February 7th, 2014 | 
Author: 1. 2/6/2014, 8:00 PM, Vander Poel Hall laundry room
2. Identify the sounds farthest from you: The medium sound of all of the machines does a pretty good job droning out distant sounds, but I can definitely hear the two squeaky doors opening and closing now that the girl who was in here with me is leaving. The heavy thud of the door to the laundry room has a secure weight to it. Before each door, I can hear the girl’s slippers shuffling along.
3. Identify the sounds at medium range: The combination of the 6 washers and 6 dryers ALL working at the same time creates a chorus sounding like a small factory. The washers have more of a spinning and shaking sound, and the two rows of stacked dryers all tremble together. They would probably shake more wildly if they stood alone, but on top of and next to one another, they are more contained. I can hear that they are all working together to make the room VERY warm. On days when I am not doing a sound journal, I try to be in and out of this room because it is loud and hot, although I have attempted to read in here and definitely taken a phone call or two in the past. In the one of the dryers further from where I’m standing, I can hear a button or zipper consistently scratching the inside of one of the machines.
4. Identify the sounds closest to you: Even with all the noise, I can hear my feet on the floor as I transfer my weight from one foot to the other and change how I am standing. Like my laundry comrade who has left for now, I am wearing my “in the dorm” Ugg boots; they are very old and have a distinct shuffling sound to them. If I really try I can hear myself breathing, but I have to intensify my breath to do so. I can certainly hear myself crack my knuckles. The sound doesn’t get swallowed up by the medium range, but rather stands out because it is so different in comparison.
5. General sound level and activity: This room is expectedly loud. It isn’t painfully noisy or particularly annoying, but it has a general loudness to it. The sound of all the machines working together is like an unorganized round of some tune they all have learned the exact same way. The air circulation seems to mimic the general sound level, and the heat and general sound seem to go hand-in-hand.
6. One word to describe the sound environment: operational
7. 3 essential sounds to the sound environment:
-The shaking and spinning of the washers
-The tremble of the stacks of dryers
-The squeaky doors opening and closing
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