Response To Readings.docx

Chion describes the different ways that people listen to their sonic environment. Describe each of these modes and explain his argument. Is he calling for us to listen in a particular way - explain. After reading Recording and Producing Audio for Media (chapter 1), how do you think the science of sound and hearing relates to Chion's three listening modes? How might understanding these two articles make us better media producers? In The Three Modes of Listening, Michael Chion (1994) describes three ways that humans perceive and interpret sound. The first mode is causal listening: upon hearing a sound, we perceive it as dependent or inseparable from its cause or source. The next is semantic listening, which relates to hearing sounds as part of a system of communication, such as spoken language or Morse code. Finally, there is reduced listening, which describes listening to sounds purely for their acoustic qualities, without particular regard for its source or message. Though he explains the nuances of each listening mode, the focus of his writing is on the underutilised but highly useful mode of reduced listening. Chion argues that reduced listening has the advantage of “opening up our ears and sharpening our power of listening” (p. 4). However, Chion laments that the existing language—both the everyday and the specialised— are “totally inadequate” in effectively describing acoustic qualities when practicing reduced listening. Alten’s Recording and Producing for Media (2011, ch. 1), on the other hand, serves as a counterpoint to Chion’s critique of the lack of effective language to describe sound. Beginning from an introduction of the physical nature of sound, the chapter gives a detailed technical overview of the production, dispersion, and reception of sound, serving as a demonstration of the array of acoustics terminology available. Furthermore, Alten writes on safety and consequences of listening, alluding to our responsibilities as both consumers and producers of acoustic media. As media producers, we should have an understanding of both the art and science of our medium, which these two sources help us build. Firstly, Chion presents ideas about the influence of context and source on the reception and response to sound. From this, we, as media producers, can infer a mode of audio-making that first considers the emotional response we aim to elicit from our audience before beginning to produce the media, thus working with a specific listening mode in mind. Additionally, we can also consider, specifically, the merits of reduced listening, and how we can utilise our media-making to investigate and ask questions about the inherent qualities of sound, irrespective of source or message. Alternately, Alten provides us with a comprehensive background on technical qualities and aspects of sound, allowing us to have a greater understanding of the tools and techniques at our disposal in the process of sound engineering. From this, we would able to exercise control over specific technical details such as dynamic range and sound envelope in order to control perceived subjective qualities such as timbre and pleasantness.

In their works, Chion and Alten present alternate but equally useful aspects of sound production and reception—respectively, the art and the science—which are both highly valuable to us as media consumers and makers.

References Alten, Stanley R. (2011). Recording and producing for media. Course Technology. Chion, Michael. (1994). The three modes of listening. Retrieved January 12, 2019, from http://layoftheland.net/archive/art4639-2013/weeks1-5/three_modes_of_listening.pdf