Kayaking in the Rain
The Soothing Sound of Rain on the Ocean
It is difficult to describe the sensation of kayaking in heavy rain—an immersive experience of being surrounded by water and its sound. As you move through the surface of the sea, you are pelted by drops of rain—a gentle massage, given by the tap, tap, of hundreds of moist fingertips. The rain hits your body, the hard hull of the kayak, and the ocean, producing various sounds that merge into one. And yet, if you listen carefully, you can separate the sounds into their individual contributions; their personalities, perhaps. You can listen to the sound here:
The rain intensifies and ebbs. You can hear the splash of a paddle as it enters and exits the water. If you listen past the sound of the rain, you might hear some industrial sounds. There is a shipyard off in the distance, and the sounds of metal against metal carry through the moist ocean air.
On this day, I went kayaking to share the sonic experience with you and to introduce Dr. Stéphane Pigeon and his fabulous website. At the top of the myNoise page, it says:
myNoise gives you adjustable soundscapes that adapt to your space and your needs. Nature sounds, ambient music, and noise textures — all brought together into an uninterrupted and consistent sound environment.
Stéphane Pigeon has a Ph.D. in signal processing engineering. He is a consultant and a professional sound designer with a passion for sound. If you are interested in the use of sound to relax or study—or if you would like to explore sound itself in more depth, you should visit his site. Dr. Pigeon travels the world in search of sounds to sample. Then he builds them into soundscapes composed of ten individual audio tracks, with sliders you can adjust to your liking—a much more accessible experience than kayaking at sea.
