Name: Ho Wing Hei Dennis
In today’s world, there are many types of sounds surrounded to us and we might neglect it easily as the society is changing, our living pace is faster, and people are getting busier. As a result, there are some sounds are losing and on the other hand, we can use technology to create a sound map to preserve before they are getting disappear.
About my sound map, I have particularly chosen Sha Tin district as my targets for sounds. The reasons behind my choice are mainly because it is the place where I grew up, and I am familiar with the location and there are many types of sounds that I can experience and record. This time, I used the Zoom’s H5 Audio Recorder for this task, in my opinion, the device is superb based on its good recording qualities, and it is easy to use.
There were some challenges I have encountered during my journey. First, it was quite a windy day when I went out to have recording, as a result, there were many windy sounds in the recording that affected the original sounds, and I cannot record while walking as it would cause a much worse sound quality.
Here is the following of my sound map:
1. Table Tennis at Hin Keng Sport Centre
I first started my trip in Hin Keng, where it is the bottom side of Sha Tin, I think there might be something interesting to record. Just after I got off the bus, I immediately saw the sport centre nearby, so I thought myself maybe spent a little time there. After getting in the centre, I already noticed many ball sounds (squash/ table tennis/ badminton) in the surroundings. Going downstairs, I saw a pair of senior playing table tennis, so I decided to sit nearby to spectate. During the time, I noticed the sound come from the rackets were very sharp and clear, and the elders chatting made the environment very competitive.
2. Bus Engine sound in the terminal
After I got out the sport center, the bus coincidentally started to take off at the terminal. I thought it would be a nice idea to record the sound of the bus engine. The sound was coarse and deep, besides it projected a loud noise, as a result, I needed to tune down the volume of the microphone otherwise the recording sound would be awful.
3. Braille System in Tai Wai Station
Perhaps every Hong Kong citizen might be familiar with the sound, the braille device has been set up in every station, to cater the needs for the disabilities. There is a button at the bottom side of the machine, the music will pop out after pressing. In the recording, you could hear a smooth curated tune from the machine, I think the reasons behind of making this tune is to provide a comfortable feeling for the disables to search for any information in the station.
4. Inside the train cabin
This was recorded while I was taking the train from Tai Wai to Che Kung Temple Station. I found it quite interesting as it created a contrast between the present and the past. In the recording, you could hear mainly the sound of the engine and voices from the train TV, and I was quite surprised that there were barely any voices from the passengers, everyone was just busy looking at their phones. In the past, I remembered the train cabin was more buzzing and bustling and the sound fully covered the engine, and things have completed change now.
5. Football Field outside Che Kung Temple
At first, I decided to make a trip to the temple to see any surprise of sounds, but unfortunately, most of the section including the drum rolling and the circling windmills were all closed. As a result, I went out and looked for other sound. Luckily, I saw a bunch of youngsters began to have a football training near the temple, and I was quite amazed from the recording. In the recording, you could hear the hard kicking ball sound, as well as the interaction between the coach and the pupils.
6. Construction sites near Shing Mun River
After visiting the temple area, I walked to the opposite side to the river path by subway. When I just got up the stairs, the noisy sound already come to my ear with the heavy drill and the welding machine were operating. In the recording, you could hear those sounds from the machine and other works in the background as well.
7. Walking by Shing Mun River
This is the path I always walked along since I was a kid, as my home is quite near the starting point of the trail. The experience was superb as I found a period of tranquilness while strolling along. During the walk, I could hear the bird’s singing, the chats from the kids as well as the slight breeze. All these sounds combined into a comfortable tune, and it represents the warm, humane local community in Hong Kong that you would never get tired of listening.
8. Bicycles swirling in the path
After strolling on the path for a while, I went to the resting area nearby the river to refresh myself. By the time I was charging myself, a bunch of cyclers rode their bike in a moderate speed, gave a new orchestration to the overall sound on the path. In the audio, you will hear the cyclers were about the slow their speed in order to turn their direction, the clunks from the chain were conspicuous.
9. Bowling Alley in Belair Garden
This is the place where people lived in Sha Tin must have known, and it is a hot spot on the weekend where you need to arrive earlier to rent a bowling lane. I arrived at the destination at around 5pm, there weren’t many people at the time, and I could hear a clean, crispy sound. In the recording, you can hear the bowling ball hit to the ground, the ball rolling on the lane, as well as the ball hit the bowling pin. There was a strike at the end of the audio, which the sound was more abundant and louder.
10. Lucky Café in Tai Wai
The sound was recorded when I have my dinner after having a long walk, and this café is one of the few authentic old styles of Cha Chaan Teng left in Hong Kong. By the time you stepped in the restaurant, you would feel like traveled back to the 60s where its popularity at the peak. The overall decoration did not change a bit with the old chairs and tables, and the staff still used the traditional way to write down what the customer wanted, and the food qualities were great too. In the audio, you would notice the staff were jotting down what the customer wanted at the time, as well as the ambient sound in the background. It was an unique experience for me as I can feel sense of humane in the restaurant, that you will hardly find this kind of tenderness now in Hong Kong.
Overall, it was a meaningful journey, I think the sounds can reflect the local Hong Kong culture and society, although it is intangible, we can still develop our thoughts and interests by listen to it meticulously. It is crucial to preserve these natural sounds, as one will never cherish it until it’s gone.
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