#1
Old North State Press
A traditional letterpressing shop imbueing exquisite detail onto Carolina paperworks.
At the Old North State Press, Master Craftsman Chris Paul designs and creates incredible works of stationary art and ephemera. The shop's workhorse is a 1964 Heidelberg 10x15 "Windmill", restored from the ground up. In addition, there's a Vandercook No.3 cylinder press, 2 Monotype Thompson Sorts Casters, and a second Heidelberg 10x15. The smell of machine oil, cardstock, and genius float about as these incredible machines (and their operator) toil away to make the perfect print.
Visit the Old North State Press !
Very Special Thanks: Chris Paul
#2
CAMP North End
NC's own bomb factory, a massive 76-acre historic industrial site that produced
Ford Model Ts and Army missiles.
Built in the 1920's and remaining a fully functioning manufacturing and production site for nearly 50 years, CAMP (Charlotte Area Munitions Plant) North End has had a vibrant and varied past. Now in this modern era, it is being renovated and restored to give a new cadre of North Carolinian creaters and builders sprawling space to do what they do best. Ahead of the renovations, the vast barren interior of the Ford building, the intricate pipeworks of the Boiler room, and the open overgrown rail yard speak calmly of a heavy industrial past.
Visit CAMP North End !
Very Special Thanks: Zavia Rudisell
#3
Carolina Raptor Center
Igniting imaginations and inspiring engagement with the natural world through the exploration and rehabilitation of birds of prey.
Tucked away in a calm and alluring forest just off of Lake Norman, you can hear the calls and chatter of some of the most spectacular avian creatures in existence today. From sunrise to deep into the night, this raptor haven sings a dancing melody of vibrant leads supported by a swarming murmur of song birds and chirring insects. It is almost meditative to walk the grounds of the Raptor Center in the presence of such elegant, yet powerful birds. Have a seat under a canopy of dogwoods, elms, and southern pines and listen to both wild and rehabilitating, discovering all that they choose to share.
Visit the Carolina Raptor Center !
Very Special Thanks: Michelle Houck
#4
Carolina Balloon Fest
Soaring over the tree tops and beyond, an array of colorful balloons cast shadows on the festival goers below.
Out in rolling farmland next to the regional Statesville Airport thousands of onlookers and avid balloonists gather to observe and, if lucky, go for a ride in the incredibly elegant vehicles of lift that are hot air balloons. The cheers of the crowd ebb and flow while powerful bursts from the burner roar to life, filling the envelope (the balloon) with hot air effortlessly raising gondola and human alike, from the ground. Resting amongst the balloon teams one can hear them all fill up and come to life. Gas-powered fans, burners, flowing fabric, joyful chatter, and excited riders circle all around.
Visit the Carolina Balloon Fest !
Very Special Thanks: Haley Jones & Mark Fritze
#5
Apple Picking at Sky Top Orchards
In the cool Autumn mountain air, amidst serpentine rows of fruit-bearing trees, wind bends the boughs and apples fall.
At the crest of a ridgeline, the Sky Top Orchard spawls over the landscape with a bountiful apple array of many varieties. The smell of fruit and fermentation from fallen apples is strong in the air while a storm calmly threatens in the distance. Picking apples in an orchard is a tremendously rooting experience, but picking apples in an orchard during a light rain, is rejuvenating. Sitting under the closely grown trees, the flexing and shaking of limbs, the scattering of leaves, and the falling of dense apples swirl all around as the wind gently blows. While distant sounds from the valley roll up the mountain side, the magnitude of the locale allows the mind to wander.
Visit the Sky Top Orchard !
#6
North Carolina State Fair
Festive and vibrant, interwoven with threads of the rural Carolinas, the fairgrounds come to life.
With everything from popping kettle corn to candy apples, game prize bells to huge whirring machinery, and pacing farm animals to agricultural demonstrations, the NC State Fair just outside of Raleigh attracts absolute legions of people from all across the state. Touting activities, sights, and hyper dense sounds for visitors of any interest, there is constant activity and endless events to observe within the veritable sea of people. Food is prepared, competitions are held, shouts of joy are blurted out, and those classic fair melodies drift through the streets and by-ways. Truly a sound to behold, the bellowing and breathing of the fair is a staple of North Carolina's sonic identity.
Visit the NC State Fair !
Very Special Thanks: Sarah Ray
#7
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
Across the seasons, ever-changing foliage and fauna remind us of the cyclical caedence of life.
Nestled just north of Lake Wylie, the cultivated and beautifully landscaped grounds of the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden are like a salve for the soul. Serene yet complex, the garden's varying sections present a plethora of plants, giving visitors a tour of both North Carolina's and the world's unique vegetation. Grassy fields and hardwood tree lines surround the garden promoting a constant reminder of the beauty of the wild and how it plays a part in the entire experience which the garden elicits. Water fountains are dotted throughout the grounds as a reminder through sight, sound, and smell that the incredible verdure surrounding them is fed with this vital element, playfully wild in its own right.
Visit the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden !
Very Special Thanks: Colleen O'Donnell
#8
Carolina Renaissance Festival
A woodland celebration of show, food, costume, and imagination, and 'Huzzah!'s heard for miles.
Each year over 200,000 patrons journey to South-Central North Carolina for what many affectionately refer to as 'Ren Fest'. Weaving through an extensive field and forest path, the Festival welcomes its visitors to eat, drink, browse, play, and be thoroughly entertained by an incredible array of performing artists. The attire and costumes of both performers an visitors alike are a dynamic mix of historical and pop-cultural, composed of every type of fabric and fallalery one can conceive. Opening and closing to bombastic canon fire, guests are surrounded by hawker's calls, countless accents, a timeline of musical instruments, the clash of melee weaponry, cheers, jeers, and constant supply of 'Huzzah!'s.
Visit the Carolina Renaissance Festival !
Very Special Thanks: Matt Siegel
#9
Crowders Mountain State Park
A steep climb to a soaring vista, stone, tree, squirrel, and hawk all compose a ridgeline chorus.
There are various paths to arrive at the summit of Crowders Mountain. Each offering broad and expansive views of the Carolina piedmont that grow as you climb. The air is clear and wind generally light, making the mountian that much more alluring to hikers on sunny days throughout the year. Hawks, condors, and ravens all fly and perch across the summit and ridgeline. Hundreds of species of bushes, flowers, grasses, and trees cover the variegated rocks and hiking paths. On top of the mountain, it is an ebbing and flowing mix of serene natural quiet and distant human endeavor from the towns and cities below. Over countless tree tops, the bustling Charlotte skyline sits 24 miles away, stark, tiny, and silent.
Visit the Crowders Mountain State Park !
#10
Charlotte-Douglas International Airport
The straight expanse of field and tarmac is endlessly lapped by a thunderous roar of jet engines.
What has gradually become a bit of a rarity in North Carolina and across the US, nestled between two gigantic runways, there is a visitor's outlook where anyone can drive up, park, and be sonically (and visually) amazed by leaving and landing planes of all shapes and sizes. The piercing whistle and utterly colossal roar of jet turbines penetrates any vehical, let alone the curious by-stander who gets out to obtain a better picture of the whole scene. The constant calculated flow of the airport combined with the enormous power of the planes that traverse it truly mesmerizing. Night and day, your chest will rumble and your hair may very well stand on end as plane after plane returns from and soars into the deep Carolina sky.
Visit the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport !
The 100 Soundscapes
of North Carolina
A compendium of ambisonic recordings from across the state
Every location on our planet has a unique sonic signature. The portion of Earth that makes up North Carolina, USA is a diverse and varied landscape of geographic and biological features, cultural identity, industrial heritage, and social engagement.
A state-wide project that aims to capture, design, and present these rich elements of the North Carolina aural environment, The 100 Soundscapes of North Carolina is a collaborative effort between Eiravaein Works and individuals, small businesses, government departments, and cultural groups working together to create immersive listening experiences of one hundred of NC's most iconic soundscapes. From fields to factories, festivals to fauna, or fanfare to the serene natural locales, we're building a comprehensive audio image of the Old North State, nestled boldly in the central Eastern coast of the United States.
Each of the 100 soundscape recordings are an immersive ~10 minute loopable ambisonic (3D) and optional stereo (2D) audio file. They are presented here as a binaural recording (stereo), allowing you to listen to them through headphones and feel completely enveloped in the environment. This is an ongoing list of the project's recordings while it is still underproduction. Once completed, the entire final recordings of all 100 soundscapes will be released in a comprehensive collective format.
Choose a soundscape below to listen
(Best experienced with headphones)
#1
Old North
State Press
Letterpresssing
Waxhaw
#2
CAMP
North End
Historic Factory
Charlotte
#3
Carolina
Raptor Center
Bird Conservatory
Huntersville
#4
Carolina
Balloon Fest
Hot Air Balloons
Statesville
#5
Sky Top
Orchards
Apple Picking
Flat Rock
#6
North Carolina
State Fair
Fair
Raleigh
#7
Daniel Stowe
Botanical Garden
Public Garden
Belmont
#8
Carolina
Renaissance Festival
Festival
Huntersville
#9
Crowders Mountain
State Park
Mountain
Kings Mountain
#10
Charlotte-Douglas
Int'l Airport
Airport
Charlotte