Play the sound of a typewriter to a child and they’ll have little idea what it is they’re listening to. It might make an older person smile when they hear it. The sound of an old cassette tape recorder, rotary phone, or Super 8 camera is another example.
Stuart Fowkes, who is keen to preserve these sounds for future generations, has been building the Cities and Memory ArchiveIt also includes old tech sounds as part of its growing collection of recordings.
“We are at a stage now where the lifespan of sounds, as they come into existence and then move out of existence, is so much shorter than it ever has been,” Fowkes told BBC Radio this week. “When you think of the ringtone, that was four or five years ago, that now seems really archaic.”
British sound artist and sound recordist David Hocking notes that those who were present in the early days the internet was available in the 1990s will experience a special reaction to hearing a recording of a strange screeching sound (also known as a dial up modem).
“There are particular sounds that evoke a certain memory and are very personal, and I think it’s important to collect the sounds together and be able to present them back because I think that anyone that listens to the collection will have their own particular response to it,” Fowkes told the BBC.
“Whether it’s a video game sound or whether it’s the sound of a camera shutter that particularly resonates with them, maybe it takes them back to their childhood or to a particular experience they had,” he added.
If you have a moment, be sure to check out the project’s archive of Sound effects and sound projects, which don’t only focus on obsolete or Technology is disappearing. You can also find recordings that delve into different cultures such as the Japanese geisha or Cambodian traditional Khmer songs.
You can also find sounds from nature, including a recording of a glacier bursting up. This is a touching example of climate change.
Fowkes also explains how the project has been an inspiration to artists. Some creators have used the source recordings in their creations of musical compositions. You can check out some of them on the project’s Web page listing obsolete soundsYou can find audio from slide projectors, VCRs, typewriters, phones, cameras, VCRs, slides, and telephones in the.
You can listen to Fowkes’ interview via the BBC’s website. The segment begins at 40 minutes.
Editors’ Recommendations
