Cities and Memory elsewhere:
– Bandcamp (for our latest album releases)
– Audioboom (where all of our sounds are hosted)
– Instagram (for the visual side of Cities and Memory)
Sound maps:
– Aporee sound maps – Global sound map dedicated to field recording and the art of listening.
– Brussels sound map – A project to document the sounds of Brussels.
– City soundmaps – A project documenting sounds from Tokyo, Seoul and Caceres.
– Favourite Sounds – A sound map project asking ‘What’s your favourite sound from XXXX place?’
– Firenze sound map – Mapping the sounds of Florence and the emotions they create.
– Fleurieu sound map – Sound map of the South Australian peninsula.
– Lisbon sound map – Sounds from the Portuguese city.
– Montreal sound map – Crowdsourced map of Canadian sounds.
– Sons de Barcelona – Comprehensive sonic resource for Barcelona.
– Sound Tourism – Trevor Cox’s map of the sonic wonders of the world.
– Sound Transit – A collaborative, online community dedicated to field recording and phonography.
– Stereopublic – ‘A sonic health service for built environments’: crowdsourcing, recording and sharing quiet locations.
– UK soundmap – The British Library’s 2010-11 map of more than 2,000 user-submitted UK field recordings.
– URB – A system for ‘automated analysis and storing of an urban soundscape’.
Field recording, sound mapping and sound art books:
IN THE FIELD: THE ART OF FIELD RECORDING BY CATHY LANE AND ANGUS CARLYLE
Or: how to get 20 completely different perspectives on field recording in a few hours.
THE SOUNDSCAPE BY R. MURRAY SCHAFER
The granddaddy of field recording books, an absolutely essential work.
NOISE: A HUMAN HISTORY OF SOUND AND LISTENING BY DAVID HENDY
Developing some of the ideas from Schafer’s soundscapes, David Hendy looks at the idea of noise abatement as a negative process (ban this sound! Make this noise quieter!) and how we can instead focus on positive sounds and noises and preserve our sonic environment.
SONIC WONDERLAND: A SCIENTIFIC ODYSSEY OF SOUND BY TREVOR COX
Professor Cox travels the world listening to its most amazing sounds in its most fascinating places so you don’t have to, the lucky devil.
THE BOOK OF LEGENDARY LANDS BY UMBERTO ECO
Eco’s Book of Legendary Lands is a coffee-table bible of imaginary locations, all united by the fact that someone at some time believed these places to be real: valuable in giving an alternative perspective on what place means, and how our attitudes and beliefs change our environment.
AN ATTEMPT AT EXHAUSTING A PLACE IN PARIS BY GEORGE PEREC
Perec documents everything unextraordinary that happens in a typical day in an average square in Paris, and in doing so creates a kind of proto-manifesto for the field recordist.
MAPPING MANHATTAN BY BECKY COOPER
An artist distributes blank outlines of Manhattan to a selection of random New Yorkers, asking them to contribute their version of Manhattan. The result is a fascinating look at our own perceptions of place and our different experiences of the same place.
INVISIBLE CITIES BY ITALO CALVINO
There’s a special place on the list for Invisible Cities, which was one of the original inspirations for Cities and Memory, and indeed from which the project takes its name. Your perception of a place is not the same as mine, so we are all living in an infinite range of possibilities, even within one city. This wonderful book sparks off so many ideas and so much inspiration every time I read it.
Field recordists:
Check out our full directory of Cities and Memory contributors. Other notable field recordists include:
– Chris Watson – world-leading recorder of natural/wildlife sounds with some great releases under his belt.
– Felicity Ford – Oxford-based field recorder always up to some interesting stuff.
– Fieldrecording.de – German site dedicated to the art of field recording.
– Jez Riley French – notable field recorder and maker of fine specialist field recording mics & kit too.
– La Cosa Preziosa – Italy-via-Ireland-based sound projects – some fascinating stuff here.
– London sound survey – excellent field recording project documenting the sounds of London, obviously. Loads of other interesting stuff there, inc. historical details about sound.
– Sound Landscapes – fascinating project documenting the sounds of Paris.
– Soundscape Rost – documenting the sounds of the Rost archipelago in Norway.
– Sounds Like Noise – sound and heritage project based in Australia.
– Vacuamoenia – A collective dedicated to presenting abandoned Sicilian soundscapes.
– Yiorgis Sakellariou – Digital manipulation of field recordings, performed live in complete darkness.
Sound blogs and sites
– Creative Field Recording – a blog about recording vivid, creative sound effects worldwide.
– Designing Sound – the art and technique of sound design.
– Ear Room – interviews, news and info on sound and field recording.
– Everyday Listening – fascinating site covering all aspects of sound art & design.
– Sonic Terrain – on listening, field recording and environmental sound.
– Sonospace – lovely site dedicated to sound and soundwalks from around the world.
– Sound and Vision – the British Library’s outstanding sound blog.
– World Listening Project – understanding the world through the practices of field recording and listening.
Cities and Memory is produced using:
– Mapmaker
Sound software and resources:
– Audacity – free sound editor, essential tool for chopping up and cleaning your recordings.
– Audiomulch – sound processing & effects.
– Granulab – granular synthesis and sound manipulation program. Basic, but free and pretty powerful.
– Hourglass – impressive abstract free sound-mangling tool.
– KVR Audio – great resource for free (and paid) VST plugins.
– Modplug – extremely simple but adaptable old-school tracker.
– Paulstretch – extreme sound stretching software.
– Reaper – open-source sequencer/audio production software.
Other sound-related links
– 12K – outstanding label with plenty of found sound-related music, usually in lovely packaging.
– Alan Lomax audio archive: huge archive of Lomax’s field recordings.
– Aural Architecture – Loz Colbert’s site investigating architecture and music.
– Engraved Glass – Jez Riley French’s collections of regular releases.
– Echoes – a platform for making and sharing sound walks.
– Field recording subreddit – some interesting advice and opinions.
– FoundSounds – mobile app dedicated to finding, sharing and discovering sounds.
– Framework Radio – online radio station dedicated to the art of field recording.
– Impulsive Habitat – excellent label of mostly field recording-related releases.
– Oxford Improvisers – network of improvising musicians in Oxford, UK.
– Recomposing the City – Uniting sound art and architecture.
– Ubuweb – indispensable sound resource.