For my Audio Fundamentals assignment, I have been asked to produce a sound study responding to the theme of “A sense of place” this sound study also needs to include a vocal recording of a spoken text.  The first thing I need to do in order to complete this assignment is decide what I am going to make. I drew up a few basic mind maps to try and decide what it is I am going to make. 

I have decided to create a sense of place inspired by a local nature reserve. My plan is to use field recordings that have been taken at said nature reserve to create a sound study creates conveys a sense of place. I want to create a piece of work that paints a vivid mental picture of the nature reserve, almost as if I am describing it with sounds as opposed to words. I also need to incorporate a vocal recording in my work, ideally a recording of myself or someone else reading a prewritten text. At first I considered recording a review of the reserve, as it would be someone’s description of the place I am trying to depict through sound.  However, I felt this was too much of an obvious choice. I am trying to create a sense of place without simply recording the environment and talking about it, after all I am creating a sound study not a sound scape. I visited the reserve to listen to the space in order to decide what sounds I am going to use. The 2 most prominent sounds were the wind and birds chirping.  With all this in mind I decided to read from a bird watching guide, I feel that by using both recordings of birds and a voice describing birds it will emphasise just how dominant the birds are in the sound of the reserve.  

So, to summarise my aims for this project; I am aiming to create a sound study which both reflects my experience of visiting and listening to the nature reserve but also, and most importantly, conveys a sense of place. That place being somewhere where you are surrounded by nature and all the noises and sounds of a built-up city are completely non-existent.