Soundprint Archive is an online collection of percussive, field-recorded audio samples that are geographically sorted through an interactive map. Musicians can select and use sets of sounds recorded in the same location that feature coherent resonant and reverb characteristics. Impulse responses recorded at each location assist musicians and sound artists to create a cohesive soundstage that includes unrelated audio content.
Chosen locations played a vital role in the development of rave and other forms of musical culture within their region.
Funding from the Ontario Arts Council has so far allowed for the collection of recordings in various locations throughout Montreal and Detroit. The process of collecting samples begins by scouting physical spaces that exhibit interesting acoustic characteristics. Within a chosen space an array of condenser and large-diaphragm microphones is installed and all resonant surfaces within the confines of the acoustic environment are excited, often with a rubber hammer.