sorry about the url; this is the main page http://surface-noise.bandcamp.co=
m/ and the album is by Quies, Stills & Postcards from the Centre...
And yes, near silence can be pleasantly claustrophobic. if anything, it get=
s annoying because there's "nothing" to do :)
I've never been to the Grand Canyon but I'd be surprised if it were really =
quiet. You might be able to get away from humans, but what about "nature" (=
birds, animals, etc) and what about flight paths? Because that's the beauty=
with the areas in South Australia I went too. It's not just devoid of any =
urban presence, for 100s or even 1000s of kilometers, apart from flies, the=
re's no sound-making animals either...
just a final thought/observation: isn't it fascinating when you find yourse=
lf somewhere that sounds quiet or even silent to your ears, but not to the =
microphones? I'm not talking about loss of hearing etc, but just about the =
built-in filters our ears have to block out "unpleasant" or unwanted sounds=
. Low rumbles, the air sizzling, that kind of thing.
I had it last December in an underground church in Coober Pedy, South Austr=
alia. To my ears it was silent. To my Neumann, however, it was full of low-=
frequency rumble and activity.
Peter
On 04 Jun 2012, at 19:32, soundings23 wrote:
> Fascinating ... I've just posted about how recording quiet reveals as muc=
h about the process as the subject - I too find this interesting. Will have=
a listen to your recordings later - sounds fascinating (the url isn't quit=
e right but it's findable)
>
> Quiet places as a mirror is also an interesting line of thought. I've exp=
erienced times when near silence often feels strangely claustrophobic, but =
without the unpleasantness. Very odd, but yes, I agree - very alluring. I'v=
e wondered what experiences of arid landscapes are like in terms of quiet .=
.. I recall reading that the Grand Canyon has some of the quietest places o=
n earth, but that doesn't feel right as such a tourist destination?
>
> The quietest places I've experience near where I live are some of the rem=
oter Dartmoor woods on still summer nights. And inside some of the older sm=
all and remote rural churches can also be pretty quiet due to the thickness=
of the walls.
>
> cheers
>
> T
>
> --- In 404 <> wrote:
> >
> > hi Tony (and Jez and Mark)
> >
> > I'm obsessed with quietness as well. To find a really silent space and =
just sit and listen never tires me. If I try to rationalise it, it probably=
has to do with how quiet spaces throw you back on yourself. They function =
like mirrors, somehow. Because there's "nothing" to escape in or hide behin=
d, you're left with yourself. Unlike, say, a piece of music, or bird song, =
or dawn chorus, there's simply "nothing" and as far as I'm concerned that's=
massively overwhelming and powerful.
> > I've been actively seeking out empty and quiet spaces. A search that to=
ok me all the way to the Australian outback and desert, where I experienced=
near silence. I put together an album with some of my recordings. If you'r=
e interested, it's here: http://surface-noise.bandcamp.com/album/stills-pos=
tcards-from-the-centre.
> > The last 4 tracks are recordings of these spaces. Now obviously, experi=
encing a quiet space is one thing, and recording it something else. It does=
n't take much before we hear the microphone rather than the space. But then=
again, I find that kind of "failure" artistically very interesting, but th=
at's food for another thread.
> >
> > Peter
> >
> >
> >
> > On 04 Jun 2012, at 11:02, Mark wrote:
> >
> > > Hi Jez,
> > >
> > > I lived with a deaf family for several years during university. It's =
a common misbelief that the deaf cannot hear anything, but on average they =
are living a world of soft booms faint, clicks and muffled voices. While I =
wouldn't wish deafness on my worst enemy, I feel that the lack of distracti=
on helps in developing exceptional skills in listening and the intuition of=
subtle energies.
> > >
> > > just a few distracted thoughts ^__~
> > >
> > > Mark
> > >
> > > On Jun 4, 2012, at 6:24 AM, "Jez" <> wrote:
> > >
> > > > very quiet recordings (quietudes) have been something of an obsessi=
on of mine for many years. I spend a lot of time recording stillness in bui=
ldings for example. When there are just small sounds to hear we have to mic=
ro/macro listen & that draws you in, closer.
> > > >
> > > > --- In "soundings23" <tony.whiteh=
ead2332@> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Hi All, just for interest here are two very quiet recordings I up=
loaded to Soundcloud this morning. Both are hydrophone recordings taken yes=
terday near where I live.
> > > > >
> > > > > http://soundcloud.com/tonywhitehead/pond-at-chudleigh-knighton
> > > > > http://soundcloud.com/tonywhitehead/fish-shoal-little-bradley
> > > > >
> > > > > I was in two minds whether to upload them, because they are so qu=
iet. But, I was fascinated because they are so full of tiny detail, especia=
lly the pond at Chudleigh. I also found that I enjoyed listening to them wi=
thout excessively turning up the gain - which just seemed to increase the n=
oise of my Edirol's pre-amp.
> > > > >
> > > > > As I said on the soundcloud page, they make me think of sound wor=
k by the like's of Francisco Lopez, Radu Malfati and Bernhard Gunter .
> > > > >
> > > > > Ages ago there was a review of this sort of quietness in Ed Pinse=
t's Sound Projector magazine where, reviewing Lopez's "Untitled 74" he said=
> > > > >
> > > > > "There's something going on there all right, but what is it? How =
is it possible to record and produce sounds so remote and tiny that you're =
only dimly aware of them? ... No point turning up the volume - that'll only=
cause more damage - these are fugitive spirits, like fairies of the air wh=
ich will vanish if you draw to near to them."
> > > > >
> > > > > I like that. And I like what the hydrophone reveals of these tiny=
sound worlds.
> > > > >
> > > > > BTW, while writing this, I felt like I was reviewing my own recor=
dings - which would be odd and not a little arrogant - but I don't feel the=
se are my recordings, I simply dropped the hydrophone in a pond, hit record=
, and listened - so I'm reviewing and sharing thoughts what I heard rather =
than what I did with what I recorded.
> > > > >
> > > > > Be glad of any thoughts on very quiet sounds, or links to anythin=
g similar?
> > > > >
> > > > > Tony
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
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