03: the sound of silence
In our first lecture, the idea of using silence as a sound was briefly mentioned. And then I realised, no human with normally functioning hearing has ever heard silence before. Even if we think there is no sound, we will always hear the rush of our own blood through our body, and perhaps the quiet thudding of the heart that keeps us living. Whirring mechanisms, the whispering breeze, even the barely-there hum of electricity - all these are constantly present in our aural perception. The list goes on and on.
Where there is movement, there is sound. And there is always movement here on earth, even at an atomic level. Conclusion? As humans with working auditory receptors, you will always be hearing sound, even when you think you are not. Mindblown.
I don't think I will ever be able to understand the concept of true silence. So when I have to create sound designs, do I have to add even the slightest of these ever-present sounds? Or will the listener's own perception supply these noises on their own?
Listen to this piece of experimental music by John Cage and you'll see what I mean. There is so much going on around us that we don't even notice. I guess sometimes we just have to take a break from listening and try to hear.
Where there is movement, there is sound. And there is always movement here on earth, even at an atomic level. Conclusion? As humans with working auditory receptors, you will always be hearing sound, even when you think you are not. Mindblown.
I don't think I will ever be able to understand the concept of true silence. So when I have to create sound designs, do I have to add even the slightest of these ever-present sounds? Or will the listener's own perception supply these noises on their own?
Listen to this piece of experimental music by John Cage and you'll see what I mean. There is so much going on around us that we don't even notice. I guess sometimes we just have to take a break from listening and try to hear.
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