The podcast series Ways of Hearing explores shaping of our perceptions of the sound and recording in era of analog following by the digital era and switching in between them. The first episode of the podcast talks about differences of how our perception has changed from the point of view of the time.

After listening to the podcast I realised few differences comparing both eras. Analog time feels more present (‘real time’ recording), digital time provides certain realm of timelessness (easier possibility of endless back and forth editing). After listening to the podcast I realised that recording in the time of analog often required necessity of the musical skills and and way more precision in executing them. Recording must have been done precisely in order to safe material (recording tapes) and therefore money. Of course in the digital world the same skill is still appreciated but doesn’t seem to be so essential as on computers we can edit much easier than cutting tapes or re-recording the whole takes. In the end of the day it always breaks down to the preference and there are people who these days prefer to edit as well as to record the whole takes precisely. However, and that was another important point mentioned in the podcast, in analog era this wasn’t an option.

Coming back to analog-present versus digital-timeless. Digital technology also entered the music composition. Drum machines put music more onto the grid together with evolving but constant repetition. A lot of popular electronic music sort of endeavour to reach some sort of timelessness – being able to tap in at any moment possible. This extends into ways how we nowadays reproduce and stream the sound.

Of course both eras has pros and cons. Digital technology made sound and media in general more affordable and attainable to almost everyone, but according to Damon Kurowski, this came with the cost:

“We give up on the opportunity to experience time together – in the same instant – through our media.”

This extends also to the nowadays common way of communication via texting and social media. In analog time the conversation often had a start and the end and somehow more often encompassed the goal of its content. These we have an option to step out of the texting at any time possible and come back to it whenever later – but later the momentum of the conversation or the necessity of communication of of agent involved in the conversation with another one, might be long pass.