Soundwalk at MOAS Daytona
October 26th, 2019In October 2019, ACA’s Eve Payor invited me to co-lead a soundwalk with her at the MOAS in Daytona Beach. I had organized many soundwalks with my students over the years, but this was my first time designing such an experience for the public. I wanted to use this opportunity to share with others some of the tools that are part of my regular field recording practice. Eve and I decided to build the experience around two headphone listening stations, one with hydrophones and another with a binaural mic.
At the first station, our audience could listen to sounds beneath the surface of a small pond live. Although the water was relatively still, the hydrophones made the occasional gurgle or splash became important events. At the second station, people were treated to the binaural mic positioned above their heads among the trees. With the gain boost provided over headphones, they could hear the heightened sense of reality that I often feel while recording. The entire experience was further enhanced by rain that started half way through the journey.
The following recordings were captured at the two listening stations during the soundwalk:
- Calm before the rain – 1 min, 22 sec
- Start of light rain – 2 min, 15 sec
- Heavy rain – 2 min, 5 sec
- End of the loop – 6 min, 30 sec
After the soundwalk, I gave a presentation in the MOAS auditorium about audio field recording tools and how they enhance the capabilities of our hearing. Because they had just experienced the hydrophones and binaural mic firsthand during our soundwalk, the material really seemed to click with the audience. They had lots of great questions. Overall, it was a memorable day.
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