Soundseeing Tours Ahoy!
I did a little experiment this morning. If any of you have listened to podcasts, especially Adam Curry’s and the like, then you already know about what they term ‘Soundseeing Tours’. If you don’t, here’s a quick rundown: It’s basically taking some sort of digital recording device, like an MP3 player/recorder, an iPaq, laptop, whatever, and doing a podcast, recording it, while you’re ‘on location’, as it were. Wandering and walking around, letting the background sounds of wherever you’re at come on through as well while you do your podcast, instead of trying for the usual sterile ‘complete silence except for my voice’ studio sound. Well done Soundseeing Tours can be quite an experience, especially if you’re wearing headphones. Close your eyes, and with the background sounds, it feels like you’re there.
Anyway, I’d never really done one because all I have to podcast with is my iPaq 2215, Glitch. And while it works fine when I’m talking directly into the mic, I didn’t think it would work very well with the iPaq sitting in my shirt pocket while I walk around and talk. But this morning I decided to go ahead and try to do it anyway. After I parked the car when I got to the office, I set Glitch up in record mode and put it in my front shirt pocket, then got out of the car and started talking while I walked towards the office. It’s nearly a 10 minute walk from where I usually have to park the car, so I had plenty of time to test it. I also did that old Sounseeing Tour trick so that people don’t look at you too funny for talking to yourself: I pulled out the celphone and pretended to be talking into it while I recorded.
After 3-4 minutes I paused the recording and listened back, and I have to admit, I was impressed. Glitch’s little mic is one hell of a workhorse. It sounded excellent. Sure, the volume wasn’t as loud, since I wasn’t speaking directly into the mic now, but that’s nothing that can’t be fixed with a couple of minutes in Audacity. But overall, the sound quality was great, the background sounds of cars occasionally driving by were just right: audible, but not so loud that they overpower my voice. In general, I’m hugely pleased with this first attempt.
I don’t think I’ll post up the actual test, it was nothing too exciting, but I will definetly be doing a Soundseeing Tour soon, now that I know I can. No idea where I should do it, though. Any suggestions, folks?
May 26th, 2005 at 12:05 pm
1. Tren Urbano
2. Trafick jam on your way home.
3. Lucky 7!!!!!!! ;-)……………..
May 26th, 2005 at 12:13 pm
1. That’s one I can definetly do soon. It’ll be kinda quiet, overall, from my experiences, but at least you can get the sounds of the train arriving, the announcements, stuff like that. I’ll set one up soon.
2. That’s what I *always* do, actually. All my recent podcasts are done in the traffic jam, either on the way home or on the way to the office.
3. Didn’t the Lucky 7 close down?
I’ll do one at Diva’s instead. Who’s coming with me? 
May 26th, 2005 at 2:22 pm
Once you have the luxuries of PUSSY and COMPANIONSHIP for free, the prospect of paying for something you can ogle but can’t even touch… it loses a little of its titty-twisting grandeur.
Count me out.
May 26th, 2005 at 2:23 pm
Just my 2 (blunt) cents’ worth.
May 26th, 2005 at 3:18 pm
Well, really, it’s not so much for the ogling, it’s more of a community thing. If I was gonna go to a strip joint, I’d go with a bunch of my peeps, you know, to have fun. If I just wanted to see boobies, well, I have a girlfriend, and I can cop a feel (and then some) for free.
I’d do it just for the hell of it, just being able to say ‘This is Katsu, and I’m here at a strip joint’. Beats the hell out of the ‘This is Katsu, and I’m currenlty crossing the street’ one I’m doing so far.
If you have a suggestion on another place that might be more interesting to sort of be a fly on the wall at, though, I’m all ears.
May 26th, 2005 at 4:08 pm
Well, strip joint’s much better than MALL, MOVIE THEATER, BATHROOM, and any other random place I can think off the top of my head….
May 26th, 2005 at 5:18 pm
If you ever have the time and the inclination, the soundscapes aorund UPR can be quite interesting. All the human drama you could ever want, music, philosophy and the ocassional explosion.
May 26th, 2005 at 5:30 pm
I’d likely have to wait till classes started again in late August, though, to get the full iupi experience, but that’s a good suggeston.
And actually, I’ve been thinking Mall and Movie theater for when I finally do hit up Star Wars and/or HHGTTG. Just gotta find the right angle to do ‘em in so they’re halfway interesting.
May 27th, 2005 at 12:36 am
You haven’t seen H2G2 yet!!???? Screw Star Wars, go watch that!
May 27th, 2005 at 9:04 am
well soon its my Bachelor Party. So theres your scuse to have ” The Katsu strip joint Podcast”. De todos modos tienes que ir aunque no grabes el podcast!!!!!!!
May 27th, 2005 at 1:41 pm
Alriiiiiight, Eldrin~!!!! Get in *ON*, buddy!!!!!!
May 28th, 2005 at 1:33 am
Well, if you lend me the mic and whatever equipment, you can have the sounseeing tour of gay men talking about the day-today problems of excrement in their lives.
May 28th, 2005 at 10:33 am
Hussy: Hot damn, now that is good audio! Might even be worth it to be without my iPaq for a day just to get that on tape.