The Final Frontier Episode

Hello and welcome to the final episode of Threshold Shift. I am your host, Nicole Martin. You have allowed us to take you around the globe across four continents and to the dark waters of the Arctic; from tiny Yellow Island in the San Juans all the way to Papua New Guinea and beyond Madagascar to the Central African Republic and Panama, for which I thank you sincerely.

I've decided that our last selection will simply be a cricket. Why a cricket? Well, this little crooner was singing its heart out one morning last summer and it struck me;  how often do you get the chance to hear one cricket? Later as I was studying the spectral graph of the song, and bemoaning the amount of handling noise created by myself, I realized that despite my fancy gear and high recording resolution, this one insect was crafting a concerto or perhaps some haikus. It had tones well above my recorder's ability to capture. The volume changes of single chirps made visual spirals, and I could see the time signature of its rhythms...the precision of which may have been dictated by the spacing of ridges on its legs. Microdistances measured in musical time. A sonic portrait. It struck me yet again that nature will forever be a source of inspiration and connection if we, as a species, remember it can speak to and through us. As humans, imperfect though we are, we always have the privilege, potential, even responsibility to amplify unheard voices. We are the notekeepers, the documenters, the recorders. So often, we claim to decide what is worth keeping, how it should be remembered. So often, we forget we aren't alone on this planet. There are billions living here with us, and we all have a part in the chorus. There is always the chance to find the miraculous in every voice, like I found in this cricket's, if just we take a moment to stop...and listen. 

Selection from a Soloist Cricket, Carmine Valley, Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA

Recording Purpose:  Field Practice, 2016 Cornell Field Recording Workshop

Recording Date: June 11, 2016 approximately 7:00 AM

Recorded By: Nicole Martin

Recording Gear:  Sound Devices 702, Talinga with a 24' parabola & omni-directional microphone

Again that was a cricket in summer. I wish to thank everyone who made this possible at KBOO. My residency guides: Erin Yanke, Jon Wolhfert, and Jenna Yokoyama as well as Derric Crooks and Mic Crenshaw for the air time. A special thank you to Jenka for answering endless web development questions. I would also like to thank once again all of the recordists and curators who submitted work for the project: Maggie Dubris, Mark Vaughn, Vernal Pool, Dwight Porter, Ashakur Rahaman, Bill McQuay, Laurel Symes, Hannah ter Hofsteade, Ben Mirin, Phil Green, Farhad Shah-Hooseini, Dr. Jacob Job, Mike Fitzgerald, and Jane Tigar. Thank you to Greg, Greg, Randy, Bill, Ashik, and Nancy for teaching me and connecting me with so many amazing people through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology field recording program in 2016 and providing some sunlight for the buried seeds of this project. A special thanks to Aaron Geiger for being my fan club president and to all who have supported and encouraged my sonic explorations through the years. And mostly, a sincere thank you to everyone who is listening right now. It truly takes a village and I appreciate each and every one of you. As a way to continue these adventures, please join me at KBOO studios on Monday, November 6 from 630-800 PM for the Threshold Shift wrap party. We'll have a meet and greet, light refreshments, and make plans for a Portland-based Listening Lounge...a city-roving audio lovers potluck and workshop Thanks, again, for listening. Threshold Shift is a KBOO 90.7 FM Sound Artist in Residency project archived and streaming online at kboo.fm.