I think I do a pretty good job being aware of my surroundings when heading out, that said, you gotta prepare for the unexpected and any sudden bangs like a large metal door slamming definitely makes my heart jump.
Posted by gummo any sudden bangs like a large metal door slamming definitely makes my heart jump.
Those sounds are what I created the songs around. There is even a song titled Slamming Doors. I placed my mic next to a metal door that kept slamming due to wind. I also banged a few and recorded it from further away to get the natural sound, to have it like it would sound when exploring a place.
"Where the hell have you been?! Oh God... You STIIINK!!"
Tires doing a slow roll over gravel.
Train passing.
Distant gun shots.
"DUDE! COPS!!"
Creaky doors and floor boards.
"This is private property"
Foot steps on broken glass.
Boots on a metal catwalk.
That brief slide of boots in dust/grit as each foot lands on a metal step.
Empty beer can being kicked.
Flicker/buzz of a ballast as it struggles to light/keep lit a fluorescent bulb and the "tink... tink... tink-tink-tink" sound the bulb itself makes.
Running footsteps over gravel, glass, misc trash as the make a hasty escape.
Floor boards/steps giving out under foot.
Walk in cooler door latching.
That sound a loose old-school door knob makes when your hand first grasps it.
Pushing a door open that has junk stacked against it on the other side.
Rattling pane of glass in a wood frame.
I have no idea how it could be heard, even through headphones, but there is a definite sound of silence in an abandonment, and it varies depending on the size of the space. I love that sound!
I may modify and add more throughout the day - this is kinda fun and has me itching to go out and find something new to explore!
Yup if I see a homeless dude I gotta give him some peace pipe. best solution
The sounds of pressure increasing very quickly in a closed vessel or the sound of a flammable gas bottle beginning to torch off, (i.e. the very soft noises a split second before something explodes or deflagrates) will make me teleport pretty far away, with very little memory of the actual sound. Lucky to not have encountered those in bandos but still a bit awkward when it turns out to be a false alarm
The noise of a ratchet strap being tightened. I was exploring a building and when I walked into a new section and got through the doorway I heard a faint but present sound of a ratchet strap slowly being ratcheted tighter. I did not stick around to see what it was but that noise was more scary than encountering scrappers or homeless people.
Any sort of human sounds. I go to places where other people shouldn't be so naturally if I hear human activity, my heart stops for a moment. Especially because I do a lot of night exploration.
This is pretty helpful actually to me. Me and a few buddies are working on a project where we document abandoned buildings using photographs and audio recordings. This is in connection with a book that we plan to present at UW Madison. But the catch is I obviously don't want to reveal the identity of any locations in the process and also not seem like a criminal, but the connection to the book is just too perfect with the themes we're using. We plan to use more ambient sounds, instead of your friend telling you there's a cop, but still may use things like footsteps.
What equipment are you using for audio recording? I do photography, but one of my friends is the planned audio guy and we were trying to research something that's affordable but also good for recording ambient sounds.
Pump shotgun cocking - hell yes that would scare the bejesus out of me
Banjos in the woods - I'm from the Ozarks, and I live in Louisiana now. That's probably me playing the banjo.
"Well, let me just jump into my time machine, go back to the Twelfth Century and ask the vampires to postpone their ancient prophecy for a few days while you take in dinner and a show."
Ethics
