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A conversation is heard between a health-care provider (Woman 1) and a visitor (Woman 2) in an elevator going from the main floor to the fourth floor. The mechanical sounds of the elevator can be heard in the background before the conversation begins. Without active conversation or other noise, this is a commonly-heard sound. In the crowded elevator, the two women discuss a mutually-known patient; the visitor recognizes the health-care provider and initiates a conversation. They discuss their shared recognition of the patient, but Woman 2 does not say the patient’s name due to adherence to the HIPAA “Privacy Rule.” Woman 1 agrees immediately, responding with, “right.” This illustrates a common interaction between visitors of patients and health-care providers.

A custodian fiddles with his keys as he waits for the elevator to arrive. We stand in a crowded waiting area for an elevator; there are many elevators in this area. A pre-recorded male voice announces: “Floor 1, going up.” The custodian plays music aloud from his phone as he enters the elevator. This recording portrays the everyday lives of those who may not be receiving nor directly giving care, but who facilitate the overall flow and cleanliness of a hospital. A woman in the elevator exclaims, “Beautiful!” The woman’s exclamation demonstrates the multiplicity of emotion and experience in the hospital. This interaction signifies the diversity of interactions that one may experience in a hospital setting.

The main entry to Duke Hospital requires passage through a revolving door. The door occasionally creaks. Several people may pass through the door at a time, as they did at the time of the recording. This revolving door represents the permeable barrier and transition between the outside world and the place of giving and receiving care.

A recording of a prescription medication bottle being opened, pills being removed, and the bottle being closed. The small 20mg pills can be heard clinking against each other and the bottle, as well as the lid of the bottle as they are poured into the cap for the patient to access. The childproof locking mechanism on the bottle can be heard clicking into place as the cap is closed at the end of the sound. Recorded on a Zoom H4n Recorder. 

Sound recording of water boiling in an electric kettle. The kettle switches off with a 'click' when the water is finished boiling. Recorded on a Zoom H4N

This is a sample of the sounds overheard at the Chronicle from the Bhangra practice next door. The Chronicle's office is located on the third floor of the Flowers building adjacent to the West Campus Chapel. The performance room, from which the sounds are heard, is adjacent to the Chronicle's photo room (the two rooms are separated by a door). At first, the music is clearly audible. Within the first few seconds, however, a staffer at the Chronicle shuts the door. This action is identifiable by the door's audible creak as it shuts. Another staffer then plays a different tune closer to the source of recording.

A thirty second recording of piano playing on a Monday afternoon in the Brown Residence common room on East Campus, at Duke University. A track with a main focus on a casual amateur piano improvisation, running parallel to the general noise of a busy, shared, closed college environment. Recorded on an iPhone 5s, which was placed on the right side of the piano player throughout the duration of the recording.

Sound recording of Duke Men’s Tennis team practice. Eleven players practicing at once. Recording done with iPhone 5. The phone was placed behind one of the courts during the recording.

Sounds of night insects in a bush on a rainy, wet night outside of Randolph Dorm on Duke University’s East Campus. Recorded with iPhone 5s.

The sound of a small car driving by on W. Markham Avenue bordering Duke University around 2:00pm. I stood still and held my recorder, an iPhone 6, at my waist while standing on the sidewalk next to the street as the car drove past me.