Week 16 Audio Pieces

Meat Factory Ear Worms

This documentary piece told its story through the use of a voice-over; it was a personal account of life working in a meat factory. The use of atmosphere was effective in creating a sense of space, and its crowded presence of a multitude of sounds gave a strong sense of chaos and the narrator's uneasiness, although I felt that more affecting and disturbing noises could have been utilised given the location. A recurring and effective sound is that of knives being sharpened; through its familiarity and harsh sound the listener is made to anticipate the next event. By using particular music familiar to the narrator, we are given a sense of time as well as space, and experience first-hand some of the feeling of escape it provides from the harsh atmosphere used through the documentary. A theme emerges quite evidently of endurance through unpleasant circumstances. A particularly interesting technique is the use of silence in order to punctuate the sounds that precede it and follow it; a haunting and anxious feeling is created when combined with meat factory sounds.

Child of Ardoyne

This documentary also uses a great deal of speech to tell its story, although this time that of several different interviewees. An immediately noticeable feature is the score; haunting music instantly sets an unsettling tone and suggests a more negative subject matter. Through the personal accounts of interviewees, we are more heavily impacted by the recounted events of the past (violence relating to differences in religion), and given a further sense of place by an insight into various different people living in Ardoyne. A theme emerges of regret for the past, not only personal regret but regret for the actions of others in what is seen as an ignorant period of time. A sense of space is also created by the atmosphere track; in several places we hear children playing, which immediately gives a sense of peaceful surroundings and a predominantly outdoor environment, as well as a sense of community between speakers. The use of archive recordings is interesting in that it helps to give a sense of time and adds further context to what the listener hears.

Blue Veils and Golden Suns

This piece is very abstract in contrast to the above two. It uses no speech, only a musical rhythm created by a variety of unusual and somewhat unfamiliar sounds. In this way it presents an empty canvas onto which the listener projects their own sense of imagined space, rather than accepting a strict location as dictated by certain sounds. A cloister bell rings predominantly throughout the piece, adding a strange feeling of depth and wide open space. Overall the piece builds from a single sound to a much more complex orchestra of music; an increasing sense of drama is created in this way. Due to its ambiguity we can only guess at the theme, but we are provided with the freedom to wildly speculate based upon our past experiences of such fiction genres as science fiction and fantasy. The piece is long enough that the listener transitions from accepting that a meaning has not yet arrived, to actively searching for meaning and analysing the sounds they hear.

The Sound of Sport

Immediately in this documentary we are met with the familiar sound of tennis rackets making contact with a ball, followed by a range of sounds so familiar it is unlikely we ever realised we took notice of them at all. In this way we are given a strong sense of the subject matter even before we hear any kind of voice-over. The narration itself explains the subject in more detail, leading us through very specific ideas rather than providing ambiguity. The use of music in the piece is interesting in that it immediately speaks of the place he mentions: Atlanta. Though none of the listeners in the room had been to Atlanta, our exposure to mass media from the USA gave a sense of familiarity nonetheless; an interesting manipulation of our interaction with television and other media. Along with the sounds of sport, the voice-over itself is what tells the story; sound effects and atmosphere help the listener to picture what is being said and give a positive feel due to their familiarity.

A Walk Through The City

This piece utilises a very narrow range of sound. In fact, it uses only the sounds of passing aeroplanes layered over the top of one another, seemingly in order to communicate a fairly specific point that is, without the title, extraordinarily ambiguous. A sense of space is provided, but it is somewhat misleading; the expectation of an airport is at odds with the title of the track. The low frequencies emanating from the aeroplanes (or manipulated in post) add drama to an otherwise simple soundscape, and the sounds flow smoothly together in a slightly rhythmic and audibly pleasing way.