Home

To create this piece, I simply walked around my house and kept my ears open to any sounds that caught my attention.  I recorded short clips for about forty different sounds.  When using Audacity, I narrowed it down to about 11 sounds.

In the process of collecting, I was attracted to sounds that built up, such as the fan.  I also enjoyed sounds that had a distinct rhythm to them, such as the clock and my cat's purr.  I also really liked juxtapositioning harsher sounds, such as doors and drawers closing.

I really didn't want to do too much to change the sounds, because then it wouldn't have sounded like my home.  Mostly, I just faded in and out, adjusted the gain, moved sounds from right to left to create a three-dimensional space, and stretched out and trimmed sounds.

Before I ever even started this assignment, I had always enjoyed certain sounds, and of course, was annoyed by some as well.  Until I began this assignment, though, I never realized just how big of a part of my life sounds are.  I literally can't do anything without making a noise!  It's insane!  I began noticing every little sound I made.  Some were really fascinating!  But what intrigued me the most were the sounds of my house.  There were many sounds that I deemed universal of almost all homes, such as doors opening and microwaves turning on.  Then there were other sounds that were specific for just my home, like my dog's nails that are in dire need of trimming clicking across our laminate wood floors and my cat as she purrs beside me in bed.  Granted now, I'm sure other people hear similar sounds too, but just like my mom's voice is comforting to me, so are my pets.  When I move away, I know I'm going to be missing those sounds, and I wanted a little piece of home that I could listen to any time I wanted.  Also, I noticed a really interesting rhythm to my home, and I'm sure it is the same with many others.  In the morning we are so hesitant to break the silence.  One creak in the floor could wake another person up.  Every little sound seems so loud.  Then, by mid-day, there are so many different sounds going that it's almost hard to distinguish what all is going on.  You are literally surrounded by sounds of chaos!  Then, as the day turns into night, the silence returns.  Everything slows down and begins to quiet down as well.  For example, throughout the day a cat purring would go completely unnoticed.  Lying in bed, though, the cat's purr is enough to keep you awake.

All around, I think I conveyed the ebbs and flows of a home really well by creating a three-dimensional space and using sounds that listeners can identify with.  I believe that these ebbs and flows were conveyed through my fade in, build up, and fade out.  I really enjoy the piece and feel it accomplished what I set out to do.