Most Americans have probably noticed by now that government-run agencies like the National Parks Service have been out of operation since December 22nd thanks to the childish antics of leaders from both sides of the aisle in Washington. Politics and grownup nonsense aside, The National Parks, which are by far the third greatest idea in American history behind the introduction of a (partially) functioning democracy and abolition of slavery, are currently without oversight or maintenance since its employees are hired and paid by the U.S. Government.
Thankfully, Yellowstone, America’s first National Park, took the art of taping to the next level back in 2017 when they provided naturists and songwriters with a public domain library comprised of dozens of audio files recorded throughout the 3,500-square mile public park. Government-run websites are not updated during the ongoing shutdown, but fans and music-makers can still head to the sound library to turn on, tune in, and drop out to a plethora of Yellowstone’s natural audio, which includes a mix of mostly ambient files. Fans should note that Kanye‘s recent projects recorded out in Jackson Hole, Wyoming do not count as National Park-sanctioned audio samples (nor should they).
The wide range of Mother Nature-based audio featured in the library includes animals like the American Robin, Grizzly Bears, Bald Eagles, Warbling Vireos, and an Elk. There are also recordings of sounds captured from non-living elements of the park, including wildfire, various geysers, park ranger snowmobiles, and the “singing” of Yellowstone Lake.
This goldmine of natural sound files came into existence thanks to the leadership of audio producer Jennifer Jerrett, who assisted the NPS’ National Sounds Division in the initiative.
“I started volunteering at Yellowstone in 2013, doing a little bit of nature recording and storytelling through sound,” Jerrett said in a 2017 interview. “Jeff Rice at the Acoustic Atlas, a nature and soundscape archive at the Montana State University Library, heard one of my stories, reached out to me, and we started to explore the possibility of some kind of collaboration.”
National Parks Service – “Bighorn Sheep” – Public Domain A/V Recording
[Video: National Parks Service]
Folks can click here to access the library, where every audio file included may be downloaded and used without limitation for anyone looking to add some soothing natural elements to their next remix. The National Park Service does request that producers and song composers at least credit to NPS upon publication to SoundCloud (or wherever kids are uploading things these days).
[H/T Happy Mag]
The post Yellowstone Audio Samples Keep National Parks’ Spirit Alive During Government Shutdown appeared first on L4LM.
