Strange Fruit

Sound can be found anywhere. Just walking around with a pocket recorder turned up and listening can be a great way to find interesting new sound. Try walking around the house with headphones on and sticking the mic in different areas. Keep a keen ear out for interesting frequencies.

What are some other interesting sources to sample that you have just around the house???

Let’s start in one of the more acoustically interesting places of a house, the bathroom.

First and foremost is the bathtub. It has a huge range of sounds that can be found from this shape. And don’t forget the shower head. Using mallets against the tub with varied amounts of water in the tub.

A bow on a porcelain tub or a mallet against a plastic tub. Also don’t forget the mic placement often a subtle change in placement can yield great results so don’t hesitate to sample the same thing mic’ed in a few ways. Don’t forget to be careful with water. You can try preventing damage to the mic or recorder by wrapping it in saran wrap. Next up is the toilet. The lid is an easy drum source but what about the insides of the tank. Placing a Mic inside of the tank you can hear some great atmospheric sounds these sounds lend particularly well to being slowed or stretched out. The mechanical action of the stopper can also have some interesting tones.

The cabinets and sink are great sources of sound as well. You can gain such a vast sound pallet from such a small room imagine when you have exhausted the bathroom move onto your kitchen.

Outside presents a whole world of possibilities but can also present some challenges. For one there are a whole host of sources but the wind can be an issue as can passing cars or birds chirping. These challenges can be overcome with a little DIY elbow grease.