Soundscape - Reflective Statement

The soundscape project was a project that I didn't expect to have such a major effect on my personal experiences around sound. Not only did I learn the importance of good sound but also the massive power sound has on the listener /viewer. It is not only a supportive element in film, but a major part of the feel of the film. It helps transport emotions and visualize our imaginations.

While recording my sounds I realized that we are surrounded by sound all the time. There is no escape of sound - in a good and in a bad way. Sometimes you don`t even pay attention to specific sounds anymore because you are so used to it. Not only helped the recording device to make those sounds louder, but also helped to make the small sounds more "visible". Walking around with your sound recorder and your headphones on, did transport you into a new world - the world of sound. You heard nothing else but the sounds right in front of the recorder. Theses sounds were so nice and clear like nothing else you have heard before. In a sense the sound recorder was a tool to improve our hearing, to a degree some animals are able to hear sound. However I am glad that the recording experience was just temporary since I think listening to the sound around you so intensively is quite overwhelming over the time.

While hunting for sound I realized it is quite difficult to record sound outdoors. Again the recorders made visible what our body could't. Even when you thought there was no wind at all, the recorder still caught the smallest breeze. Kat's advice to use a sock to protect the recorder from catching the wind did help, but also downsized the recording quality of your actual sound.

Like Tim Nielsen (my sound designer profile) said, you catch the best sound by accident. I definitely can agree to this statement, because who knew that a bathrobe could cause such an interesting, almost living sound.

Regarding my three images, it was definitely hard to describe fitting sounds based on a 2D visual and then find the right things to record such sounds. But in general I really enjoyed working with sound in Adobe Audition and I am satisfied with the outcome. While editing my sounds I did not use a lot of effects in Adobe Audition, which is something I definitely should try more. However I did realize that a reversed sound can cause a very interesting and new sound.

In general I really enjoyed this project and I tried to tell a story within my three soundscapes , rather than having one continuous sound. I honestly feel very lucky that we were given this project at our University, to help us understand the power of sound but also to help us create the full image of an animation - not only what you see, but also what you hear.