Bernie,
I would have enjoyed having an audio CD to go with a hard cover
book. Sounds are what this is all about, after all.
What about having the sounds downloadable from your web site
(eventually) so that people can then burn their own CDs?
Like you, I struggle to keep up with newer technology such as eBooks,
and with no mobile phone coverage in my (relatively remote) area,
iPhone stuff is out of the question.
Looking forward to a good read. Then again, the audio-book might be
a good choice!
cheers,
Vicki Powys
Australia
On 01/03/2012, at 3:29 AM, Bernie Krause wrote:
> Thanks for your note, John. Yeah. We struggled with this audio issue
> for months. The publisher (Little Brown) felt strongly that CDs in
> books were a thing of the ancient past. I then suggested adding QR
> codes at the end of paragraphs that referenced sound so that readers
> could scan them with their iPhone apps, etc. for the appropriate audio
> samples. The publisher tested that option pretty extensively (some
> 4,000 or 5,000 respondents, I understand) and found such strong
> resistance from their focus groups -- based, I'm told, on the response
> that the QR symbol was distracting and disrupted the flow of the
> narrative -- that they eliminated that idea...even in the back of the
> book as an addendum in the Notes section. They are also anticipating
> that since a large and quickly growing readership segment will consist
> of those opting for eBooks, Kindle, and audio book formats, those are
> the formats in which they've opted to embed audio.
>
> Remember, while I may have some expertise in my narrow field, I
> possess little knowledge of marketing or structure of the worldwide
> publishing industry and where it's headed, so I have chosen to rely
> entirely on the expertise of my publisher and its choices. That's why
> I picked this group (over others who offered more incentives).
>
> I, too, am not particularly tech savvy or literate. I do not own ebook
> or even iPhone tech (but my dear wife, who's younger and better
> looking, does). I rarely use my cell phone. But I am an author who --
> late in life and with scant time to fart around demanding things that
> may not work -- wishes, now, to reach the largest audience possible
> with this important message. And the choices I've made with regard to
> this issue, in particular, have been completely vetted to meet that
> goal. And lastly, while the exposition of the narrative might be
> enhanced with the audio examples, keep in mind that it will be the new
> ideas and concepts that I've brought to the field, that will hopefully
> endure.
>
> Bernie
>
> PS. When our new web site is up and running (hopefully by mid-month)
> many of the referenced sounds will be found, there.
>
>
> On Feb 29, 2012, at 7:46 AM, John Crockett wrote:
>
>> I've been looking forward to this release for months. A subject near
>> and dear to my heart. But I'm confused about the audio. Is there no
>> CD to accompany the hardcover? I always assumed there would be.
>> There are no ebook readers in this household yet, and I'm not eager
>> to go down that road.
>>
>> John
>>
>> --- In Bernie Krause <>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Cool, ol' bean. And thanks. You and your terrific work play a
>>> serious
>>> role in this one. One thing: we wanted to include QR codes in
>>> paragraphs that referred to sound. That way folks could scan the
>>> codes
>>> and hear them in context of the narrative on their iPhones, etc. But
>>> the publisher had other ideas and the soundscapes can be heard only
>>> in
>>> the iBook, Kindle (?) and audio book versions. The hard cover, alas,
>>> is mute on the subject.
>>>
>>> Bernie
>>>
>>> On Feb 28, 2012, at 2:05 PM, Kevin Colver wrote:
>>>
>>>> I placed my order! Looking forward to your book.
>>>> Kevin
>>>>
>>>> On Feb 28, 2012, at 9:13 AM, Bernie Krause wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Sorry folks. The earlier posting seems to have lost it's
>>>>> formatting.
>>>>> Hope this works better.
>>>>> Bernie
>>>>>
>>>>> "The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the
>>>>> World's Wild Places," will be published the 19th of March by
>>>>> Little
>>>>> Brown, a division of Hachette Book Group.
>>>>>
>>>>> The narrative summarizes a lifetime of field, lab, and soundscape
>>>>> production experience into an accessible story clarifying, among
>>>>> other
>>>>> themes, how animals taught us to dance and sing. The sub-plot
>>>>> reveals
>>>>> how perceiving the world through the voice of natural soundscapes
>>>>> links us to an astounding array of other disciplines including,
>>>>> biology, natural history, environmental studies, linguistics,
>>>>> physics,
>>>>> field recording, politics, architecture, religion, medicine,
>>>>> philosophy, literature, resource management, and many others. And
>>>>> finally, the text sheds new light on the multiple constructive and
>>>>> destructive nets cast by anthrophony -- the human-generated
>>>>> acoustic
>>>>> signatures of the soundscape -- as they penetrate and affect
>>>>> nearly
>>>>> every marine and terrestrial habitat on the planet.
>>>>>
>>>>> The emerging field of soundscape ecology (as differentiated from
>>>>> acoustic ecology) is central to the premise. A reanimated theme,
>>>>> the
>>>>> focus, here, highlights how biophonies and geophonies -- features
>>>>> of
>>>>> the soundscape germane to an understanding of natural sound --
>>>>> serve
>>>>> as a type of Rosetta Stone exposing the secrets behind numerous
>>>>> riddles emanating from the beaks, mouths, wings, tails, and other
>>>>> signal-producing body parts of many critters performing
>>>>> collectively
>>>>> as a chorus -- the same ones that humans, relying on those
>>>>> messages
>>>>> for survival and spiritual inspiration, completely understood at a
>>>>> time when we lived more closely connected to the wild natural. The
>>>>> acoustic scenarios of healthy habitats are celebrated through the
>>>>> poetic and proto-musical textures of its biophonic phrasing,
>>>>> represented by exquisite bandwidth and temporal organization --
>>>>> aka
>>>>> the niche hypothesis -- an inherent yet ever-mutable font of
>>>>> knowledge. Nature, in the end, is the best and most prolific
>>>>> editor
>>>>> we
>>>>> know of -- always adjusting for ultimate performance and outcomes.
>>>>> From an emulation and expression of this resource we have acquired
>>>>> the basis of nearly every organic sound and cultural utterance we
>>>>> generate.
>>>>>
>>>>> The Great Animal Orchestra is available in hardcover, as an eBook
>>>>> (with numerous audio examples), as an audio book (with narration
>>>>> and
>>>>> soundscapes by the author), and will be translated into several
>>>>> languages.
>>>>>
>>>>> Enjoy!
>>>>> Bernie Krause, PhD
>>>>>
>>>>> ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW AT:
>>>>> YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE
>>>>> or:
>>>>>
>>>>> ALIBRIS.COM
>>>>> http://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/9780316086875
>>>>>
>>>>> AMAZON.COM
>>>>> http://www.amazon.com/Great-Animal-Orchestra-Finding-Origins/dp/
>>>>> 0316086878
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> AND THESE OTHER FINE BOOKSELLERS:
>>>>> http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/
>>>>> books_9780316086875_WhereToBuy.htm
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Responses to The Great Animal Orchestra:
>>>>>
>>>>> Bernie Krause and his niche theory are the real thing. His
>>>>> originality, research, and above all basic knowledge of the sound
>>>>> environments in nature are impressive. The idea of music
>>>>> originating
>>>>> in the sound communication systems of wild animals (including
>>>>> insects)
>>>>> is a sound and provocative hypothesis. I admire also his
>>>>> attention to
>>>>> the preservation of ancestral-level cultures for their own value
>>>>> but
>>>>> also as a testing ground for theory on human behavioral
>>>>> evolution. --
>>>>> E. O. Wilson, author of "Biophilia" and distinguished Professor
>>>>> (Emeritus) of Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University.
>>>>>
>>>>> "Krause shows us the music of the natural world - long may his
>>>>> work
>>>>> continue!"--Pete Seeger
>>>>>
>>>>> The Great Animal Orchestra speaks to us of an ancient music to
>>>>> which
>>>>> so many of us are deaf. Bernie Krause is, above all, an
>>>>> artist. I
>>>>> have watched him recording the calls of chimpanzees, the
>>>>> singing of
>>>>> the insects and birds and seen his deep love for the harmonies of
>>>>> nature. In this book he helps us to hear and appreciate the often
>>>>> hidden musicians in a new way. But he warns that these songs, an
>>>>> intrinsic part of the natural world and essential to human well
>>>>> being,
>>>>> are vanishing, one by one, snuffed out by human actions. Read The
>>>>> Great Animal Orchestra, tell your friends about it. And as Bernie
>>>>> urges, let us all do our part to preserve the age-old sounds of
>>>>> nature. -- Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE Founder - the Jane Goodall
>>>>> Institute
>>>>> & UN Messenger of Peace
>>>>>
>>>>> Discover how each species has its own vocal niche in the intricate
>>>>> soundscape of a stable ecosystem. =C2=97 Dr. Temple Grandin, author
>>>>> Animals
>>>>> in Translation
>>>>>
>>>>> "Krause always reveals wondrous stories of the meaning of music
>>>>> and
>>>>> sounds of our natural environment. Bernie's research into the
>>>>> subtleties of animal and insect sounds is unparalleled, but it is
>>>>> his
>>>>> description of the radical changes that are taking place on this
>>>>> planet that really makes one stop and wonder
>>>>> Listen carefully, for
>>>>> the sounds you hear may never be the same again."=C2=97 Sir George
>>>>> Martin,
>>>>> Producer, The Beatles, and host of BBC's Rhythms of Life series.
>>>>>
>>>>> "This fascinating book awakens our ancient ears to the source of
>>>>> all
>>>>> music. Read it, and you'll yearn to muffle our din=C2=97and hear
>>>>> anew." =C2=97
>>>>> Alan Weisman, author of THE WORLD WITHOUT US and the forthcoming
>>>>> COUNTDOWN
>>>>>
>>>>> "Bernie Krause has admirably produced not only a comprehensive
>>>>> overview of the art of nature recording, but also shows his
>>>>> heartfelt
>>>>> understanding and appreciation of natural soundscapes, a
>>>>> threatened
>>>>> heritage in our modern world."=C2=97 Dr. Roger Payne (Songs of the
>>>>> Humpback
>>>>> Whale)
>>>>>
>>>>> "If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a sound recording
>>>>> worth? Perhaps much more... We say we want peace and quiet, but
>>>>> Bernie
>>>>> knows better. What we really want is something worth listening to.
>>>>> There is plenty of it out there. Nobody knows how to find it
>>>>> better
>>>>> than Bernie Krause."=C2=97 Jean Michel Cousteau, environmentalist, fi=
lm
>>>>> producer
>>>>>
>>>>> `Bernie Krause, one of the lions of soundscape recording, shares
>>>>> his
>>>>> tales of jaguars, wind, and waterfalls, and how hard it is to
>>>>> capture
>>>>> their sounds. Who knew before that the most emotional animal
>>>>> sound he
>>>>> ever heard was the wail of a beaver after seeing his dam
>>>>> destroyed?
>>>>> Krause has spent decades hunting for those few sonic oases
>>>>> untrammeled
>>>>> by human noise, and at last he brings us his life philosophy. This
>>>>> expansive tale of living amidst wild and beautiful sounds has been
>>>>> well worth waiting for.' =C2=96 Dr. David Rothenberg, ECM recording
>>>>> artist,
>>>>> and author of Why Birds Sing, Thousand Mile Song and Survival of
>>>>> the
>>>>> Beautiful
>>>>>
>>>>> `A vade mecum of ordered tranquillity -- a gift that came with the
>>>>> harmony of the spheres, allowing even the smallest living
>>>>> things to
>>>>> sing love songs in many diverse ways while bragging that they are
>>>>> the
>>>>> fittest and will survive above the cacophony of war. A fascinating
>>>>> book of natural history, worthy to be read in the silence your own
>>>>> library; please listen to what it warns about all our futures.' --
>>>>> David Bellamy, OBE, naturalist, and author of Botanic Man.
>>>>>
>>>>> `Bernie Krause will make you rethink much of what you know about
>>>>> music. A man whose first job was recording the sound of corn
>>>>> growing
>>>>> in a Kansas field, he has spent 40 years listening with
>>>>> professional
>>>>> intent to things the rest of us never hear. He has studied the way
>>>>> ants sing and whales roar. He can track the sound a virus makes
>>>>> as it
>>>>> moves from one surface to another. Krause is David Attenborough
>>>>> without the pictures and accompanying orchestra. He takes us
>>>>> close to
>>>>> the roots of the music and reminds us to stop and listen, not just
>>>>> lose our bearings in noise. It's such an unusual book -- and, in
>>>>> its
>>>>> quiet way, so important. Remarkable.' -- Norman Lebrecht,
>>>>> author of
>>>>> Why Mahler?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Wild Sanctuary
>>>>> POB 536
>>>>> Glen Ellen, CA 95442
>>>>> 707-996-6677
>>>>> http://www.wildsanctuary.com
>>>>>
>>>>> Google Earth zooms: http://earth.wildsanctuary.com
>>>>> SKYPE: biophony
>>>>> FaceBook:
>>>>> http://www.facebook.com/TheGreatAnimalOrchestra
>>>>> http://www.facebook.com/BernieKrauseAuthor
>>>>> Twitter:
>>>>> http://www.twitter.com/berniekrause
>>>>> YouTube:
>>>>> https://www.youtube.com/BernieKrauseTV
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ------------------------------------
>>>>>
>>>>> "While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
>>>>> sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie
>>>>> Krause.
>>>>>
>>>>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ------------------------------------
>>>>
>>>> "While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
>>>> sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie
>>>> Krause.
>>>>
>>>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> Wild Sanctuary
>>> POB 536
>>> Glen Ellen, CA 95442
>>> 707-996-6677
>>> http://www.wildsanctuary.com
>>>
>>> Google Earth zooms: http://earth.wildsanctuary.com
>>> SKYPE: biophony
>>> FaceBook:
>>> http://www.facebook.com/TheGreatAnimalOrchestra
>>> http://www.facebook.com/BernieKrauseAuthor
>>> Twitter:
>>> http://www.twitter.com/berniekrause
>>> YouTube:
>>> https://www.youtube.com/BernieKrauseTV
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>> "While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
>> sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie
>> Krause.
>>
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> Wild Sanctuary
> POB 536
> Glen Ellen, CA 95442
> 707-996-6677
> http://www.wildsanctuary.com
>
> Google Earth zooms: http://earth.wildsanctuary.com
> SKYPE: biophony
> FaceBook:
> http://www.facebook.com/TheGreatAnimalOrchestra
> http://www.facebook.com/BernieKrauseAuthor
> Twitter:
> http://www.twitter.com/berniekrause
> YouTube:
> https://www.youtube.com/BernieKrauseTV
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> "While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
> sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie
> Krause.
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
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