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Sound

Kelsey Chatlosh

GC Digital Fellow

kchatlosh@gradcenter.cuny.edu

@kchatlosh

http://tinyurl.com/sound1010

#GCDIsound

Filipa Calado

GC Digital Fellow

gofilipa@gmail.com

@caladoscope

Big thank you to Professor John Barber – much of this presentation draws from his June 2017 DHSI course on Sounds and Digital Humanities. See his course website here, and read Kelsey’s blog piece about it here.

Background Image: MatthewPotter on Flickr, 2015

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Sound

According to

the Oxford Dictionary Online

The sensation produced in the organs of hearing when the surrounding air is set in vibration in such a way as to affect these; also, that which is or may be heard; the external object of audition, or the property of bodies by which this is produced. Hence also, pressure waves that differ from audible sound only in being of a lower or a higher frequency.

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Audio

According to

the Oxford Dictionary Online

Sound, esp. when recorded, reproduced, or transmitted; electrical signals representing sound. Also: sound recording and reproduction; equipment concerned with this. In later use frequently contrasted with or paired with video.

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An example for thought:

What is this sound?

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Learn more:

Phantom Terrains

Sound source from previous slide: https://soundcloud.com/alissa-walker/phantom-terrains-audio

Image: phantomterrains.com/

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Workshop Goals

discuss some theorizing on ‘sound,’
learn about a wide range of hardware, software, techniques and concepts for recording, editing and sharing sound,
explore research and projects with sound,
envision and elaborate on our own ideas and questions!

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Sound Source: Spenceomatic on FreeSound Project, 2011

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let’s begin

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First, introductions

Introduce yourself to the person next to you:

Name

Program?

What kinds of sounds do you create and/or do research with?

Dreams for future projects with sound?

...and then you’ll introduce this person to us!

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Things people create with sound

Music

Found sound

Remixes

Oral histories

Interviews

Testimonies

Radio

Podcasts

Aural narratives

Radio dramas

Sound art

Soundscapes

Sound installations

Sound walks

Sound maps

Sound therapy

Sounds for films

Sound design

Livestreams

… Other ideas?

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theorizing ‘sound’

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“acoustemology”:�“the primacy of sound as a modality of knowing and being in the world” ��- Steven Feld, ”Sound Worlds” (2000)

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“soundscape” ��- R. Murray Schaefer, The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World (1994 [1977])

Image: Teodorik Menšl on Flickr, 2005

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Sound Source: cut from inspiration-xc on FreeSound Project, 2011

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Ex.:�Locus Sonus �SoundMap��Locus Sonus Stream Project offers a worldwide network of "open mikes" that permanently stream local soundscapes to a dedicated server. The resulting live audio is used in a large variety of artistic projects. The microphones are installed and maintained by volunteer participants. – learn more here

Image: Screenshot of locusonus.org/soundmap/051/

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John Cage, 4'33'' for piano (1952) – on YouTube here

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deconstructing:�‘silence’�‘hearing’�& �‘authenticity’�

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sounds &

forms of knowledge

further readings: Diana Taylor, The Archive and the Repertoire (2003)

& Dwight Conquergood, “Performance Studies: Interventions and Radical Research” (2002)��

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the listening subject, & sonic experiences of ‘Others’

further readings: Daphne Brooks and Roshanak Kheshti, “The Social Space of Sound” (2011),

& Roshanak Kheshti interviewed by Kelsey Chatlosh, “Sound recording, oral positionality, and audio as ethnographic object” (2018)��

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Other useful sources for theorizing sound?

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(digitally) recording sound

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Ethical considerations BEFORE recording

Recording the voices or stories of people?

If for research purposes, you need Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval! More info for CUNY folks here
Address issues of e.g.: consent, confidentiality, anonymity, risks & benefits, levels of impact

Image: Made for free at www.makebeliefscomix.com

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Ethical considerations BEFORE recording

Planning to post those voices or stories online or otherwise share them publicly?

You need to create & have each person sign a ‘deed of gift’ (in addition to other consent forms) – an example here

Setting up a longer-term livestream?

How will you mitigate concerns of surveillance?
How will you conduct informed consent?

Image: @SurvDH

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Some data management issues to consider BEFORE recording

Audio vs. video

What format will your recording device save audio as?
Where will you save the audio, in addition to the device itself? Will you have enough storage space?
Metadata! Will you write a log for each recording? Will each recording begin with a brief intro or description? Do you have a legend to identify audio file names? Plan in place for any anonymity requests?

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& Field recordings

Studio recordings

Image: Neil Sandbach on Flickr, 2005

Image: Esteban1098 on Flickr, 2007

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Recording sound: digital recorders

Digital audio recorders with internal microphones:

Recommended: Zoom H4N or Tascam DR-40

Digital audio recorders + external microphones:

Digital audio recorder with 2+ tracks
Mic options: shotgun, cardioid, omnidirectional
Also specialized mics: lavalier (cardioid or omni), binaural, contact, mic with light sensors
Simple option for just one soundsource: Blue Snowball USB Microphone (cardioid & omni modes)

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Sound & space: various mic types

Image source

Contact

Cardioid (uni)

Binaural

Omnidirectional

Lavalier

Shotgun

Image source & DIY instructions

Image source

Image source & 3D-print instructions

Image source

Image source for mic & for diagram

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Sound Source: cut from forrisday on FreeSound Project, 2012

-- recorded using a shotgun mic

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Recording sound: additional equipment

Wind mufflers
Pop shields
Circus-aural headphones – always listen in while you record!
Microphone cables
Preamplifiers (esp. with contact mics)
Tripods, stands

Image: matt_gibson on Flickr, 2012

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Need more help picking an audio recorder?

Ask Doug Boyd
Zach Poff’s recorder recommendations
Paul Virostek’s digital sound recorder buyer’s guide & field recording microphone specs
An unconventional microphone buyer’s guide
Also low-cost DIYs! – see some by Zach Poff here

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Personal favorites for sound equipment?

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Recording sound: key terms & techniques

Volume (‘level’) – be careful to adjust the ‘recording level’ on the microphone (between 6 and -6 is usually good)
Positioning of microphone(s)

approx. 6” from a person’s face when you are recording their voice

‘Noise print’
Within ‘soundscapes’: keynote sounds, sound signals, sound marks (good to sample at least 3 minutes)

Find more information on the basics of digital audio by Joost Boomkamp here & more tips on recording from NPR’s guide here

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Recording sound: frequency, amplitude, Hertz

Find more information on the basics of acoustics and signal processing by John Perr here

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Recording sound: sampling rates

Sampling rates

11,025 kHz = AM radio quality / speech

22,050 kHz = Near FM radio quality

44,100 kHz = CD quality

96,000 kHz = DVD audio quality

192,000 kHz = DVD audio quality

Also important: bit rate

Note:

*44,100 kHz is the all around target sampling rate for most things

*Higher quality microphones can record higher quality sample rates

*But recording at a higher sample rate will fill up SD card space fast

*Bit rate:

Find more information on the basics of digital audio by Joost Boomkamp here

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Ex.:�All The Sampling Rates�

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More recording techniques or advice to share?

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Need more audio? Sound archives!

Professor John Barber’s Sounds and Digital Humanities public course site has an amazing set of resources – including an extensive list of sound archives
My personal favorite so far: the FreeSound Project

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editing & mixing audio

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Editing & mixing audio: software

Audacity – free and open-source, works on PCs & Macs
Garage Band – pre-installed on Mac computers
Adobe Audition CC – costs $20/month, works on PCs & Macs
Ableton Live 9 – the Intro edition costs $99, good for serious (re)mixing, works on PCs & Macs

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Other software favorites for sound editing / mixing?

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Editing & mixing audio: tips & techniques

See more sound editing & mixing advice on NPR’s Ear Training Guide for Audio Producers here

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More techniques or advice to share? Sites with good advice?

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Ex.:�Uvic Remix, “Noisemakers” Project �by Serena Ferrando

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analyzing, coding, &/or transcribing sound

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Quantitatively analyzing audio

Prepare sound for machine learning: sound quality, remove background noise
HiPSTAS Project by Tanya Clement -- an audio toolkit for working with and analyzing, & preparing audio for machine learning
On doing performative speech analysis using Gentle and Drift by Marit MacArthur -- free and open-source tools for performative speech analysis
The Automatic Music Performance Analysis and Comparison Toolkit (AMPACT.org) by Johanna Devaney – also open-source

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Qualitatively coding audio

Organizing and sorting through your (audio) data by creating thematic ‘codes’ and marking sections of audio with that code
ATLAS.ti – qualitative data analysis software, starting at $51 (for a 6-month student license, PC or Mac)
NVivo – “”, starting at $85 (for a Starter level 12-month student license, Mac)
Transana -- “”, starting at $75 for students (to download the software to your local hard-drive to use with video and audio data, not upgradeable, PC or Mac)

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Transcribing human voices

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) software that can provide a rough draft:

Google Cloud Speech API (Application Programming Interface) – costs ~$1.44/hour (recognizes over 110 languages and variants)
Trint.com – intuitive GUI (graphical user interface) with option to manually edit, costs ~$12-15/hour (recognizes fewer languages/variants – more info here, Doug Boyd recommends this!)
Some free and/or open-source options, such as Kaldi

Also, for human transcription: foot pedals! (to play, fast forward, rewind)
Consider close transcription or ethnopoetic transcription

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Other software favorites for analyzing, coding, or transcribing sound?

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sharing / presenting with sound

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Platforms for digital storytelling & sharing sounds online

Oral History Project Websites

Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History – note: resources page

StoryMaps -- upcoming 11/7 Digital Fellows workshop on “Create A Rich Multimedia Narrative with ESRI Story Map”, & Digital Fellows blog post on “Learning to map with StoryMaps” -- or, a free alternative: Story Map JS
StoryCorps
Podcasting on iTunes or SoundCloud – also for sharing music / other audio
See John Barber’s guide to resources on digital storytelling

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OHMS: Oral History Metadata Synchronizer

To learn more about OHMS, check out Doug Boyd’s article “OHMS: Enhancing Access to Oral History For Free” (2013) and visit the website: http://www.oralhistoryonline.org

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Streaming audio online

Streaming, progressive download (with buffer), vs. livestreaming
Codecs: software used to compress and decode any kind of media, including audio
MP3 = open standard codec, supported by all formats
Compression rate: the ratio between uncompressed size & compressed size

Don’t compress unless absolutely necessary (lower sound quality)
Always save your master file!

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Sound installations & exhibits

Consider the listening experience:

open or closed space,
shared or individuated listening,
interactive or more static,
live, streamed, or pre-recorded sounds

Interested in sound art? Check out Zach Poff’s Project in Sound Art syllabus

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A ’SoundTent’ at SoundCamp, Kelsey’s image, 2017

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Image: Zach Poff, “Uncovered” (2013)

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Sonification

‘Our ears are faster than our eyes’

Sharing data through sound can foreground certain types of info, tease out layers that would be hard to visualize, and provide a different experience for receiving data

Gif:

www.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/6yc5cn/bulb_on_bulb_off/

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Ex.: Zach Poff & NB Aldrich, “Sferics 2: Bell Cloud” (2013)

Image: Zach Poff, “Sferics 2: Bell Cloud,” 2013

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Speakers

Directional speakers

Recommended: Brown Innovations

Hemispherical speakers

Recommended: Isobel Audio – read more here

Concealed and/or flat-panel speakers

Recommended: Onsia in-ceiling or in-wall speakers, & Feonic invisible speakers for walls, ceilings, floors

Find more information on speakers & other audio equipment on John Barber’s sound resources guide

Resonating speakers

Recommended: 7W Mighty Dwarf

DIY speakers

Zach Poff’s DIY guide – including parabolic speakers with umbrellas!
Bowls or red cups can amplify phone or iPad speakers

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Headphones & other possibilities

Silent disco headphones: play live audio tracks via radio transmitter

Bone conduction: channel or transduce sound waves through physical objects which, when touched, transmit sound through people’s bones (see examples by artists Markus Kison or Sergei Tcherepnin) and/or teeth

Above two images: Markus Kison, “Touched Echo Osnabrück,” 2009

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Other favorite speakers, headphones, or ways of sharing sounds in physical space?

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Multi-modal pedagogy

Incorporating sounds in presentations & teaching

Teaching history by listening to oral histories
Teaching about a place and sharing a soundscape

Sound walks and sound maps

Ex. Lisa Hall, ”Walking with Crickets”

Upcoming TLC workshop on Teaching and Learning through Aesthetics at the GC! Thursday, Nov. 1st 4-6 p.m. in the GC room 9205

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Other cool projects or ideas for sharing sounds?

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resources @ the GC

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GC Digital Initiatives (GCDI) is here to support you!

cuny.is/gcdi

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Resources through GCDI

GC Digital Fellows Weekly Office Hours (alternating Mondays 3-5 p.m. & Wednesdays 5-7 p.m., DSL Room 7414) – or email gc.digitalfellows@gmail.com to request an appointment

GC Digital Fellows Faculty Consultations (by appointment only)

Working Groups on Sound Studies and Methods, GIS/Mapping, Humanidades Digitales, and PUG (Python Users Group) -- follow them through the CUNY Academic Commons (which CUNY folks can also use to make their own website!)

Read our full guide to the #digitalGC (fall 2018 edition): tinyurl.com/gcdifall2018

*In addition to the GC Digital Fellows workshops, workshops are also offered by the ITP Program, the GC Library, the Futures Initiative, & the Teaching and Learning Center

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Join the new Sound Studies and Methods working group!

cuny.is/sound-studies

Image: MatthewPotter on Flickr, 2015

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Need $$ or support to get trained or started?

Apply to be awarded a Provost’s Digital Innovation Training, Start-up & Implementation Grant (only open to GC PhD students; call for applications is announced towards the beginning of the fall semester): cuny.is/digitalgrants

Apply to join the New Media Lab – student & faculty stipends (applications accepted on a rolling basis)

Participate in the CUNY Digital Humanities Init iative (November 13th) to join a network of DH scholars and makers at CUNY

Apply to participate in GCDI’s free GC Digital Research Institute (DRI) this January 2019 (exact dates TBA)! A call for applications will go out in November. View the full set of curricula from our last GC Digital Research Institute here.