Beyond the Frame 66/
Seeking the sound of silence. Plus audio adventures beside crying glaciers in the Swiss Alps to menacing Manhattan street crossings via Nepal, Sri Lanka, and a magical Italian stream.
The Sound of Silence
How far would you go to find silence?
In our modern world, sound wraps around us night and day. The hum of traffic, the buzz of refrigerators and air conditioners, aircraft overhead, delivery scooters below, barking dogs, construction drills, supermarket scanners, a neighbour’s Korean soap opera filtering through the wall, and the inescapable beep of every gadget and appliance known to man.
Perhaps it’s no wonder that some people choose to play music and watch videos on their phones without the consideration of using headphones. When the invasive sounds of everyday life are so inescapable, what’s one more uninvited, intrusive noise?
Well, it’s one noise too many, that’s what it is. And when my time as President finally arrives, the penalty for such antisocial behaviour will not be gentle.
So how far would you go to be assured of silence?
Would you perhaps go as far as the Morteratsch Glacier, high in the Swiss Alps?
Above the treeline, where the air grows thin, we might reasonably expect to escape the endless din? 1
Well, yes. And also no.
The Crying Glacier
Sound artist Ludwig Berger has been recording the sounds of the Morteratsch Glacier for ten years. Microphones dropped deep into the heart of the ice reveal a constant and bewildering mix of pops, gurgles, creaks, and ghostly groans.
At first, the sounds are mystifying, then hypnotic. And then we learn that this unusual music is created by melting ice releasing pockets of air that have been trapped for hundreds or thousands of years.
“The more alive the glacier sounds, the more the glacier is actually dying.”
– Ludwig Berger
Here’s a short clip of a track from Berger’s Crying Glacier album, which you can get from Bandcamp.
Listen to this and tell me it’s not actually a Radiohead deep cut!
The sounds of the crying glacier are simultaneously enchanting and heartbreaking. It’s incredible to hear such sounds from a place where we might expect to find only silence. Then, quickly, it’s sobering to realise that each sound is truly unique. No pop or gurgle can ever be repeated as the glacier slowly but ever so surely slips away.
We might listen to a few minutes of the glacier crying before being distracted by something more immediately pressing but those noises continue, night and day, month after month, right now, as you’re reading this. Until one day, who knows when, but sooner than we might hope, they will cease forever.
Sound recordings
I hope that’s cheered you up! If not, allow me to distract you with some other sounds.
If you watched Ludwig Berger’s YouTube video (above), you will have seen some impressive audio equipment. I really need some of those waterproof microphones.
I like to record audio clips on my travels but my own recording setup is much more modest. Mostly, my recordings are for my own entertainment and I have built a collection of several hundred audio clips, which serve as a kind of audio diary.
Audio Recorders
For many years I used a chunky Zoom H4n, which has many more features than I’ve ever needed. It has XY microphones that twist to pick up sounds from different directions. It also boasts two XLR jacks, which I’ve used to attach lav mics for interviews.
Recently, I switched to a smaller, lighter Zoom H1n, which doesn’t have so many bells and whistles but has the benefit of being small enough to carry in a pocket, so it’s more readily available.
I’ve picked a small and random collection of clips to share.
Sri Lanka
Shortly after sunrise, on the train from Colombo to Kandy in Sri Lanka. The sound of the rails is guaranteed to send me to sleep.
At a station near Badulla, three schoolboys race down the tracks.
Nepal
In Boudha, near Kathmandu, another memorable early-morning experience. Buddhist monks perform their daily puja, with chanting, cymbals, dungchen horns, and drums.
The Walk Sign is On
This is one of my favourite audio clips. It’s the sound of an alert at a pedestrian crossing in Manhattan. That accent could only be from New York and, to my uneducated ear, sounds like it was recorded by a friend of Tony Soprano.
“Walk sign is on to cross Park Avenue.
Sure, go ahead, cross the street, but don’t make me come after ya!”
Tom’s Diner
Staying in Manhattan, this is a short clip from Tom’s Diner, of Seinfeld fame and also the location of the Suzanne Vega song of the same name.
Mongolian Serenade
My time with Mongolian nomads was busier than one might expect. Waking before sunrise, milking goats and counting sheep in the morning, mares’ milk for lunch, rounding-up horses and churning butter in the afternoons, mutton and fermented mares’ milk for dinner, storytelling and singing inside the ger (yurt) in the evenings.
I eventually discovered that the fermented mares’ milk (airag) is not as favoured by Mongolian nomads as Russian vodka. Having tasted both, I concur with their preference. More unexpected was finding out just how much Russian vodka a family of hard-working nomads can down in one evening. Every evening.
Here I am, the morning after the night before, able to stand only with the support of my new-found ‘brothers’, and still clutching a bottle. Doctors say my liver will never fully recover.
A magical Italian stream
I’ll conclude with one of the most relaxing sounds. This is the gentle, laughing gurgle of a stream beside the Via Francigena pilgrims’ path, a few days’ north of Rome.
I was walking the path for a magazine assignment, which was great, except it was stupidly hot and my progress was slowed by the constant need to set up a camera on a tripod and then try to catch myself in the frame. More sensible photographers employ assistants.
If you’ve ever walked for more miles than is sensible on a very hot day, you might know the profound delight of finding a cool forest stream in which to soak your weary, blistered feet.
This is the sound of such a stream. I doubt I will ever find a more refreshing place to rest.
Thoughts?
Do you record audio clips? If so, what’s your favourite?
I will sometimes use my phone, at a push, although I’m usually carrying the little Zoom recorder. The quality of the recordings is excellent.
I use these recording settings, following the advice of a radio producer colleague:
Format: WAV, 24-bit/48kHz
Limiter: On (prevents peaks)
Low Cut Pass: 80 Hz (Cuts out the worst of wind noise)
Auto Level: Off. I find the auto-level can pump up background noise.
I always attach a dead cat2, which I believe is the technical term for the furry bobble thing that acts as a wind shield. I really hope that’s what it’s called in the audio production business because for many years I’ve been telling people that I always carry a dead cat in my camera bag. 😬
If you have any top tips for audio recording, please share them. It’s not my area of expertise and I’m always happy to learn.
Women’s Euros 2025
Finally, a tiny diversion. Congratulations to the England Women’s football team, recently crowned champions in a nail-biting final.
I’m still watching the after-match celebrations as I write this. The England team are, understandably, euphoric.
After holding a dominant Spain team to a 1–1 draw after extra time, we had the less-than-satisfactory-but-unavoidable penalty kick decider. For the benefit of my transatlantic friends who erroneously think football is played with an oval ball, a penalty kick is when a solitary player faces the opposing team’s goalkeeper in a gladiatorial battle of skill and mental will. One kick, one dive with outstretched arms. A moment later, one team is celebrating, the other overwhelmed with crushing disappointment.
The Women’s Euro Championships took place over the last month in Switzerland and I was able to get tickets for matches in Geneva, including England’s narrow semi-final victory over Italy. Here are a couple of quick clips from the England stand.
It’s been an excellent tournament. Nearly two-thirds of a million seats have been taken at 31 matches across the country. Swiss hospitality has been much in evidence and the atmosphere has been warm and friendly. You see a lot more families with small kids at women’s football matches and fans’ singing is much more harmonious – and less sweary – than at men’s matches!
If we’re going to have contests between nations, as it seems we must, I vote for women’s football.
Kodachrome - Coming soon
This week I will be announcing the release date for my much-anticipated (and long overdue) new Kodachrome emulation for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.
Paid subscribers will find a discount code in their newsletters.
Founder members will be able to download the pack for free.
Regular readers will be able to download the new pack a week or two later.
To maximise your benefits, this would be the perfect time to become a paid subscriber.
Don Don Donki
I shall leave you with this audio clip, which my German friends would describe as an Ohrwurm.
This is the never-ending, endlessly-looping song that plays in the maze-like Don Don Donki emporium in Bangkok and other Asian cities.
I’m sharing this in honour of Mrs G. This is her favourite song.
Rumours that video footage exists of Mrs G doing the Don Don Donki dance should not be believed. And even if such footage did exist, sharing it would result in my swift and painful demise. Of that I have been unequivocally assured!
Until next time, go well.
Directory: Beyond the Frame newsletter archive.
Resources: Recommended books, films, gear, media etc.
Beyond the Frame 65/
B-Sides and Rarities. Previously unseen photographic outtakes and why they still sing.
I am a poet yet I didn’t know it.
Now I have read and listened to the rest of the article, fantastic work. I now have something to put on my birthday list.
The bit about the crying glacier reminded me of Lisa Baril's new-ish book, The Age of Melt.