Overview

In this assignment you will engage the landscape/cityscape with a new and more focused perspective. The first step is to ask the question, "what is “place?" In a geographic sense, place is both a location (a physical thing), and a way of looking at that location (a process). As artists, we have the opportunity to re-examine and redefine place in new and exciting ways. We can navigate the landscape and cityscape in new ways, discovering new places and new aspects of existing places. The best way to do this is by the humble act of walking.

Walking is a way of subverting the typical ways in which we experience the landscape--the essence of “place-ness” is often revealed only when we can experience things "up close and personal."

Through this walk on Trek 01 you will discover issues, questions, and curiosities that will inspire strategies and content in Treks 02 and 03. Sound, in particular, will be an area that will be particularly emphasized in Trek 01. You will be exploiting the fact that sound can be the inspiration for a film or work of art, rather than as mere soundtrack or window dressing. Sound has an amazing ability to open up our interaction with the environment, suggesting space and place in entirely unique ways. Like landmarks, “soundmarks” are important sonic signposts to help you identify a place . . . search these out.

Your Trek area stands as fertile ground where you can function as archaeologist, sift through and collect sounds (and, in Treks 02 and 03, sights, patterns, textures, movements, and rhythms) of the landscape. You will bring this material back to the studio, review, look for interesting elements, make connections, find surprising juxtapositions, edit, and pull together this data into a focused artistic statement.

Introduction to Audio Field Recording Tools, Concepts and Techniques

Step-by-step Mic Capsule Soldering Guide

Aaron Ximm's Field Recording Tips
Rob Danielson's Field Recording Tips
Test your ability to hear good mic positioning technique (listen with headphones!)
Various microphone rigs

More resources concerning field practices:

Jason Roberts on James Holman, Wisconsin Public Radio [aiff]
"A Voyage Round the World, Volume 1," by James Holman [html]
Daniel Kalter on Anti-Tourism, Wisconsin Public Radio [aiff]
"Kit's Beach Walk," excerpt (1989), by Hildegard Westerkamp [mp3]
John Cage interview excerpt, from "Listening," video by Miroslav Sebestik [mov]
"Walking," by Henry David Thoreau [html]
"Phonography as Art and Activism," panel discussion [html] [mp3]
Various walking-based art projects [html]

Choosing your Starting Point and Trek Area
Select your Trek 01 Starting Point using GoogleMaps (GoogleMap tutorial). This starting point is the center of a circle, a focal point around which you can aim your walk in any direction. You will be conducting the walks for all three Treks within this circle, so choose your starting point well.

Send an e-mail to Glenn and your Lab instructor with this info:

1. E-mail Subject Line: "Your First Name, Your Last Name, Trek 01 Start [07116]" e.g. "John Coltrane Trek 01 Start [07116]"

2. Cut and paste the below text into the body of your e-mail and fill in the requested information:

= = = = = = = = = = Cut and Paste below into e-mail = = = = = = = = = =

Your Name:

Nearest intersection of named streets on the map:

TinyURL link to your GoogleMap:

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Keep track of your Start Point and those of your classmates here.

The Hand-Drawn Map Requirement
One way to upset the usual way in which urban landscapes are negotiated is by walking, paying close attention to sonic and visual details often overlooked when we usually pass through on our way to somewhere else. By doing this, we take on the role of artist-as-cartographer, making unique and interesting maps that open up the possibilities of how to understand the world in which we live. One of the (graded) requirements of this project is to draw a map specifying the location of each significant soundscape you recorded on your walk.

We define “maps” pretty broadly, so don't worry if you feel you can only draw "stick figures." We aren't looking for the best drawing ever made, but we are looking for a well-considered depiction of key sites and soundmarks, along with clear written descriptions. Your map(s) will improve upon or incorporate the sketches and diagrams you made while on Trek 01.

An effective map defines the precise geographical location where the sound recording was made and when it is likely to remain useful for someone looking at it a hundred years from now.

Consider these 100-year old maps.
Or some other examples of hand-drawn maps.

Note: If you think you'll need to use the class scanners to convert your hand-drawn maps to a digital format for your blog, please make your drawings on (or affix them to) 8.5" x 11" sheets. If you want to squeeze more than one map per page, that can help us time-wise.

Trek 01 "Walking Points"

1. Wear appropriate clothing. Bring your Hi-MD digital sound recorder and DIY mic rig, at least three MiniDiscs (pre-formatted), headphones, at least six fully-charged AA batteries, pens, note pad, watch, water, snacks, sunscreen, and cell phone.

2. Travel to your designated starting point and go, on foot, for a four-hour long investigative walk. You can head in any direction and follow any whim. If the weather gets too hot or cold or wet, consider interesting indoor places to continue recording while you recover (indoor locations are acceptable for this project--to an extent). Pay attention to your surroundings, be safe, and watch for cars (especially those inconsiderate drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians). [If walking presents you with a physical challenge, let your section instructor and Glenn know so we can make accommodations.]

3. Turn on your sound recorder and place it into Manual Record mode and then into Record-Pause (blinking numbers). Listen very attentively (either through the headphones or with your naked ears).

4. Whenever you detect that you have entered into a different soundscape, record the following information and examples:

(a) On your pad of paper take notes describing where you are. Give the location a name. In addition to drawing prominent features in the location, write down street names, exact addresses of nearby buildings, and names of nearby interesting streets. When no address is available, make note of distances like "100 yards north of green #4 at Lincoln Park Golf Course." Make sketches or diagrams. You will use this information to make your maps.

(b) Start your sound recorder and verbally speak the name you have given this location, the date, and the time.

(c) Make at least three "ambience" recordings from three different stationary positions in the location. See if you can find "sweet spots" where the stereo image is interesting. Study the space for surfaces and partial enclosures that could be reflecting and shaping the sounds. For stereo, try "balancing" two aspects of varied interest between the two mics. Ambience changes over time, so be sure to let each of these recordings continue for at least two minutes, preferably longer. Do not move the mics when recording stereo ambience because it blurs subtle clues about the space and its acoustics.

(d) In the same location walk around and listen for as many distinct local sounds as you can find and isolate with extreme close micing. In urban setttings, these sounds can possess high and/or low pitches, textured rhythms, phasing drones, and blends of tones in harmonic chords. In natural habitats, local sound effects can include different animals and a large variety of natural events. In both cases, sound effects should be mic'd close. Experiment with different mic positions to affect balance and stereo image. These recordings should also run for at least two minutes each, preferably longer.

5. Continue on your Trek. Stop to create both ambient and close-up recordings whenever you enter a new sound environment. Don't forget to make a map of each new location. You should try to to document at least 8-12 sites during your four-hour walk. If you don't come across a location that sounds different after 15 minutes of walking, stop and record anyway. You may be surprised to discover that something that seemed boring in the field turns out very interesting upon playback. Your goal is to have well over an hour of stereo sound recorded by the end of your Trek. You can continue for longer than four hours if you wish.

6. Technical Precautions: To change the disc, first press "Pause" and "Stop" and let the "Saving to Disc" routine continue to completion with the recorder perfectly still. Insert a fresh battery with each new disk. When recording, watch your manual record levels very carefully. Make sure the recorder's Mic Sensitivity option (Menu>Rec>Set>Sens) is set to "high" unless you are recording in a very loud location like next to traffic or loud machinery.

Back in the Studio

1. Transfer your sounds from your NH700 using SonicStage on your PC computer at home or on one of the four campus PCs available for this purpose: Mitchell Hall Room 353 and B-18. For transferring you will need your Hi-MD recorder, USB cable for the recorder (the black one), Hi-MD MiniDiscs with your Trek recordings on them, and two or four blank CD-Rs for copying and carrying away your transferred sound files (PDF tutorial here).

2. Make a copy of the converted WAV files on a DATA format CD-R for backup. If you have not made a DATA format CD-R with Nero or other CD-burning application before, download this [pdf] and read it before coming to the lab. There are also steps in the Hi-MD manual.

3. Create an Audacity Project folder as described in the tutorial and set your User Preferences. Play through your Trek 01 sound recordings in Audacity. When you come to a section of a recording that seems interesting, scroll across (select) the section and export it as a full resolution .wav or .aif file (see tutorial on how to do this). Give the file a useful name and a mental note of where it was recorded. Store these .wav or .aif files in your ExportedSoundFiles folder. The selections can be as long and edited or "squeezed down" later to 20 seconds for your blog. Find and export as many segments as you can. These exported sound files are candidates for the five from which to make MP3s for your blog. Upload them to your iPod or media player. Listen to them to see which of them hold up to repeated listening. Make notes about mic bumps, wind flutters, or other undesirable parts that could be removed, along with sections that might be squeezed together. We encourage editing to bring out the strengths of a recording and to hide flaws that detract from appreciating the situation or subject matter. We do not allow special effects editing.

Analysis and Maps

1. Continue analyzing your selected sounds from Trek 01 by playing through them. Choose what you think are the best five. Edit each of them to a length of 20 seconds to 1 minute.

2. Listen to the sound level of all five .aif or .wav files. Are they loud enough? To judge "correct" volume, play some music on your computer at a comfortable level using headphones. Then play your recordings without changing the headphone volume. If they need to be louder, slide the volume slider up at the head of the sound files track in Audacity.

3. After you have the file trimmed and the sound level is adjusted, use "Save Selection As" MP3 to export the .mp3 version to your "ExportedSoundFiles" folder. Each of your five MP3s should be from 20 seconds to 1 minute in duration (longer tracks are okay if the quality and interest of the sounds justify the extra length).

4. Upload your five MP3s to the media folder of the public directory of your PantherFile account. If you have troubles with SonicStage, Audacity, or PantherFile uploading, bring your work on your laptop or CD-R/external hard drive to the help sessions on Monday, October 1.

5. Create your hand-drawn maps to accompany each of your five MP3s in your blog for Trek 01. Drawn maps should be on 8.5"x11" sheets that are ready for scanning. Leave a 1/4" border around the page. You can also create an overview map or other maps that you feel are useful. You cannot use computer drawing applications to make the maps or digitize existing maps. The originals must be hand-drawn.

6. Follow the steps in this tutorial (Getting Your Maps Online), to scan, size, and upload your five .jpg images from your hand-drawn maps into the images folder of the public directory of your PantherFile account. If you have scanned your map drawings at home and encounter trouble uploading them to PantherFile, bring the scanned .jpgs to school on your USB flash drive. If you need to scan your 8.5"x11" sheets, bring them to class along with your USB flash drive.

Blog Tutorials

1. Listen to the sonic qualities in your recordings. Choose recordings that sound unusual or tweak your curiosity. Listen to your selections on several occasions and not which ones stick with you. A recording of a rare or unusual event may not be pleasurable to listen to. Concentrate on recordings that can communicate or illustrate experiences or phenomena you experienced during or after your Trek. The qualities of greatest interest may not be evident to you the first time through the material. Make note of all technical flaws such as mic bumping, wind, distortion, dropouts, or sounds that detract from the core listening experience. These should be removed in Audacity.

2. A blog is a balance between writing, graphics, and media clips. When writing, avoid all obvious and redundant information that can be heard in the recordings or deduced from other sources in the blog (if you don't, it may seem like you haven't read your own blog). There is no need to refer to another object or item in the blog, i.e. "This is a sound file I recorded . . ." Just include the link and let the file speak for itself.

3. A clear, concise, straightforward style is appreciated (and expected). Cryptic, obtuse, poetic, or cute styles can easily come across as evasive, snooty, or even offensive.

4. The cumulative effect should be a concentration on providing new and useful information, not a push for an opinion or a certain reaction. Assume you know nothing about the interests or the type of person who will visit your blog. Write respectfully and generously in a conversational tone. Don't criticize yourself or make apologies. Be forthcoming about what you do not know if it's important to admit such a thing, but remember to position yourself as the expert on your own work.

5. The topic of each post is the sound file, so make sure everything you write about it is related in some way. Sometimes a factual title works best. Try to create an effective connection between the title of each post and the corresponding sound file.

6. Concentrate on delivering new high-quality information with as few words as possible, without seeming blunt. Choose some effective details. In factual writing styles, nouns have more weight than adjectives. Don't leave out key nouns.

7. People from all over the world can discover your blog--and they will! Write as if you know this, and be sure they can determine that they are listening to recordings made in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

8. Never mention the class or your teachers or assignments. This is YOUR work, and taking ownership of it is the first step as a media artist. Visitors will recognize this confidence and spend more time with your blog.

9. Make no excuses. Visitors are only interested in what they see and hear right in front of them, not in excuses.

10. Consider adding some contextual information that would interest your visitors and suggest a larger setting. You could include an overview of the area you covered during your Trek and/or the course you followed. This can be done with a hand-drawn "master" map or a link to a GoogleMaps with placemarks added for each of your sonic discoveries.

11. For more information, see the Blogger tutorial here.

Deadlines
Trek 01 Blog due Sunday, October 7, 5 PM
Trek 01 Blog Revisions due Tuesday, October 9, 5 PM
(List of grading factors that will be used to grade this assignment.)