All About That Bass...(And other sounds): "R2" Media Response

Notes on "R2"

"Listen"

• Soundscapes: any collection of sounds
• So many little sounds at once-ambience 
• Be quiet and listen
• Sounds make the tone of the image 
• Sounds emphasize the setting 
• Each real sound is unique 
• Sound is more than just music and dialogue 
• Layers of sound: soundscape 
• Sound enriches life
• Soundscapes are peaceful 
• "In a way the world is a huge musical composition"-"we are composers" 
• Sound overkill is a problem
• Reduce number of sounds in our life
• Real sound (live) vs. not real sound (recordings)

"Acoustic Ecology"

• Published in Zoogoer (magazine of the US National Zoo), July/August 2001
• Jim Cummings, Acoustic Ecology Institute founder

Jim Cummings
• David Abram, The Spell of the Sensuous
• Sounds bring the world alive.
• "Whatever beauty or complexity, pattern or structure we might see around us, the world would be stark beyond recognition if we could not hear all that lies beyond our sight, hidden around corners or behind the screens of people or trees."
• As our world becomes ever more dominated by the sounds of humans and our machines, the subtle beauty of nature’s voices becomes ever more precious. 
• A fascination with the voices of nature, as well as the soundings of humanity, fuels the emerging field of “acoustic ecology.”
• "Acoustic ecology"-an umbrella term encompasses work being done by academics, city planners, sociologists, activists, and sound artists, each in their own way encouraging a deeper appreciation for sound and its role in our lives.
• Acoustic ecology looks at:
• the relationships that creatures develop through sound, 
• the ways that humans and other animals are affected by their sonic environments.
• Field of bioacoustics:
• teaching “deep listening”
• forging new kinds of compositions created from field recordings
• championing the acoustic right of nature to be free of human noise.
• Opening our ears: learning to listen
• Explore the components of the background ambience you are immersed in. 
• You are hearing the voice of the planet, as it is manifest in your immediate surroundings.
• [we]-{all creatures/sound-making objects} all live together in the eternal, ever-changing moment of a sounding planet.
• "It can sometimes seem that the urban cacophony, combined with the near omnipresence of radio and TV chatter, has led us to “close down” our ears, or to selectively filter what we allow into our awareness."
• Certainly our auditory acuity and conceptual subtlety lags far behind that of most primal cultures.
• "Sounds tell the time of day, season of the year, conditions of the trails. Songs reflects all these interlocking sound clocks; they are maps of the forest.”
• In hunting, music, ceremony, and language, nature’s voice makes its mark on human culture. 
• the most ineffable sonic lesson learned from primal cultures, one that has seemingly been discarded by industrial society: human language, music, and communal soundmaking are but one part of a larger, ongoing “song” of our home places. 
• Active exploration of the soundscape, urging participants move about in a given place, exploring different "mixes" of sound, seeking spots that come alive, where the balance of sounds is especially vivid, or where a sound is obscured and so transformed in interesting ways. 
• This active, engaged approach to listening is echoed by the practice of “soundwalking.” 
• A soundwalk is just what its name implies: a walk during which you simply pay attention to each sound you encounter. 
• "More complex variations can include seeking out the most distant sound audible, or the faintest."
• "Soundwalks are just as interesting in cities as in nature, and indeed, urban acoustic ecology offers many points for reflection and even aesthetic appreciation."
• Andra McCartney (professor at Concordia University in Montréal): "During a sound walk, I pay attention to the sounds in my environment with the same focus and awareness that I use to listen to music, or to the sound of my lover's voice. Like many simple experiences, soundwalking is often profound as well. The act of focusing on that moment, that place and time, leads me to hear that place differently, to understand it in new ways."
• A soundwalk can take place through time, as well. 
• Acoustic Activism:
• one of the first places they had concrete impact was in city planning.
• In wildland areas, acoustic activism has increased as the ability to retreat from human sounds has diminished.
• Sound Resource 
• Acoustic Ecology emerged as a defined field during the 1970’s, at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.
• Acoustic Activism:  a cross-disciplinary mix of philosophy, sociology, and art gave rise to the World Soundscape Project. 
• Led by writer and composer R. Murray Schafer
• WSP participants collected recordings of urban “sound marks” 
• (such as noon whistles, 
• harbor horns,
• and train station ambiences, 
• documented natural soundscapes and tribal history, 
• and conducted interviews to discover how people react to various sorts of sounds encountered in their daily lives.)
• Perhaps the most influential (and controversial) idea to come out of this early work in acoustic ecology:
• natural soundscapes  = “hi-fi” acoustic environments
•  human sounds =  “lo-fi" acoustic environments
• lo-fi soundscapes: characterized by distortion, broad-band noise, and discomfort
• hi-fi natural soundscapes: tend to sound balanced, aesthetically rich, and pleasing to the ear
• Gordon Hempton:
• one of many natural sound recordists who have experienced a dramatic decrease in the amount of time he can record without having a human noise (most commonly an engine) intrude.
• Hempton says, “listening is a creative act with an audience of one.”
• Olympic National Park
• “Earth is a musical planet, spinning in silent space. However, the acoustic environment has not received adequate protection. The music of nature and the quiet opportunity to enjoy it are threatened by the noise of man."
• There is beginning to be more acknowledgement of the importance of the “sound resource” among park administrators. 
• Sound Resource: 
• “Natural sounds are part of the special places we preserve. Rustling winds in the canyons and the rush of waters in the rivers are heartbeat and breath of some of our most valuable resources,” says National Park Service Director Robert Stanton.
• Biscayne National Park in Florida is the first park to take Hempton’s call for system-wide acoustic inventories to heart. 
• Soundscape Management Plan-1999
• The purpose behind the plan is stated clearly by a park newsletter on the issue:
• "Preservation and restoration of diminishing natural sound environments or soundscapes has become a foremost challenge in the protection of park resources. 
• Biscayne National Park offers some of the best places to hear the calls of wildlife and the melodies of wind and water. 
• Today, these natural ambient sounds are threatened as the noises of civilization and technological conveniences increasingly intrude into even the most remote corners of the park."
• A major source of human noise on public lands is personal recreational vehicles. 
• snowmobiles, facing increased regulation 
• all-terrain vehicles
•  jet skis 
• Expand into new areas/seasons of the year because of greater speeds and capabilities
• They create new conflicts. 
• Personal watercraft have been the most severely regulated
• A full ban on jet skis taking effect last summer in most national parks (including Biscayne). 
• 19 National Parks, Seashores, and Scenic Rivers where personal watercraft are now banned
• 21 National Recreation Areas, National Seashores, and similar sites managed by the Park Service are under a 2-year grace period. 
• After this, personal watercraft will be banned unless authorized by special regulations that include a full environmental impact and public comment process.
•  Regulation of all terrain vehicles (ATVs). 
• Utah’s Zion National Park is the first to completely ban private autos from most of its roadways
• Other parks (including Acadia, Grand Canyon, and Yosemite) have instituted optional shuttles
• "You may have noticed that most of the activity taking place in national parks and other public lands is inspired largely by the desire of other humans to enjoy the natural soundscape, rather than out of concern for the effects of human noises on wildlife."
• "In the most recently emerging area of acoustic activism, the priorities are reversed: for activists focusing on sounds in the seas, the emphasis is squarely on the acoustic rights and needs of sea creatures."
• The most dramatic issue being addressed in the oceans: the development of a new generation of underwater surveillance technology
• US Navy
• Testing phase of the Low Frequency Active Sonar (LFAS) system
• Using powerful sound waves, LFAS is designed to monitor undersea activity by enemy submarines. 
• Looking at the effects of the tests on local marine life, most notably cetaceans
• In the view of LFAS supporters, the results show minimal behavioral disturbance, but acoustic activists following the issue disagree strongly.
• Hawaii (1998 and 1999): migration patterns of grey whales shifted away from testing areas, while vocalizations of several whale species diminished significantly. 
• Spring 1998: observers with the Ocean Mammal Institute discovered two abandoned whale calves and a baby dolphin in the testing area
• Bahamas (March 2000): while testing of a lower power mid-frequency active sonar system was going on nearby, seven whales beached and died. Autopsies reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration revealed that six of the dead whales had experienced “injuries consistent with an intense acoustic or pressure event,” including hemorrhages in or around the ears.
• New Jersey (May 2000): tests were cancelled, pending further study
• The Canadian Navy committed to conduct tests only when there were no cetaceans in the testing area.
• Soundscape Art:
• 1970’s: environmental sound recordings first made a splash in popular culture
• Spearheaded by Irv Teibel’s Environments series
• These LPs featured rich, un-narrated ambiences of specific habitats, recorded and reproduced with state-of-the-art stereo technology, creating a compelling listening experience. 
• 1990's: new generation of soundscape producers emerged which is stretching the bounds of the genre in exciting new ways
• "Some have built on the foundations of traditional nature sounds pioneers, presenting portraits of specific habitats, while developing highly individual approaches."
• Lang Elliott = stunning close-up recordings of birds/series of habitat titles that feature similarly amazing close-up recordings of rich sound communities
• Jonathon Storm=subtle variations in water’s voices and the soft natural quiet of forest landscapes
• Producers have emerged from acoustic ecology circles. 
• "Their CDs are more apt to include sonic essays that explicitly raise questions about humanity’s relationship to natural and urban landscapes."
• Hildegard Westerkamp = (best-known) creating works for radio, public performance, and CD that range from sparsely narrated “soundwalks” to multi-layered productions composed purely of field recordings that pull the listener deeper into the world of sound.
• Germany’s Michael Rüsenberg and America’s Douglas Quin, have built on 
• John Cage's notion that all sounds can be considered elements for composition. 
• Works emerging from this diverse community vary widely 
• from portraits of specific cities 
• Lisbon, 
• Rome, 
• Vancouver
• to finely-honed compositions that 
• utilize nature’s voices 
• as a central element 
• such as Quin’s CD-length work Forests: A Book of Hours
• A documentary medium was enlivened by artists who explored new perspectives, subject matter, social content, and innovative studio techniques. 
• "Soundscape art has been a growing presence in experimental gallery circles since the 1960’s, and today stands poised for widespread attention and appreciation."
• EarthEar: 
• a new record label-cum-catalog company 
• begun championing the full range of creative soundscape styles. 
• Santa Fe
• a collaborative project involving many of the world’s leading soundscape producers
• Jim Cummings is a father, writer, and found of EarthEar
• Cummings lives in the upper Rio Grande and the foothills of the southern Rockies
• The Voice of the Planet: "Our awareness of—and engagement with—this sounding whole is yet another of the nurturing connections that we've gradually forsaken over the past decades and centuries."
• "We’ve forgotten our place as one voice in a community of sound"
• Increasingly dense web of human machine-made noise
• "As acoustic activists raise a voice for the sanctity of natural quiet, and sound artists act as sonic shamen, re-tuning our collective ears to listen more consciously to the world around, we are offered opportunities to re-connect with the ceaseless symphony that awaits just outside our doors."
• "it's simply about letting sound expand our awareness, both in the practical sense of revealing actions and beings that are not visible from where we are, and in the more ineffable way that attention to sound can seem to make us more present in a place."
• "These moments of sonic, visual, and tactile presence inspire me with a more expansive sense of self, one that encompasses the valley as a whole. 

"Justin Boyd: Sound and Time"

• Sound makes you feel like you're really there
• Sound builds tension and suspense 
• Boyd noticed his strong sense of hearing at a young age, eventually he owed his talent
• Sound tells distance and location
• Boyd records sound to create art 
• Boyd started recording in 1996
• Recorded granddad playing fiddle before he passed away 
• Southwest School of the Art-Department Chair of Sculpture and Integrated Media 
• Fisher Price Turntable
• Didn't actively seek out music. Just played with what was there 
• Looping: tape on a record to start the sound over and looping 
• DJ
• Field recording-filter it down to specific set of frequencies, and have those frequencies resinate with another media 
• Nice conversation between materials/objects and sounds, sound-activating element
• Why do you use sound in your work? : "Why do you breath? Of course, I'm going to use sound. It's something primary. I have to use it."

"Father of Acoustic Ecology" 
• R. Murray Schafer
• interview by Anjula Razdan 
• July-August 2005
• “Our senses are clogged with too much,” Schafer says. 
• The septuagenarian is a pre-eminent composer
• the delicate balance between organisms and their sonic environment.
• writer who defined the field of “acoustic ecology”
• “If we become too dominant and too unobservant about the other sounds in the environment—the communications systems between birds and animals, for example—then we’re ruining the richness of our whole lives,” Schafer says. 
• the lost art of listening and how we can pay attention to—and improve—our soundscape
• Congestion of sound 
• Noisier today than past 
• The types of sounds have changed too. 
• A drone: A sound that does not exist in nature is a stationary sound.
• Electricity, internal combustion engines, any sound that is continuous and present produce drones. 
• We have a lot more of those kinds of sounds than have ever existed before.
• We also have louder sounds. 
• "God was the first great acoustical engineer."
•  Humans produce the destructive sounds, and we use them as weapons too. 
• Military uses psyops
• The Army in Iraq will play heavy metal music for 24 hours at 150 decibels or more just to drive people crazy prior to rooting out insurgents 
• Even in ancient times, armies used to make a lot of noise when they went into battle to frighten the enemy.
• "Noise can frighten. Noise can destroy."
• Cities = “sonic sewer” (overpopulation of sounds) 
• Hi-fi soundscape: one in which everything is clear and you can hear all the different sounds, the soft ones as well as the loud ones
• city =  low-frequency soundscape: there’s just too much happening, and you can’t sort out all the details: cars going by, the helicopter overhead, people shouting, music pouring out of a shop. 
• "Another thing that’s been lost in cities is what I call long-distance hearing"
• When you’re in the city, practically everything you’re listening to is within 10 feet
• In the past, distant sounds were important because they brought information. 
• Surveys show that the number of people who call the police to complain about sound is much larger than the number of people who call to complain about crime, prostitution, or any other issue. 
• The European Union has instituted some very stiff noise legislation.
• Public transportation—streetcars, trams, buses—is much quieter in Germany, Switzerland, France, Holland, and Scandinavia than in the United States. 
• European legislation is stronger, and they are enforcing it. 
• World Forum for Acoustic Ecology 
• Soundscape design
• How to design a healthy soundscape:
• First you decide who’s going to live there and what kinds of sounds they would like to live with. 
• They’re protecting the environment by using sound creatively—and consulting people.
• Sacred noise is when you can make as much noise as you wish without being censured. 
• In a simple environment—one that is not urban—you hear sounds from far away.
• In nature, you can use sound coming from the distance. 
• The Princess of the Stars: an experimental opera or music drama by the Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer. 

The Princess of the Stars (2007)

• World Forum for Acoustic Ecology (WFAE)

• founded 1993 
• an international group of individuals and organizations who study soundscapes around the world.



• Acoustic Ecology Institute

• New Mexico-based nonprofit
• Website offers a comprehensive look at the latest news and research from the world of acoustic ecology 
• an updated list of Web sites that use sounds in interesting ways
• Soundscape: The Journal of Acoustic Ecology

• The professional journal of the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology
• Soundscape offers thoughtful, intellectual takes on everything from ocean acoustics to audio technology to the importance of silence.