Bird vs Flying Machine

Listening back to some field recording I have been doing in Southern Spain recently, I came across a really interesting section of sound that I want to share with you. What you can hear is a plane flying overhead and a cacophony of birds twittering and singing away in the foreground.

This was recorded just with the stereo mic of my portable recorder, and the way that the two distinct sounds are so well balanced has set off so many thoughts and questions for me regarding the relationship between man and nature, how we emulate, recreate and then feedback so many things from the natural world, and how nature continues to adapt and interact with the things we throw at it.

I know studies have been done that prove that birds sing louder and higher pitched in cities than the countryside, and I wonder if the roar of an aeroplane has the same effect.

it's been a while

Wow, it seems like a long time since I've sat down and posted a blog. I've had a few things going on but its good to get back writing again. One thing that has kept me busy recently is a night I've started organising at Nexus art cafe called Tactile Affection, where a couple of times a month i put on some inventive live acts, play a few interesting records and dare people to enjoy a night of live music without any alcohol. Some people this think its great and that it encourages people to focus more on the music, others get drunk outside first. If anyone would like to find out more please visit http://myspace.com/tactileaffection

I have also been busy making field recordings around Manchester and am working on a project writing music based around the natural rhythms found around the city. Roadworks, trams, escalators, anything really, its all in there and I'm working hard to construct these sounds into interesting pieces.

I took my portable recorder to the Spanish countryside for a few days too and have some beautiful recordings of crickets, dogs, goats and birds, all surrounded by light breeze and the sound of peace that you just cannot find in a city. I'll post some of these soon.

Anyway, the thing that really made me want to write today was when sitting in work the air conditioning suddenly cut out and I literally felt my body and mind relax within what appeared like a vacuum of quiet. I physically felt the tension run from my body, my posture changed as I became looser and my mind felt calm.

I find it quite frightening that I and many others are surrounded daily by sounds that after prolonged periods cause our bodies to become tense and stressed. The whirring sound in my office soon started up again, at first noticeably annoying but after a minute barely noticeable at all until it cut out again and I experienced the same feelings of relief and relaxation. This cannot be good for our health.

What a difference a day makes

My exploration of our sonic world has led to many discoveries, but I think that the most important so far is the recognition that every tiny event and action, be it natural or man made, has a huge impact on our sonic landscape.

And so despite common themes and repetitions, any particular place is likely to provide different soundscapes from day to day, with most varying several times throughout the day as well. Much of my listening is done quite early in the morning as I find more clarity and definition earlier in the day, but the same places sound completely different as the day progresses and more factors begin to impact on the soundscape.

This point was made all the clearer to me this morning when I returned to Grosvenor Square, the site of the futuresonic birds for regular readers, with my newly acquired portable recording device hoping to capture the birds in full flow and work their sounds into a track to post on here.

Little did I know there would be pneumatic drilling and roadworks so close to the park that at first the birds were barely audible. I realised that my futuresonic track of birdsong was not going to be recorded today but after a little mic placement I found an intriguing balance and juxtaposition within which the heavy, bassey, jarring sounds and vibrations of the roadworks provided a roaring backdrop for the sweet, high pitched and harmonious bird song and the two factors combined together to create layers of sonic interest.

I recorded for about seven minutes and couldn't wait to get home to listen again and do some editing on my computer, so I jumped on my bike and eagerly cycled home, connected my new machine, booted up the PC and accidentally deleted the lot. I can't believe it. Oh well, there is a learning curve with all new toys, back to the manual.