Shewbox.org » Old Recordings

Old Military Road, 9am

Administrator — Tue, 16 Nov 2004 00:15:54 +0000

Several weeks back, I went out searching for a quiet spot to record that was still close to the city limits. It was still somewhat early, around 9am when I was out and about, but finding a spot with little vehicle noise is hard to find. In my recording session, I don’t think I went more than 3 minutes without interference from some transporting human being, but the one minute clip I’m posting here is a nice mix of bugs, birds, and crows. Of course, if you listen closely, you can also hear a vehicle speeding away in the distance.

Download Audio: Old Military Road

Inside a Nature Reserve

Administrator — Sat, 09 Oct 2004 17:39:39 +0000

Before you get any grand ideas about this nature reserve allow me to say that the Jewel E. Moore nature reserve on the UCA campus is only 8 acres and surrounded by major roads, so it is hardly a peaceful escape from the always noisy city environment. Therefore, this recording will have automobile noise as almost all my in town recordings do. In the reserve, there are 5 acres of what UCA calls ‘virgin shortgrass prairie’, although it looks more like an overgrown field to me. Nonetheless, many species of insectish creatures live there and this recording features those little guys chirping away despite the noisy environment surrounding their little reserve.

Download Audio: Bugs in the Reserve

The smell of coffee in the morning.

Administrator — Mon, 04 Oct 2004 17:37:35 +0000

I am not a coffee drinker. Even with loads of sugar, creamer, milk, whatever, I do not care for coffee at all. But I absolutely do love the smell of it in the morning. So when my wife brews her cup of coffee in the mornings, I love to hang around the coffee pot and smell the delicious aroma. Unfortunately, we don’t yet have the technology to record smells as we do audio and visual. So I give you the next best thing, the sound of the coffee pot brewing coffee in the morning at the Shewmaker house. I can almost smell it…

Download Audio Morning Coffee

There goes mr. choo choo

Administrator — Sat, 02 Oct 2004 00:24:46 +0000

Anyone who has ever lived even close to a railroad knows just how loud they can be. Even if you discount their 90+ db horn blast, just the sound of these massive machines barreling down the track is enough to disrupt the normal sound flow. This is a one minute snipit of the last bit of a train passing close by a friend’s apartment. (so no choo choo sound this time, sorry)

Download Audio: Train Passing

Fun Times with Piccolo Warmups

Administrator — Sun, 26 Sep 2004 16:27:24 +0000

I bet not too many people have heard a section of marching piccolos warming up for a football game. And if you are one of those people, then today is your lucky day. This recording sports 10 piccolos tuning their fine instruments (bet you didn’t know you could tune a piccolo eh?), plus you can hear the drumline warming up as well in the background. The audio from the drumline is not direct sound as they were behind another building, so their sound is coming at the microphone after being reflected from another building. It all makes me realize how glad I am to not have to be in marching band anymore.

Download Audio: Piccolo Warmups

Little Dog, Big Bark

Administrator — Sun, 19 Sep 2004 22:11:10 +0000

My wife and I live close to campus and we often walk there together for various events (especially since my wife is still a student there for graduate studies). The closest route there is down Robins Street, a rather busy street populated by many noisy and ever so annoying dogs. One in particular is a smallish mutt who barks and barks and barks the moment he sees you until well after you are past his territory. I decided to go rile him up a bit and see if he wouldn’t perform for me. He certainly didn’t disappoint, but I’m afraid I underestimated the volume level of his bark and the recording I made is a weee bit distorted in places. Ah well. You can still get an idea of just how enthusiastic this guy is when it comes to barking at passerby.

Download Audio: Noisy Doggy

Sprinkler, not rain

Administrator — Fri, 17 Sep 2004 00:33:25 +0000

On the same walk I witnessed the sick squirrel, I recorded today’s sound byte of a sprinkler in somebody’s yard. Although it does sound mostly like rain, it was only the sprinkler hitting the trees, sidewalk, and plants. And lest we forget we live in an ever more populated world, you can hear the slightest roar of the interstate in the background.

Download Audio: Sprinkler, not Rain

Sick Squirrel

Administrator — Mon, 06 Sep 2004 03:58:10 +0000

Walking about at 7 this morning, I heard this awful screeching sound coming from a tree by the road. Looking up, I saw a lone squirrel sitting on one branch just making this horrible barking like noise over and over and over. There had to have been something wrong with the poor fellow because I have certainly never heard a squirrel making this noise before. It’s not often you hear a squirrel make any noise at all, let alone this sort of racket.

Download Audio: Sick Squirrel

Bells, bugs, and air conditioning

Administrator — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 05:26:41 +0000

It is still peaceful at UCA since students haven’t arrived yet. I was there close to 8pm and the evening bugs were starting their song, along with the constant drone of the huge air conditioners. In this recording the bugs and air conditioning take center stage, while the clock chimes 8pm in the background.

UCA Bells

Thunder, no rain

Administrator — Sat, 07 Aug 2004 00:43:25 +0000

Enjoyed a cool evening with a slew of lightning strikes 2 nights ago, although there was no rain or actual storm. I went outside with my recording equipment to try to record some thunder, but it was infrequent and the wind was picking up, making recording outside difficult. From what I did get, this snipit has an air conditioner, evening bugs, a train in the background, one car, and one thunder strike.

Download Audio: Thunder no Rain