steps

Audio recording of footsteps along an off-path trail of the Proctor Creek Greenway. The sounds of leaves and gravel crunching can be heard with the steady beat of feet hitting the soil underneath. As a synecdoche, the sound represents the still available access to nature even through development of the Proctor Creek area. The sound was recorded with a Sony PCM-M10 recorder and an Electro-Voice RE50B omnidirectional dynamic microphone.

Someone running down and back up a flight of stairs wearing rubber soled shoes at a slightly faster than normal speed. The sounds of steps become quieter as the person goes down the stairs and becomes louder again as they come up the stairs. Some echoing of sound due to the openness of the 5 story concrete stairwell. Recorded on a Zoom H1 recorder.

The sound recording is of leather bottom shoes stepping on a wooden dance floor.

Sound recording of a student walking into Stevenson Dining Hall at Oberlin College. Recorded on an iPhone 5. The constant chatter in the background of the audio clip comes from various groups of people wrapped up in their own conversations. The melodic sound of affirmation comes from the meal swipe system used at Oberlin to keep track of each student’s meals. The following “thank you” and “you’re welcome” came from the student entering the cafeteria and the lunch attendant who monitors the entrance to the cafeteria respectively. Following this is the thudding of the student walking up the stairs into the actual dining hall.

Recording of footsteps over freshly-fallen snow, wearing winter boots with sturdy-tread soles. The sidewalk, located in the quiet Park Avenue district of Rochester, was covered with "dry" lake effect snow which fell continuously for approximately six hours prior to the walk, resulting in total snowfall of about six inches. This type of snow falls in broad flakes as large as nickels or quarters, leaving a light, fluffy covering on the ground, as opposed to wet, dense accumulation. There was little to no evidence of previous walkers on this route, which accounts for not only the "crunch" effects, but also the intermittent squeaking.