Semester 01 Mixed Soundscapes Soundwalk
Introduction
Pasir Ris
Coastal Park 01
As part of my primary and secondary research
for my year two research compendium, I
recorded some sound recordings at Pasir Ris
Coastal Park.
Beach
Sea waves recorded in windy conditions sound
strong and rapid. As you approach the rocky
side of the beach, the waves will crash into
the rocks nearby, amplifying the sound.
Mangrove Forest
One unique feature of Pasir Ris Coastal Park
is the Mangrove Boardwalk, which allows
visitors to get close to creatures and
plants in the mangrove forest. The
soundscape changes depending on the timing,
since more creatures will appear later in
the day. The birds I recorded during my walk
in Pasir Ris Coastal Park in the morning are
accompanied by two samples of bird sounds.
Playground
As a result of the pandemic, I missed
hearing the children's laughter at the BBQ
pits and playgrounds. The park was crowded
with families which was pleasant to witness.
Reflection — Problems with volume output
Since this was my first time using my sound
recorder, I was unsure of how to set it up.
The microphone level on my recorder was set
too low, which prevented me from hearing my
recordings once they were transferred to my
laptop. Although I was able to hear some
recordings when I increased the volume
levels in Adobe Audition, many clipping
sounds were evident since I had to use the
maximum volume. Due to windy conditions and
the amount of editing required in Adobe
Audition, my bird's field recordings
sounded robotic and lifeless.
Pasir Ris Hawker Centre
Considering that I was still unfamiliar with using my sound recorder, I felt it was safer to record in areas close to my home in case I encountered technical difficulties. I recorded at Pasir Ris Hawker Center due to its proximity to where I live. Pasir Ris did not have a hawker centre for a long time until 25 January 2018. It featured a dual concept of traditional food and modern hipster cuisine served in the same venue. There are two levels at the hawker centre where traditional food is served at the first level and interesting stalls selling fusion food is served on the second level. It was designed to support our hawker culture in Singapore by encouraging younger hawker sellers to continue our tradition.
Although my recordings were better than my first attempt, I still feel the sound quality could have been improved. In my field recordings, I have used my onboard microphones, but I believe I will be able to improve the quality of the recordings by using a secondary microphone that will remain stationary since the sound recorder is very sensitive to movement, so walking while recording is difficult. It is possible to hear sounds of bicycles, people talking, and parents eating at the hawker centre with their children. My audio quality was better because I placed my sound recorder on the table rather than walking around while I was recording.
Reflection — Noisy audio output
Due to the simultaneous presence of multiple
sound sources, the audio output is noisy.
There was too much noise for me to
attempt to clean up the audio as there were
several layers of sounds present. A
soundscape such as this contrasts with the
recordings collected from Pasir Ris Park.
Tampines Hub
It was a pleasure to catch a performance for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival on 10 September. I liked a few performances from various secondary and primary schools, my favourite performance was the Chinese orchestra from Pasir Ris Secondary School. They performed traditional Chinese songs, pop songs, and the soundtrack from Netflix Korean drama 'Squid Game'.
Reflection — Different events happening in
the same space
While trying to focus on the performance,
you may hear the audio of someone talking
with the microphone, and background music
playing in all directions when a number of
events are taking place at Tampines Hub at
the same time. Due to the open design of the
performance space, you may sometimes become
distracted by the nearby food stalls and the
fact that different people usually rent the
ground floor space at Tampines Hub for
different events, so you have a wide variety
of activities taking place simultaneously.
Pasir Ris Coastal Park 02
As my first field recording attempt was not satisfactory, I decided to return to Pasir Ris Coastal Park and record the audio again. I recorded birds, bicycles, people walking and talking, as well as music being played. Roosters were a common sight in Pasir Ris Park. As a result of the park's proximity to the road, some recordings contained sounds from vehicles. Whenever I was near the park, the roosters would crow at odd times, such as the evening timing. The audio of someone coughing after her workout overlapped with the bird sounds in one recording, so I did not crop or remove it. This was a difficult recording to make amendments.
In order to record audio, I visited the mangrove forest at Pasir Ris Coastal Park. There was a large number of people in the park today. A number of people were using their telephoto lenses to capture images of birds. The weekend is typically a time when I see many groups of photographers or solo photographers. My only observations were of common bird species and mudskippers. The rest of the animals were concealed. In addition, I had recorded field recordings of the ocean waves and families having fun on the beach.
Reflection — Playing music out loud at the
park
As a park should be a place of relaxation,
it did not please me to hear people playing
music at a high volume through their
speakers. Sometimes I prefer an environment
where there are fewer man-made noises
Although there are natural sounds to be
heard, they are often overshadowed by loud
music and construction noises. While I do
not object to people listening to music
during workouts at a lower volume, it would
be more considerate if they used headphones
or earphones to avoid disturbing others or
wildlife. A mangrove forest, for instance,
is not the appropriate location to play loud
music because it could become overly loud
since the space is much smaller than the
beach areas of the parks, which are more
open, and the music will need to travel
farther.
Nex Shopping Centre
Due to the fact that all my field recordings have been located on the east side of Singapore, I went to a new location to conduct my soundwalk. Since Nex Shopping Centre is located in Serangoon, a central part of Singapore, there is a great deal of traffic, even on weekdays. I went to the arcade for the recording. I haven't been there in a long time, so I forgot how noisy it was. There were many people playing different games in the arcade. There were a few games that looked interesting, but the one that stood out was Taiko no Tatsujin, a popular Japanese game. The main objective of the game is to hit a simulated Taiko drum in response to notes scrolling from the right as you play. The game is available on a number of platforms, but the arcade version is the most popular, as players can interact with the actual drums, which is more engaging than playing it on a screen.
The last place I went was 'Pet Lovers Centre'. This branch is unique due to the gigantic size of the space. There are two levels to the branch. Level one is designated for smaller animals such as hamsters, rabbits and marine animals, while level two is designated for dogs and pet grooming services. The other branches in Singapore are tiny and sell only pet items and small animals such as rabbits and hamsters.
Reflection — Noise caused by human actions
Usually, the dogs are quiet in the shop, but
there is a family in the shop that keeps
irritating them with their pet dog. There
was a great deal of noise, but
unfortunately, the staff in charge was not
in the area. I also found that the pet shop
location could be better. If I could move
it, I would probably not locate it near the
arcade because the noise will affect the
animals there.
Since you do not require a quiet location for shopping unless you are trying to relax in a cafe to read a book, I found it difficult to locate sources of urban noise at shopping malls. As an example of how urban noise can be solved, the library at the shopping mall is located on a level that is isolated from the noisy shops. Generally, most shopping malls in Singapore place the library and tuition centres on one level to reduce noise levels.
Chinatown
There are many places in Chinatown where I collected field recordings, including a street market, a wet market, and a gathering place where people played traditional board games. The music I recorded near the entrance to the Chinatown Metro station is an interesting overlap between people talking and selling their goods. The market will not feel like Chinatown without familiar music. It is a pleasure for me to visit the 'Chinatown Street Market' because the place has interesting stalls and people performing different activities in the same place at the same time.
The recordings I have made also include birds since a shop sells parrots. Music can be heard from the television in shops and restaurants. I recorded some audio from pigeons sitting on a telephone line near one of the nearby shops. Due to the radio playing in the shop, the sound was not clear. There was an artist attempting a watercolour painting of the street market. It was quite interesting to observe how the artist selected a secluded spot that was not as noisy and crowded as the stalls in the middle of the market.
The market has a gathering place where tables and chairs are established for traditional games. When there are so many spectators and a noisy soundscape because it is near the street, wet market and temple, I always wondered how players can concentrate on playing a complex game such as 'Xiangqi' also known as Chinese Chess. The second place I visited was the wet market, which was quite empty since I was not there during the peak hours. Wet markets are usually full in the morning. It is possible to hear some audio of people conversing in the recordings since the wet market is located directly in front of the car park. You can also hear the sounds of vehicles in the recordings since the car park is located directly in front of the wet market.
Reflection — A space for game players
Perhaps we can create a more pleasant soundscape
if the area where the players gather is not so
open, as I would not be able to concentrate in
such a noisy environment when playing such a
complex game like chess.
Singapore Botanical Gardens
In order to create more contrast between the soundscapes, I visited Singapore Botanical Gardens. I also felt that I should visit locations that are further apart from where I live. I recorded people performing their activities at the location and birds in the same space. Several families enjoyed their time at the location, and photographers were attempting to capture the birds that were hiding in the trees. The recording also contains the sounds of children having fun in an open, safe environment. In the background, there is a sudden audio recording of a moving vehicle that disrupts the pleasant audio recording of the children. As a result, the staff at the facility are able to travel more conveniently around the large space through the use of a vehicle, helping to ease the workload. The above example illustrates that urban noises cannot be avoided even when you wish to relax and be unhindered.
In the recording, there is a faint sound of an animal, but I cannot identify them, so I am unsure of what I am recording. Water sounds from the pond and footsteps were recorded. Many families brought their dogs to run in the open green spaces. This was difficult to accomplish in the apartment buildings. I recorded a few audio files describing dog owners conversing with one another as well as children trying to get closer to dogs. Due to my proximity to the cafe, you can hear the audio of cafe's music playing in the background masking the natural soundscape.
Reflection — Man-made urban noises
My perception of the soundscape of this location
is that it sounded okay up to the point where
you are near the main road. At these places, you
can hear loud vehicles moving, as well as some
machine sounds. I also found the cafe's music
volume to be too loud because I could hear it
when I was near the cafe as well as the
transportation used by the staff and the
staff-only workshop area that is hidden away
from visitors.