A Soundwalk through the Park or Forest

'Take only photographs and soundclips, leave only footprints'.


Listening to what is going on around you while in the open air can be a rewarding experience. For some children, a visit to a park like Mugdock Park may be their first experience of being in the countryside. A visual and aural record of their time spent there could be invaluable in stimulating further thought and discussion about the nature of this outdoor experience. For example, does a forest sound the same in different parts? How does a stream sound when it is raining? Do birds talk to each other in the forest? Questions like these may lead to further exploration of the conditions which create different sounds and the types of birds and wildlife that live in the place. In addition, such listening and probing will have the added bonus of developing listening skills.

Many of us have very good recording facilities on our mobile phones and it probably has a good digital camera as well. This project will allow you to create  visual images of your time in the park, alongside a soundtrack containing unique sounds from the environment which may also include some commentary and observations or simply aural signposts for the listener.

Below, I'll talk through the various steps to create a Soundwalk of a day in the park. I completed one on a rainy afternoon in Glen Nant National Nature Reserve earlier this month. So, firstly, you should have a look and listen to my Soundwalk.



Step 1 – First, you'll need a device for recording some sounds heard during your walk. You could use a mobile phone, an MP3 player or a Digital Voice Recorder. When you set your device to record, place it somewhere that it will capture the natural sounds around you. Don't hold it in your hand as your completed recording will contain unwanted effects like the sound of your hand rubbing against the machine. Also, try to keep as quiet as possible and enjoy the local sounds. There might be birds, wind in the trees, little streams gurgling. You could also make some interesting musical sounds using 'found' objects like twigs, stones and grasses. Think about this carefully and creatively,  and experiment with what might be an aural memory of the walk. Your own footsteps on a gravel path, for example, may be nice. Try to capture at least 1 full minute of sounds each time. Aim for a total of four little sound clips that you can edit later.




Step 2 – Take some pictures of your walk. Trees, birds, interesting features. Again, your mobile phone can probably do this. If you have a compact digital camera, then bring this with you when you visit the park.



There is some further advice and information on creating and using Sonic postcards here. However, we are going to add a visual dimension using a combination of sounds and images to create a Soundwalk.
 
The next steps are done after you return from your day in the park.

Step 3 – Download the free software Audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Also download 2 plug-ins from the same website. The LAME MP3 encoder

allows Audacity to export MP3 files. While the FFmpeg import/export library allows Audacity to import and export many additional audio formats such as AC3, AMR(NB), M4A and WMA, and to import audio from video files. The plug-ins will install automatically and will be there the next time you run Audacity.


Launch Audacity once you have installed it along with the two additional plug-ins.





In the File menu, select Import, and choose Audio

Navigate to the sound file you want to work with first and click Open. The sound file will appear in the Audacity window.

There are about 26 seconds in this short clip. Listen to the complete clip and identify where there might be unwanted sounds. Remove any unwanted sections by simply highlighting and dragging.

Then select Delete. You can always Undo this using Ctrl+Z or Undo Typing in the Edit menu.



If you would like a smooth fade in to the clip, select the first 6 or 7 seconds of the clip by highlighting and dragging, then choose Fade in from the Effect menu.

Import your next file and it will appear in a new track window. Simply cut and paste this onto the end of the top track . The next graphic shows this stage, and the section of the track ready to be edited. I will take out a series of loud clicking noises (me turning on the recorder) and I'll use fade out to create a smooth transition after I have deleted the unwanted section.

Use the zoom in tool to help you see any little sound glitches, and delete these.

Edit and join all of the clips you want to use in the same way.



Once you have completed the editing, you need to Export your final track. Don't Save Project As, this only saves the Audacity format and will not be recognised by the Media software which you'll be using next. Choose Export and name your completed MP3 file.

You are now ready to start creating a picture slide show along with your soundtrack.



Open Windows Moviemaker and select Import Pictures.

and locate your pictures. Select the ones you want to use and choose Import.

Now, simply drag and drop the pictures into the timeline window below in the order you would like them to appear. You can create overlaps to give a smooth transition and you can also drag the time that each picture will be displayed.

Next, you have to use your skill and judgement to add your soundtrack and create an interesting slide show. Select Import audio or music and locate your MP3 file. Drag and drop the sound icon from the Collections window into the Audio / Music timeline.

You can preview the movie in the right hand window.

Once you have adjusted all of your timings and you are happy with the completed movie, you need to finalise the movie. Select 'Finish Movie' and then 'Save to my computer'. If you have a Youtube account you can upload the file there later.