REQ: Rabbit Ears Audio Port of Call

REA_018 is another collaboration with Game Audio Director Rob Bridgett. Port of Call is a unique collection of industrial ambiences. Shipping ports are one of my white whales. Getting access to any port of entry with recording equipment is a tall order.

St. John’s, Newfoundland has an very active port, and is accessible if you know the right Canadians. Large and small industrial tankers come from the Atlantic into St. John’s harbor. The harbor’s large cove makes it an ideal location for recording. The surrounding hillsides provide great distant perspectives, and close access to shipping containers provide great industrial strength banging.

One of the features of this library is the collection of ship compressor horns. Every two years the harbor is blasted by the sounds of coordinated (scored) compressor ship horns of the Sound Symposium Harbor Symphony. There’s a staggering 100 plus takes of all sorts of compressor horn madness.

The library consists of three main parts:

Distant Ambiences (quad and stereo): Recordings from various perspectives around the docks. Rabbit Ears was able to get a number of unique perspectives from various elevations because of the protected nature of the cove surrounding the docks.