Episode 47: Steam Train Saturdays

There is possibly no more iconic - and well-loved - machine sound in the world, than that of a vintage steam train.

In this episode I take you to the platform of the Grand Canyon Railway, which runs its vintage steam locomotives on the first Saturday of every month from March until October, from Williams, Arizona to the historic El Tovar lodge on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

You’ll hear details from various parts of the hissing engine, the rails and most beautifully of all, that whistle! As well as a train going by at full speed. This train is environmentally friendly. How so? It’s been converted to run on waste vegetable oil from the GCR’s restaurant kitchen, using water from a rainwater runoff collection system.

Episode 46: Marina del Rey

I was lucky to spend time in Marina del Rey one December recently. Having heard about the yacht marina there I thought it’d be a great place to record harbour and boat sounds. Instead it turned out that the sonic stars of the show at the quayside … were California sea lions, who were hauled out basking on every available surface.

This is a binaural stereo recording - best heard using good quality headphones.

Photo by Taylor Wright at unsplash.com

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Episode 45: Winter Winds

A lot of chilly hours were spent capturing the sound for this piece. Its an excerpt from Audible UK’s Sleep Sound Series (Season 8, Episode 5) - featuring my windscape with narration by the very wonderful Richard Armitage. I was the only woman sound recordist in this series. What my piece demonstrates is that you don’t need a huge sound kit to record nuanced sound like this - but you do need good field skills and know how. I can help you with that: https://www.inthesoundfield.com/coaching

Photo by Les Anderson at unsplash.com

Episode 44: Mustang Love

This is what the 12-cylinder, 1,490 horsepower Merlin engine sounds like in a P51 Mustange vintage fighter plan, starting up then doing close passes. I recorded this plane, as well as a Stearman biplane and a Trojan T28, at a small air show in Valle, Arizona. It was a great opportunity to record right by the runway and capture the exhilarating sound of the Mustang roaring by.

The P51 was a crucial fighter plane for both the US and Britain in WWII - and they were also flown by the US in the Korean War. You can learn more about them on this informative video:

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-the-p-51-mustang-became-a-legend


Episode 43: Postcard From Patagonia

These are field sound recording samples I put together from an adventurous riding holiday I went on, some years ago. Our group rode 400km across southern Patagonia in Argentina and across the border into Chile. Billed as an ‘Across the Andes on Horseback’ trip it didn’t disappoint. Wonderful 6-8 hour days in the saddle, through marvellous scenery. The photo is a shot taken riding towards the Lanin volcano, which sits right on the border between Argentina and Chile.

Sounds in order of appearance: Galloping horse, Chilean hueso (Aldo) playing the accordion; flock of parakeets; horse whinnying & grazing grass; setting off & meeting cattle being herded by gauchos; big river crossing; description of the day’s scary ride; washing in a chilly mountain stream; mounting my horse on day 8; Chilean trip leader & expert horseman Rodolfo Coombs giving riding tips; last morning sunrise commentary; Black-faced Ibis.

These were tricky conditions to record in. I used a cheap recorder & mini mics, which I wore. But an audio postcard like this evokes memories of a trip in a totally different way from images alone.

I hope that it inspires you to try making an audio postcard on your next holiday adventure.

Episode 42: Pansori

Pansori (판소리) is a dynamic and historic form of Korean musical story telling that has been designated as ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ by UNESCO. In many ways it encapsulates several centuries of Korea’s history in one heady audio cocktail.

Invented in the 17th century, pansori was originally sung only by men. Then in the 1850s along came a woman called Jin Chae Seon - who dared to sing pansoiri so well that she trail blazed a path for many women singers to follow. There’s a 2015 Korean film about her called ‘The Sound of a Flower’

Listen with headphones for the full immersive experience.

Photo: Brian Negin https://www.flickr.com/photos/bdnegin/

Episode 41: Space Invader Frogs

As I continued by nocturnal explorations through the tropical rain forest on Barro Colorado Island in the middle of the Panama Canal, I was on the trail of a remarkable sounding creature.

Anyone remember the 1978 arcade game Space Invaders? I couldn’t help feel there were some similarities!

Further research revealed that the simple story of how the female frogs of this species chose their mates is actually more complicated than I’d thought:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aab2012

Episode 39: Monster Munch

Its rare to get the chance to record wild animals close up without them being disturbed by human presence. But this was one of those occasions - I love these scary little monsters’ breathy grunting, chomping - and teeth clacking.

Contact me for information and pricing on bespoke sounds and sound packages.

Episode 38: Mangrove Manoeuvres

Latitude 9.40 degrees N Longitude 78.86 degrees W.

Take a audio tour with me from the outskirts of the busy Panamanian port of Colon through the mangrove forest to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Instutes’s coastal research station at Punta Galleta where we dive beneath the waves to hear the lively underwater soundscape too.

Photo: STRI

Episode 35: Sardinian Sheep Chase

Why was I chasing sheep around Sardinia? Because they wear bells which tinkle charmingly when the flock is on the move.

It turned out not to be a simple task. The flocks are typically on private land, guarded by a sheep dog. And then, if I could get close enough, there was the challenge of making a recording free of passing traffic and overflying planes…

Episode 34: Seagull Town

This episode was recorded in the most notorious ‘seagull town’ in the UK. Can you guess where? There are some clues in my narration.

The shrill repeated piping you can hear towards the end are the cries of juvenile seagulls calling for food to parents who are rapidly leaving them to fend for themselves among the rooftops.

Episode 33: Heatwaves

Excerpts of hot weather soundscapes are mixed here with insights from fellow scientists when I worked at Arizona State University. in the Global Institute of Sustainability.

The message is how little has changed in 20 years - despite our capability to switch to techmology that reduces CO2 emissions to a fraction of their current levels. Metro Phoenix is sadly, a superb example of extreme long-term unsustainability.

Episode 30: Mockingbirds

Especially in the spring in many American suburbs, mockingbirds often sing right through the night. Their beautiful everchanging songs are typically made by piecing together imitations of other bird callls … and other sounds around them - like car alarms!

How they compose these songs is intriguing - learn more here: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210603171153.htm

and by listening to this episode…

© 2015 Shanghai Sounds Guide