Netlabels & podcast creators: Please message me directly through soundcloud for inclusion of my original works in your releases. I am always happy to collaborate, edit existing tracks, or create wholly new tracks for you, just ask & cite accordingly :)

Welcome, this is the home for all my original field recording & soundscape projects currently available on soundcloud. There is a mixture of older (44.1 K) and newer (96 K) tracks, displaying a wide range of sound sources and environments, ranging from natural to urban, soothing to unsettling. Typically my approach is to present an edited collage of sound meant to seem like it could almost be a straight-through take, but is designed with a clear beginning, middle and end. This allows for a layering of different recordings, resulting in a thick haze of sound that rewards close headphone listening. For contrast, a few unedited recordings are available as well, uploaded with essentially no post-production work. Either way, the goal is to present a recording that can transport the listener into another time and situation. Some of these tracks are also available as downloads to producers in need of sfx or DJs looking for creative intro/outro tools. 

R.J. Stefanski ~ Original Works: [3 hrs of compositions for use in netlabels, mixtapes, podcasts]

As I move onto my next chapter in field recording, I am going to be clearing out a few pieces that did not end up on a release for one reason or another. "Peach Festival.." is composed entirely of field recordings I took while finishing up my debut album near the end of 2012. At the time I was mainly staying with my parents in Romeo, MI, a very small rural town that was celebrating its annual "Peach Festival" at the time. There were a wealth of sounds to capture in this environment, and the best few made it into this soundscape:
-a peaceful church bell melody from about 1/2-1 block away
-a middle school football team cheering back-and-forth with their cheerleader counterparts (this section taped during the rehearsal for a parade)
-crickets, birds, dogs barking, foot steps on sidewalk, and other small-town ambiance (someone hammering away at something?)
-a pee wee football practice from about 100 yds (coaches whistles, kids yelling)
-cars passing
-a marching band warming up 
If you enjoy this style of dark ambient/soundscape, you should check out my other tracks "Drowning Butterflies" and "What a Ghastly Thought", which are also entirely built from my own recordings and samples.

Peach Festival from a Distance: small town parade, marching bands & more [Field Recording MP3]

Download only available thru bandcamp: https://rjstefanski.bandcamp.com/

Headphones Recommended:
Unlike my previous field recordings which have been presented moreso as layered soundscapes with quite a bit of post-production work, this track is a straight-through take of soothing waves washing ashore at Detroit's Belle Isle park. This different approach is designed to present the field recording in its original, sparkling audiophile quality. I am lucky enough to currently have access to the amazing CROWN SASS stereo mic, which captures great audio motion as your subject (here its waves and light boating ambiance)moves from one channel to the other. The audio is then sent to my Tascam DR-07 recorder in audiophile-level 96 kHz / 24 bit quality. 

Feel free to use this recording in your own productions, I only ask you cite me as a source if possible, and please send me a link so I can see how it turned out! Or simply add this track to your favorite sleep / relaxing playlist.

Also stay tuned for more of my field recordings, as I am currently editing an album of original works for late 2014.

Soothing Waves at Belle Isle

Buy on Bandcamp

Soothing Waves at Belle Isle [96 K Stereo Mic](Relaxing Sounds for Sleep or Meditation)

Download only available thru bandcamp: https://rjstefanski.bandcamp.com/

Headphones Recommended:
After months of attempts to time this field recording just right, I was finally able to capture Hamtramck, MI's Islamic call to prayer in pristine, audiophile 96 kHz audio with the Crown SASS stereo mic. There are a few mosques in the city, this particular recording was taken directly in front of the Al-Islah Islamic Center with the Crown mic focusing on the prayer but also allowing for some light city ambiance too. 
There are 5 different Adhans each day, this is the Dhuhr, which occurs typically around noon or when the shadow of something is twice it's own length.

Islamic Call To Prayer [Field Recording: 96 kHz / 24 Bit / Crown SASS Stereo Mic]

Download only available thru bandcamp: https://rjstefanski.bandcamp.com/

Headphones Recommended:
Recorded in July of this past summer on a very hot afternoon, this collage combines a few different sounds that all share a beach theme. Mainly you hear me walking down the middle of a very crowded beach, with dozens of kids yelling, playing, and splashing about in the water. The sound continues to change as I keep moving down the beach, eventually getting away from the crowd and allowing two other sounds to enter: lapping waves and seagulls from Belle Isle in Detroit (these are 2 different recordings).  The result should sound like what could be one straight-through take, even though its several clips edited together in a specific way. Most of these recordings were made on my handheld Tascam DR-07 and have been maintained at their pristine audiophile levels of 96 K / 24 bit through the editing/uploading process. Feel free to use this sound effect in your own productions, I just ask you cite me wherever possible, or simply add to your sleep playlist for a relaxing 2 minute trip out of everyday life.

Kids Playing at Stony Creek Beach with Waves & Seagulls  [Field Recording: 96 kHz / 24 Bit / WAV]

Download only available thru bandcamp: https://rjstefanski.bandcamp.com/

Headphones Recommended:
My latest soundscape curated from recordings made in 2014 with my new set-up (jumping from 44.1 to 96 kHz): "Calming Waters..." mixes three different perspectives on a beaver dam in Northern Macomb county Michigan, USA for a uniquely immersive listening experience. You begin a bit further away from the actual dam (an impressive structure probably 60 feet by 12 feet, situated right off/under an old railway converted into a bike path), the rushing water is audible but quiet as other woodland sounds like crickets and birds enter the mix. As the soundscape continues, the microphone placement nears the river and the water builds to an almost white noise-level of sound, calming and powerful at the same time. At times you can also hear a bee buzz right next to the right channel (headphones recommended). This soundscape is bookended with clips of deep woods near Houghton Lake, Michigan, but is designed to play out like one straight-through recording with no editing.

Captured with Tascam DR-07 and maintained at original 96 K / 24 bit audiophile quality throughout editing. Add to your favorite sleep playlist, use as a meditation tool, or throw into your own productions (I like to use these as intro/outro for DJ sets). If you do use this clip somehow, please share with me so I can see how it turned out!

Calming Waters of a Beaver Dam

Calming Waters of a Beaver Dam [Field Recording: 96 kHz / 24 bit / WAV]

Download only available thru bandcamp: https://rjstefanski.bandcamp.com/

Headphones Recommended - 
Although I have previously uploaded soundscapes of rain and thunder, this is the first to be presented in audiophile 96 kHz / 24 bit clarity, recorded by both my Tascam DR-07 and a stereo Crown Sass microphone for select sections. This track consists of roughly 10 separate recordings from different locations in Michigan, USA, all chopped up across 16 different channels and is meant to have a clear beginning, peak/middle, and resolution. Most of these storms occurred in summer of 2014.

Precursor EP

Midsummer Thunderstorm [Audiophile WAV] Ambient Rain Sounds Sleep Relaxation Yoga

Download only available thru bandcamp: https://rjstefanski.bandcamp.com/

Headphones Recommended:
As I continue to slowly edit and release new soundscapes of 2014 field recordings, "Lake Takoma" is the first of a few brief stereo mic tests. The bulk of this recording comes from simply setting up a Crown Sass Stereo mic aimed at the main road that circles Detroit's Belle Isle park (near the lake where this track received its name), capturing a few cars every 40 seconds or so from about 30 feet off the road. The stereo mic captured the crossing of the sound from the one side of the mix to the other in stunning clarity. You can really feel the busted muffler in the one car, or follow another as it slowly fades into the far reaches of the opposite side of your headphones that you found it at. To balance out the soundscape I mixed in a separate recording taken from my parents backyard in a small rural town and it features cicadas, daytime crickets, and other odd backyard ambiance including the low rumble of a riding lawnmower idling in the next yard. 

Enjoy as a relaxing sound tool, for sound effects in your own production, or however you please, just let me know how it turns out!

Lake Takoma Stereo Mic Test

Lake Takoma Crown SASS Stereo Mic Test [HD 96 K Field Recording: Cars Passing & Seagulls Belle Isle]

"Welcome to Gotham" is the first original track mixing live instrumentation into soundscape that I created after upgrading my equipment and recording quality to 96 K / 24 bit WAV. A simple melody recorded on an old piano serves as the backbone, there is something moonlit and vaguely optimistic about the piece, and it always reminded me of something that would pop up (in a much more orchestral version) near the end of a big budget superhero film. Around the piano blooms a world of sound sculptures: light rain on a roof, garbled AM radio transmissions, cars passing through puddles under a bridge, backyard birds and crickets, and the loud hum of a downtown factory all growing into a cinematic collage that can both soothe and unsettle. It is presented in 96 kHz 24 bit WAV, and was entirely recorded with a Tascam DR 07 at various locations in Michigan in 2014.

unreleased

Welcome to Gotham [intro ~ piano theme I ~ Downloadable 96 K WAV]

Not quite a mixtape or an album, "Dark Shadows in the Periphery" represents a completely new method for the presentation of my field recordings. While the piece is designed to flow smoothly throughout its 30 minute runtime, there are actually ten separate soundscapes on display, crossfaded and layered into one psychedelic cocoon of sound. 

There are a variety of recordings and recording styles used in this project, most notably the contrast of man-made vs. natural sound sources and the duality of living in urban and rural areas (Detroit vs Romeo, MI) While the ten pieces were originally conceived to be released on their own, I enjoyed the challenge of molding them into one cohesive statement. With pure sound-based listening it often seems difficult to hold the audience's deep attention for very long, leaving most of this work to remain stuck as "background" material. I tried to avoid this trend by constantly integrating new sounds, including some surprising everyday sources we tend to take for granted (supermarket check-out barcode readers, mosquitos buzzing in your ear, etc..), as well as through the maintaining of each recording in hi-fi 96 k / 24 bit audio (the fly that buzzed into the left channel mic will probably get your attention, as will the train passing by caught on the Crown SASS mic). Headphones recommended. 

"Dark Shadows in the Periphery"
00:00 - 04:20  new untitled piano composition (sewer water rushing, shoes on gravel road, ATC vocals, cars passing, AM radio preachers & more)

04:21 - 10:00 new untitled soundscape (thunder, family chatting at thanksgiving, new piano, cicadas, wind in the trees, crickets, beer making equipment, high pitched steam room)

08:30-16:00 Urban Ambiance (all recorded in downtown Detroit: arrival of train with bells, skateboarders downtown with construction noise, bus passes, bikes, m80 detonates while ppl walk to fireworks, voices, mexicantown ice cream shop, train passing in stereo, campus martius fountains, people mover, family talking, helicopter approaching belle isle)

14:10-16:40 Stereo Mic Test II: Throwing Pebbles into water at Belle Isle

15:45-18:20 Churchbells in Romeo Backyard

18:00-21:40 Churchbells pt II (My brother raking leaves with our niece and nephew, new piano composition, AM preacher interviewing child) 

20:30-24:45 Koy Pond (mixture of several recordings of frogs, crickets and the ambiance beside a koy pond in Detroit.)

24:30-28:30 Chilly Lake Erie Night (several stereo recordings of waves at Belle Isle mixed with an AM radio news report of a boating accident and other aquatic sounds).

28:00-30:30  Adhan recording from Hamtramck MI (Isha Islamic Call to Prayer with street ambiance).

30:00-31:40 Supermarket Checkout (barcode readers, shopping carts and crying baby pass)

31:40-33:20 Rain, birds, and science.

All recordings and editing by R.J. Stefanski, 2014-2015 on a Tascam DR-07 handheld field recorder with some additional stereo recordings with Crown SASS stereo mic. 



Dark Shadows in the Periphery [Experimental Ambient Mixtape of Original Field Recordings]

Green Acres of Detroit - an audio census of parks & garden
Although most national attention tends to focus on the decay of Detroit's sprawling landscape - there are an abundance of beautiful spaces tucked away throughout the labyrinthian 143 square miles. For this project I set out to capture as much of a variety as possible of Detroit's most well known green spaces. Not only was the subject matter something I was already interested in (living next to a great park in Hamtramck), but it seems like a viewpoint into the city that not many outsiders would assume exists. Hopefully this piece will show how unique the environmental and natural makeup within a heavily industrialized city like Detroit can be.

"Green Spaces": For my research and audio collecting in this audio census I applied a fairly broad definition to "green spaces" as essentially any area that can provide a reprieve from the surrounding urban setting through natural elements such as: lawns or grasses, trees, gardens, and parks. This sense of retreat could be for either man or animal - as some of the strongest recordings I captured were actually taken in vacant lots and abandoned blocks where nature has completely reclaimed parts of the city. 

Instead of mixing a variety of sound sources and environments like previous release "Dark Shadows in the Periphery", this project focuses on a single subject and provides an exhaustive array of viewpoints on it. While working on "Periphery" I became fixated on the idea of just how difficult (and perhaps futile) it is to try and separate natural sound sources from the omnipresent man-made variety. This duality sits not only at the center of this project but it often pervades a vast majority of field recording work in the 21st century. Few can travel to a location which will not leave you with tons of overflying airplanes and power line interference, but rather than trying to edit out all incoming man-made noise there are often new possibilities. While I went to great lengths to edit out any of my own interference/mistakes into the mix (mic and wind bumps, footsteps, etc), I do not pretend this is just green space - the city is very much a living component and is given equal billing. 
Over the course of the 14 minute run time there are almost always 16 separate channels of sound being played (typically 4-5 different field recordings layered three times over) presenting a diversity of sonic atmospheres from around Detroit that I collected over a 2 month period in early Summer 2015. Most prominently featured are the parks, as Detroit has a wealth of them ranging from barely noticeable and abandoned to massive and nationally recognized. One of the traits I enjoy presenting in my field recordings are sources you may not necessarily think would be soothing or relaxing yet they strangely could be in the right setting. However, while this piece may have its more contemplative moments, I worked hard to get my microphone (Tascam Dr-07) as close to the birds, insects, and other sources as possible with as much volume and clarity as I could without clipping the mix. Combined with the crystal clear 96 K presentation, some moments (like when the squirrels fight near the end of the track) might ruin your nap. Headphones always recommended.  
including: Veterans Memorial Park (Hamtramck)/ Belle Isle / Palmer Park / Midtown Patio (water fountain)/ Clark Park / William Milliken state park / Vacant lots on east side / Rosa Parks - Warren - Grand River junction woodland 
Included sounds:
-wind chimes -planes overhead -cars passing -several species of spring birds -bees buzzing, woodpeckers in distance, squirrels fighting -slight interference from overhead power lines -lawn mower, churchbells

Experimental Sound Mapping

Green Acres Of Detroit [14 min HI FI Field Recording collage of parks, birds, fountains & more]

R.J. Stefanski - 24 Minutes of Tranquil Rain and Thunder (Pt One)
Be sure to listen to the other two parts:
Part Two: https://soundcloud.com/rjsfoundsounds/24-mins-of-tranquil-rain-thunder-pt-twofield-recordings-for-sleep-relaxation
Part Three: https://soundcloud.com/rjsfoundsounds/24-mins-of-tranquil-rain-thunder-pt-threefield-recordings-for-sleep-or-relaxation

An Extended Field Recording Collage - 
a tool for relaxation, meditation, yoga, sleep, studying, daydreaming and more.

Continuing my recent trend of presenting field recordings in an expanded setting (the 30+ minutes of "Dark Shadows in the Periphery" along with the 14 minutes dedicated to "Green Acres"), comes the latest installment in my ongoing series of rain and thunderstorm recordings. "24 Minutes" triples the duration of my previous rain releases. With the additional room to spread out, this soundscape differentiates itself from my past uploads with a more protracted narrative arc, allowing for deeper listening and a greater variety of storm sounds. Moreso than previous edits, I tried to keep as much human interference (cars, planes, etc..) out of this  project. One thing this collage does share with older tracks like "Torrential Downpour in the City" or "Midsummer Thunderstorm", is that it is in fact a collage - about ten separate field recordings are being edited and layered for a specific effect. For this particular soundscape  I wanted there to be a long intro and outro with very little thunder and an emphasis on the calming tones of rain and water. Throughout the duration there is a wealth of various water sounds - ranging from loud drips battling against an aluminum gutter (for most of the opening seven minutes or so), to the warm splashes of a light rain falling into a puddle, to the white noise created by a blistering downpour. 
     A big part of why I typically mix a variety of storms together is to achieve a fuller depth of field so that you can hear rain that is both 8-10 feet away and 50+ feet away. I also like the ability of shaping the storm in the same way as a DJ set.
     All the recordings were made with my Tascam DR-07 MK II in the late Spring / Summer of 2015 in various locations in Southeast Michigan.

Sound Therapy Sessions

Buy WAV on Bandcamp

24 Mins Of Tranquil Rain & Thunder (Pt One) [Field Recording Sleep , Relaxation, Yoga, Meditation]

"Urban Atmospheres" begins in media res, dropping the listener right onto the sidewalk outside of Union Station in downtown Chicago, Illinois. Cabs race through the stereo field along with crowds of people hurrying to work, chatting and dragging their feet across the pavement. Although this soundscape begins entirely with recordings made in Chicago in July 2015, I slowly add a mixture of different urban sounds into the fold, resulting in three distinct movements:
I. Union Station - Morning rush hour featuring: cabs & cars speeding by with squealing breaks, luggage/wheeled devices dragged down the street, chatter and coughing, bikers pass and ring their bells, overall palpable hum of a bustling metropolis. (The Detroit People Mover makes a number of brief appearances throughout, see if you can spot all the times it passes overhead).

II. Campus Martius (Park & Fountains in downtown Detroit, MI)Some distant sounds just outside of the park, cars passing by Hard Rock Cafe as the sound of water slowly grows in volume. The rhythm of a reggae track played on loud speakers gains in volume as does the water, eventually we are right beside the water display (The tone/pitch of the water shifts dramatically as it begins the display).
III. New Center Area, Detroit - Beneath a rickety old train bridge off Woodward near Grand Blvd, late at night.

Not only does the soundscape offer a comparison of two different Midwest cities, the piece also moves in chronological order, showing the differing sounds a city has to offer from the early morning to the middle of the night. 

All sounds recorded/edited by R.J. Stefanski in summer 2015 on a Tascam DR-07 recorder at/maintained at 96 k / 24 bit / WAV.
Use your best headphones and enjoy!

Urban Atmospheres (Union Station Chicago & Campus Martius Detroit 96K Field Recording Soundscape)

Following late 2015's "Precursor EP" comes a new release and another change in the overall presentation of my field recordings. Over the next 1-2 weeks I will be posting a trilogy of extended soundscapes that share an affinity for a specific geographic focus, occupying a psychedelic space between the more scholarly process of creating sound maps and experimental ambient music. The first installment of these experimental sound maps (which highlight three important places from around my home in Detroit, MI) is infatuated with the power and presence of the many waters of Detroit's Belle Isle Park. Unlike some sound maps which aim for a total representation of a location, these pieces have a more insular approach, opting to provide the listener with a guided tour through specific landmarks.

The scene is set with the bleached out bliss of a hot midafternoon sun on Belle Isle's sandy public beach. Children goof around a few towels over - one boy tries to trick another into saying "underwear" - while down the beach the river lightly laps at the beach, and a little further away some field crickets begin to stir.  Just past the midway point of the river a few boats pass, one lingers in the middle of the stereo field, slowly getting closer and slightly louder before turning away. The backdrop of waves and field noise (crickets and passing boats) is constantly shifting throughout the soundscape, the best remnants from several field recording expeditions. We move a little away from the shore and through open fields towards the notorious Hidden Beach. There we find a small group of people with a few dogs cooling off in the shady canal with some slowly passing fishing boats. We move further inland to the Conservatory Garden Fountain, close enough to hear the water bubble up from the pump beneath the surface. Even though we're so close to the fountain, a gardener using a weed whacker in the distance can be heard.  Our walk continues, leaving the Conservatory and heading towards a historic bell tower just in time to hear a peaceful melody. Finally we move towards the far shoreline, choosing an open field not far from the water to rest. By this point in the afternoon the field crickets have really picked up, competing in overall volume with an array of sounds including police sirens from Windsor and a huge barge which is about to pass through the river. You can hear the aging motors of the barge rattling away as the huge boat slowly passes from roughly 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock (in terms of position to the listener's stereo field).

A number of the recordings from this track were made with the Crown SASS stereo mic, complimenting the movement of passing ships from one side of the stereo field to the other. All sounds recorded and edited by RJ Stefanski in 2015.

Surrounded by Shores [Field Recorded Sound Map 1.1 | Waters of Belle Isle]

R.J. Stefanski - Midnight Trails with Late Summer Crickets, Bats, Frogs & More [Field Recorded Sound Map 1.2]

For the second installment in my series of experimental sound maps, I invite the listener to travel about an hour's drive North of our last meeting (Belle Isle, Detroit), to Romeo, MI. The bulk of the recordings for this project came from two weekends spent at my parents home in the small rural village in late August and early September 2015. When I stay at their house, I have a nightly walking routine that takes me through some of the nearby fields and woods surrounded by stars and crickets. These walks are the genesis for this sound map, as it is designed to present the listener on a guided tour solely using field recordings of a few of these excursions. 

The listener is greeted with the soft hum of a small town backyard just after sunset. It is shaping up to be a hot and muggy night as sounds begin to fill the neighborhood: a chorus of crickets two backyards away, a train's horn from much further, and then a low flying plane seems to split the sky in half. Slowly the chatter of neighbors enters the mix along with the family pet and some passing cars. As we head out from the backyard and towards the expansive athletic fields just a few blocks away, some frogs briefly appear and the variety of crickets changes as well.

Night fully descends as the sounds from the fringes of the village fade even more out of range as we reach the open fields west of town. The overhead sky is clear and bursting with stars and about a dozen low flying bats, clearly audible as they make a distinct sound which mimics that of a mouse chewing from a room away. Entering deeper woods brings us to a bizarre insect, some form of giant cricket with a rattle. Suddenly the clear skies have turned ominous, with rain slowly sneaking in before erupting into thunder. Something is not quite right in this part of the forest, as dark melodies are slowly played on an antique piano, and are soon accompanied by scattered AM radio transmissions. Just before it seems like the journey might be doomed, the trees begin to thin out and we are back in a familiar backyard. Tired and confused, the only remnants of that strange night are some hazy memories and these recordings.

All sounds recorded and edited by R.J. Stefanski 2015-2016. Including original piano composition and artwork. Use good headphones and enjoy!

Midnight Trails with Late Summer Crickets, Bats & Frogs [Field Recorded Sound Map 1.2 | Romeo, MI]

R.J. Stefanski / Cathedral in Grayscale.

A new chapter in the evolution of how I manipulate my field recordings, "Cathedral in Grayscale" is a six minute mini-odyssey sitting at the meeting point of ambient, drone, and sound collage. The foundation of the soundscape is a new piano piece blurred with effects and slowly accented with a flurry of new recordings. Winter rain, passing trains, a crowded  shopping market, seagulls, and waves are just some of the sounds that were added in one by one, layering them all into one dense atmosphere. 
The track is further augmented by taking a few field recordings (downtown ambiance, barcode readers, frogs) and slathering them with effects and slowing them down into a blissed out pool of reverb. More piano compositions were also slowed down to resemble stringed instruments, a technique acquired from hours of listening to Stars of the Lid. 
Throughout "Cathedral" the human voice enters through the fog, including AM preachers, astronauts, famous opera singers, and elderly people speaking on surviving the Great Depression. Enjoy on good headphones, any feedback / requests to include in podcasts / etc.. please message me.

All sounds, editing, and artwork RJ Stefanski 2016.

Cathedral in Grayscale [original ambient piano composition]

Sonic Portraits: A new series of shorter field recording compositions designed to present a single location through a small number of recordings with minimal editing.  The first installment is culled from three different recordings I made in the middle of a pond in the rural outskirts of Romeo, MI with a Crown SASS-P Stereo Mic into a Tascam recorder set at the HD quality of 96kHz / 24 bit / WAV. 

001 - Romeo Campground Swamp at Night: Three stereo field recordings featuring tons of late Summer crickets chirping away in the middle of a muggy night. Frogs occasionally croak from off in the distance, and towards the end a scary creature that sounds like the squeal of a pig appears.

Campground Swamp at Night [HD Field Recording of Crickets and Frogs in Deep Woods]

Blending elements of a full length LP, an experimental DJ set, and a retrospective compilation - "Selected Field Recording Works..." is the latest journey into sound design from R.J. Stefanski.

This project materialized over nearly a year of molding together soundscapes that span the full time range since upgrading my field recording set up (2013-2016), with a few unreleased pieces and brand new tracks thrown into the mix. A defining feature of this project is the focus on original piano compositions which appear and recede into the distance throughout the forty minutes. I also tried to maintain a full and clear volume across the mix - hopefully presenting these HD recordings in a way that any listener with quality headphones can appreciate. My aim is for this album to meet the standard qualifier for successful ambient music - whether you want to let it simply be background noise or something more substantial to listen to deeply - I hope it achieves whichever you need it for. 

Tracklisting / Outline of Sounds Presented ~

01. Cathedral in Grayscale [00-05]
02. Lake Erie Surf / Cedar Point Track UNRELEASED [05-10]
03. Urban Atmospheres [09-11]
04. Calming Waters of a Beaver Dam [11-13]
05. Green Acres of Detroit [13-16]
06. Midsummer Thunderstorm [ 16-18]
07. The Retired Cosmonaut SIDE B [18-20]
08. NEW Belle Isle Soundscape [20-22]
09. Drowning Butterflies [21-24]
10. NEW Mechanical Soundscape [23-27]
11. Welcome to Gotham [27-29]
12. Winter Freezing Rain and Sleet [29-31]
13. NEW NYC Soundscape Bryant Park & Central Park [31-36]
14. NEW Closing Outro [36-38]

All Sounds Captured by RJ Stefanski on either a Tascam DR-07 or a Crown SASS-P Stereo Mic then edited and maintained at 96 K / 24 Bit Wav files.

Selected Field Recording Works 2013-16 [All Original Ambient Compositions]

Purchase soundscapes & recordings on bandcamp:
https://rjstefanski.bandcamp.com/

A new track in the Therapy series is here, 17 minutes of ocean surf:
https://soundcloud.com/rjsfoundsounds/sound-therapy-sessions-002-relaxing-ocean-surf-relaxing-music-for-sleep-relaxation-hd-wav

After recently realizing I had yet to release any rain / thunder based recordings in 2016, I used the opportunity to begin yet another series examining the different formats available in curating, editing, and presenting original field recordings.  The Sound Therapy Sessions will feature lengthy sonic excursions favoring tranquil moods and the interesting mixtures of related sources within a specific location, theme, or concept.
-     -     -     -      -     -
STS 001: Quiet Rain, Thunder & Waves
Obviously my favorite sound to build a track with - the rain for this particular piece was recorded on April 1, 2016 in Romeo, MI. Recording nature sounds near my parents home vs. Detroit allows me to avoid as much car/airplane/etc interference as possible. I try to make sure each new thunderstorm track I put out has a different feel then the previous examples - so with this version I decided to foreground the light, relaxing white noise of a light to medium rain (as compared to my usual focus on loud thunder). Over the course of the opening 6-8 minutes there are more and more layers of simple rain mixed in, all together from four separate recordings from two storms taped on an enclosed back porch. 

Slowly the rain forms into waves that ebb and flow throughout the stereo field. These were taped later in the summer of 2016 at Belle Isle Park in Detroit, MI. Around the same time a pair of boys playing and laughing on a trampoline in a Hamtramck backyard can also be heard.

Combining two soothing examples of the sound of water in nature with an extended run time and HD quality fidelity makes this track ideal for contemplative listening on good headphones. Enjoy.

All sounds, editing, and artwork by RJ Stefanski. December 2016

Sound Therapy Session 001 - Quiet Rain, Thunder & Waves [Relaxing Music for Sleep & Meditation]

***a word on my field recordings: this was not a straight-through 9 min take of unedited thunderstorms, this is a soundscape of over 20 mins of footage edited down to showcase the best sounds I captured. It is meant to have a clear beginning, middle, and end, even though you are only hearing rain and thunder, there is a lot of editing and layering happening****

A sort-of follow up to my "Relaxing Rain and Loud Thunder" clip, this is almost 9 minutes of a series of thunderstorms descending upon the midtown area of Detroit, MI on Wednesday April 17 2013. My Tascam recorder was set up outside in a covered patio area, able to pick up the quickly increasing rain, while the extraordinarily loud cracks of lightning and booming thunder kept constant.  

Amazing Thunderstorms

Rain and Loud Thunderstorms [HD Sounds Field Recording Sleep Relaxation]

Last summer, to celebrate one year of field recording I edited down the 20 or so gigs of found sound I had archived into a 13 minute sampler collage. The resulting soundscape is almost an audio history of my life from May 2011 to July 2012, including family members voices and many of the places I spend most of my time. Here is a fairly accurate tracklisting of what sounds are included: 
Traffic on 696 / Luomo on car radio / somerset: hovering over the coin pool / enjoy ur stay ur on level 2 / rain / Greektown street performer on saxophone / rain and thunder / outside techno stage at Detroit pride / the people mover arriving, announcing stations / bike chain noise / somerset: coin pool / Miles Davis train approaching / wind chime / belle isle conservatory pond / Hamtramck call to prayer, cars passing along / Hamtramck Church Bells (atonal) / going down flight of creaky stairs / crickets / frogs / Cameron and Kevin and RJ outside looking at stars / Upright grand piano / more crickets, loud car passing on dirt road / acoustic guitar picking / dog barking / loud frog croaks / kids playing in Hamtramck / cicadas / air plane flying over / sprinklers water a lawn / Hamtramck Ice Cream truck song / Romeo Church bells (Tonal) / cannonballs in Romeo pool / waves at Belle Isle / kids in Hamtramck counting / one man band performing in eastern market / 
all found sounds by RJ Stefanski 2011-2012. 2013.

13 Minute Mini Sampler of Field Recordings [2011-12 Soundscape Collage 44.1 kHz 16 bit]

Brooklyn NYC + Detroit | Message directly for inquiries about sampling recordings, bookings, collaborations, or questions | Since releasing a series of diverse mixtapes in 2011, Stefanski has slowly turned his focus to his own ambient productions, often built entirely of original field recordings. He has released a wide array of original soundscapes ranging from brief, high-def clips of thunderstorms to extended sound collages, each project sharing a hazy, psychedelic glow. Before moving to Brooklyn, Stefanski curated the chill out room for infamous Detroit after-hours rave BAK DØR. After relocating he released an LP of short field recordinged ("20 X 2"), a podcast for an experimental NYC label (Metamorph) and an album for Bivouac's "60 Minute Cities" series. His relaxing rain soundscapes are some of the most popular on soundcloud, with one clip nearing 14 million streams as of late 2020. More recently Stefanski expanded his productions with visual components, including a new website which hosts the unique travelogue "The San Diego Tapes" and photography prints for sale.

~FEEL FREE to use my field recordings/original tracks in any of your own works, I only ask you cite me as a source and please send me a link of the finished product.  MESSAGE ME for questions, I won't see questions in comments.

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