Location. This soundscape was recorded at 10pm on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023, while sitting on one of the couches towards the center of the seating area inside The Hub on the Claremont McKenna campus. At this time, it was quite busy in The Hub, so there were many students chatting and ordering food for themselves.
About the soundscape. This soundscape clearly demonstrates the bustling life, and the endless flow of thoughts and ideas that pass between students in the non-classroom, communal settings of the Claremont Colleges – especially those that involve food and game! I was intrigued by the soundscape in The Hub because of the many layers of sounds that seem to fill the room, particularly during the nighttime hours when it was quite busy and crowded. As such, the primary keynote of this space that can be heard is the previously described verbally-constructed wall of conversation that serves to completely engulf the space. There is also clear signal voice that stands out against the underlying keynote sounds, which is the relatively deep voice of a friend saying “Will do, thanks!” right at the beginning of the recording, indicating that he was sitting much closer to the recording device. Later on in the recording, there are a number of sounds that can be heard that serve as both soundmarks and signals in the soundscape, including the slightly more sustained sound of a buzzing culinary machine and the telltale signs of two billiards balls striking each other very clearly. I do believe that some of these soundmarks are common across the lounge and dining areas at the Claremont Colleges (that is, lounges like Walker and Blaisdell also have pool tables), but The Hub is unique in that it brings together both the recreational and the dining aspect of the Claremont Colleges.
Recording setup. I used a TASCAM DR-40 Sound Recorder to record this sound. The device was sitting upright (microphone pointed up and out) on one of The Hub couches.
Keywords. Crowd noise, cooking, games
