LibriVox

Cori

WHAT IS IT? pdsounds is like LibriVox for audio-other-than-text. Go there to find recordings of babies sneezing, cats purring and fireworks exploding. It's all dedicated to the public domain, and therefore is available for people to use in all sorts of ways. Sounds from there make regular appearances in my LibriVox Community Podcasts, for example!

TAKE THE PDSOUNDS CHALLENGE!

A database of sounds is only as good as the sounds it contains. It needs more. LibriVoxers, by definition, tend to be audio-aware people, and many have microphones that could be turned away from the reader briefly to catch another noise. Or just upload your yawns, giggles and coughs as you snip them out of recordings!

BRONZE LEVEL: pledge to contribute one recording during May to pdsounds. Most files there are short (5-30 seconds) and are simple sounds. Every LibriVoxer with a microphone could do this. There is no sound too mundane!

SILVER LEVEL: pledge to contribute one recording a week. Come ON, the moment a yappy dog or low-flying plane interrupts your chapter, that's your week's contribution recorded!

GOLD LEVEL: aiming to upload a sound a day!

Uploading requires MP3 format, just like LibriVox, though you can choose your bitrate and mono/stereo ... and you can enter the ID3 tags after uploading, even!

To upload sounds:
1) create a pdsounds account. It'd be cool if you used your LibriVox username, so we know each other, but that's up to you!! It's just as easy as creating an account here, though!
2) log in. (I know, it sounds obvious ... )
3) browse to the file on your computer and upload it. EVEN EASIER than the librivox uploader (no password!)
4) tag / label / give information about the file. what it really is, what it could be, how or when you recorded it -- whatever you like.
5) come and post here, just for the fun of it!

WHAT ELSE?

How about a theme of the week, which I'll post here every Thursday. Your recordings aren't limited by the theme in any way, but if you can't think of anything to point your microphone at, this might give you some ideas!

WHEN???

Starting this Thursday, May 1st, and runnning right up to the 31st!

So ... who's game? who'll play along -- and what level will you aim at..? Me, I'm going for gold. Can't be that hard, right?! Sign up, and sound off!
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Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing: Aristotle. . . My Saying--Doing--Being

Stephan · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:27 am Post subject:

Yay. I go for gold.

I already grazed most of my household surroundings, but i always wanted to go for some on this inspiratonal list. http://www.epicsound.com/sfx/
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hugh · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:45 am Post subject:

special accolades go to those who can produce a PD recording of a whale song.
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kayray · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 1:13 am Post subject:

Ooooo what fun! I think I can supply "yodeling cat".
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Kara
http://kayray.org/
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"Mary wished to say something very sensible into her USB MacMice MicFlex, but knew not how." -- Jane Austen (& Kara)

chocoholic · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 1:26 am Post subject:

It seems that there used to be some radio contest where people would try to identify a sound -- maybe that was just a local station. Stuff like two coat hangers tapping together. I'm making that up but you get the drift. That would be kind of fun (though perhaps not very useful for pdsounds, lol).

I've probably cut 15 min of baby babbling out of my solo so far, so that noise shouldn't be a problem. "Creaky wooden swivel chair" and "icemaker" will be easy; and soon "construction noise" followed by "homeowner gnashing teeth at monstrosity being erected next door" should be available.
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Laurie Anne

Cori · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 7:29 am Post subject:

Baby babbling is SO cute, Laurie Anne ... there's *always* room in the world for more of that. And how cool if the babies come from different countries, too ... we can perhaps hear at what point they start picking up their accents. Very Happy

As for the sound guessing -- that's definitely something people will be able to do *with* pdsounds ... though it's more useful for us to tell people what stuff really is, and not make them listen & guess. Could be a neat podcast game, though ...

I'm in for the Yodeling Cat collection too, Kara Laughing

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Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing: Aristotle. . . My Saying--Doing--Being

russiandoll · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:11 am Post subject:

What a great idea! I'd never heard of the site, but I just took a quick look round and I notice there are quite a few familiar Librivox names among the contributors already. I don't think I can manage gold but maybe I can aim at some kind of silver-plus level... Smile

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English is the lingua franca par excellence

Jc · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 3:51 pm Post subject:

ezwa · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:19 pm Post subject:

alana · Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 402 Location: Missouri

Ok, I pledge to make at least one pd sound in May.

Alana

chocoholic · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:06 pm Post subject:

Did someone say "mundane sounds"? Smile

Pouring myself a bowl of cereal (shredded wheat):
http://www.pdsounds.org/audio/play/501/cereal_shredded_wheat.mp3

And just to up my count, plus I was hungry -- raisin bran too:
http://www.pdsounds.org/audio/play/502/cereal_raisinbran.mp3
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Laurie Anne

russiandoll · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 9:08 pm Post subject:

You're very conscientious, Laurie Anne, rolling the plastic inner bags down when you've finished. I usually can't be bothered, and then end up eating slightly stale bran flakes. Rolling Eyes

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English is the lingua franca par excellence

Stephan · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 11:46 pm Post subject:

Tomorrow won't be tough - Visiting a kids playground with my son. Smile

Or i rummage the basement again - last time that was VERY fruitfull place for sounds.

The help section of pdsounds is mostly restored now from whatever happened to it. Phew!

I am very very thankfull of all of you who help pdsounds with activity.
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ceastman · Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 12:36 am Post subject:

Oh, excellent. I'll definitely do bronze (a meow, which I already have as a file), and try for silver. Great idea, Cori!

-Catharine
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Catharine's Librivox Stuff - Catharine's blog

PaulW · Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 3:13 am Post subject:

If we get some rain (which I devoutly hope we do) I'll submit "Rain on a metal roof".
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Paul
DPL: Brigands of the Moon; Brain Twister