Nat. Sounds

Nat. Sounds by Tarek El Deeb

Welcome to my mini sound bank of Nat. Sounds!
The description below matches the sequences in which the sounds will be played:

1) Printer-paper being crunched

2) Creaky old door slowly being shut

3) Crunchy and squeaky Almonds chewed

4) Teeth being brushed and scrubbed

5) 2 people scraping last bits of food off plate with forks and spoons

Hip-Hop Is What I Believe in...

Hip-Hop Is What I Believe in... by Tarek El Deeb

"I believe in Music…

I’ve felt this way since I was ‘knee-high’. My mother would tell me I was a quiet kid when I was around guests, but as soon as they were gone, you’d soon find me in the living room playing my dad’s old Jimi-Hendrix and Earth, Wind & Fire Vinyl records. Then along came Hip-Hop and from then onwards…everything changed.

Music as a concept, to quote my dad “is the gateway to the soul, all you have to do is push in that tape and press play” – I never quite understood that till much later on in life but those words echo into my mind whenever I scroll up and down to look for songs on my iPod.

The Hip-Hop instrumental is so rich especially when sampled from old classic Motown records. Mixed with deep bass and punchy Hip-Hop drums the beat ends up giving this smooth rhythm that forces you to tap your feet and bob your head.

I love to ask a lot of questions. Questions that sometimes lead to more questions and for that I eventually found philosophy to be the cornerstone of my daily actions. Although I love to read philosophy, I’m talking about the philosophy found in Hip-Hop lyrics, the meanings behind the rap and the rapper himself. When Indian monks reach a level of meditation they are said to be ‘enlightened’, I feel the very same way when I connect with a song’s meaning.

I believe that Music is the most powerful of all art forms. It’s an abstract entity that can drastically change your mood. It helps me create a bond with my friends when we sing along or dance to it. Sometimes, I like to think that Music can also act as a time machine. Whenever I hear certain songs that have significant meanings attached to them I begin to feel a little nostalgic and immediately go back to where I first heard it. Some songs connect me to places, others to people I hold dear to me.

To simply put it, my day cannot be complete without listening to some of my favorite tracks. For me, music becomes a daily requirement like brushing my teeth, better yet, it’s like breathing! As Hip-Hop legend KRS-One once said, “Rap is something you do…Hip-Hop is something you live” and with that in mind, I’ll go through the rest of my life living Hip-Hop."

Web Sickness (NPR)

Producer/Reporter: Bob Garfield

Length: 3:38

http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2009/11/13/03

Description

Radio host Bob Garfield interviews Carolyn Butler, columnist for The Washington Post, about how Cyberchondria came to be and she discusses her own bout with the dread disease. Cyberchondria refers to the practice of using Internet search engines to wrongly diagnose oneself with serious illnesses.

This feature is different from the WVR (World Vision Report) in the sense that this is a podcast from a talk show and the other is a narrative audio clip. Bearing this in mind, there was no reason of having nat sounds since it’s known to be recorded at a station.

Again, the host was very clear including his guest however there was a small buzzing/fuzzing sound that affected the audio clip’s quality making it very irritating, thus less effective than it could’ve been.

Despite this, I chose this audio clip for a simple reason, it was very interesting. Other than the fact that I was oblivious to the fact that such a term and condition existed, I inevitably find myself among those who practice Cyberchondria.

Breaking The Fast (World Vision Report)

Producer/Reporter: Kira Neel

Length: 3:30

http://www.worldvisionreport.org/Stories/Week-of-September-11-2010/Breaking-the-Fast

Description

It’s a short segment describing the hours before and after Iftar during one of the days of Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt. However it mostly focuses on values, traditions and reasons for Muslims fasting during that month. The segment ends with Neel explaining the transformations the streets of Cairo undergo when they are lit with Ramadan lanterns, decorations and of course Cairo’s “bustling crowds”.

This segment would be ideal and quite interesting for an outsider who is curious to learn about Ramadan, which makes this segment very successful through my eyes.

Other than the fact that Neel is very well spoken in a calming and articulate voice she also uses other techniques to further strengthen her story by using strong Natural (nat) Sound throughout the whole audio clip. For example the segment starts with a prayer calling which she then begins to narrate about Iftar timing.

Although the segment passed the requirements for my assignment, as a person who knows a lot about Ramadan, the audio clip was shorter than expected and could’ve expanded in some areas.

Personally, I feel that Neel should’ve interviewed and added someone who she was talking about (i.e. a random person off the street she was describing) that could’ve added 1st person insight about the true nature of fasting and Ramadan.