A Brave New World
As referenced many a post ago, I am now one of the proud, the bold, the many - the iPod owners.
I still feel fairly new to this whole iPod gig and I have to say, it's a totally different world under those headphones. Now, I know many people who made the transition from CD player to iPod. I figure for them, it was probably a very easy transition because they were used to being buried in their world of music. I, on the other hand, am a hellish curse on portable CD players and have never had one last for more than 3 months. After years of buying them, I said fuck this shit and have been musicless ever since. Point being, I'm used to the noises of the city. I have a very well tuned city ear.
I know which direction the bus is coming, without even looking. I know approximately how far away someone is by the sound of their steps. I know the sound of wind and of traffic and of many things. I am used to these sounds and, call me crazy, but I love them. Ambient noise is awesome, it's the city's own soundtrack.
When I was in video production, this one girl did a trip on MUNI for her final project. She taped the trip on the 33 from the Mission to right when it turns on to Twin Peaks. The first cut she showed in class was awesome. She took the video and sped it up or slowed it down depending on the action. People boarding the bus - super fast. The bus turning on to Twin Peaks when you see the awesome view of downtown - super slow. Anyway, since this was first cut, she hadn't worked on the sound at all. Therefore, when she altered the speed of the video, though she had turned the sound down, you could still hear it a little and it was a great sonic backdrop to the visuals. Honestly, I was fucking amazed when I saw this video. Not just because the girl was an untalented retard who had produced crap thus far, but also because this was first cut and it was astonishingly beautiful. Long story short, Chickeepoo added a soundtrack and tweaked it here and tweaked it there and we didn't see it as a class until it was presented to the whole world at the University showcase. And it sucked. Once she added the music and took away the ambient sounds it was a totally different movie and not any better for it.
Her movie had a simple, serene quality to it which was amplified by the subtle background noise, naturally matching every movement on screen. When she added the music and edited it, the movie took on the quality of a crappy college level amateur attempt at video. What a shame.
So, this is what I'm getting at: my life has really changed since getting the iPod. The world is very different with a musical soundtrack. It's quite odd to me that the bus just shows up, usually I've heard it since it was several blocks away. Also, people don't ever talk to you (THIS is a pro though.) And, I'm finding I read less. It's just so easy to be all, no, I'm sleepy, I'll just space out and listen to music on the way home. I know, I know...no one is *making* me listen to the iPod. I could walk without it, I could choose to read. And I do. I like to mix and match, depending on my mood. It's just really struck me how different things seem when you change the soundtrack to them.
Oh, and if you were curious, I'm actually not listening to my iPod as I write this. But that's only because my coworker is blasting her crappy Coldplayesq music and you just can't win the battle. Not with those tiny little ear buds, anyway...
I still feel fairly new to this whole iPod gig and I have to say, it's a totally different world under those headphones. Now, I know many people who made the transition from CD player to iPod. I figure for them, it was probably a very easy transition because they were used to being buried in their world of music. I, on the other hand, am a hellish curse on portable CD players and have never had one last for more than 3 months. After years of buying them, I said fuck this shit and have been musicless ever since. Point being, I'm used to the noises of the city. I have a very well tuned city ear.
I know which direction the bus is coming, without even looking. I know approximately how far away someone is by the sound of their steps. I know the sound of wind and of traffic and of many things. I am used to these sounds and, call me crazy, but I love them. Ambient noise is awesome, it's the city's own soundtrack.
When I was in video production, this one girl did a trip on MUNI for her final project. She taped the trip on the 33 from the Mission to right when it turns on to Twin Peaks. The first cut she showed in class was awesome. She took the video and sped it up or slowed it down depending on the action. People boarding the bus - super fast. The bus turning on to Twin Peaks when you see the awesome view of downtown - super slow. Anyway, since this was first cut, she hadn't worked on the sound at all. Therefore, when she altered the speed of the video, though she had turned the sound down, you could still hear it a little and it was a great sonic backdrop to the visuals. Honestly, I was fucking amazed when I saw this video. Not just because the girl was an untalented retard who had produced crap thus far, but also because this was first cut and it was astonishingly beautiful. Long story short, Chickeepoo added a soundtrack and tweaked it here and tweaked it there and we didn't see it as a class until it was presented to the whole world at the University showcase. And it sucked. Once she added the music and took away the ambient sounds it was a totally different movie and not any better for it.
Her movie had a simple, serene quality to it which was amplified by the subtle background noise, naturally matching every movement on screen. When she added the music and edited it, the movie took on the quality of a crappy college level amateur attempt at video. What a shame.
So, this is what I'm getting at: my life has really changed since getting the iPod. The world is very different with a musical soundtrack. It's quite odd to me that the bus just shows up, usually I've heard it since it was several blocks away. Also, people don't ever talk to you (THIS is a pro though.) And, I'm finding I read less. It's just so easy to be all, no, I'm sleepy, I'll just space out and listen to music on the way home. I know, I know...no one is *making* me listen to the iPod. I could walk without it, I could choose to read. And I do. I like to mix and match, depending on my mood. It's just really struck me how different things seem when you change the soundtrack to them.
Oh, and if you were curious, I'm actually not listening to my iPod as I write this. But that's only because my coworker is blasting her crappy Coldplayesq music and you just can't win the battle. Not with those tiny little ear buds, anyway...
posted by La Doña at 4:48 PM
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