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Public and private sounds can have completely different effects on our soundscape depending on how in tune we are with the sounds around us. For example, people who live in very large cities are bombarded by noises all the time so they become less in tune with smaller noises, however people who live in more rural areas are more likely to pick up on some of the smaller sounds if they were to visit a large city and visa versa. There are also some instances in which seemingly public sounds become private sounds. This is the case in Shuhei Hoosokawa’s “The Walkman Effect”. Before the creation of the Walkman in the 80s, all music was part of the shared public soundscape of society. However after this technology was introduced, there was also an invention of a possible private soundscape available for individuals, specifically private music. Whether the soundscape is public or private is also based on whether you are observing the soundscape or enjoying the soundscape. From the outside, the soundscape enjoyed when listening to a Walkman would be considered private silence since they do not know what the listener is listening to.

 

Since learning about soundscapes, I have found myself paying more attention to some of the keynote sounds in my acoustic environment. I have always been in tune to some of the less noticeable noises when I listen to music and I have been carrying that habit over to other parts of my life even when I am just walking around campus. I have started to even notice the noises that the squirrels make to each other when they chase each other around the campus.

In Jennifer Stoever’s The Sonic Color Line, she discusses how specific sounds can be related to race. There are many sounds, or even lack of sound, that can be connected to painful events in race relationships. Stoever mentions that “sometimes these exchanges [of sound] led to arguments, sometimes to deep conversations; most often they resulted in silence” (Stoever 9). She gives the example of the young girl getting pulled across the ground for not leaving the Spring Valley High School classroom and explains how this exchange of racism is met with silence from teachers and administrators who could have helped give the young girl justice for this harsh treatment. In fact not only was it met with silence, but this event was flipped around to show blackness as a “dangerous noise, outsized aggression, and a threatening strength” (Stoever 3). Every time one of these incidents occurs, it is always met with either silence or people with power over changes of the law assume that the victim is at fault due to racist misconceptions. Just like how the slaves sing most when they are unhappy in Douglass’s writing, the black community has been crying out for justice during these times of horrible pain, however they have been met with silence from society. This silence causes more pain and suffering so how do we help to strip away this sonic color line using sound instead of silence?

In 1928 Tom Clarence Ashley and Gwen Foster released a recording of “The House of the Rising Sun” under the original name of “Rising Sun Blues”. This song was originally a folk song that was passed through generations in the Appalachian community. The original song is a cautionary tale about life in New Orleans. The blue grass tone of the song adds to the somberness of the story. There were many covers made of this song, but the most famous cover was by The Animals in 1964. They were a British rock band and they decided that they wanted to switch up the narrative of the song. Originally the song was from the point of view of a young woman, but they changed it to the story of a young man whose father is a gambler and a drunk. This harsher narrative along with the rock style of the music caused the song to become a much more powerful ballad. In The Animals’ version there is a bigger contrast between the cadence of the lyrics and the instrumental accompaniment. This causes the song to be even more compelling and ominous since the background music is up-tempo yet the singing is much slower and serious. The original’s singing and background music is much more matched up so it has a more carefree sound. The Animals cover gives the song “a new energy…to the original” which is what “Take Me On: The Art of the Cover Song” says is a characteristic of a good cover song (Take Me On: The Art of the Cover Song). This complete reimagining ends up being a great version.

Original by Tom Clarence Ashley & Gwen Foster (1928) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=163&v=147kS8O59Qs

Cover by The Animals (1964) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS90B4sZf7U

In Kate Crawford’s “Following You: Disciplines of Listening in Social Media”, she shines light on how social media can be used to listen and speak in our modern society. Despite the fact that social media does not include significant sound elements, at least during this time, she claims that “paying attention online…[should] be considered practices of listening” (Crawford 79). She highlights how social media can be a very helpful tool when trying to stay up to date on news that could also be said to be similar to “tuning in” or listening to the news on the radio. Because of these similarities she shows how social media platforms are just another modern tool for conveying your voice and for listening to others speak. She talks specifically about Twitter and how many politicians and business owners can use this “stage” to inform their constituents or clients about their ideas. This type of speaking is solely conveyed through reading, however in our modern society this is an effective tool.

While some of the examples of social media platforms are a little outdated in 2018, Crawford’s claims are still relevant despite the 10-year gap since her publication of this piece. Social media platforms are in fact becoming an even more prevalent source of voice. Many high profile politicians use platforms like Twitter and Instagram to promote their agenda and to appeal to a younger demographic who normally are the people most likely to use these platforms. By “speaking” in a way that is more likely to resonate with a younger crowd, they’re able to find more active participants in government that they most likely would not have been able to access without social media.

I was very impressed by the advancements that the Lyrebird team has been able to make with text-to-voice technology. I have been exposed to this technology before due to learning about how Stephen Hawking would use this type of technology to communicate with people. However I was unaware of how easy it could be for anyone to utilize this technology. This software can be very useful for those who have lost their voice, for example those who have ALS or who have suffered a stroke. People with these diseases can use this technology to get their voice back.

Unfortunately text-to-voice technology also has some drawbacks. In the NPR article, “Can You Believe Your Own Ears? With New ‘Fake News’ Tech, Not Necessarily”, the problems with this technology was highlighted. Despite the alleged security of this system, it is still possible for your voice to be used without your permission. If anyone finds recordings of your voice are on the Internet, these recordings can be used and uploaded to Lyrebird to create a virtual avatar of your voice to be utilized for someone else’s purpose. In the article it mentions how influencers could “create fake clips of politicians”. This could be very problematic because then these influencers could cause huge switches in support or opposition for certain politicians. Despite the couple of issues in their technology, Lyrebird is creating a type of software that will be very helpful in helping to spread people’s voices globally even if they have lost their physical voice. It will be exciting to see how this company continues to change the face of technology.

https://beta.myvoice.lyrebird.ai/g/ujfrg4aky4

Throughout high school I ran varsity cross country and track. Meets would always be extremely nerve wracking due to the crush of spectators and the resultant deafening noise of the crowd. However, right at the start of the race everyone would suddenly quiet down to hear the starter’s instructions. Then there would be a tantalizing pause, which even though it only lasted about three seconds would feel like an eternity, and then the gun would go off with a fierce bang. Everyone would start running and the crowd would go wild again. This noise is incredibly distracting and also anxiety-inducing since it can be used to upset opponents and get in your head. Luckily, I learned to be able to tune out the majority of the noise, until I was able to only hear my coaches’ voices encouraging me and telling me strategy. This was an important skill to master because the sounds I heard were only positive reinforcement, instead of hearing the negative aspects. This helped to improve my racing.

Throughout Lucier’s video, even though the words became more muffled and soon were no longer distinguishable, the repetitions created an intense amount of attention so you could still remember the words from the start and were able to pick out parts of the speech. It is also interesting to note that as the recording goes on it becomes almost melodic in nature, which reflects the fact that Lucier is referred to as a composer. At the start Lucier uses spoken word to convey his sound and then towards the end he chooses to convey his sound through music.