The Sounds of Treman Falls

An interactive soundscape / noise machine composed of spatial field recordings of Treman Falls. Give it a listen here!

Growing up, I traveled to this magnificent gorge in Ithaca, NY and was always intrigued by the sounds of water flowing through it. Erosion over thousands of years created an intricate environment with an incredibly varied soundscape. When moving through it, no two spots sound the same way!

I wanted to share the essence of this place with others while doing justice to its rich sonic experience. I found that spatial audio data was a great medium.

Using a quadraphonic mic, I recorded audio loops from 20 locations along the gorge path. Back at home, I focused on interactivity in the web browser. I explored how simple SVG graphics and the movement of the cursor could be an interface to play back the recorded audio samples, like moving through the gorge’s sonic environment.

Give the soundscape a try here.

Here’s a detailed view of the mapping and sound processes behind this experience.