Sounds

Sometimes you hear something and think, "What a cool sound." I've recorded a few such things using my trusty and very portable minidisc recorder and a fabulous microphone from The Sound Professionals.

In order to preserve audio fidelity, all files on this page are MP3s. This means that the files are a bit large, and may not stream well on slower modems -- sorry about that. But WAV files would be much too large for the server, and WMA files lose enough fidelity that the sense of the sound is lost. (If your connection is slow, use the Download links, then play the files directly from your hard drive.)

PLEASE NOTE - Clicking Play will open a little pop-up window containing the media player. If you have popup-stopping software, you'll need to temporarily disable it to listen.

Cicada

August 12, 2001

Play (0:22, 350KB)

The background sounds of my backyard have started to include the cicada, a bug that hangs out on tree trunks and makes a most annoying buzzing sound. I remember learning as a kid that these creatures come around every year in late summer, but for some reason hatch in huge numbers only once every 17 years. I don't know where we are in that cycle, but there's at least one somewhere near my house.

It adds a bagpipe drone to the bird melodies of summer here in south Minneapolis (in concert with cars, trucks, ice cream vans, planes, buses, etc.).

More samples of this unusual sound from an unusual bug can be found at Cicada Songs of Borneo.

Night Birds

June 2001, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Play (2:29, 2.28MB)

Working late one night, I realized that the neighborhood was completely silent but for a lone bird. This was at about 4:00 AM in June. Over several nights I discovered that there is a period of time between 3:30 and 4:00 when there are no bird sounds at all. Then one fellow starts in. He's very creative, changing his pattern with each chirp, while retaining a very distinctive sound. Pretty soon someone else responds to his calls, and a dialogue has begun, followed soon by a conversation, then a full-fledged discussion.

Most of these nights I simply started the recorder (with a 74-minute MD) and went to sleep. But the sequence just fascinated me, and several times I simply could not fall asleep. It was stunning how many variations the leader could create, and how subtle they were. I came to think of him as a true Artist.

This sequence starts with a dialogue in progress and represents a good sampling of the Artist's palette. Listen closely for the slight variations as he adds or drops notes, words or whole phrases. His inflection changes, never the same twice. The responder is not as creative, but very lively. It may be difficult at first to detect which is which, but it's worth the effort. Notice, too, how the tone of the conversation changes after the car disrupts them and they change locations.

Not knowing anything about birds means that I have no clue what kinds of birds are present, or why they do what they do. I just love the music of the whole thing.

Night Bus

June 2001, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Play (0:30, 481KB)

While recording the bird sequences, I also got some of the inevitable sounds of life on Bloomington Avenue in south Minneapolis. Keep in mind that this is the sound right out my bedroom window, between 4:00 and 5:00 AM. I'm not sure who's up at that hour (besides me and the paper boy) but they sure make a lot of noise.

This is the unmistakable sound of a Metro Transit bus, stopping across the street, then heading into downtown Minneapolis. I hate buses, but the sound is great.

Night Car

June 2001, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Play (0:13, 214KB)

Here's somebody in a real hurry to get somewhere. This happens all the time out on Bloomington Avenue, and it's just as likely to have been a police car as it is to be something else. Still, what an amazing sound.

1996 Pontiac Grand Am (Death throes)

June 2000, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Play (0:17, 271KB)

This is a sad and very expensive sound. As I drove home from the premier of Praise Above All in Marshall, my '96 Grand Am began making the kind of noise that you just know isn't going to be cheap to fix. At first, I thought this might be just a $300 noise. As it got worse, I upped my mental estimate to $1000. Ultimately, it turned out to be much, much more.

I made this recording to play to a mechanic over the phone, hoping that I'd be told it was nothing to worry about. It turned out to be the second-to-last time I ever started this car. Within 24 hours it was declared dead and sold basically for parts. Ouch.

That said, I still think this is a pretty nifty recording of a very unusual sound. It's just gotta be worth at least a few thousand dollars, right?

Madeline Island Birds

July 14, 2001, La Pointe, Wisconsin

Play (0:40, 631KB)

This bird scene, recorded in the woods near the chalet on Madeline Island, didn't pick up as well as I'd hoped, so you may have to listen a bit more closely. But it is a long sequence, repeated at least three times, as various groups of birds respond to one another. Again, this sounds to me like a very organized discussion of some sort, with everybody saying, in true Horton Hears a Who fashion, "We are here, we are here, we are here!"

Keep in mind that I know absolutely nothing about birds, so I can't tell you what kinds of birds are present here, or even how many species. While it would be interesting to know such things, I just love the sound.

Walking on Gravel

July 14, 2001, La Pointe, Wisconsin

Play (0:20, 326KB)

After recording the frogs heard below, I left the recorder on somewhat absentmindedly as I made my way back to the chalet. I captured the sound of the door opening, then locking behind me (after Vic made the request). We can be heard turning out the lights and engaging in a bit of conversation.

But the most interesting thing I captured by accident was the sound of my own shoes on the gravel driveway between the frog pond and the chalet door.

Fireplace

July 13, 2001, La Pointe, Wisconsin

Play (0:36, 568KB)

The Center, where Vic works on Madeline Island, has a great fireplace in it's main lounge area. As we started a fire, I set the recorder on the table directly in front of the opening and captured the sounds as the fire began to grow.

You may notice that real fire sounds nothing like the fire you always hear in movies or on TV. Foley artists create that noise by crinkling cellophane. And while that sounds like it might be fire (mostly because we've just gotten used to it), the actual sound of fire is less dramatic but far more interesting. From random cracks and pops to slight hisses as moisture in the wood evaporates, the sounds are subtle but very engaging to the ear. They add unmistakably to the whole fireplace experience.

Truth be told, this would probably be more accurately called "the sound of kindling," because once the fire actually got going, the sound changed completely. By then the recorder had been put away. Maybe next time.

Frogs

July 13, 2001, La Pointe, Wisconsin

Play (0:29, 466KB)

Victoria said I just had to record the "rubber band" sounds she'd been hearing for weeks out behind the chalet. With so much flora and fauna on the island, this was the one thing which truly presented a mystery.

So I walked out to the pond long after dark, and made this recording. After much speculation, we have learned that these are indeed frogs. In fact, this is the mating call for this particular species. Since the sound went on all night, you have to conclude that there are a lot of lonely male frogs out there in that pond.

Lake Superior

July 13, 2001, La Pointe, WI

Play (0:19, 300KB)

The sound of the great lake lapping at the shore of Grant's Point on Madeline Island. Victoria announces our location.