Signal to Noise

From: Paolo Pietropaolo
Length: 13:31

This is the story of my tinnitus, which affects my ability to enjoy silence. Through the telling of the story, I've tried to create a kind of music that questions where the edge lies between signal and noise. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Signal to Noise
From: Paolo Pietropaolo

Sound_bank_small Tinnitus (ringing in the ear) is one of the most common medical conditions in North America.

I've struggled with tinnitus since 2004. Sometimes, noise is my ally, especially at night. It’s made me think about what makes us call certain things noise, silence or music, and it’s led me to believe we’re suffering from a sort of societal tinnitus.

Featuring the voices of Gordon Hempton (sound ecologist, Grammy-award winning recordist, defender of One Square Inch of Silence) and Dr. Glynnis Tidball (my audologist, who runs the Tinnitus Clinic at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, Canada).

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Piece Description

Tinnitus (ringing in the ear) is one of the most common medical conditions in North America.

I've struggled with tinnitus since 2004. Sometimes, noise is my ally, especially at night. It’s made me think about what makes us call certain things noise, silence or music, and it’s led me to believe we’re suffering from a sort of societal tinnitus.

Featuring the voices of Gordon Hempton (sound ecologist, Grammy-award winning recordist, defender of One Square Inch of Silence) and Dr. Glynnis Tidball (my audologist, who runs the Tinnitus Clinic at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, Canada).