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Our sample sound-map and Westerkamp’s soundwalk purposefully draw our attention to the environment and the materiality of sound recording. The sound-map is a collection of audio recordings from multiple spots on the Davidson college campus and highlight important features. These features range from the natural chirping of birds to the machinic sound of construction and even the simple silence of a quiet evening. This encourages listeners to focus on the audio of the environment and be more in tune with their surroundings; for instance, it is a habit to count how many different chirping birds there are rather than simply noticing chirping birds.

Further, Westerkamp’s soundwalk is similar in that she pinpoints on sounds heard in a beach. Westerkamp highlights the sound of the waves slowly lapping against the sand and the ducks floating above water. Yet, Westerkamp takes it a step further than our sample sound-map. She manipulates the sound recording to emphasize different parts of her environment; for example, she adds and then removes the sounds of the city so that the natural sounds of the beach is what is heard and emphasized. Not only does this provide insight on the different soundscapes for different environments, that is the quietness of a beach versus the bustling, loud nature of a city, but also this shows the usefulness of sound recording. The sound recording in its material use allows listeners to choose what they want to hear and allow them to manipulate their sound environment. Similarly, our sample sound map is showing the sound of different places at different times and, thus, is artificial in the sense that it was created rather than just a product of the natural/untouched environment.

In the “Introduction to The Sonic Color-Line”, Stoever dissects race and racial conflict in terms of what she describes as the sonic color line; this is the idea that sound is connected with race in American society. For instance, Stoever mentions Douglass, which is interesting as it provides insight on Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave. He wrote, “[The slaves] would sometimes sing the most pathetic sentiment in the most rapturous tone, and the most rapturous sentiment in the most pathetic tone”(Douglass, Ch.1). This quote is meant to describe the slave songs that Douglass used to hear; he claims that the song were either profoundly sad despite the joyous melody or that despite the joyous lyrics there was a terribly sad melody.  

Further, slaves spoke of sadness, yet white people firmly believed them to be content with their lives, hearing the songs but not listening. This relates to the idea that there is a racial divide in terms of who is listened to and who is simply heard, supporting Stoever’s sonic color line theory. However, while I understand Stoever’s theory, I am still confused on how this idea of listening and sound in the sonic color line influences voice. Is it meant to show that only certain people have a voice because of the sonic color line or that everybody has a voice and the sonic color line plays a role in that?

I will survive, originally sung by Gloria Gaynor in the 1970s, is a powerful song that Gaynor sang when she was on a quest to find personal strength. It has a powerful voice that every woman, or even man, can identify with in their journey for self-realization. The words spoken are more powerful than the melody; they create a certain intelligence that people can connect with. This idea of voice is exemplified by Aristotle, who emphasizes the importance of the intent of voice over the sound of it. For instance, “Voice is a kind of sound characteristic of what has soul in it… “(Aristotle, 669). Gloria’s voice is a powerful anthem that was used for empowering women and gay men in the AIDS crisis; it’s an inspiring song that resonates with people everywhere.

In the 1990s the song was used as a cover song by Cake and had been transformed with a completely different meaning. Gaynor’s lyrics and melodies encourage the listeners to feel strength, while with Cake the sound of the guitar and the way the lyrics are delivered in a speech-like manner seem to suggest that the empowerment stage had already been reached. Gaynor shows that she will survive and Cake seems to finish the song by implying that they have already survived and are feeling the effects of survival. Cake’s use of profanity, “I should have changed my f***ing lock…”, asserts the newfound strength. Both songs utilize the same lyrics, except for the previous line, but the method of delivery is different, and it’s brilliant that it impacts how the song is interpreted. Further, the songs seem to challenge Aristotle’s view as the intent changes based on the delivery, which shows that there is more to a voice than clarity.

Gaynor: https://youtu.be/ZBR2G-iI3-I

Cake: https://youtu.be/0iGi_atvgyg

The voice is an interesting concept with a wide array of definitions. Dolar wrote an interesting piece titled The Linguistics of The Voice that identified several new aspects of voice. Also, Aristotle in his paper Aristotle On Voice described his definition of voice which is more limited in comparison with Dolar’s. In his essay, Dolar described what he termed ‘a dichotomy of the voice and the signifier’. For instance, “… Voice is what does not contribute to meaning… The signifier possesses a logic, it can be dissected, it can be pinned down and fixed…”(Dolar542). With this distinction Dolar is trying to analyze voice as a non-definable entity that brings about a certain meaning or intent to a listener without actually influencing anything. Meanwhile, the signifier is meant to contribute to the meaning because this concept incorporates the clarity of what is being conveyed.

Furthermore, Aristotle uses voice to encompass a smaller meaning. Aristotle emphasizes that voice is nothing more than the meaning behind what is being said. He writes, “Voice is a kind of sound characteristic of what has soul in it,”(Aristotle669). However, this simplifies voice as nothing more than the mental process behind what is being said. There is not a connection to the physical aspect of voice, instead, that is acknowledged as sound. A sneeze does not have any meaning or mental process behind it and is, thus, not part of a voice. Therefore, Aristotle uses the term voice to explain what Dolar uses the signifier for; the former does not, however, explain what Dolar terms as the voice, which forces us to re-assess our definition for the term.

 

     The Bad Lip Reading clips are quite amazing if one realizes the amount of work that must have been put into them. First, the automated voices sound exactly like the actual voices of the people in the clips, especially for the voices of Trump and Yoda. Second, though what is being said is absurd, the lip movement is scarily accurate. In both the live footage and the cinematic footage, the lip reading and automated voice looked valid and there was not much of a difference between the footages. That was the unsettling part; the videos were hilarious, but also showed insight on fake news. While Bad Lip Reading clips are used for comedic purposes not all clips using automated voices will be and some might actually be able to influence politics, especially with the current rise of fake news in social media.

     This relates to what we have spent time discussing in class about the uniqueness of someone’s voice. Cavarero discusses this idea in her essay “Multiple Voices”, in which she makes the claim that the essence of someone’s voice is not in what they say but how it sounds. For instance, “… The human condition of uniqueness resounds in the register of the voice” (Cavarero525). Cavarero questions the idea of the voice being an intellectual concept for human uniqueness and, instead, supports the sound of voice as being what makes a human unique. In relation to the Bad Lip Reading clips, Cavarero’s claim is put into question. Now that the ‘uniqueness’ of any voice can be made into an automated copy, is the sound of our voice really unique? These Bad Lip Reading clips suggest that they aren’t as special as Cavarero claims.

1). It’s difficult to pinpoint a special sound-related experience in my life because every day is something different and I’ve never focused on how much sound impacts those experiences. However, now I realize just how significant sound can be. A disastrous morning for me is waking up to the incessant beeping of my alarm clock. Then hearing the rumblings of thunder which, back home in Miami, meant a day of humidity. On the other hand, a perfect morning could not be more different. Waking up to the sound of silence followed by the hum of the coffee maker. I now realize that sound is useful to appreciate the simple beauties in life.

2). While listening to Lucier’s “I Am Sitting In A Room” recording I noticed my opinion shift. At first, I found it awkward and ominous. The stuttering, the choice of words, and especially the pauses all made my skin crawl. However, as the recording continued I noticed that Lucier’s voice began to fade while the echoes became more pronounced. The sounds started to blend with each other, becoming more hypnotic and more melodic. In fact, I found myself relaxing as the recording reached its end. I believe that Lucier was trying to find his voice not through words but by the sound it makes. By the end of the recording his words were forgotten but the soothing sound was still there.