Pieces of Air

Since the invention of the microphone, preventing the sound of the air around them from ruining recordings has been a challenge. Windscreens and pop filters were invented to block out as much sound as possible, and sophisticated software has been created to reduce the amount of noise in both pre- and post-processing. Microphones have gotten pretty good at recording what you want them to, but what if all you want to record is air? With the way the microphone has been developed, accurately recording the sound of wind presents its own unique challenges. To get to the bottom of what air truly sounds like, Toshiya Tsunoda has recorded in a variety of situations and with a range of equipment, including professional grade and homemade microphones. The resulting recordings are fascinating—the ones inside of resonant pipes and bottles particularly—but it’s hard to say if it truly answers the question. The whispers of the wind don’t hit microphones the same way they hit our ears.