Hofstra Drama 20 – Sound for the Theatre

1. 02/09/2023 – 4:22 PM – Emily Lowe Hall Drounge
2. Far away: People talking in a classroom, a small beep, the sound of an air conditioner
3. Medium: Footsteps (some going further and some coming closer), the entrance door slamming, a classroom door being shut
4. Closest: The sound of me breathing due to congestion, someone taking a sip of their drink, typing, someone chewing
5. The sound level started out quite loud, but it has now gone down to barely any sounds that aren’t the ones mentioned in #4. This is the same regarding the sound activity. Originally, it began with hearing #2 and #3 together, and those sounds faded away, which led me to hear #4. Therefore, the sound activity went from high to low.
6. Descriptor: Bustling
7. The essential sounds are: the faraway sound of people talking in a classroom, the sound of footsteps, and the sound of the entry door slamming. 

2/8/2023, 12:12pm, Rm0100 in Heger Hall

Furthest: cars passing on the Hwy, people passing by outside, muffled talking from the room next door

Medium: A/C Hum, chairs creaking, rustling of clothes, sniffling, metal clinking on desk, shoe squeak

Closest: typing on keyboard, nose whistling from breathing, foot tapping, Professor/Students Speaking one at a time

Sound Level: Medium, one main sound and many small sounds

Descriptor: Restless

Essential Sounds: People Talking, rustling of clothes, Cars passing by

Date: February 7

Location: My Room, in the Basement

Far Sounds: Muffled voices in conversation upstairs, laughter overhead, a sink being turned on and water rushing, faint music from the record player in the next room.

Medium Sounds: Footsteps creaking overhead, metallic ticking in the walls, a chair being scraped across the floor, someone sitting down on the couch next door.

Close Sounds: High pitched hum from the fridge in the corner, breathing in and out, a chair creaking.

Sound Description/Level: There is never too much noise at once. The ever-present drone of the fridge is the only consistent sound, all others come and go with varying (but always muted to some degree) intensity. It’s almost as if experiencing the world from inside a bubble.

One Word: Diminished

Most Important Sounds: Creaking footsteps overhead, muffled voices/laughter, faint music.

Date: February 6

Location: LHCOMM Equipment Room

Far Sounds: People walking past, equipment cases rolling in the hall

Medium Sounds: People talking at the window, music playing from a computer, email notification

Close Sounds: Person next to me drinking soda, typing from computer, sliding backpack on table

Sound Description/Level: If this sound were a hypothetical “scene” in a play or movie, it is more casual underlying chatter rather than something too powerful and loud. It’s easy to tune in and out without getting lost in the conversation.

One Word: chill ?

Most Important Sounds: People talking at the window, computer playing music

Date: May 19

Location: The landing of the stairway between floors at Broadfield

Far Sounds: Laughter by the back of the house, a glass clinking upstairs

Medium Sounds: Anna, Andrew, and Ben talking in the doorway of Anna’s room upstairs, the squeak of a water bottle closing

Close Sounds: Heavy footsteps against the wooden floor in the living room, a notification dinging on my phone

Sound Description/Level: In this environment, the sounds all feel a little bit muffled as I sit in between floors, it almost feels like a liminal space between two separate environments

One Word: Removed

Date: May 19

Location: Backyard of Broadfield

Far Sounds: Cars driving by the front of the house, wind rustling through the trees

Medium Sounds: Chill music playing from a bluetooth speaker, footsteps in the grass of our neighbor’s yard

Close Sounds: Nicole crinkling up papers, Nicole putting the paper into the fire pit, Nicole pouring a little lighter fluid onto the wood, the faint sound of the fire cracking

Sound Description/Level: This environment feels lively and continuous but the sounds are all generally a quiet volume

One Word: Peaceful

Most Important Sounds: The sound of the fire cracking, the music playing from the speaker

Date: May 19

Location: Couch in the basement of Broadfield

Far Sounds: Cars driving by in the distance, Michelle sniffling in the backyard, Michelle crunching the grass beneath her feet in the backyard

Medium Sounds: Water rushing from the kitchen sink faucet, someone putting a glass down in the kitchen, the sliding door to the backyard being opened

Close Sounds: Nicole scrolling through Tik Tok, Nicole singing along to a song on Tik Tok

Sound Description/Level: The sounds around me feel full of life, and almost nostalgic. It is not a very loud environment, but one brimming with somewhat contained liveliness.

One Word: Warm

Most Important Sounds: Nicole singing along to her Tik Tok, Michelle’s crunching the grass beneath her feet

My Bedroom May 17 9:00 PM

     Near sounds: fan whirring, laptop humming

     Medium sounds: neighbors talking outside, cars driving down the street

     Far sounds: parents talking downstairs, tv playing in the den

     Sound level: low

     One word description: solitary

My Living Room May 17 7:00 PM

     Near sounds: My dad cooking dinner in the kitchen, the news on the kitchen tv

     Medium sounds: my mom cleaning the upstairs bathroom, her bedroom tv

     Far sounds: birds chirping outside, cars driving by outside

     Sound Level: Moderate

     One word description: domestic

     Most important sounds: My dad cooking dinner, my mom cleaning the upstairs bathroom, the news on the kitchen tv

Ralph’s Italian Ices May 17 5:20 PM

      Close sounds: customers placing orders, freezer doors opening, employees talking to each other

       Medium sounds: cars driving down Franklin avenue, cars pulling into the parking lot

       Far sounds: car wash employees talking, hoses spraying, dryers blowing

     Sound level: high

     One word description: busy

     Most important sounds: customers placing orders, freezer doors opening, employees talking to each other