Bernie Krause on Hearing a Disappearing World

[Jim Feeley]

From the US public radio show To The Best of Our Knowledge. Lots of the same stuff he's talked about for years. But for years, he's said good stuff. A nice 10-minute interview.

Hearing a Disappearing World
Pioneering Soundscape Ecologist Bernie Krause on the Voices of the Wild

November 22, 2015

While we humans are out there making a lot of noise, we're not the only creatures on the planet that vocalize. Birds, whales, frogs and toads—all of these things make noise. But do they have a voice? And if so, what do their voices tell us about our natural world? Bernie Krause is a musician who has been recording environmental sounds all over the world since the 1970s. He recently spoke with Steve Paulson about what he's learned in a lifetime of listening.

Stream or download here:
http://www.ttbook.org/book/bernie-krause-wild-voices

 

 

And info on his new book, along with some audio clips:

http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=9780300206319

 

 

[Philip Perkins]

His audiograms of places he's been and returned to over the years are pretty shocking.

[JonG]

It surprises me how little people care about this sort of thing as the "turn it up" movement continues. I also question how valid nature preserves are if they allow so much human noise around them. Those in and near Los Angeles come to mind specifically. 

[austinmplocher]

Read the great animal orchestra years back and was fascinated (devastated, at times). Will have to give this more attention once I'm somewhere calmer than a pre-thanksgiving airport. 

[new mexico]

Though this is considerably more bush-league compared to the OP - still, it made my day, the other day - And, I thought I'd just share, fwiw:

(So, yeah - This is not necessarily a 'view from the office' - more like a 'view from the holding area' - As the NDA's, I have to sign, are becoming more and more prevalent - And usually preclude any attempts, on my part, to obtain any 'VFTO' snaps.)

 

Uploaded on Nov 25, 2015

While on a job, waiting for our (tv doc) subject to show up - out on a ranch in east-central New Mexico.
Sitting in my car, comfortably watching the moon rise through my front windshield ... And, after being surprised, and pleased - when hearing their first musical refrain - I simply stuck my mobile phone out the side window (that was already half-way down,) and pressed the record button - Capturing a short clip, of this, the '2nd' round. (What a handy little device.) Their whole chorus lasted about 10 to 15 minutes? I kept this recording short so I could send to my GF.

 

 

[Philip Perkins]

Nice moment, Jim.  It's these kinds of moments that make those early calls worthwhile!

phil p

[engaudio]

It surprises me how little people care about this sort of thing as the "turn it up" movement continues. I also question how valid nature preserves are if they allow so much human noise around them. Those in and near Los Angeles come to mind specifically. 

I spend a lot of time in our national/regional parks here in New Zealand recording soundscapes etc,  people are often surprised when I tell them  there's too much man made noise to bother recording some of the time. (traffic, planes, helicopters etc) Being a sound guy for a living has it's down points, I can hear what most don't even notice.

Grant.

 

[new mexico]

 

Uploaded by Great Big Story

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Bernie Krause has been recording wildlife sounds, or "soundscapes," for over forty years. He's amassed the largest archive in the world, and in doing so, can chart how wildlife sounds have changed over the course of climate change. Listen for yourself: the rising silence speaks volumes.

 

 

[Jim Feeley]

Nice!