Catalyst: The Soundtrack of Australia on ABC TV – In 1977, planet Earth sent a Golden Record of its sounds into space with NASA’s Voyager probes. This ‘cosmic’ calling card inspired ABC Radio’s nature journalist Dr Ann Jones to create her own version of a golden record of Australian sounds.
Australia is a stunning country, but we seldom tune in our ears to how it sounds. Over two episodes, Dr Jones explores how it’s made, what messages it carries and how humans are harnessing its power.
The search begins with the iconic sound of an Australian summer: the cicada. Dr Nathan Emery shows how this tiny creature can produce sounds above 100dB, the equivalent to standing next to a jack hammer.
Dr Jones doesn’t just want to collect sounds, she wants to understand how they are made. Inside an acoustic shed, Aussie beatboxer Tom Thum helps to demonstrate resonance and frequency.
Combining his vocal gymnastics with cymatics allows us to visualise the physics of sound.
Dr Jones’ search for authentic sounds of Australia leads her to Didgeridoo maker Kristian Benton to dissect the sonic signature of this unique instrument. Separating out the different frequencies of soundwaves reveals its “timbre”, the quality that gives the didgeridoo its unmistakable sound.
In the Victorian wetlands of Dunghala, Ann explores how sound can reveal hidden worlds. Through the science of eco-acoustics, we’ve gained fresh insight into one of our most endangered and mysterious species of birds, the Australasian Bittern.
In Victoria’s Sherbrooke Forest, Dr Jones is lucky enough to witnesses a rare event of sound in the making, as a male Lyrebird teaches a youngster their song.
This episode ends by looking at the ways humans harness sound. From chanting at the footy to sound techniques used by First Nation’s people in Songlines, that helps Dr Jones to boost her memory.
Catalyst: The Soundtrack of Australia – Tuesday 15 August, 2023 at 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview
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