As sound artists we have inevitably an object of interest which is being extracted and/or executed in a way which expresses an artistic idea. The sound is that object. Lopez’s article discusses two schools and negotiates two different points of view at the same phenomena of real sound environments – soundscape. 

On one hand there is a school of “Schaferians” named after Canadian composer Murray Schafer. He starts with a critique of “tuning” which he considers “silencing” and “noisy” which is a diversion of post-industrial human from the natural sounds of the environment surrounding us. Therefore he considers any kind of systematic attempt to isolate the sound from its natural environment as a form of divergence which he calls Schizophonia. 

Pierre Schaeffer talks about sound object (object sonore) which is exactly the opposite of what Schaferians wish to achieve. Sound object is a sound isolated from its environment in order to create artistic expression. Schafer says that keeping sounds within its natural environments is artistic expression itself. Schaeffer criticises him for restricting the creative freedom in favour of acoustic ecology.

I can agree with both points of view but only in their specific parts. Schafer is seeing an art in something naturally occurring and trying to raise a critique of common sonic art expression which we call music (in order to create an art piece music isolates tones, then further music concrete isolates sounds etc.). This may bring a lot of new inspiration but in the same time it stops here. That is where I agree with Pierre Schaeffer claiming that Schaferians are reducing opportunities for artistic freedom and expression.

Thames South Bank 24th October 2022

The article provides very interesting and valuable insight into technical backround, ways of recording and use of various equipment in Chris Watson’s field recordings in various outdoor environments with sometimes even extreme conditions.

An extensive list of tips how and when to use specific types of gear to achieve specific sonic results of the recorded audio can be almost extracted here.

I found interesting Watson’s comparison of pros and cons of digital and analog recorders. Digital domain provides more portability and reliability. Gear is getting lighter, smaller and amount of audio recorded larger. Analog gear which often doesn’t possess qualities mentioned below on the other hand stands out by its physical aspect and distinctive sound.

For sound design he prefers original sound of hardware synthesisers due to better harmonic frequencies than those contained in software synths.

Watson’s way of post-processing of recordings depends on the goal or the task but personally he insists on doing as little as possible. Here Watson emphasise the importance of quality of the recorded audio sample at its source. He thinks ahead very carefully about the nature of the sound before pressing the record button so he avoids overwhelming himself with extensive library of low-quality samples later. Then he carefully choses specific microphones and pieces of gear based on experience gathered over the time and around places in order to capture those thoroughly premeditated coherent sounds.

Soundwalk

Westercamp’s approach to soundwalk is inherently ecological and reaches into ides almost spiritual. Regularly practiced experience of present moment during soundwalks may become an experience meditative. She juxtaposes ‘authoritarian environment’ of human cities inducing huge amount of noise and ‘tiny unheared vices’ of barnacles and points out the imbalance which concerns her. By practicing a conscious and focused listening to natural environments and their marginalised aspects one can regain the lost balance with an almost meditative effect and hear not only ‘barnacles in their whole tinyness’ but also ‘reach their own inner voice’.

It is important to point out that Westercamp doesn’t refuse the use of technology. For example the use of equalisers and bandpass filters allows us to bring up to live all those marginalised and silenced voices. Westercamp says that ‘we should listen to our cities as the native did to the forest’ (1974)[1 The quote is from a text by Westercamp entitled Soundwalking, which sets out the fundamental goals of the practice (Westercamp, 1974:18-27)].

It is, again, about finding the right balance between use of technology and nature by ‘…actively paying attention to current needs, and adopting an approach of awareness’[2 Kamila Stasko-Mazur, Soundwalk as a multifaceted practice, p. 448 (2016)].

Tim Ingold’s concept Being-in-sound follows up Westercamp’s conscious environmental listening by becoming present in the moment which may again results in meditative states of mind.

Reflecting my own experience of Soundwalk whilst blindfolded together with Westercamp’s ideas I found this practice as a good sonic and attention span hygiene. It is not only the auditory noise of the human cities which suppresses marginalised voices of barnacles but nowadays also ‘visual and attention noise’ of social media which drags us out from the experience of present moment and then often devalue various sensory experiences like conscious listening.