Mind the Gap

When we think of music in today's terms most people think of words that are in collaboration with musical sounds. John Cage, however, says everything we do is music. I definitely agree with his argument, and in fact, I had even considered this theory to be true before learning about Cage in class the other day. I have always been drawn to various sounds, and I have found certain everyday sounds incredible and noteworthy. I have a habit of recording these sounds whenever I get the chance. The most recent recording of an everyday sound that is music is the sound of the Underground Subway that serves as the lifeline for the city of London. The sounds of the Tube (as it is commonly referred to) produce something that is suprisingly similar to the music that we think of today. For example, the sounds it produces get louder and quieter, higher and lower, and longer and shorter. The sounds are acting in a sense, and Cage and myself are completely satisfied by this. Cage also believes that today's music is all too much the same. For example, a Taylor Swift song is basically always the same. Where as if you listen to the London Underground, it's always changing. It is chaos, and it is always characterized by it's unpredictability.When I close my eyes while listening to the unedited audio clip I can picture myself sitting on one of the seats listening to the gears change, while riding on one of the most chaotic transport systems in the world.

Tube map

 The artsy version (the one with an actual meaning behind the manipulations): Track 1

On this one I cut out a clip where the intercom lady announces which tube line the travelers are on, so that it would be somewhat of a surprise for the listener in the end.The video opens with the sound of the doors sliding shut. Then, as the train starts to accelerate, I edited the sound to the "deep voice" option, and, as the audio clip goes on, I include a "helium voice" edit. I did this to help the listener envision going into the pitch black tunnels as if they were really there. When I would take rides on the tube I often felt emotions of disarray when the train would run from one tube station to another. I wanted these sound effects to really exaggerate this feeling that I had. The "deep voice" effect that I chose almost reminds me of space which is where I sometimes felt like I was while I was traveling on the tube. The "helium voice" effect almost puts the listener into a whirlwind, which is what riding on the tube can sometimes feel like. As the train starts to slow down I take away the sound effects to bring the listener back to reality. This is similar to how the conclusion of a tube ride is, for once a traveler gets off the tube he or she takes an escalator up and steps out back onto the streets of London or the "real world."


The sound without effects prepare them for what is to come once he or she exits the tube station. I made sure to extend the length of the sound of the squeaking breaks to really get the point across that the train had come to a stop. I included the various sound effects in the end to serve as a reminder of how the London Underground is truly a masterpiece of subterranean construction, for when one is traveling on the tube, a whole different world is opened up that city-goers above ground often forget about. These strange voices symbolize and echo the different world that exists underneath the city of London that most take for granted. I also played around with the Graphic Equalizer to eliminate background sounds as much as possible in this version of the audio clip.

 The "fun/club" version: Track 2

This second recording is simply the more fun version of my audio clip of the London Underground. I really enjoyed putting this one together, and I felt as if playing around with the different effects bettered my knowledge of garageband.  I was able to make my own beats, make loops, and split up clips.