without a deadline in place an infinite amount of time may be used to experiment, chop, change and alter every little element of a project. Whether you are working alone, for a client or in a collaboration, there will be time constraints, and these absolutely must be met (if you fancy any chances of working for them ever again!).

While experimentation is necessary and essential for personal and skills development, here are some methods I have found useful for increasing workflow and productivity, without completely neglecting the all important creative urges. 

[NOTE: My DAW of choice tends to be Ableton Live (currently v10...), so these points generally reference Live specific actions, but thats not to say similar actions could not be taken when using other DAWs, such as Reaper, Pro Tools etc. Find what works for you.]

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Quick start melody/rhythm ideas Save interesting but unused melody or rhythm ideas as midi clips. Throw them in a folder to get them out of the way of the current project. When new ideas are needed, scanning through this folder can save time and get the creative juices flowing without having to always create from scratch at the start of each project.

Quick start effect/processing chains Make racks and folders for useful/creative effects or processing chains and plugin settings. These can then be dropped in to any channel for the desired (or at least close to desired) result. I have master processing chains, group processing for voice/vocals, distortion chains and effect return chained verbs, delays and widening which I use often.

Loudness matched reference tracks Keep loudness matched reference tracks on muted channels that bypass any grouped processing. This can keep you on the right track in regard to the sound or style of the project being created. And if you are running master bus processing, so as not to hear the reference tracks through this as well, create a ‘Pre-Master’ channel to send everything but the reference tracks to, keeping them clean and allowing easy A-B. There are plugins available that do this type of this, but this is really very simple to set up and doesn’t cost a bean!

Hot keys Use hot key shortcuts. Assign to control whatever you do a lot; solo references, a/b between racks, arrangement zooms, cut/split/clip mute, whatever! Having some choice hot key shortcuts set up for big edit projects can really speed up the workflow and help make important project decisions happen much quicker.

Group for easy control Group similar arrangement tracks for easy control and group processing. Can then drag the entire group to a clip if it’s doing the business, say for percussion, bass or vocal processing, for quick use in future tracks. 

Use a timer Keep track of time to keep on task. There are dedicated productivity apps for this, but a standard timer or stop watch on the phone with lap timer does the trick. Start when you start and pause whenever you stop for a break, then at the end of the project you will have a good gauge of how long was actually spent working (which can be a real eye opener).

Working as a creative producer, there has to be a degree of experimentation allowed to keep interest and passion in the work you do. Without this you run the risk of falling into a rut, with the work you once loved getting up in the morning for, becoming just another job. Strive for creative greatness, but do this with a professional hat on, as the client wants their mix and it has to be great (regardless of how many new techniques and tricks you used in the process). Take a risk in deciding that enough is enough, the mix is done. When i have done this and then come back to a project weeks later, i am rarely disappointed. Yes, changes could be made, but this is always the way with creative projects, so you have to be ruthless, make decisions, stand by them and move on. And the more decisions you make, the easier they become. Apply experience, skills and knowledge, work quickly and let go. 

Capturing the sounds from within

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The requirement for contact mic use came about from the opportunity to record the fermentation of cider and perry in oak barrels (see The sound of cider posts for more info on this). While i have been aware of and have used contact mics, mostly in live music settings, the opportunity had never arisen to creatively use such a method of capturing sound, until now. Which makes this very new experimental territory for me (and of course, quite an exciting prospect!).

My aim was to record the bubbling of air created as a result of wild yeast fermentation in fruit juices. This process can get quite wild, and is audible, although the sound is subtle to the ear. My thinking was that a contact mic attached to some part of the barrel, or air trap, would result in a strong, clear capture of the bubbling. But to get to the point of testing whether this would work, i would first need to source some contact mics, and after some research it became apparent that the DIY build option was to be the best way forward for my needs.

The mic build: components, processes, trial and test

Setting resin around the element to protect and hold in place [mic #1]

Setting resin around the element - to protect and hold in place [mic #2]

Plasticote spraying of the contact elements [Mic #2+3]

Contact mic preamp buffer circuit board - DIY build. This was seriously tiny and so needed magnification to see the components and accurately solder everything in place. Two of these were built to enable the contact mics to operate properly and capture the full frequency spectrum. They work a treat!

Testing Mic #2 with neodynium magnet - taped to the mic with PV tape. This was very useful for attaching the mic element to metal objects such as machines, creating a firm attachment and good clear sound pickup.

Testing Mic #2 taped to a wheelbarrow

Combination of contact and acoustic mic methods (isolated close up vs sound in space) . More on this in a dedicated write up all about capturing the sound of the barrel rooms.

Thoughts on future use

Overcoming the challenges of capturing rainfall

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Why? Anyone who has spent time out in nature in the UK walking, hiking or biking will agree one thing, it rains. So when recording outdoors it is inevitable that rain will happen and so is something to get your head around and have a strategy for, to save plans being scuppered should the forecast be grey and wet (...again).

I learnt the hard way, leaving microphones outside when dry only to return to a wind jammer resembling something of a wet dog! And while my kit was not damaged on this occasion, I knew I would be better prepared next time. Rain is a challenge for sound recordists for a number of reasons: fluffy wind jammers designed to cut down on wind noise stop working properly when wet, water can easily damage expensive microphones and electronics, and us humans don't like standing outside in the cold and rain for too long (sometimes not at all!). But i'm not one to stay at home and miss out on great recording opportunities so it is all about weighing up the elements of risk and preparing so the kit is safe, you stay warm and dry and the resulting recordings are a true clear representation of what ever the British weather is dishing out (within reason). All in all it is a challenge and who can resist a challenge!

Eliminating risks - Getting results

I have good outdoor clothing and can stay warm and dry for reasonably long periods when outdoors, so one problem sorted. Now to work out the best way to protect the kit. There are rain stoppers available to place over the mic and cut down on the sound of the rain directly on the mic as well as keeping the fluffy wind protector dry and fully operational. These are expensive for what they are and look quite simple in construction, so I embarked on a DIY build using some old goretex trousers and aquatic large pore foam and some canvas straps. An hour or two later and I am the proud owner of a raincover akin to the Rycote Duck cover. This is a work in progress, but i was pleasantly surprised at how effective a rain stopper this thing is, as it is channels water back behind the microphone, is a superb sound damper and it fits over both the conventional Rycote basket/blimp and the binaural head too (albeit looking a little like something from a sci-fi horror!).

The sound of rain

Rain in and of itself doesn't create much in the way of sound; as it is basically water droplets falling through space. Sound is generated only when the water droplets hit something, the ground, leaves on a tree or entire woodland, tiles on a roof, a glass skylight... these all make very different sounds (Rain on grass or a lake is a particularly pleasing sound to my ear). Then combine the water droplets hitting something with a strong breeze blowing past and through things and we have that classic sound of the ever familiar UK gale. It gets interesting when there is heavy rain with little or no wind or conversely, howling wind with no rain, as then there is an opportunity to record the weather in its pure form, which can deliver some great results. A recent rain recording I made was on a fairly still evening at around 10pm UK time and there was almost no wind and so near vertical rain. I had wanted to capture rain with the new binaural dummy head to encapsulate the feeling of being out in the rain as it builds from a few drops to a full on downpour so i grabbed my jacket and sound bag and headed outside.

Night Rain (audio clip)

Some thoughts and notes from 2020/2021 on how I approach managing life, creativity and business in order to progress and achieve a balance.

[To listen to this blog as an audio podcast click here, or search Sonic Journal and subscribe where ever you get your podcasts]

Working for clients

I Find using a CRM (currently streak in gmail) to set tasks and keep track of comms with clients very useful. Trello is good too, mostly to see ideas / clients / promo activity / projects at a glance. Calendar wise, colour coding different types of project works best for me - but dividing time in too much detail for absolutely everything can become stressful rather than helpful. Simple blocks of time are far more useful, and can be rearranged easily if need be. It is important is to be able to find information about a project easily, so anything that can help this in a simple way is worth a try.

Working on side projects

This has been a struggle this year with all the uncertainty and cancelled live work initially killing creativity, so not putting too much pressure on myself has helped. Getting out into the woodlands to record dawn chorus during lockdown was great, and something I have been doing for a number of years now. It’s enjoyable to set aside the odd afternoon for some personal studio noise making or a vid call with audio friends to break out of the home bubble.

Learning new things

I generally save links and tabs of interesting stuff (and then delete them due to lack of time!). Read books (always have a pile on the go). Listen to podcasts when cooking (pretty much every day), and learn loads from this, as well as getting tip offs for new books to buy and areas to research. Also rack up shows/vids on BBC Sounds and YouTube for later consumption.

Updating my website

Keeping it fairly minimal has meant that making a few tweaks here and there every week or so isn’t too painful. Website stuff can be a pain in the ass, so anything that makes updates easy is a good thing. Not overcomplicating content is always front of mind. 

Being nice and present on social media

This can be difficult (not the being nice, just being there and interacting), as social portals can easily be wormholes in disguise that frustratingly blast time away. Scheduling posts is great, then can just dip in and out depending on whats going on. During busy times keeping the socials updated takes a back seat (real people always over screen time). 

Listening to other artists’ work

I use Bandcamp, Radio 6 Music and Spotify for discovery. Mostly when cooking or doing admin. Each morning for 20 mins I listen to a range of new stuff nice and loud on the studio monitors to wake up the ears/brain! Or while mountain biking I stick on a new album before breakfast out on the trails. I’d say 50%+ of all music I listen to is new release (or new to me!).

Sleeping enough / exercising enough

Getting much better at these, and bundle them as they are so interdependent. First thing in the morning every day is exercise time; either self inflicted boot camp or mountain bike blast over the hills. The need to exercise has pushed the importance of getting a good night's sleep, and as a result getting to bed at a reasonable time. Like most audio peeps I used to burn the candle with studio projects, and still do, but far less often. Days with no exercise are often less productive. 

Having a private life

Phone goes into/out of airplane mode automatically; each evening and morning. Evenings / Weekends are mine (mostly). I don’t stress about taking time out in the week to go places, do non work things and have a life outside of work. I used to feel that this was committing some sort of freelancer crime, but as time goes on I give less of a shit. You have to be happy, healthy and interested in what you do, and this sometimes means jumping off the treadmill for a day to develop other areas. Everything is connected, so push too hard in one narrow direction and this is often felt negatively in other parts of life, and not always straight away.

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From tree to glass - an immersive journey

As we move from September in to October there is a distinct move in season, the feeling of the end of summer and start of autumn is strong. I enjoy this change, the cool air and clear dark nights, but especially this year I have looked forward to autumn for slightly different reasons. Living on the borders of the Three counties and Herefordshire, it is difficult to bypass the connection this region has with the growing of fruit, in particular hops, apples and pears for use in some of the most distinctive and delicious ciders and perries you will drink on this fine Isle! After discovering the range and quality of cider producers in this area I dug a little deeper; who are the makers, what are their stories and where are they refining this ancient craft from? Could I discover more about the sonics surrounding the production of fine cider, and have the opportunity to capture a unique selection of soundscapes that can place the listener inside this artisan production world?

Old cider press

Before the summer (June 2021) I reached out to Tom Oliver, a cider maker of 20+ years, farmer and seasoned sound engineer. We chatted one Friday afternoon for a number of hours about all things sound, mixing, flavour, cider and farming, and Tom was interested in exploring my idea so agreed to be interviewed and also let me loose with my microphones at his farm to capture the sonics of the spaces used for production. This was an exciting prospect for me on a number of levels; sonically I had not previously recorded the craft of traditional cider making, nor had I the past opportunity to record someone of his experience talking in depth about the art of what he does and stories of his experience.

This was to be an opportunity to explore sound from a new perspective in terms of location, subject and sound production. How, where and when would I capture the audio to immerse the listener in the world of Oliver's? Where is the sound of cider production? What methods would I use to capture this sound? And how would I bring together what I capture of the spaces and processes with the knowledge and insight of Tom in order to build an immersive sound picture of what goes into the creation of the unique range of organic ciders and perries he makes? No short order, and great to have Tom onboard for this journey.

One thing for certain - this was not likely to be a short process. The summer is not a time for making cider (more a time for drinking it, at festivals, with good food and with friends outdoors!), apples and pears are growing all summer long, and are not ready to be harvested until autumn time, so the process from tree to glass is very much dictated by how nature's seasons play out and by the natural processes that occur. So Tom and I agreed to pick the conversation back up around October / November time, taking us in a full loop back to the start of this blog entry, and why I was particularly looking forward to autumn this year!

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An August Soundscape

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___________________________________ Swirling, moving, diving, whining. Pack mentality with individual might. flying around the invisible racetrack, sounding out then darting low, wing sound fast and clear, then gone. [M Rucinski / August 2021] ___________________________________

August 2021 as a sound memory for me will be evening walks and the immersive sound of Swifts all around as the light dips down towards night. I wrote the short piece above while sitting in my garden, with Swifts filling the sky high and low, darting about, distant then right up close. It was after a walk on a local hill where there were again, more Swifts. It was their time of year and they made sure to let everyone know. Because of their shrill calls, the Swifts add to the general soundscape in interesting ways: the shrill, high frequency calls can be obscured by large objects like trees in full leaf as the Swifts dart around, but can also be amplified by reflecting off of buildings and bouncing around. These birds get so close to buildings it can be like a racetrack of little police cars going at full pace with their sirens on... and then gone! Silence.

Searching for new soundscapes is an ongoing interest. I'm not sure when I realised that spaces and places have recognisable sound signatures (as do objects, instruments and people), but the soundscape or sonic feel of a location when listened to over time is a fascinating thing as it is both unique, infinitely varied and forever changing. This year, through finding myself more tuned in to sound and soundscapes than i have been in previous years, I became acutely aware of the monthly and seasonal changes through the year, and the connection this has to changes in the 'sonic' i was experiencing on a day to day basis. I had opened my awareness fully to my location and what i was hearing; i had allowed myself to become immersed in the world of sound around me as i went about my day.

This was a fairly easy thing to track because it was a case of making simple connections with my daily routine and the sounds that were a part of this. From early to mid morning taking a walk or bike ride over the hills; from mid day to early evening eating lunch outside or having a tea break; into the evening dusk and then dark, cooking with the kitchen door open allowing the soundscape of my very close neighbourhood in to my daily life. I have for as long as i can remember been aware of sound, but not so attuned as i have been this year.