At the end of 2016 I happened to be looking for some of the internet sources for sound that I had noticed over the last couple of years. They were scattered in my notes and among my bookmarks so I rounded them up here. I thought I might as well share them.
This short list should be useful for those searching for sources where you can hear things as well as see them. Be warned that some of these resources will not actually provide you with the sound via online streaming; in some instances you will have to visit the library or archive to access the sound. Still, below you will find thousands of speeches, songs and sounds and be able to listen to them.
The list is divided into two sections, one for Human Sounds and one for Sounds from Nature. Researchers who focus on audio and the acoustic could certainly provide you with many more I am sure, but this list should suffice for those who are trying to locate a particular speech or identify the sound of a bird.
Human Sounds
For sources from the United States start first at the Library of Congress where you could end up spending the rest of your life listening. There are many points of entry, but I suggest beginning at the RECORDED SOUND RESEARCH CENTER.
The National Jukebox, For Food for Thought: Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Other National Press Club Luncheon Speakers, 1954-1989, and such things as the: Sports Byline USA Collection :
“Since 1988, the Sports Byline USA radio series has regularly presented interviews with notable figures from the world of sports. To this point, they have aired over 6,400 such interviews with athletes, coaches, trainers, managers, owners, writers and others in the areas of baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, tennis, golf, track and field and other sports. Notable interviewees include John Wooden, Reggie White, Mickey Mantle, Elgin Baylor, Hank Aaron, Oscar Robertson, John Elway, Jose Canseco, Charles Barkley, Mike Krzyzewski, Jimmie Johnson, John Mackey, Archie Griffin, Bonnie Blair, Bill Bradley, Willie Mays, Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, John McEnroe, Natalie Coughlin and Meadowlark Lemon.”
Some Other Suggestions in the U.S.
“The American Archive of Public Broadcasting contains more than 50,000 hours of digitized public broadcasting programs and original materials.”
This very rich site is worth visiting. Unfortunately, however, the content does not appear to be allowed to cross the border into Canada.
G. Robert Vincent Voice Library. Michigan State University Libraries.
“The G. Robert Vincent Voice Library is a collection of over 100,000 hours of spoken word recordings, dating back to 1888. The collection includes the voices of over 500,000 persons from all walks of life.”
This collection is close by in East Lansing so one could visit to listen to material not available online.
Here is a short review of the collection (from Choice, Nov. 2011)
“The G. Robert Vincent Voice Library (VVL) contains more material than any other academic voice library in the US: recordings of speeches, oral history interviews, lectures, and performances from a variety of prominent individuals from the business, political, artistic, athletic, and entertainment fields. Started in 1962 with a donation of 8,000 recordings, by 2000 the library had seen a 20-fold increase. Today it features 40,000-plus hours of spoken word recordings, as the comprehensive About link makes clear. The library, while comprehensive, is not completely accessible online. Copyright restrictions prevent the sharing of many items electronically. Those available online can be found in three browsable collections, which feature speeches from US presidents, oral histories from men and women who worked in the automotive industry, and readings and discussions from Michigan writers. The RealAudio files are relatively clear and easy to access. In addition to accessing the fully available collections, users may search the library's in-house holdings (which include WW II material and many recordings related to the arts) and order them through interlibrary loan. Rudimentary search capabilities allow for searches by keyword, speaker name, call number, and year. Although the inability to access all recordings online is a drawback, it does not diminish the usefulness of the collections that are available.”
For Canada a good place to begin your search is at: Virtual Gramophone: Canadian Historical Sound Recordings which “contains information for 78-rpm and cylinder recordings released in Canada from 1900 to 1950, as well as foreign recordings featuring Canadian artists and/or compositions. Each database record provides information about an original recording, such as its title and performer, relevant dates, and details about the label and disc. As well, “you will find Selected audio recordings are available in mp3 and Real-Audio formats. The recordings include:
First World War era military bands and popular music
Recordings from the vaudeville era of the 1920s
The music and entertainment scene in Quebec in the 1920s and 1930s
Orchestral, instrumental and religious music
Opera recordings by Canadian singers
See also the digital archives of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation which has a useful “On This Day” section which allows you to select videos related to the day you choose.
The National Film Board of Canada site is very useful and if you go to the archival section you can search for films by keyword.
For the United Kingdom go to British Library Sounds which “presents 50,000 recordings and their associated documentation from the Library’s extensive collections of unique sound recordings which come from all over the world and cover the entire range of recorded sound: music, drama and literature, oral history, wildlife and environmental sounds.”
Sounds From Nature
In the U.S. you should go directly to:
The Macaulay Library - The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
This library has expanded and now includes more than bird sounds. It is the largest archive of natural sounds in the world, To learn more see this article from The Cornell Chronicle, Jan. 17, 2013.
The Acoustic Atlas is curated by the Montana State University Library and includes more than 2500 recordings of species and environments from throughout the Western United States. Among the sounds one finds more than a 1000 from birds.
“Through a cooperative project between the Acoustic Atlas and Yellowstone National Park, the growing audio collection aims to create new ways to experience the animals, landscapes and people of the area, by offering a freely accessible online archive of natural sounds, interviews and radio stories focused on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.”
Here you will find a resource that contains approximately 2000 unique recordings of more than 60 species of marine mammals. To learn more see the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
The British Library sound archive is mentioned above. Use this link to go directly to the sounds of the Environment and Nature. Here you will find the British Library Wildlife Recordings.
As an aside, one should appreciate these freely accessible resources. The BBC offers access to 13,000+ nature and animal sound effects for $3,999 US.
Post Script:
I have not looked much for Canadian sound sources, but will note that Canada was an early leader in sound studies thanks to Murray Schafer who is from Sarnia. For additional information see the World Soundscape Project.
For a couple of books about sounds and history see:How Early America Sounded and Listening to Nineteenth Century America.
The usual bonus information:
If you are tired of all the noise that was generated in 2017 and seeking silence then go to the Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park. It is supposed to be the quietest place in the United States. See One Square Inch. (Listen carefully and you will hear the birds).
I have not looked much for Canadian sound sources, but will note that Canada was an early leader in sound studies thanks to Murray Schafer who is from Sarnia. For additional information see the World Soundscape Project.
For a couple of books about sounds and history see:How Early America Sounded and Listening to Nineteenth Century America.
The usual bonus information:
If you are tired of all the noise that was generated in 2017 and seeking silence then go to the Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park. It is supposed to be the quietest place in the United States. See One Square Inch. (Listen carefully and you will hear the birds).
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