Hofstra Drama 20 – Sound for the Theatre

1- 4/24/24- 11:20AM – Bits & Bytes

2- Furthest: The sounds from the workers cooking, the slight hum of the building, the fan blowing
3- Medium: People chatting at the table next to me, the workers having a conversation at the cash register, a phone ringing across the room.
4- Closest: My friend telling me a story, my bracelets jangling as I type, keyboards clacking, brief clips of people’s conversations as they walk by.
5- Sound level and activity: low, it’s still early and there’s not many people inside, the calm before the storm of common hour
6- Usual
7- The chatter from people, kitchen sounds, my friend’s voice

March 13th, 2017, 4:14pm, Hammer Lab

Sound Description: People typing on their keyboards, the sound of sniffling and keys rattling. A conversation can be heard in front of me.

2-12-15, 5:35pm, Drama Lounge

So interesting to hear all these voices people, talking over one another (not in a rude way, but because they are so excited about the things they have to say). People discussing whether or not they think Anna Kendrick is hot — being careful not to offend anyone after they express their opinions — and a variety of other conversations going on. I’m going to miss the wacky things people say in the Drounge when I graduate 🙁

(I got the permission of everyone heard speaking in this clip to record and post this).

Location: Penn Station, NYC

Sounds Heard: You can hear the sounds of the Frank Sinatra wannabe in the background as he sings along to karaoke tracks of the oldies in the station. You can hear the sounds of the other people waiting around the station as they chatter amongst themselves and possibly enjoy the music of the gentleman. You can also hear the sounds of my friend as he starts to talk to me, realizes I’m recording, and stops talking.

Location: Enterprise, 6th floor

Sounds Heard: You can hear the sounds of my resident playing the electric guitar in his room, the sounds of my residents harmonizing and singing in the bathroom and then having  a conversation. You can hear the shower running in the background of them. Whether or not they were singing in the shower is unknown and I wasn’t about to find out.

1- Monday, March 24, 2014, 9:43pm, Enterprise, 6th floor

2- Identify and list the sounds farthest away from you.

Furthest away from me, I can hear the sounds of some of my residents playing the electric guitar as well as the sound of the shower in the boys bathroom.

3- Identify and list the sounds at a medium range from you.

At medium range from me, I can hear the voices of my residents as they sing in the bathroom and proceed to hold a conversation. (Yes, I did ask their permission to use this sound clip.)

4- Identify and list the sounds closest to you (You can include internal sounds if noticed or relevant).

Closest to me, I can hear the sound of my breathing as I listen to their voices and distract myself from the mountains of homework I have to do.

5- Describe the general sound level and amount of sound activity.

The general sound level is that of a typical Monday night on my floor. Everyone is busy doing something, but it is soft and relaxed. Everyone is getting used to being back from break and just enjoying being back on campus.

6- Assign a one word description to the “sound environment”.

Relaxed

7- Select and list 3 sounds which are essential to the sound environment. Note: you need to try and figure out what sounds make up this environment and which of those sounds need to be there for the feeling of the environment to stay intact.

Three sounds that are essential to the sound environment are the sound of the shower in the background, my residents harmonizing and proceeding to have a conversation, and the residents playing the electric guitar in their room.

1- February 18, 2014, 6:15pm, Starbucks on Hempstead Turnpike

2- Identify and list the sounds farthest away from you.

Furthest away from me, I hear the music coming from the speakers above me.

3- Identify and list the sounds at a medium range from you.

At medium range from me,  I can hear the conversations among the patrons as they’re enjoying their coffee at the tables.

4- Identify and list the sounds closest to you (You can include internal sounds if noticed or relevant).

Closest to me, I can hear the sound of the coffee being made and the barista shouting out orders as he finishes them.

5- Describe the general sound level and amount of sound activity.

The general sound level of the Starbucks is loud but consistent. You can tell the patrons are enjoying their time in the coffee shop. The sound activity is calm and comforting. It’s easygoing.

6- Assign a one word description to the “sound environment”.

Comforting

7- Select and list 3 sounds which are essential to the sound environment. Note: you need to try and figure out what sounds make up this environment and which of those sounds need to be there for the feeling of the environment to stay intact.

Three sounds that are essential to the sound environment are the calming music coming through the speakers, the quiet murmur of conversation among the patrons and the sound of the barista calling out drink orders from behind the counter.

Location: 6th Floor, Enterprise Hall

Sounds Heard: The tuning of an electric guitar with some conversation among my residents.

Main Unispan

I originally took this clip to try to capture the way the footsteps echoed across the unispan in adjunct to the passing conversation. I was standing still near the middle of the unispan when a blind student bumped into me. I think this is what makes the clip especially interesting because my interaction created an unplanned accent to the field recording.

1- Feb 6, 10:10pm, Republic Hall dorm room

2- Footsteps down the hallway, the occasional door opening/closing, the inconsistent clink of the washer/dryer across the hall

3- Soundtrack and effects of a videogame (Skyrim), slightly garbled conversation between a few guys, the jingling of a key ring being played with

4- Guitar strumming/tapping and tuning, the occasional squeak of the stings, intermittent breaths of the person sitting next to me

5- The sound level is medium-low; everyone is lazily occupied with their own tasks but keeping an eye on what’s happening on screen – the activity is at a low buzz

6- Lax (Relaxed)

7- Guitar noises (strumming, tapping, etc), the sound effects of the videogame, garbled conversation/chatter