Hear. Here. Singapore.

One of my favourite highlights at a Chinese Wedding Reception in Singapore is the Yum Seng, a toast to the newlyweds where going LOUD and LONG is great. If you've never been to a Chinese Wedding Reception, I'll give you a 3-item checklist on what you need to bring.  Special thanks to Brendan and Junita for letting me record their Yun Seng, and to Jon Tee, the emcee who organised getting me into th...

Has the search for the perfect sound spa for the ears finally found a winner? I visit Bukit Timah Railway Station, part of the Rail Corridor, and if you walk 500m from the road, you'll find yourself in tropical forest, teeming with activity, yet also soothing and peaceful.  NParks - Bukit Timah Railway Station NParks - Rail Corridor URA - Rail Corridor Bukit Timah Railway Station - Wikipedia hear....

I explore a park that's right in the city, with a major expressway running along its western perimeter. It would seem a foregone conclusion that traffic noise bleeds into the park, and while that does happen, you don't notice it as much after a few minutes, because it's an oasis the the middle of downtown busyness. Listen as we wander around Pearl's Hill City Park Pearl's Hill City Park - NParks P...

Singapore has Four National Taps when it comes to water sources, and the cheapest is local catchment water, i.e. natural rainfall. Rain water is carefully diverted into the reservoirs around Singapore, and in the east, the biggest is at Bedok Reservoir. With a maximum depth of 18m and a shoreline of 4.3km, it's capable of holding 12.8 million m³ of water. It also holds dark secrets... *Trigger War...

Covering 18 hectares in the heart of the downtown core, Fort Canning Park is an unlikely candidate for a quiet spot to relax, but the trees do an admirable job of blocking traffic noise. While wandering in the area behind Fort Canning Centre, I had a fortuitous meeting with a stranger who shared a secret of where to find an oasis in the city.  Official Website of Fort Canning Park Visit Singapore...

In this ep, I visit a 132 year old cemetery surrounded on all sides by residential housing. The Japanese Cemetery Park in Hougang is a gazetted memorial park and offers a sound spa for your ears, as the houses form a sound barrier around the 30,000 sqm cemetery. It's the biggest Japanese cemetery in SE Asia, open every day from 7am - 7pm.  Official Website of Japanese Cemetery Park Visit Singapore...

Every Chinese New Year, lion dances take place all over the island in the 2 week festive season that starts every CNY. On Day 5, I was in Plaza Singapura on Orchard Road, and one troupe performed for hours as they performed the ceremonial dance to bless various outlets. Listen out for the cries of "Huat Ah!" at the end, which means "Bless Me with Prosperity". I do wish the troupes would invest in...

Walla is the buzz of voices created by Hollywood sound designers so a nice sonic atmos can be added to a scene where the extras had to be silent. It got me thinking - how does walla made by Oscar-winning sound designers compared when played back-to-back against actual ambiences recorded in Singapore?  hear.hear.singapore #binaural #binauralrecording #3Dsound #3Dio #zoomf3 #sonypcmd10 #singapore #s...

Asian horror films like Ringgu, The Eye and Shutter revolutionized the genre, with Hollywood studios remaking these classics for English audiences. One common trope is cemeteries, which made me think: what does an actual Asian cemetery sound like? I went over to the cemeteries at Chua Chu Kang at midnight... and managed to come back out with a tale that will chill you to the bone! Burial, Crematio...

The landmark of the historic Kampong Glam Malay Heritage District is Sultan Mosque that dates back to 1824. It was the first mosque in the world to use a microphone & loudspeaker system to amplify the recital, and because of its historical and cultural importance, the mosque was gazetted as a national monument in 1975. This episode features Fajr , the first call to prayer of the day, recorded...

In 2019, Changi Airport handled over 1,000 flights a day, which meant a take off or landing every 83 seconds. Then the pandemic took a heavy toll on the aviation industry, and Changi was reduced that to just 80 flights a flight, many of those carrying cargo. Air traffic is now back to 2/3 of what it was and climbing, and I head out to record the engine's roar at lift-off from the flight path from...

One of the best open spaces you can enjoy are museums, many in classic older buildings. Singapore Art Museum's 2 buildings in the downtown core are renovating, so they're over at Tanjong Pagar Distripark. The best exhibit for audiophiles is "Bergama Stereo in Singapore" by Turkish visual artist Cevdet Erek, part of Singapore Biennale. Be prepared to by hypnotized by this amazing installation Singa...

The last of my series of soundscapes for the venues for Singapore International Festival of Arts 2022 is for Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall.  Commissioned by Arts House Limited for the Singapore International Festival of Arts. First Presented at Life Profusion: +READ as part of Singapore International Festival of Arts 2022   #binaural #binauralrecording #3Dsound #3Dio #sounddevices #mixpre6ii...

I was commissioned by Arts House Limited to create soundscapes for 6 of the venues used for Singapore International Festival of Arts. This is for Goodman Arts Venue, which had an opening air performance space, and features the empty space as the crews came in to set up, and concluding with the opening night. Commissioned by Arts House Limited for the Singapore International Festival of Arts. First...

The 2022 Singapore International Festival of Arts marked the first major festival in Singapore since the relaxation of Covid-19 safety measures. I was commissioned by Arts House Limited to create soundscapes for 6 of the venues as they came back to life, and this episode features Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, Singapore's premier performance venue. There's a gorgeous concert hall and a world-cla...

With the relaxation of Covid-19 safety measures in Singapore in April 2022, Singapore International Festival of Arts 2022 would be the first festival to take place. I was commissioned by Arts House Limited to create soundscapes for 6 of the venues as they came back to life; this soundscape was for Aliwal Arts Centre. Commissioned by Arts House Limited for the Singapore International Festival of Ar...

The Arts House at The Old Parliament was one of the venues for Singapore International Festival of Arts 2022, the first festival since the relaxation of Covid-19 safety measures. I visited as the crews were setting up in this iconic landmark and again on opening night for a show that moved to several locations within the building.  Commissioned by Arts House Limited for the Singapore International...

The pandemic closed and constrained Singapore's performing spaces for 2 years. The 2022 Singapore International Festival of Arts marked the first major festival in Singapore since the relaxation of Covid-19 safety measures. I was commissioned by Arts House Limited to create soundscapes for 6 of the venues as they came back to life, each time starting with the empty space as the crews came in to se...

22km from the city centre, on a quiet hill, lie the remains for over 4,400 who died in the line of duty during World War II. The Singapore Memorial bears the names of 24,346 soldiers and airmen killed in SE Asia, who have no known grave. The Kranji War Memorial reminds us that modern and prosperous Singapore owes a debt to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.  Visit Singapore   Commonwealth War...

Not all ice is frozen equally - solid carbon dioxide, aka Dry Ice, sublimes in air straight from solid to gas, which makes it critical in transporting anything that needs to stay cold. It also sounds insanely cool when you put a block in a bowl and pour water all over it Wikipedia To learn more, visit our website  Hear. Here. Singapore. #binaural #binauralrecording #3Dsound #3Dio #singapore #sound...

I visited several places in Singapore to record the same place using 3 different spatial techniques - mono, stereo and binaural. Use headphones for this episode, cos the binaural effect only works with headphones. The set-ups were a X-Y config for a Sony PCM-D10 (that gave mono-compatible X-Y stereo that I could get a mono sound as well as a X-Y stereo) and a 3Dio FreeSpace Pro II for exceptional...

Ella Spira is a Grammy-nominated British composer, artist and co-founder of production company Sisters Grimm. A truly multi-disciplinary artist, she held her immersive exhibition, Global Landscape Singapore, this month in Singapore. The exhibition celebrates the richness of life in and around the island through six individual paintings and a series of charcoals.  The paintings are accompanied by p...

The 3rd episode of my series looking for a relaxing spot in Singapore brings me to East Coast Park beach. As soon as you reach the waterline, with the bubbly surf lapping at your feet, the sense of space is amazing. Alas, you also become aware of a sinister sound that pierces the delightful tranquility.  Learn more about East Coast Park at the NParks Website Here's a review of the F&B at Marin...

Singapore ranks 3rd in a survey of sleep deprivation across 43 major cities: only Tokyo and Seoul are worse. Less than 5 hours of sleep a night can cause havoc, so this episode presents a summary of 3 types of noise (white, brown and pink) that could be used to help improve quality of sleep. 3 bonus episodes included offer 30 minutes of each type of noise with a gentle 5 minute taper at the end. ...

Singapore ranks 3rd in a survey of sleep deprivation across 43 major cities: only Tokyo and Seoul are worse. This bonus episodes is 30 minutes of pink noise with a gentle 5 minute taper at the end.  Sleep Deprivation Article from NUS To learn more, visit our website  Hear. Here. Singapore. #binaural #binauralrecording #3Dsound #3Dio #sonyproaudio #sonyd10 #singapore #soundscape #immersive #immersi...