Topic: Sound mapping of Kwun Tong
Introduction
“A sound map is a graphical sound-level representation of a certain zone or region that is divided into points by means of a mesh. Sound maps have typically been used with social considerations in mind: to determine, for instance, noise levels in cities” ( Quintana et al., 2009). In my project , I have divided the district into the soundscapes of recreational , industrial and commercial aspects. And I have chosen the most significant landmark in these aspects in Kwun Tong for the field recording.
Motives
Regarding on our mid-semester project that we were doing about the elderly life at Wong Tai Sin , which mainly brought out the nostalgic human warmth within the district, my final semester project was inspired by this idea and I decided to record a more wholesome aspect of a district, the reason why I chose Kwun Tong as the subject of my project because I think Kwun Tong is a extraordinary spot that gathers different aspects of sounds, for examples, the crowds voice in apm , the sounds of nature in Kwun Tong promenade ……Moreover, Kwun Tong is a popular place regardless on people’s ages, people in different ages would stay in different spots in Kwun Tong, for examples, the youngsters like to go Kwun Tong promenade and the adults would shopping at apm or exploring some restaurants in the industrial buildings.
Aim
The aim of the project is to provide a deeper understanding of Kwun Tong and the diversify development by listening this sound map extract.
Experience
The locations I have visited in this project accordingly are: The APM Shopping mall ,Kwun Tong Plaza, Tsun Yip Lane, Camel Paint Building and The Kwun Tong promenade. They are representing the soundscapes and urban, rural and natural aspects. During the recording project, I can feel the mood swing due to the different soundscapes in different area, the sound of repeated traffic lights and many cars passing through give me a sense of fast paced , while sitting still at the promenade, I feel more relaxed by listening the water waves and the laughters of children.
Techniques that I have used
In the technical aspect , I have used the Zoom H3VR for recoding and the recording mode I set is Ambix, which is easier for my processing in Reaper afterwards. For some of the tracks, I want to create the listening experience that the sound is moving all around which is strengthen the sense of rural districts . I utilized the multiencoder to specify the channels and moving them in a circle, then I used the automation function to record down the change in my track time by time. And for the tracks for industrial buildings I have added the plug in that for increasing the room size which aims to emphasize the echoes of sounds that we usually hear when we are located at the industrial building. Moreover, the Multiband Compressor was also be used in some of the tracks , by using this plug in I can reduce the dynamics of a specific channel and put more focus on the sound that I think is more important and meaningful, and also I used it as to reduce some noise in the background.
References
1. Quintana, G., Ciurana, J., Ferrer, I., & Rodríguez, C. A. (2009). Sound mapping for identification of stability lobe diagrams in Milling processes. International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture, 49(3-4), 203-
211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmachtools.2008.11.008