American Tobacco Campus
The American Tobacco Campus is one of the many locations in Durham that shows the city's roots in the Tobacco industry. Once a major production center for tobacco, the site now holds restaurants, a theater, and (during the winter) an ice skating rink. The site also still has the water stream once used for the manufacting of tobacco. Using the Hydrophone and Zoom recorder, we walked along the edge of the water and recorded at various points. Unlike the fountains at American Tobacco Campus, the usefulness of the sound of the water was likely not considered in construction. Rather, the stream was probably optimized for the production of tobacco, and renovations likely considered the ascetics, not acoustics of the water in this instance.
ATC Top
Time: 11:26
Date: 28 Mar 2015
Location: American Tobacco Campus
The first location of the water mill we took was at the very top. We put the hydrophone under the waterfall and left it there to do as it pleased. Interestingly, the hydrophone jumped in and out of the water constantly (as can be heard by the plops in the recording).
Outside Water: Of the ATC recordings, this outside water recording was the loudest. It sounded powerful, but not to the same extent that other waterfall recordings of natural waterfalls did.
Inside Water: The water under the stream also sounded powerful, and the jumps of the recorder in and out of the stream made for an interesting slurping sound.
Edited(outside water and inside water combined): In this edited version, the outside waterfall has been made softer so both sounds can be heard. The jumps are very evident and the variety of the inside water sound in comparison to the outside water sounds can be noted.
Rapids
Time: 11:32
Date: 28 Mar 2015
Location: American Tobacco Campus
After the rocks, we placed the recorder in an area with fast moving rapids.
Outside Water: The water in this recording sounds powerful and a low rumbling can be heard. Despite the presence of human factors near the rapids, very few (if any) can be distinguished.
Inside Water: The inside water sounded similar to someone gargling mouthwash. Of the water recordings analyzed, it is one of the most loud and powerful underwater sounds. Again, as might be expected, no human factors can be distinguished.
Edited(outside and inside combined): While the outside water sounded quite uniform, the inside water has a lot of variety. This variety stands out when the two tracks are combined.
On the Rocks
Time: 11:29
Date: 28 Mar 2015
Location: American Tobacco Campus
We moved down stream to a place where stone steps had been added to the water. We placed the recorder in between the steps.
Outside Water: Since the rocks were quite close to the ATC top, the waterfall is the most distinguishable water feature in the recording. Music can also be heard. The water by the rocks themselves is much less distingushable.
Inside Water: Inside the water, the actual rock water can finally be heard, although the waterfall is still heard to some extent. The stream is quiet but swift.
Edited (Outside water and Inside Water Combined): What I found incredibly interesting about this track was that even though I didn't notice it in each recording seperately, the recordings sound like they are taken from two different bodies of water. While bumps in the water translate somewhat well to the swishes within the water, the inside water sounds like a trickle while the outside sounds like a stream.
Theater
Time: 11:37
Date: 28 Mar 2015
Location: American Tobacco Campus
Our final location was at the end of the water stream around the amphitheater. The water here was incredibly still and almost inaudible, although the men moving crates at the time of our recording impacted this inaudibility.
Outside Water: With the combination of music playing and men moving crates, hearing the water was very difficult in this piece. The water was very still, so this also decreased the noise it would naturally make.
Inside Water: Although the water is quieter in this recording, it is much more distinguishable. In fact, the amount of movement that can be heard is remarkable to me because the water was almost completely still based purly on visual cues. The recording is amplified 20X.
Overall Thoughts:
Despite all the recordings being from the same mill stream, the variety of sounds in the recording was astounding. From the Theater location at the bottom, where music was a major feature instead of the water, to the waterfall and rapids where no other noise besides the water could be heard, the mill stream shows that proximity in location does not always dictate similarity in sound.
After editing these recordings, the variety in the inside water sounds stands out. While the recordings of the water outside is not uniform, in comparison to the inside water recordings it seems this way.