5. SOUND AND NOISES: WAVE SHOUT!

CITY SOUNDS: BARCELONA AND MILAN

Every city has a photographic or cartographic records. But only few has a phonic one. Still even the audio impression is a typical trait, unique and distinctive. This is how “Sons de Barcelona” was born, a website which gather a city noises digital archive: from the traffic noise in calle de Fontanella, to the underground opening/closure doors sounds at the Jaume I stop, ending with Barça celebration party. These are some noises collected by Pompeu Fabra University group of students and uploaded on barcelona. freesound.org. An original zero cost project whitin whoever can upload its “own”sounds, taking by cellphone or professional instruments, putting an address for localization, title and comment. Or imitate the experiment and start to mapping the sounds of its own city. Audioscan was inspired by a similar idea, which consists in mapping Milano city sounds. Looking at Milan map it is possible to listen the city sounds from area to area, performing a real concert that link all the city sounds.

Video: AUDIOSCAN: CITY NOISES BECOME MUSIC (2 minutes)

ZERO COST RADIO: THE WEB PIRATES

Have you ever seen the movie “The Boat That Rocked”? It is a Richard Curtis' movie and it takes place in a English pirate-boat during the Sixties. Well, if you sparked an uncontrollable urge to go "on air" too, you will be satisfied immediately. Thanks to the web you do not need to break the law to have fun with your friends and start an indipendent radio. Among the websites which offer an opportunity to start their own zero cost radio, we offer three possibilities: Spreaker: a social web radio which propose contents only produced by its community users (www.spreaker.com); Radionomy: a belgian project whose motto says: listen to the radio onlie or start your free one.”. Indeed, the users can listen to the music of already created radio or create a personal web radio. The website is available in English, French, Spanish and Dutch. (www.radionomy.com/en); BlogTalk Radio: you just need a phone and a computer, no application to donwload and no fee. The system sponsored by this website allow users to share their own original music on the web like any other blogger. (www.blogtalkradio.com)

Video: I LOVE RADIO ROCK TRAILER (2 minutes)

THE VOICES OF BOOKS

Just after the ebooks, audiobooks are the new era when it comes to publishing industry. One of the most interesting zero cost online experiment is Librivox, an opensource project born to collect mp3 files which “give voice to the paper”. Librivox is the place of “acoustical liberation of books in the public domain”. It is possible to listen to over 750 audiobooks in English. And if you want to become readers, you should start to practice with your voice: the website is looking for people ready and willing to contribute to the audiolibrary enlargement. Tho whom it may concern to exhibit “outloud”, a book can be choosen among the availables, for free, in the Gutenberg catalogue. (www.gutenberg.org) “It is not necessary to read the whole book. A chapter would be enough”

Video: LIBRIVOX TUTORIAL (2 minutes)