Please click through the tabs on the left for the audio samples you need. All descriptions are also listed below:

Audio Sample 1: Ventilation outlet (31s)

A ventilation outlet is heard while the listener transitions into the potential site-of-respite in Manton Lane. Note also the high-pitched buzz toward the end of the recording. As this was one of the quietest laneways discovered in the report, the audio sample is suggestive of just how predominant buzzes and drones are in the Melbourne CBD.

Audio Sample 2: Laneway restaurant (31s)

A Melbourne laneway full of people dining and drinking coffee. While city sounds are still prevalent, the buzzes and drones of the city are masked by the sounds of socialising. The audio sample suggests that while we may not find quiet in the city, we can find the comforting, even energising sounds of social activity.

Audio Sample 3: Exhaust outlet recording (20s)

The constant noise has an effect on speech intelligibility, as heard in this recording. The noise, much like the physical object from which it emanates, is given central importance in the space. Note that the human voices seem distant, although they are in fact close to the microphone.

Audio Sample 4: Shut-down (32s)

This audio recording captures the transformation of the space at the moment of shut-down. What feels like an enclosed space suddenly expands outward, and a more diverse range of sounds, particularly human voices, emerges. This is a result of the expanded acoustic horizon and the removal of the masking effects created by the exhaust outlet.

Audio Sample 5: Air-conditioners turning on (15s)

The sounds of three recordings of air-conditioners turning on are played sequentially. The air-conditioners are labelled respectively in Figure 11 as 3, 4 and 6. Note the subtle differences between each air-conditioner, with each one producing a different timbre as it switches on and roars in to life. I came to see each of these machines as having their own unique characteristics.

Audio Sample 6: Air-conditioners operating (26s)

An air-conditioner, exhaust outlet and ventilation outlet, labelled in Figure 11 respectively as 5, 7 and 8. Air-conditioner 5 possesses a unique rhythmic element that went on to inform one of the compositions in the installation, titled mic_movement (see below). The exhaust outlet and ventilation outlet had the strongest sonic presence in terms of the length of time they remained switched on, and their overall spatial dominance.

Audio Sample 7: Other Rainbow Alley sounds (1m 42s)

This sample orientates the listener within the sonic ecology of Rainbow Alley by providing an inventory of its existing sonic conditions. This sonic ecology is similar to many that I encountered in other laneways during the Sites-of-Respite report. In order, the sounds are: distant tram bells, approaching street cleaner, plane flying overhead, garage door opening, crows calling, sparrows chirping, moving bin, unidentified bell and door opening and closing.

Audio Sample 8: Normal Conditions (37s)

This is a daytime recording of the laneway soundscape when the installation was inactive, which was measured on a sound level decibel meter at an average of 63–67 dB. On average, the installation sounds added 3–6 dB to the background sound level.

Audio Sample 9: aircon_on (1m 29s)

This piece includes unprocessed edits of recordings of air-conditioners switching on. The intention is to create the sensation of air-conditioners using their switch function to produce rhythms. The sounds are panned, creating movement across the four speakers. The panning disturbs the typical stability of air-conditioning sounds by providing the typically static sound with a sense of movement. Of all the pieces, this is the most like the sounds of normal air-conditioners.

Audio Sample 10: aircon_cont (1m 28s)

This piece is similar to aircon_on, except that this composition accesses the continuous ‘in-between’ sounds of air-conditioners. The installation sounds move through the space, again subverting the typical stability of air-conditioning sounds. Human voices are added that were transformed using formant filters in Metasynth; the intention is that these sounds emerge from the air-conditioners as a voice. There is an interesting counterpoint here between the low frequency sounds of the air-conditioners and the subtle high frequency calls of the sparrows.

Audio Sample 11: aircon_filter (1m 36s)

Using Ableton Live’s Filter VST, I created irregular frequency sweeps between the four speakers to create a sense of movement. The resulting washing sound is suggestive of ocean waves. I added the whistling and cooing sounds of improvisational singer Awomadah Fig. These vocal sounds are mixed with the filtered air-conditioning sounds to create a sense of an emerging entity, which reflects the intention of the work to revoice the urban soundscape. Note the crow call at 14s, which links nicely with the vocal sounds of the installation.

Audio Sample 12: aircon_modulation (1m 30s)

The following two audio samples are heavily granulated using Metasynth, and are a reference to wind. I added a voice processed with the formant feature that was convolved with the air-conditioning sounds. The voice cries out ‘my city’, thus referencing the notion of an entity within the city, or the city itself speaking through the soundscape claiming the city as its own.

Audio Sample 13: aircon_modulation with voice (20s)

The low loudness level of the voice sample is due to complaints from adjacent businesses. Due to the sensitivity of human hearing in this frequency range, it became clear that the use of the human voice was problematic. I had to greatly reduce the volume of the voice to alleviate the concerns of complainants.

Audio Sample 14: doors (1m 32s)

This piece is based on the sounds of doors opening and closing. The intention is that real-time doors will start opening and closing in the laneway and mix into the piece. I heard this happen a number of times, but unfortunately did not manage to record an example. Pitch-shifting provides a variation to the typical sounds of closing doors. This also affected air-conditioning sounds in the recording, producing a moaning sound. Note the sound of a trolley being dragged on the ground at 50s; its timbre is similar to that of the installation sounds.

Audio Sample 15: bins (1m 36s)

With the exception of slight pitch-shifting on a couple of files, there are no effects on the bins as there was so much textural variety in the original files. The piece sounds choppy due to stochastic panning of very short files. I attempted to counter this by adding some longer sound files of moving bins to give listeners a reference point to the sound source. Overall, I think the choppiness provides a suitable counterbalance to the other pieces that use longer sound files. The piece has a rhythmic element due to recordings of rubbish bins being wheeled on the ground, and the banging of rubbish bins on skips.

Audio Sample 16: rhythm (1m 36s)

This piece moves away from the theme of site-specificity. I introduced many new sounds, particularly human voices and air-conditioning sounds that were transformed beyond recognition. I moved away from the constraints of the theme of trying to make the air-conditioners sound like variations of air-conditioners, and instead explored sounds that were unlike those typically made by air-conditioning. I also provided the sounds with dramatic movement, which caused them to chop through the space. Although introduced voices are not included in this sample, I added the surreal voice of children by using the scramble function with a high attack interpolation in the spectrum synth. I added plenty of voices causing the laneway to talk to passers-by: ‘welcome to my alleyway, you are so beautiful, hello, do you like walking through my arteries, goodbye’. This was the piece that gained most attention, due to its extravagant sounds and gestures.

Audio Sample 17: mic_movement (1m 32s)

Originally I recorded these source sounds in Rainbow Alley by placing the microphone in my hand and dancing around the space. I also pushed the microphone into nooks and crannies in and around the air-conditioners, collecting variations in reverberation, resonance and filtration. This file was placed directly into Ableton and then transformed using resonators and delays. This piece contains the natural rhythm of air-conditioning unit 5 (see Figure 11) that rattled in Rainbow Alley. I took advantage of this rattle with the resonator, so it can be heard as a kind of fast-paced, high-pitched rhythm. The piece also contains the deep chanting voice of a male, and a repeating female voice with significant processing for each repetition.

Audio Sample 18: Installation comparative day and night recording (1m 25s)This audio sample demonstrates the changes to the installation as the city ambience reduces from day to night. The first 42 seconds of this recording is aircon_cont by day. After a fade out, the file fades in as aircon_cont by night. Recording times are included in the paragraph above Figure 24. The file provides a sense of how the installation becomes a stand-alone installation by night, and a collaborative, or resynthesising force by day.

Audio Sample 19: Natural sounds of the Trench (2m 56s)

An inventory of existing sonic conditions in the Trench: sound samples include, in order, a passing train, a horn blast, a PA announcement with stationary train, a train hiss, gurgling pipes with stationary train, and a departing train. All of the sounds in this audio sample have been normalised and as such do not provide an accurate representation of the relative variation in loudness.

Audio Sample 20: Ambient train hums (1m 35s)

The hums of the stationary train reminded me of the air-conditioners of the city’s laneways. I responded by transforming the hums with various ambiences designed in Metasynth, based on the original recordings of train hums in the Trench.

Audio Sample 21: Buzz design (27s)

A periodic electrical buzz would occur in the space. I recorded it and edited its sound to give it a subtle shift in texture. This file is quiet, which is a true representation of the softer sonic moments offered by the Trench.

Audio Sample 22: Water design (40s)

Liquid would gush through the pipes from one end of the Trench to the other; I used granular synthesis to give the water alternative textures. In the background are the real and synthesised hums of a stationary train.

Audio Sample 23: Train sequence (42s)

This is a mixture of a real and synthesised train, as well as real and synthesised hisses. They are difficult to tell apart. Also heard in this file are some of the more heavily synthesised electroacoustic sounds I was exploring for the performance.

Audio Sample 24: Train driver jam (1m 56s)

A train driver responds to my sounds with three horn blasts. Other introduced sounds include reworkings of a PA announcement, PA introduction signal and pre-recorded PA voice.

Audio Sample 25: Train hum as audience settles (32s)

Note the squeaking sound of chairs. The train hum is synthesised; there is no real train hum operative. This was one of the consequences of performing on a day when no trains were present – I had to create a sense of the presence of trains.

Audio Sample 26: Initial train sequence (44s)

The initial train sequence is a PA melody, PA announcement, a spatialized train approaching, and a spatialized train horn. A ‘hole’ in the train horn is noticeable here. Unfortunately, at this point two channels of an amplifier, due to an internal fault, produced vastly reduced volumes, causing a noticeable gap in spatialized sound paths.

Audio Sample 27: Silence to altered buzz and water (1m 8s)

Silence became the most evocative feature of the performance, particularly in relation to louder sounds such as Audio Sample 29 and as transition points between performative moments. The synthesised sounds of buzzes and water flows are slowly introduced towards the end of this sample.

Audio Sample 28: Extended train sequence (32s)

Trains arrive from multiple directions, and surreal melody sounds and long train horns build towards the crescendo as heard in Audio Sample 29. The clicking sound is the automated function of my Behringer hand controller, the faders resetting as I move between grouped tracks in Ableton Live.

Audio Sample 29: Train take-off (1m 2s)

An edited segment of the crescendo. This is the sound of a single train approaching the platform, which has been looped in Metasynth and pitch-shifted so that the intensity slowly rises. The Trench is treated as a transportation vessel, which is now taking off for its “imaginary” weekend commute. The 39s mark is the point of arrival.

Audio Sample 30: Electronic and spatial play (28s)

After the take-off, there is an extended section of electronic sounds (suggestive of a surreal “other” place) and spatialized train hisses and train horns. Note the rapid introduction of sounds and their dramatic spatialization.

Audio Sample 31: Quiet merging of real and synthesised sounds (38s)

After 12 performances, this was always the section I enjoyed the most. After the intensity of the train take-off it was an opportunity for the listener (including me) to enter a meditative state, immersed between a world of real and synthesised sounds. Indeed, most audiences would linger after the composition had ended, engaged in a deep listening to the real sounds of the Trench. Note the crossing signals, passing trains, and at 22s, the distant tone: the real and synthesised disappear and are replaced by a transformed sonic ecology.

Audio Sample 32: A triggered sequence from Intimate Footsteps (2m 34s)

All possible configurations of sounds are heard in this file. At 1 minute and 10 seconds, a merging of installation footsteps and real footsteps can be heard, which provides an interesting comparison. Note the air-conditioning sounds in the background, an interesting reminder of the ubiquity of the striated soundscape.