Name: Week Sound 4 - Rhythms and Patterns(ping pong) by Lucas Marques
Duration: 3 min 2 s
Description: This is a recording of a ping pong game I played with my friend Inês. We were in a public space, so the background noise from people was unavoidable. I also noticed that the sound of the ping pong ball can be quite loud when listened to at maximum volume. Unfortunately I lost, but in my defense, Inês is really good! :)

This was recorded in Jardim Botânico during the sound walk. You can hear the contrast between my first steps and the moment I “entered” a small covered area where the acoustics change noticeably. Inside, there was a small water tank — Carlos was with me, and you can hear him touching the water with a stick (and my laughter at the sound it made). I also love how the birds can be heard in the background; the whole garden was alive with these natural sounds.

Week Sound 2 - Natural Sounds (Small tank with water)

I recorded this sound while sitting at an esplanade in Portagem. Even though I was outside, the café was so crowded that it almost felt like being indoors. You can still hear the live music from a street performer in the background. At the beginning, I made some sounds with my glass and my bottle of sparkling water. Toward the end, you can also hear the bells of the tourist bikes passing by. I love how this very “noisy” environment becomes comfortable to the ears after spending some time there.

Week Sound 3 - Urban Sounds (Crowdy cafe)

On the sound walk in the botanical garden, while recording the sound of my footsteps crunching the leaves on the ground, I had the opportunity to hear a blackbird. Despite the short space of time, a melodious and rhythmic call could be heard.

Natural Sound - The blackbird (week sound 2)

I'm at my grandmother's house, "monitoring" dinner and preparing dessert.

The constant background noise comes from the gas burners heating the pans. I was making pancakes, and  decided to record my process: getting the pan and cutlery, preparing the fruit while listening lightly to the blade of the knife, adding the flour with a spontaneous rhythm, cracking an egg (a very distinctive sound), and finally, mixing everything together.

In the middle of the process, I even turn on the tap to wash my hands.

Home Environment- Preparing Pancakes (week sound 1)

I went to my grandmother's house for a snack and decided to record her voice.

Suddenly, Tuxa (my cat, who's at my grandmother's house keeping her company) decided she wanted to join us too and started meowing for a snack. She's crazy about savory snacks, especially ham and cheese, and as soon as she heard the plastic wrapper, she started meowing in a desperate (so dramatic) tone.

I want to be able to remember these voices in a few years...

Home Environment- Estrela and Tuxa (week sound 1)

I was walking along the road and noticed a particular moment of auditory impact. The calm of cars slowing down as they approached a traffic light quickly contrasted with the sudden, noisy revving of engines (mostly motorcycles) when the light turned green.

Urban Sounds - Car engines (week sound 3)

This is a recording of a ping pong game I played with my friend Inês. We were in a public space, so the background noise from people was unavoidable. I also noticed that the sound of the ping pong ball can be quite loud when listened to at maximum volume. Unfortunately I lost, but in my defense, Inês is really good! :)

Week Sound 4 - Rhythms and Patterns(ping pong)

This is a recording of a ping pong game I played with my friend Inês. I removed the background noise from people that was annoying. I also lowered the sound of the ping pong ball that was quite loud when listened to at maximum volume. Unfortunately I lost, but in my defense, Inês is really good! :)

Week Sound 4 - Rhythms and Patterns(ping pong) REMASTERED

I had the brilliant idea, since I was going to have lunch alone, to record my entire meal in silence. You can hear various sounds from outside, like dogs and other ambient noises. There’s also a steady background noise that gradually becomes part of the atmosphere. You’ll hear me heating up my food in the microwave and all the sounds that come with eating (DISCLAIMER: if you don’t like hearing people eat, you might want to skip this one!). You can even notice my breathing while I eat, since I can barely breathe through my nose, I have to pause to catch my breath. It’s kind of funny, but also a bit sad.
For the curious, lunch was moon-shaped pasta with pork chops and a really nice sauce.

Week Sound Extra - Home Environment(lunching alone)

This is a composition born from my imagination. It portrays a big lumberjack living alone in a small wooden house in the middle of the woods. I tried to create an experience that allows us to put ourselves in his place and hear what he would hear on a typical dawn — when he wakes up to the sound of his cuckoo clock, stretches a bit in bed, then gets up, washes his face and big beard, eats some crispy bread, and gets ready to head out into the woods to do what he does best: cut wood.

You can find a document with the sound references I used, as well as a sketch of the house’s layout (to help imagine where the outside noises come from) and an annotated timeline of the sounds here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J-badl43N4fDI7u2EP3a5i1cZZef3A1oSI_KdYgwqfY/edit?tab=t.0

Week Sound 4 - Rhythms and Patterns(ping pong)

Lucas Marques

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