The experience of listening to both “River Run” and “Solar Ellipse” by Canadian artist Barry Truax were quite different for me. The first one sounded very much like what I might hear while sitting on the bank of a fast moving river, and I was surprised at how well it elicited the mental images of that environment. I could also hear what sounded like the resonances of the chanting of Tibetan monks, the sound that comes from deep within the chest, as well as the sound of the aboriginal digeridoo. The second piece reminded me more of the soundtracks of old science fiction television shows, which brought back a lot of images from my misspent childhood. Though I am still trying to grasp all the terminology and possibilities involved in Sound Design, I know already that I will come away from this class with a greater appreciation of what goes into creating new sounds and sound environments.
