Recordings of background atmospheres and incidental noises from all over London. Many form part of a sound grid series recorded at evenly-spaced points across the city, each marking the centre of a square on the map below.
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Above: graphic based on a daytime satellite image courtesy of the Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center. Each red grid square is 2.5 miles or 4 kilometers across.
File name: At St Pancras International
Grid square: Hampstead, Tufnell Park, Camden
Duration: 1:22
Recorded by: Ben Cripps
Recording date: 30 December 2009
Time of day: 5.20pm
Location: First Capital Connect platforms, St Pancras International train station.
Description: A train leaves from the First Capital Connect platforms for Bedford at about 17.20 on 30/12/09 and then various announcements are heard - recording ceases abruptly when your recordist realises that he has 3 minutes to race up three stories to the East Midlands Trains platforms to catch his train ...
Technical guff: Stereo. Olympus LS-10 digital recorder.
Additional notes: None.
File name: Squirrel monkeys London Zoo
Grid square: Hampstead, Camden, Tufnell Park
Duration: 0:35
Recorded by: IM Rawes
Recording date: 2 November 2009
Time of day: 11am
Location: Inside the monkey enclosure at London Zoo, Regent's Park.
Description: Thin, high-pitched squeals of black-capped squirrel monkeys and some rustling sounds as they climb around a bush to get a better look at the recordist.
Technical guff: Head-worn stereo. Sonic Studios DSM-6S/EH mics and PA-3SX preamp, Edirol R09-HR digital recorder.
Additional notes: Top tip nature lovers: to get the attention of a troop of squirrel monkeys, try sticking your tongue out at them.
File name: Reptile house London Zoo
Grid square: Hampstead, Camden, Tufnell Park
Duration: 1:00
Recorded by: IM Rawes
Recording date: 2 November 2009
Time of day: 12 noon
Location: Inside the Reptile House at London Zoo, Regent's Park.
Description: Footsteps and echoing voices of children and adults inside the Reptile House.
Technical guff: Head-worn stereo. Sonic Studios DSM-6S/EH mics and PA-3SX preamp, Edirol R09-HR digital recorder.
Additional notes: None.
File name: Hyacinth macaws London Zoo
Grid square: Hampstead, Camden, Tufnell Park
Duration: 1:11
Recorded by: IM Rawes
Recording date: 2 November 2009
Time of day: 10.30am
Location: By the Parrot House, London Zoo, Regent's Park.
Description: Throaty squawking and croaking of Hyacinth macaws as they clamber around the wire mesh of their aviary. Deeper, echoing calls of unseen macaws from inside a building to the rear of the aviary, and high-pitched trilling of starlings, which have invaded the parrots' home in large numbers.
Technical guff: Head-worn stereo. Sonic Studios DSM-6S/EH mics and PA-3SX preamp, Edirol R09-HR digital recorder.
Additional notes: None.
File name: TQ 2835 8447
Grid square: Hampstead, Tufnell Park, Camden
Duration: 1:00
Recorded by: IM Rawes
Recording date: 17 February 2009
Time of day: 2.30pm
Location: OS reference TQ 2835 8447. Behind Hardington Flats at top of Belmont Street.
Description: Distant traffic, a warehouse door slams, pigeons cooing, a phone rings in a nearby flat.
Technical guff: Head-worn stereo. 2 x Shure WL-183 mics. Olympus LS-10 digital recorder.
Additional notes: None.
Sound map recordings fall into two kinds, shown by the filenames they're given.
A sound grid recording has a filename beginning with the letters 'TQ', followed by eight digits. These are the Ordnance Survey co-ordinates for where the recording ought to be made. Each is part of a regularly-spaced series of recordings covering London. More about them, including graphics showing the resulting city-wide patterns of sounds, can be found on this page.
Other recordings have more descriptive filenames and these are simply of curious or distinctive sounds heard in different places.
