OTTAWA | November 5, 2010

PODCAST: Seeing with sound

By Samia Madwar       Producer Laura Ryckewaert
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Yoganathan records sound in Mackenzie King park in Montreal, where the interview took place.

Nimalan Yoganathan, 29, makes music out of the sounds we hear every day. When he's not at his day job coordinating a computer science lab at Concordia University in Montreal, Yoganathan collects and mixes the sounds of the city. His goal is to get people to pay attention to the audio that surrounds them on a daily basis.

Yoganathan calls himself a sound activist. Sound is a part of the landscape, he says. Preserving the environment means preserving sounds, too.

With that in mind, Yoganathan flew to Inukjuak in northern Quebec last summer to record the sounds of the North. He created an online map of the community showing where he captured each recording.

Capital News Online reporter Samia Madwar talked to Yoganathan about his experiences in Inukjuak and what we can learn from sound maps. 

 

For the Inukjuak sound map and other examples check out the related links below.
Some sound advice

One of the ways to appreciate sound is to record it. Yoganathan gives us some tips on how to make a good sound map:

  • Choose spots where you can pick up a mix of interesting sounds.
  • Situate yourself whenever you start recording. Note the weather, the level of wind, the time of day and the season.
  • Place the sound into context. Look at what is happening around you and try to locate where each sound is coming from.
  • Distinguish between various types of sounds. Listen for which sounds are blocking out others. Are passing cars blocking out swishing trees? Are boat engines drowning out ducks?
  • Take photos as you go along. They not only help you keep track of the sounds you've collected, but they also give others a sense of the environment.
  • Stay silent. The rustle of a jacket, the jingle of a bracelet or an ill-timed cough can get in the way of good, clean sound.
  • Keep the microphone steady. It picks up sounds your ears don't, so tapping your fingers on it or moving the cord can ruin the recording.