''Environments'' (stylized in
all lowercase
Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...
) is a series of
LPs,
cassettes
Cassette may refer to:
Technology
* Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback
** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...
,
8-track cartridges and
CDs
The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Octo ...
created by producer and sound recordist
Irv Teibel
Irving Solomon "Irv" Teibel (October 9, 1938 – October 28, 2010) was an American field recordist, graphic designer, and photographer. His company, Syntonic Research, Inc., is best known for its influential '' environments'' psychoacoustic reco ...
(1938–2010) for Syntonic Research Inc. between 1969 and 1979. The series consists of recordings of
natural sounds
Natural sounds are any sounds produced by non-human organisms as well as those generated by natural, non-biological sources within their normal soundscapes. It is a category whose definition is open for discussion. Natural sounds create an acousti ...
such as a seashore with crashing waves or a thunderstorm with falling rain, without musical accompaniment. The series helped ignite a worldwide interest in
field recordings
Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside a recording studio, and the term applies to recordings of both natural and human-produced sounds. It also applies to sound recordings like electromagnetic fields or vibrat ...
which resulted in many imitations being released throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s both with, and without, music (i.e.: Ambience One and Two, Moods,
Solitudes, Soothing Sounds, Echoes of Nature, Nature Recordings, Gentle Persuasion: The Sounds of Nature, The Sounds of Nature (by Joe Baker), Northsound, Escape to Serenity, Relax With, Magic Moods, etc.).
''environments'' LPs
The original series, distributed by
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
, comprised 11 long-playing records with a different environment on each side, for 22 total ''Environments''.
''Environments 1'' (1969)
* ''Side 1: The Psychologically Ultimate Seashore'' (30:00)
The initial recording in the series goes back to 1968. Working under the direction of
Tony Conrad
Anthony Schmalz Conrad (March 7, 1940 – April 9, 2016) was an American video artist, experimental filmmaker, musician, composer, sound artist, teacher, and writer. Active in a variety of media since the early 1960s, he was a pioneer of both d ...
and Beverly Grant Conrad, Teibel recorded ocean waves at Coney Island for use in their feature film ''Coming Attractions'' (1970). Teibel immediately sensed the marketability of this material, noting its effect on improving concentration, enhancing sleep and sex, and imparting a sense of calm to the listener. Conrad, who wished to credit
Walter De Maria
Walter Joseph De MariaRoberta Smith (July 26, 2013)Walter De Maria, Artist on Grand Scale, Dies at 77 ''New York Times''. (October 1, 1935July 25, 2013) was an American artist, sculptor, illustrator and composer, who lived and worked in New Yor ...
for his prior usage of ocean recordings, was not willing to become a partner in the Syntonic Research enterprise as envisioned by Teibel, so Teibel parted ways with the "Coming Attractions" project. Subsequently, Teibel himself felt unsatisfied with his results — though his
Uher Uher may refer to:
* Uher (village), a village in Poland
* Uher (brand), a German brand of electronic equipment
People
*Karel Uher (born 1983), Czech curler
* Rudolf Uher, Canadian psychiatrist
*Štefan Uher
Štefan Uher (4 July 1930 – 29 M ...
stereo reel-to-reel tape recorder had faithfully captured the sounds of the surf, he felt that they were less convincing on playback. A friend of Teibel's, Louis Gerstman, had access to an
IBM 360
The IBM System/360 (S/360) is a family of mainframe computer systems that was announced by IBM on April 7, 1964, and delivered between 1965 and 1978. It was the first family of computers designed to cover both commercial and scientific applica ...
computer, and he and Teibel played around with processing the recordings until eventually the two of them hit upon a series of manipulations (basically some rolling filtering and overdubbing) which sounded 'more real than real.'
* ''Side 2: Optimum Aviary'' (30:00)
For the second side of the LP, Teibel recorded an enclosure of birds at the
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...
aviary
An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, although bats may also be considered for display. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages. Av ...
.
''Environments 2'' (1970)
* ''Side One: Tintinnabulation'' (30:00)
Alone among the ''Environments'' series, ''