[78-L] The Fading Sounds of Analog Technology

[Martin Fenton]

On 05/03/2011 01:09, Kristjan Saag wrote:

> We ran a "lost sounds"-series on Swedish Radio's daily music news
> programme a few years ago. Listeners requested sound (of a gramophone
> needle hitting the inner groove or the sound of a train on old railroad
> tracks or similar) and we played them.
> Here are a few examples (with sounds):
> http://sverigesradio.se/sida/gruppsida.aspx?programid=1012&grupp=8976&sida=3
>
> There are many existing projects, collecting vanishing sounds. BBC World
> Service has one, a global sound map:
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specialreports/saveoursounds/index.shtml
>
> The British Library actively collects soundscapes (but general online
> access to the audio samples is limited):
>
> http://sounds.bl.uk/Browse.aspx?collection=Soundscapes&browseby=Browse+by+Sound+Archive+collection&choice=Preserved+Industry+and+Transport

This is fascinating, Kristjan, and I'm relieved to hear I'm not the only 
one collecting such sounds. One of my current hobbies is to record 
natural sounds using a binaural setup. Such is my obsession, I now have 
two hours of edited sound collages of the sounds of Amsterdam, recorded 
when I've been working or on holiday there. I'm currently trying to 
record a series of London Underground journeys, and I've probably spent 
more time while preparing for a forthcoming journey to mainland Europe 
deciding how best to record the sound of the ferry that will take me 
there than I've spent wondering which clothes to pack and how much money 
to take!

Martin.