FAQS: Exhibits Unit
How did you record the sounds for the galleries?
Robert Kreba, the RSM’s sound recording specialist, spent four consecutive summers travelling around Saskatchewan and capturing the sounds that you hear in the Life Sciences Gallery. To get the best recordings possible in the field, Robert used a Neuman stereo microphone, a highly specialized piece of equipment ordered directly from Germany, and a portable Sony DAT recorder.
It was tricky work, not just to track down the necessary bird songs and other effects but also to get a clear recording without interruption by other noises. The microphone was extremely sensitive, and picked up everything from leaves rustling to bees buzzing within a half-kilometer radius of where he was standing! This meant he had to get out into the field by 4:00 am before the wind picked up, before many insects were active, and before people were using their motor boats and vehicles.
After the fieldwork was done, hundreds of hours of tape were taken to a sound studio in Regina, where a stereo background track of ambient noises was painstakingly mixed together for each diorama. This included sounds like birds in the distance, wind in the trees, and perhaps thunder from an approaching storm. To make the soundscape more three-dimensional, speakers were buried and disguised throughout the dioramas. Triggered by motion sensors, a computer plays recordings of specific bird songs or other noises from these hidden speakers, making the sounds appear to come from animals displayed in the exhibit.
Similar fieldwork was done to create the soundtrack for the St. Victor’s petroglyphs exhibit in the First Nations Gallery. The music in this gallery was provided by Saskatchewan First Nations drummers and singers. Voice-overs and dialogue for the exhibits were recorded by actors and voicing artists in a sound studio.
The Earth Sciences Gallery presented different challenges for Robert, since the prehistoric dioramas required sounds of ancient birds and underwater creatures. To give visitors a sense of being under the sea in the mosasaur exhibit, Robert ran a microphone (with a bag over it) under a tap, and adjusted the sound in a studio to create a deep rumbling background noise. By slowing down recordings of bird songs and playing them backwards, he created unrecognizable whale-like noises. Together, these sounds produce an eerie underwater atmosphere that works perfectly with the visual illusions created by exhibits specialists. He took a similar approach for the mastadon exhibit, by playing the songs of African birds backwards so they would not sound like any bird living today. The grunting noises from the mastadon are actually a man’s voice played backwards at a reduced rate of speed!
For further information contact the Exhibits Unit
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