Soundscape Justification Jessica Collins In our soundscape we explored the idea of the old and new combining and juxtaposing. We went to Liverpool’s Albert Docs to gain inspiration and record our initial sounds. The sounds we sourced from the docks and used in our piece include ship bells, chains, clock, nautical radars and steps on the ship deck. The reasons we recorded these sounds are because they effectively capture the atmosphere of the docks, and were the sounds that most appealed and stood out to us on our visit. We also felt that the sounds complement each other, for example the high pitch bells with fast attack and slow sustain and decay contrasted nicely with the duller lower pitch footsteps with fast attack, short sustain and slow decay.
Transcript
Soundscape JustificationJessica Collins
In our soundscape we explored the idea of the old and new combining and juxtaposing. We went to Liverpool’s Albert Docs to gain inspiration and record our initial sounds. The sounds we sourced from the docks and used in our piece include ship bells, chains, clock, nautical radars and steps on the ship deck. The reasons we recorded these sounds are because they effectively capture the atmosphere of the docks, and were the sounds that most appealed and stood out to us on our visit. We also felt that the sounds complement each other, for example the high pitch bells with fast attack and slow sustain and decay contrasted nicely with the duller lower pitch footsteps with fast attack, short sustain and slow decay.
We sourced the sound of a choir singing from ‘freesound’ (0.05-0.20). We manipulated the sound so that it faded in and out; we did this to make it sound angelic and soft in comparison to other sounds such as the radio static. The angelic sound is also created by the high pitch of the singing. We also choose this sound as its natural reverb and could represent singing from inside a church/cathedral. We did this as Liverpool has two Cathedrals and is iconic to the city, relating to our starting point. We also choose to
repeat the sound throughout the soundscape to ensure the piece had a continuous structure as appose to a beginning middle and end.
Relating to our initial idea we have used a polyphonic mobile phone ring tone to represent modern times (0.40). We edited this sound to increase the volume; we did this so it would interrupt the soundscape and represent the sudden impact of technology. We also wanted to alienate the sound from its surrounding which could represent how technology has had an alienating effect in relation to communication in today’s society. The sound had a high pitch melody and a natural rhythm due to the nature of the sound.
Another sound we choose to use was the iconic Liverpool song ‘You’ll never walk alone’ by Gerry & the Pacemakers. We sourced this sound from YouTube and converted it to a MP3 file. We choose to use this as it is a timeless part of the history of Liverpool that can be heard in modern and by gone times. We also edited the sound by cutting it to start playing on the final ‘ding’ of the typewriter that can be heard. We did this so it created the effect of one sound flowing into the next.
Another sound that we used was the sound of a bell what we sourced live from the Albert Docs in Liverpool using a Zoom recording device. We recorded the sound long enough to hear the natural vibration of the bell after the initial sound. We edited this sound to be louder to ensure that this could be heard when layered over different sounds. We used this sound as we felt it captured the nautical feel of the Albert Docs, and the sound also contrasts with the modern sounds of boat engines that we have used in our piece. We used bells as they could have been used hundreds of years ago or in the modern day.
Throughout our sound scape we layered sounds to create a rounded busy atmosphere that would be heard at the Albert Docks. For example we used the sound of a boat horn layered with the sound of the boat engine and ‘you’ll never walk alone’. We did this to combine the nautical feel of Liverpool and its world famous docks with its internal culture.
Another sound we used within our soundscape is the sound of children playing. We used this sound to represent the schools on the dock; we also felt that this sound represents a timeless sound that could have been from years ago but also modern. We also edited this sound so that the general sound has a fast attack, slow sustain and a slow delayed decay created through a ‘fade out’. When this sound was layered with different sounds it helps create the busy atmosphere full of life we wanted to create.
Another iconic Liverpool song we sourced from youtube is ‘Ferry across the Mersey’. We layered this sound with the constant humming of a boat engine; we did this to make the listener to feel they are on a journey across the Mersey. We cut our sound to shorten it and cause the line ‘so ferry across the Mersey’ to be the first line of the song heard after the radio static. We did this so it sounded as if it was being tuned in on a radio, and also as this is the pinnacle line of the song. We edited these sounds (boat engine and ‘ferry across the Mersey’) so that they faded in and out to create the feeling of a passing journey.
In conclusion through use of layering and timing as well as a range of new sounds such as mobile phones and radio static and old sounds such as typewriters and traditional choir singing. We also used a number of sounds that could belong in either category such as children playing. Sounds were also used to create a nautical feel, for example bells, horns and engines. We believe combining these sounds creates a rounded atmosphere of Liverpool through the years capturing the meeting of the old and the new.
