Gruenrekorder » Fire and Frost Pattern | Andreas Bick

A free download of crackling ice on a lake, a perfect soundtrack for this time of the year, can be picked up here:

Gruenrekorder » Andreas Bick | Dispersion of Sound Waves in Ice Sheets

"The twin works fire pattern and frost pattern examine the sound worlds of extreme temperatures: beginning with the loudest sound event in each case – volcanic eruption, iceberg collision – the various intermediate states of hot and cold are explored in acoustic terms, embedded in two similar compositional sequences. For both pieces, the field recordings of natural phenomena were subjected to subtle modifications and sonic transformations, and woven into an abstract sound structure that offers a sensory experience of the forces exerted by fire and ice."

KORG MR-2 recorder

I recently made some recording using only the MR-2 on a visit to Glasgow & the results are now available as a free download album HERE

initial review:

The first thing one notices about the MR-2 is that the casing & general build quality feels well above some of the other portable, hand-held recorders on the market. Given that I use these machines for field recording this is a plus point, though of course these machines aren't Sound Devices & won't stand up to a serious drop. Nor is the MR-2 intended to cope with extremes of temperature - so I doubt this would be the ideal choice for a trip to the amazon or the antartic.

Unlike the earlier Korg MR-1, the MR-2 doesn't have an internal hard drive & instead uses SD card - which is again a plus point for the field recordist as it means one can have some spare storage easily available.

Now, lets get the negatives out of the way early:

. the unit can only be powered by USB bus power or battery. I'm not sure why Korg decided not to have a mains option or indeed to go down the li-ion route, which would have made more sense. In the tests we made on the wildeye course earlier this year we found battery life to be a real problem. I contacted Korg & asked them to advise on which batteries they got the best results from in their own tests. They suggested using Energizer ultimate lithium' & claimed one could record for 7 hours using them. I got a maximum of just under 4 hours & when using top quality rechargeable cells the longest I got out of them was just over 2 hours. For the field recordist this is an issue that needs dealing with if the MR-2 wants to make an impact in this market, especially when one considers the better powering options available on most of its rivals.

. external inputs: the MR-2 only has mini-jack inputs for line & mic (providing plug in power but not full 48v phantom power) & as far as the field recordist goes this too is a drawback. Binaural mics, contact mics & hydrophones are increasingly important tools for us folks & whilst mini-jack versions can be found, the lack of 1/4 inch or xlr inputs mean the MR-2 isn't an ideal choice if one wants to have the option to expand it's input range as far as one wishes. That said the in-built mics & pre-amps are really good (more below).

So, on to some general observations:

The range of recording formats is exhaustive & much has been made of this units ability to record in DSDIFF (1-bit audio format used in pro SACD recorders) as well DSF & WSD (another 1-bit format) & all the more usual formats such as WAV., MP3 etc etc.

The meat of this recorder in terms of its use in the field is of course the in-built mics & the pre-amps. Both are of an extremely impressive quality. I'd go so far as to say the pre-amps are the quietest on a handheld recorder i've ever heard, with the only serious rival being those on the Nagra recorders. The Nagra would win hands down of course but is almost twice the price as the MR-2.

The in-built mics can be rotated to enable the best angle of capture & this is a useful feature indeed, especially when capturing room acoustics. The addition of a rycote cover of some sort over the mic enclosure is a must when out in the field in anything but the lightest breeze.

Going through the menus to make adjustments & select recording settings isn't as intuitive as with some other hand-helds, but a bit of time is all it takes to sort that out. I must confess that I did, on more than one occasion, feel that Korg had perhaps been guilty of adding features at the expense of ease of use, though this is probably because us field recordists value the ability to react with speed above the need to select reverb effects & the like.

Currently retailing at around £530 the MR-2 won't be the 1st choice for most field recordists looking for a simple hand held recorder. There are lots of other recorders out there that will do what most folks will want & for much less. That said, if high-quality & incredibly quiet pre-amp + outstanding built-in mics are on your shopping list then the MR-2 is worth taking a look at.

technical info:

KORG MR-2 HIGH-RESOLUTION MOBILE RECORDER

*** NEW PRODUCT - AVAILABLE SUMMER 2010 ***

The MR-2 ultra-compact, portable DSD recorder

Main features

• Multi-format recording and playback, including SACD ultra-high quality 1-bit DSD@2.8224 MHz; multi-bit PCM formats up to 24-bit@192 kHz.
(DSDIFF/WSD/DSF/WAV[BWF]/MP3/MP2 recording and playback.)

• High-performance X-Y configuration stereo electret condenser mic; capable of rotating 210 degrees.

• Screw mounts provided on two surfaces allow mounting to a commercially available camera tripod for flexible placement.

• High-performance analog limiter, low-cut filter, and bass EQ are provided.

• 40 Recording Setups call up specific mic sensitivity, limiter, low-cut filter, and bass EQ settings to suit a variety of situations. Ten custom user settings can be memorized.

• Records directly to (and plays back from) SD or SDHD cards.

• USB 2.0 (Mini-B type USB connector) allows high-speed data transfer to and from a computer.

• Convenient, high-performance KORG chromatic tuner is built in.

• 128 x 128 pixel LCD with noiseless backlight provides excellent visibility.

• Two-way power; operates either on two AA nickel-metal hydride batteries, or on USB bus power.

From ultra-high quality DSD to MP3/MP2, the MR-2 supports a wealth of audio formats

Today, audio quality is an important consideration, even for mobile recorders. The KORG MR-2 is simply the highest resolution portable recorder available, covering every need from critical recording of music performances to field recording. Despite its compact and convenient size, the Korg MR-2 supports a wide range of audio formats.

Supported formats include:

DSD:
• 1-bit DSD @ 2.8224 MHz (DSDIFF/WSD/DSF supported) to allow SACD quality recordings.

PCM:
• 24-bit @ 192 kHz (the highest resolution available in a hand-held recorder)
• 24-bit @ 176.4/96/88.2 kHz
• 16-bit/24-bit @ 44.1/48 kHz (WAV [BWF] format)

Other:
• Audio formats such as MP3/MP2 can also be recorded and played.

DSD – astounding audio quality

DSD is the highest quality audio format available today, using Direct Stream Digital technology to faithfully reproduce the original sound. Today, DSD is used by recording and mastering studios around the world as the preferred audio format for recording and mastering. We encourage you to try out the MR-2 so that you can experience DSD audio for yourself. When recording DSD audio, the signal is recorded without further conversion, and can then be played back in its original format, ensuring that every sparkling nuance of the sound is reproduced. This means that a DSD recording is able to preserve the sound in a form that is closest to the original sound, making it suitable as an archive that can support changes in formats through the years. Top engineers and mastering experts proclaim that DSD offers the closest representation of analog warmth and the presence of the original recording than any other format.

Pro-quality built-in stereo mic – with 210º rotation

The pro-quality stereo electret condenser mic built into the MR-2 can rotate toward the front, top, or rear of the unit in eight 30 degree steps, for a total range of 210 degrees. This gives you the freedom to point the mic toward the target recording source. The MR-2 also provides two screw mounts for attaching to general-purpose camera tripod, allowing flexible mic'ing and positioning. There's also an external input jack for you to connect your favorite mic.

Analog limiter, low-cut filter, and bass EQ are built in

Squeezed into the MR-2's handy size are an analog limiter, a low-cut filter, and a bass EQ. To ensure that the benefits of the MR-2's high-quality DSD recording are unimpaired, this high-performance analog circuitry is under accurate digital control, just as in the sophisticated consoles used in professional recording studios. This thoughtful design elevates recordings on the MR-2 to an even higher level of quality.

40 Recording Setups match the MR-2 to a variety of recording situations

The MR-2 includes 40 easily-selectable Recording Setups. Each contains its own settings for mic sensitivity, input level, analog limiter, low-cut-filter and bass EQ. These setups offer optimized settings for a range of recording environments such as ensemble performances, solo vocal, or piano performance, as well as settings suitable for field recording or documenting meetings. It's just like having your own personal recording engineer at your side. This allows anyone to easily make pro-quality recordings using the Korg MR-2.

Easy operation with highly visible display and controls

The MR-2 features a highly visible 128 x 128 pixel liquid crystal display. The noiseless backlight allows operation even in dim locations. Dedicated buttons and switches allow quick adjustments of input level, Hold on/off, etc.

Efficiently store and manage data on SD/SDHD cards

Data recorded on the MR-2 is stored directly to an SD/SDHC* card. There is no motor – as would be required for a hard drive – so there's no danger of unwanted drive noise being captured and recorded. SD/SDHD media is widely used; the recorded data can be conveniently stored on individual cards.

The recorded data consists of two files, the audio file and the project file (containing project and mark information), and these two files are collectively referred to as a "project." On the MR-2, a project is handled as if it were a single audio file, and project operations such as renaming, deleting, and song editing can be performed on the MR-2 itself. Up to 400 projects can be created on the MR-2 in each recording date folder.

*Sold separately.

AudioGate V2.0 file conversion software included

The MR-2 is bundled with Korg's AudioGate audio format conversion software. In addition to converting files from 1-bit DSD to multi-bit PCM (or vice versa) this software is an ideal way to edit the recorded material or to manage your archival masters. By using AudioGate, you can take advantage of "MR style" recording in which you record the material in DSD format, and then convert the file as appropriate for the desired output media. This method assures you will be preserving the highest audio quality at all times.

AudioGateV2.0 supports reading and writing of numerous audio formats including DSD, WAV, AIFF, FLAC and MP3. Audio CDs – and even DSD discs – can be read and written. AudioGateV2.0 can use the computational power of your computer to apply painstaking optimization to your data. For example during conversion, you can use the "Normalize" function to automatically export the data at the optimized level, and even choose from two different types of dither processing: "TPDF Dither" which improves the quality of the exported product, or KORG's newly developed "Noise Shaped Dither (KORG AQUA)" which matches the perceptual response of human hearing. This means you'll be able to easily create high-quality audio CDs that are a step above what could be created by a hardware CD writer.

Chromatic Tuner

A high-performance and highly-reliable KORG chromatic tuner is built in. Calibration is adjustable in 1 Hz steps over a range of 435 Hz to 445 Hz.

USB 2.0 computer port

The MR-2 is equipped with a USB 2.0 connector (Mini-B connector) that allows the recorded data to be transferred to your computer at a high rate of speed. This connection also allows the MR-2 to be used as a USB card reader.

Two-way power supply

Two AA nickel-metal hydride batteries (1900 mAh) allow approximately four hours of continuous recording or playback. USB bus power is also supported. (Note: Nickel-metal hydride batteries cannot be recharged using bus power.)

Jérémie Mathes "árset"

French sound handler Jérémie Mathes is nourished by the tonal vibrations of the region he lives in, in south of France.
He has been studying electro acoustic composition, as well as acousmatic and concrete methods with Bruno Dozon, & Patrick Roudier.
Using field recordings, improvisation with found objects, he shows a clear propensity to elaborate organic textures combined with electronic treatments. His compositions are carefully carved in detailed layers with a strong power of evocation...
"árset" is his proper significative debut, and is based on the following materials : sea shells, reef, shore, sand, rumbled, insects, cymbals, candle holder, bass, ebow, horn, various percussions and electronic devices.

Coalescing
into a shapeless lush magma...
Tangled & crackling softly...
Open waters ooze life
enlarging the circle,
swallowing up everything...

Ever shifting, pushing things further
closer to the faraway horizon,
as elusive as a morning breeze
hovering myriads of alluvium...

Low scrapings & shards abound,
amplified waves & ricochetting dreams...

A song from the inner depths,
contourless...impenetrable...
yet with so many refractions...
"árset" unfurls a primal tone
linking past & present...
A taking root for our searching souls...

MS66
cd-r ltd to 100 numbered copies
artwork + design by Daniel Crokaert /2010- solely based on photos by Jérémie Mathes

it's that time of year again - time for the annual 'favourite sounds heard in....' lists.

please send me a list of the 5 favourite sounds that you have heard during 2010 for inclusion on the blog.

it's simple....choose five favourite sounds heard in 2010 - they can be ones you've gathered yourself, heard in situ only (natural, man made, at concerts etc) or on recordings you have made or aquired....submitted lists will be added to the post upon reciept by email to this address:tempjez@hotmail.com

last years choices can be viewed here

have fun & I look forward to reading your choices ! & of course have a nice xmas & new year !

here's mine:

. recording me & my daughter feeding ducks & swans on the Norfolk broads

. dawn chorus & sheep eating along the banks of the humber

. a recording of me, Pheobe & Amy sheltering from the rain in a pop-up tent at Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire

. razor clams along the north wales coast

. the sound of bridges in wales & portugal
----------

submitted by Kevin Colver:

1. Sage Grouse Lek: http://tinyurl.com/29re7tb

2. Spring morning in Muddy Brook Wildlife Management Area: http://tinyurl.com/2cozevu

3. Cattle Drive: http://tinyurl.com/353av87

4. Raven Courtship: http://tinyurl.com/37qdlch

5. White-throated Swift Colony: http://tinyurl.com/29xmbb7

Soundscapes for Birders - a Podcast of Natural Sounds

www.7Loons.com

----------

submitted by Alexis Bhagat:

daniel teige's "xenakis: interpretations" concert at diapason in brooklyn

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submitted by John Kannenberg:

1) A tree trimmer at work in the Mahmoud Mukhtar Museum's outdoor park, Cairo, Egypt:

http://soundcloud.com/stasisfield/tree-trimmer-at-mahmoud-mukhtar-museum-park

2) The muezzin calls to prayer overlapping while walking down Talaat Harb, Cairo, Egypt: 
http://soundcloud.com/stasisfield/leaving-cic-walking-down-talaat-harb

3) The incredible mixture of sounds during a taxi ride from downtown Cairo to Zamalek: 
http://soundcloud.com/stasisfield/cab-ride-to-zamalek

4) A projector showing a silent film to an exceptionally attentive crowd at the Paradiso during the Sonic Acts conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands 

5) Echoes in the Reverb Chamber at Columbia College, Chicago

----------

submitted by Mark Trigwell:

bit of a bird theme but...

1. Dartford Warblers alarm calls - Shatterford Bottom, New Forest
2. Luc Ferrari's ‘Madame de Shanghai’
3. Burning of Bamboo - trapped air bursting from stems
4. Boris Nikolayevich Veprintsev's Voices of Birds in the Nature, 5xLP, Melodiya (1966)
5. The lovely 'key ratting' emanating from a small flock of Corn Buntings - Martin Down, Hants/Wiltshire border

Mark Trigwell (Ecologist)

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submitted by Gordon Sharp (Cindytalk):

‎1) the winter gas van song on rokko mountain, okamoto
2) the collective squawk of battersea's wild parakeets
3) the nostalgic hum of a propellor plane from torino to london.
4) the sound of stilettos echoing on the ethelburga landing.
5) "if it ain't broke, break it" - the sound of broken note

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submitted by Amy Newton:

1. Sea water lapping a natural jetty, Caernarfon/Sunset.
2. Lonnie, horse whisperering directly into my ear.
3. A vibrating 1970s mirror in a Scarborough hotel.
4. Switching the car engine off to free wheel/'trough' the valleys.
5. JRF's multitude of snores....(ok not a fav)
5. My first listen to a 'tree' via contact mic.

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submitted by Ian Cleary:

1) The crackle of a coal fire
2) The sing-song engine note of a VW camper van
3) Gulls over the harbour at Whitby
4) Lily getting a sound from her clarinet for the first time, and the look of surprise and delight on her face
5) The thump of a rabbit, when you open the hutch to feed it
----------
submitted by Sofie Cooper:
1. The sound of a robot opening a spaceship door (used it in my cardboard Hawaii installation/robot vs a giant lizard massacre)
2. Rebel Girl by Bikini Kill via RockBand on Ben Nash's xbox.
3. Dorothy Carter - Troubadour
4. John Cage's 4.33 Ringtone.
5. Hearing Neil Young when I walk through my front door reminds me I'm not alone.
----------
submitted by Růžena Nejezchlebová:

1st Ping computer - antivirus information that the virus database is automatically updated.
2nd Audio cable sliding down the Petrin Hill in Prague.
3rd Children's plastic mobile phone ringing.
4th Magpie cries on the hillside near the house.
5th Jingle TV StarDance.

----------

submitted by Catherine Lamb:
whistling squash while being cooked!

----------

submitted by Meta Morphos:

the wind in the trees
my lovers joyful voice
my dog dreaming
wild geeze leaving
water of a wild river
----------

submitted by Iain Paxon (hamilton yarns):
(1)bonfire bangers( lewes, sussex)
(2)church bells(from my house, st bartholomews, brighton)
(3)cold glass cracking from the heat of my tea - clunk!(first time! the kitchen, london road, brighton)
(4)neil young record playing in the next field as i slept in a caravan in mid wales (pen-y-bont)
(5)church organ gently pressed quarter tone squeek (allsaints, lewes)
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submitted by Joe Stevens:
hard hard choice to limit to 5 top sounds of 2010. kept flucturing between my sounds, including one rec captured with your hydrophone at end of pier, and sounds i've been listening to from other artists. But here u go:

Joe Stevens Top 5 tracks of 2010

1. Bernard Parmegiani – En Phase/Hors Phase – this still has to be on my all time top track of all time. I love it
2. Toshiya Tsunoda – Small Sand-Stream On Beach inspiring
3. spring time; frogs mating in my backgarden
4. Benedict Drew – 2 Charcoal filter two (hard to single out one track from Benedict Drew's catlog)
5. Wind Turbine at Portland Harbour
----------

submitted by Paulo Raposo:

Underwater recording i made in the Gilão river, Tavira, south of portugal (listen in Aporee Maps)

Experiencing (not only) the sound and the sudden energy of a tornado passing by in Oberhausen, Germany

Recording inside the 120 mt high gasometer in Oberhausen

Carlos Santos recording of Furnas, Azores islands

and the sound installation i did with Carlos for 15 radios, using micro-fm transmitters, scattered in the Garden of the Goethe Institut in Lisbon during Radialx 2010.

----------
submitted by Christian Munthe:

1. The sound of the blasting cleanup of the Gothenburg Art Museum facade, as heard from the square below. Alas, no recording available making the massive natural phase shift effects justice

2. Patrick Farmer: Severn Farms Pond: http://www.facebook.com/l/0fe85daOYkznmFGhIKD0rSQ62zw;ideasattachedtoobjects.blogspot.com/2010/06/these-five-recordings.html

3. Sven Åke Johansson, Werner Daffeldecker & Axel Dörner @ the Gothenburg Art Sounds festival: http://www.facebook.com/l/0fe85d2OU997CuTOsmk7oHPMqwA;www.gas-festival.com/sv/artists/axel-d%C3%B6rner-sven-%C3%A5ke-johansson-werner-dafeldecker

4. My daughter figuring out songs she likes on the guitar and/or keyboard

5. The sound at night called "silence"

----------

submitted by Eric Leonardson: 

Here's my list. I don't have recordings of many of these sounds. It seems my favorites are the ones that catch me by surprise, when I have nothing to record with. Most of these are are not unique to 2010. They catch my attention every year.

1. Frog: heard only once, during the American Society for Acoustic Ecology soundwalk at Miller Woods (in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore), near a marsh that sounded more like a ghostly cooing than the typical croaking;
2. Canada geese, either individuals or migrating flocks as they fly over my house;
3. Church bells outside of Heinz Weber's and Margerete Zander's apartment in Berlin;
4. Polyphonic squeals of brakes and the reverberant, chain-reaction boom of the cars on long freight trains outside my house, similar to certain passages in the music of Penderecki;
5. Insects in July and August: cicadas buzz and the katydids clicking.

----------

submitted by Pete Minns:
in no particular order....

1: The conversations of others on the bus.
2: "Test Match Special", all day in summer, all night in winter.
3: The 4.30am silence once the burglar alarms across the road have stopped.
4: My television dropping into the skip at the recycling centre.
5: Everything Else.

----------

submitted by Keith Britton:

1 Rolling Booming surf in Taghazoute, with the call to prayer mixed in
2 The muffled early morning sounds after a heavy snowfall
3 My sister calling to tell me she was off to hospital for a lung transplant
4 patrick wolf damaris
5 being told (by wife and kids) I love you

----------

submitted by Salome Voegelin:
the first cry of my daughter
rain
a choir somewhere
my son laughing in the swimming pool
the voice announcing the station stop where I get off to be home

----------

submitted by Daniel Holdsworth:

"to-ry scum" chanted over election footage..

----------

submitted by Urduja Manaoag: 

- first sounds of a baby
- stretchy opening of a spiky durian
- a kettle in a china guest house
- philippine night crickets and frogs
- winter's springy heater vent

----------

submitted by Jan Phethean:

the robins winter song at dawn
my grand daughters voice on skype
the sea breezes in the monteray pines next to our house
the curlews call
summer rain on the roof

----------

submitted by Daniel Jones:

Following on from my list of last year... every sound my son Jack has produced since he was born on 16 June has been my highlight. Every gurgle, squeak, yelp, burble, babble, coo and accidental 'adult-sounding' word has been far and away the most exciting set of noises for me this past year (and possibly ever!). Long may it continue! 

----------

submitted by Maile Colbert:

-my soon-to-be-born nephew Issac's little fast brave heart in his beautiful mama's belly

-my own heart skipping a beat in the hospital

-inland sun-baked Alentejo, Portugal cooling at night

-Rui Costa's underwater recordings in Aveiro, Portugal

-snow shoes on an icy wooden path in Endicott, NY

----------

submitted by Mark Valentine:

 
Seals singing in the seas off Lindisfarne
The satisfying spit and crackle of our first fire of the year
Richard Skelton’s Landings and Brian Lavelle’s Lambent
The genteel tones of aged ladies greeting each other, bookshop, Snettisham
[“I do not think we have met since I returned from Oberammergau…”]
The scuttering flutter of peacocks in a tea garden
 
although the water at Linton Falls, the echo in the windbreak at Beacon Hill House, the wind in the trees at Norton Conyers, and many bright spurts of birdsong were also all notable.
----------
submitted by Steven Chase:
Here are my suggestions, in no particular order (and I'm sure there would be others if I thought about this tomorrow):

The echo of Victoria Quays, Sheffield in response to Michael Parsons' Echo Piece;

The snow tonight (30-xi-10) in Sheffield (Hunters Bar to London Rd and back) selectively muffling and amplifying the chatter and traffic;

The sound of a Nigerian boom horn winding its way through the multi-storey car park on Bank St, Sheffield with the accompaniment of water bombs landing in the street and the interjections of the car park security guard;

Ross Parfitt playing Peter Ablinger's Weiss/Weisslich 20 at the Site Gallery;

John Lely's Four Reed Organs also at Site.

----------

submitted by Mark Peter Wright:


1. The song 'Ever Since' by the Dirty Three being played at my marriage ceremony.
2. The sounds of the Thames River from under a pier.
3. The sound of Church bells echoing between streets in Ljubljana.
4. The sound of a completely empty train traveling at night.
5. The sound of bed sheets in Scotland.

----------

submitted by John Grzinich:

(in chronological order):

echoes in the Tuefelsberg dome in Berlin
echoes in the great flagpole on Heybeli Island in Istanbul
drones of the Princes Island bridge in Calgary
echoes in the historic Sea Plane Hangar in Tallinn
echoes of the mine detonations in Northeast Estonia
----------

submitted by Sarah Hughes:

1. baby Jack gurggling
2. Rhodri Davis and John Butcher at the LRB
3. Porth Oer at sunrise
4. The Irish sea at Aberystwyth
5. Snow at night time

----------

submitted by Patrick Farmer:

The unnerving excitement of piglets at a farm in Churchstoke
The weight of sound produced by the aeolian disintegration of a thin layer of ice at Llyn Mawr
Richard Pinnell singing Bette Midler songs
When on and off collide by Daniel Jones
Corgroc by ap'strophe

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submitted by Daniel Crokaert - Mystery Sea/Unfathomless (artist/label owner)
1. The sound produced by my youngest son's hands on a mural heater.
2. The gurgling of a water pump on a nearby construction site.
3. Snow falling through the branches of a pine forest in Valmeinier (Haute-Savoie, France).
4. The roaring of a moth's wings on the window of a wooden garden shed.
5. Rain on the terra cotta tiles of our roof.

----------
submitted by Richard Pinnell:

. The now very familiar and regular sound of red kites screeching overhead in South Oxfordshire.

2. The incredible intimacy and atmosphere of Radu Malfatti and Klaus Filip live in Dublin in March.

3. Michael Pisaro's forty note piano chord sent to my girlfriend Julie as a fortieth birthday present.

4. Perfectly timed raindrops at the end of a nice little concert down in Brighton in March.

5. Antoine Beuger's  Keine fernen mehr

P.S. Bette Midler songs my arse...


----------

submitted by Holly Cryan:

1.the sound of scissors cutting 'proper' fabric 
2. the sound of a bauble as it hits the floor and bounces but doesnt break 
3. the sound of fresh snow crunching underfoot 
4. the 'pips' at 7pm 
5. the non-sound as i turn my hearing aid off and go back into my world

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submitted by Scott Sherk:

1. Steve Roden, Steve Peters, and Seth Cluett's pieces interacting with Annea Lockwood's river in the distance at the Martin Art Gallery, Muhlenberg College.
2. Patrick McGinley, aka murmur, playing the space at Muhlenberg College.
3. The sound of my installation up and running, again, after an untimely computer crash at the Katonah Museum of Art.  Whew.
4. The Middle Barn -- Two Days of Yesterday
5. Helena Gough - Mikroklimata

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Favourite sounds of 2010, by maksims shentelevs
1. It was Sunday dec. 25. I was lying in snow on the baltic seaside. Temperature was around 0. Mist was transforming into light drops softly falling on my face. From the right side was a sound of the sea quitly playng on the seashore ice. From the left – icecovered branches tinkling in the wind.
2. this year we’ve made with friends a lecture-performance. It was in huge abandoned Power plant building in Riga. We had a 40 people choir singing in the main turbine hall. In the very beginning I wanted the choir members to be spread all over the trashed multi levelled hall making sounds with found objects and resonating metal constructions of the turbine installation. Audience was brought into space in small groups of 5 people and each group would be lead throught the whole space untill they are seated in the opposite side from the entrance. That would set up the mood during the play. When on the opening night we did it I was astonished how powerful and true this expression was. I made the whole trip with the audience, and I have to admit that this intro was my favourite part of the whole performance. Sound was filling the whole space with countless unpredictable variations of the slowly shifting structure, that reshaped with each move throught the space. The dimm light of headlamps and mistery shadows from few projectors summed this all into an unforgettable experience where sound an space were truly expressed as a whole.
3. Amaizing sound of the first performance of my sisters’ friends group called something like ”sorrow messenger” They play industrial / ambient using concert version of traditional Latvian folk instrument - ”kokle- sort of large zither. It was in an underground bunker. Space was comperatively small with low cealing, but very complex planning structure. Sound was reflecting from the multiple massive concrete columns and spreading so unpredictably in all directions that even standing just in front of them I would hear sounds coming from all around in the most unpredictable combinations. It was so powerful that I even didnt move around hipnotized by the richness of variations in the one single spatial spot.
4. this summer solstice celebration was another memorable sonic-space experience. I spent 2 days in foresters estate with some 10 friends of mine. The whole solstice night is tradicionally celebrated by the large outdoor fire accompanied by singing and dancing. We spent it burning wood that we collected cleaning the garden, singing folk songs, playng instruments and dancing traditional dances. For me it was a truly unic experience of social situation that naturally recreates an age old tradition. We made no agreement on what we will do, no organization, no special preparations. Just some brought instruments thinking they might be used, some brought song books just in case of singing and as a result we spent the whole night in 6 hour of continuous singing-playing-dancing flow. We went to sleep in the morning, but the first thing we did when we got up – just started playing and dancing again. Well its partly due to the fact that half of my friends are ethno- musicologists and folclorists and another part are choir singers, well some are not, but still the whole situation was unic for all of us as it went out spontaniosly and naturally. I have 4 hour field recordings of that night.
5. During the sound-workshop in Cesis (Latvia) we made the usual excersize of sound associations. When sitting in a circle one sayes a word or a phrase and
all simultaniously play associations using simple non musical objects. There are no rules on shape or duration of expression it ends up naturally. But anyway usually excersize goes one or two rounds, that makes some 10 - 15 min. This time it just went on and on. When I pushed the stop button on the recorder the track was 40 min. And we were just 4 people in the room... That evening we had to perform a concert in same room, it was a very special performance, there were many spirits amongst audience.