Friday Snow

Spadina Crescent in the snow.

Toronto recently had a modest snow storm, which started on a Thursday evening and went late into Friday. This  recording was captured on Friday afternoon, at a time when the city would normally be humming, but the snow is a physical as well as acoustical damper.

Fortunately payphones aren't extinct yet, since they provide a handy shelter from storms. The recorder was placed on top of the pay, pointing toward the missing door and the two missing panes of glass that were conveniently facing the traffic.

Jackhammer

Construction and traffic at the intersection of Yonge and Gerrard streets.

A fairly typical afternoon with the addition of some jackhammers for ambiance. The crew digging up the eastbound lanes on Gerrard Street East were running a compressor and vacuum excavator, while traffic pass between them and the recorder causes their volume to peak and decline. This track has an overly abrupt fade out at the end but the volume increase at the beginning is how I found it. No other processing has been applied.

Included in this audio clip is a truck backing up, several buses driving past, a taxi's horn, people walking in heels, and snippets of conversation in at least a couple of different languages. To recreate the actual experience the volume should be set to be uncomfortably loud.