Audio Hardware/Software Repsonses

1. Discuss your experiences with building your microphones. Was this process more or less what you thought it would be? How did your microphone rig work on your Drift walks? Were you able to capture both overall ambiance and extreme closeups? Describe your ideal microphone and recorder setup, with unlimited time and money.

I didn't mind building my own microphone. It was pretty much what I thought it would be, a lot of waiting and time consuming work. My microphone works beautifully. I'm very happy with how it sounds, both close up and far away sounds. If I had unlimited money I would obviously get a really nice microphone and definitely get a different recorder than the minidisc because it was somewhat confusing. I think it could be made much simpler.

2. How was your experience with operating the MiniDisc recorder? How does this recorder compare to other audio equipment you've used? In an ideal world, how would your recorder of choice function?

It was okay. It took a while to get used to. The only other audio equipment I've used was a taper recorder, so this is much better than what I have used before. I think an ideal recorder for me would be one that is much easier to navigate and show wavelengths.

3. Discuss the audio-editing software you chose and your history with this application. If you used this software for the first time, explain why you chose this particular application and how you think it helped you to accomplish your creative goals (or proved detrimental). Will you use this software again for future projects?

I chose to use Audacity because I have used it before and it's really easy to use. I've used it before to mix songs and compress sound for videos before.

Ten Questions

After writing and reflecting upon your assessment answers, come up with ten questions that best address the aspects of your Drift process you are most interested in pursuing further in Drift 2.

These questions must be related directly to your experiences walking the specific landscapes of your Drift 1, and should be specifically worded enough to generate possible strategies and solutions for executing Drift 2.

1. Can I find nature in the city?
2. Is there a place of cement surrounding you?
3. Are there different sounds on campus between day and night?
4. Different sounds between night and day in nature?
5. Does the sun affect how an environment's sound?
6. Are there any large mass transit places (besides the bus) around here?
7. Are there interesting sounds from or near interesting smells?
8. Is there high light contrast in the middle of the day?
9. Are there an overlooked object seen everyday that can produce a sound?
10. Does food make interesting sounds?

Drift Assessment

1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1.

It was difficult cutting the exact increments of the sound clip that I wanted. Since I had to tape for such a long time to get a good sound, I ended up talking to someone or had other people's distractions during the sound in which I had to cut out. But I enjoyed the pain of editing the sounds. Editing is something that I really enjoy doing for some reason.
It shocked me, in a good way, on how well my microphones worked. They really picked up a lot of sounds which otherwise wouldn't have been heard. It was a little frustrating choosing sounds on a walk though, because even if there was a really good sound that I would have liked to record, but there was so much background noise I knew it wouldn't turn out clean which is the sort of sound that I like.

2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.

I felt alone and that the world was still moving rapidly. It felt more like an isolation from the actual world and becoming absorbed in the world of sounds that are always overheard in everyday life. I felt this especially when I was recording in my dorm room. Even though I was physically isolated from down below, it was a completely different separation from before that on any other day I would completely ignore. It got me to think on how much sound we just choose to ignore on a daily basis.
I felt at ease when I was recording at in Aztalan where I was sitting by the river while I was recording. It was a beautiful day and it was peaceful to go out in the open and just get immersed within the scene. It was a really relaxing experience, watching the water and trees, as well as hearing sounds of fish and birds and insects. It was a very nice change from city noises where there's always mechanical noise and people.

3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home.

I was surprised when hearing the recordings on the computer because it was such a big difference than hearing it through headphones while recording. When listening to them again, I heard things that I didn't hear while recording and it added so much more complexity than before.
I didn't expect the squeaking door sound to come out as good as it did becuase it was a random idea to record them. Once I heard it through the computer, I really started to like it.
I personally thought that the recording wouldn't be a lot of fun, but actually it turned out to be a great way to relax. Even though some of the recordings seemed to take forever to feel like I recorded enough sound, I just had to go into an environment where I was able to just sit and watch the world go by.

4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.

My favorite place was definately in Aztalan State Park, probably because I wasn't surrounded by people and cars and mechanical noise. Also, it was close to my hometown, Lake Mills, and have many memories of going to Aztalan as a kid as well as escaping to Aztalan in high school. Recording brought time for me to think and truly relax, which I haven't been able to do since I moved to Milwaukee. I guess this proves that I'm not a city person for life.