Awful, between tracks, sound torture & boredom

[Mal]

I switched to radio 3 this morning around 8.15am to be greeted by an awful sound. Route marching in squelchy wellingtons on scratchy vinyl? Is this extreme modernism? The DJ didn't bother telling us,... alluded to "everyday sounds". Imagine spending everyday with squelchy wellingtons . No excuse for playing this once, never mind several times between tracks. Why are radio 3 torturing us?... Then another boring choral piece, then my active speaker crashed (hurrah!)

[Bryn]

I switched to radio 3 this morning around 8.15am to be greeted by an awful sound. Route marching in squelchy wellingtons on scratchy vinyl? Is this extreme modernism? The DJ didn't bother telling us,... alluded to "everyday sounds". Imagine spending everyday with squelchy wellingtons . No excuse for playing this once, never mind several times between tracks. Why are radio 3 torturing us?... Then another boring choral piece, then my active speaker crashed (hurrah!)

I feel obliged to check this out. As per usual for that time of day, I was tuned to Today on Radio 4 which often has more interesting items on music than Radio 3's Breakfast does.

[cloughie]

I switched to radio 3 this morning around 8.15am to be greeted by an awful sound. Route marching in squelchy wellingtons on scratchy vinyl? Is this extreme modernism? The DJ didn't bother telling us,... alluded to "everyday sounds". Imagine spending everyday with squelchy wellingtons . No excuse for playing this once, never mind several times between tracks. Why are radio 3 torturing us?... Then another boring choral piece, then my active speaker crashed (hurrah!)

Unclassified, Unconnected then? Or just Malfunction!

[cat]

It was described as the "Saturday Sound", presumably a regular thing. On this occasion it was a recording made by a listener of them walking through snow in Tromso.

[Bryn]

Ah: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03xx3t7

As to the specific 8:15 sounds, there's no business like snow business.

[Pulcinella]

A comment from my partner, who's the one who usually uses the car to get to some meetings, albeit often at the same time of day (before 9).
Fairly random survey, but more often than not, if he switches R3 on he hears chat (and switches to CFM), whereas CFM is more usually at least playing music.

[Cockney Sparrow]

It was described as the "Saturday Sound", presumably a regular thing. On this occasion it was a recording made by a listener of them walking through snow in Tromso.

Same happens on Sunday. I'm happy to listen to Martin Handley - as part of a relaxed start to Sunday morning, but I turn it off for about 10 minutes when they start these sound segments - its gone too far for me.

[Bryn]

A comment from my partner, who's the one who usually uses the car to get to some meetings, albeit often at the same time of day (before 9).
Fairly random survey, but more often than not, if he switches R3 on he hears chat (and switches to CFM), whereas CFM is more usually at least playing music.

And with its severe dynamic compression, 'Car Sick' FM is best suited to in-car listening.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I switched to radio 3 this morning around 8.15am to be greeted by an awful sound. Route marching in squelchy wellingtons on scratchy vinyl? Is this extreme modernism? The DJ didn't bother telling us,... alluded to "everyday sounds". Imagine spending everyday with squelchy wellingtons . No excuse for playing this once, never mind several times between tracks. Why are radio 3 torturing us?... Then another boring choral piece, then my active speaker crashed (hurrah!)

Reminds me that one way of recreating walking through grass used to be through rhythmically scrunching tape waste close to the mic. Another harmless pleasure destroyed by digital. Can’t see much point broadcasting this on a music station except as part of a drama or feature . The cynic in me suggests it’s all about saving money,

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Surely people have realised by now that when the BBC have a stupid idea, they will carry on repeating it for years.

[Pulcinella]

And with its severe dynamic compression, 'Car Sick' FM is best suited to in-car listening.

I can't remember when I last knowingly switched it on at home, that's for sure.
But I really don't object too much when travelling, that's true, as even music from my iPod can be pretty inaudible unless it's chunky baroque-type stuff (Brandenburgs, for example).

[oddoneout]

Same happens on Sunday. I'm happy to listen to Martin Handley - as part of a relaxed start to Sunday morning, but I turn it off for about 10 minutes when they start these sound segments - its gone too far for me.

I liked the bells recordings on Sunday mornings. They conjured up pleasant memories or mental pictures, and the music chosen to follow on was often interesting. The wider subject listener contribution was OK for a limited number of outings or as an occasional offering but expanding it outside the original slot and keeping it going long past its even vaguely useful life has been a big mistake.

[Bryn]

I liked the bells recordings on Sunday mornings. They conjured up pleasant memories or mental pictures, and the music chosen to follow on was often interesting. The wider subject listener contribution was OK for a limited number of outings or as an occasional offering but expanding it outside the original slot and keeping it going long past its even vaguely useful life has been a big mistake.

Sunday morning church bells are a feature of Radio 4: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001jbyg

[kernelbogey]

Saturday morning Breakfast is a no-no here.

[Bryn]

I'm with Cage on such sounds:

This summer I’m going to give a class in mushroom
identification at the New School for Social Research.
Actually, it’s five field trips, not really a class
at all. However, when I proposed it to Dean Clara
Mayer, though she was delighted with the idea, she
said, “I’ll have to let you know later whether or not
we’ll give it.” So she spoke to the president who
couldn’t see why there should be a class in mushrooms
at the New School. Next she spoke to Professor MacIvor
who lives in Piermont. She said, “What do you think
about our having a mushroom class at the New School?”
He said, “Fine idea. Nothing more than mushroom
identification develops the powers of observation.”
This remark was relayed both to the president and to
me. It served to get the class into the catalogue and
to verbalize for me my present attitude towards
music: it isn’t useful, music isn’t, unless it
develops our powers of audition. But most musicians
can’t hear a single sound, they listen only to the
relationship between two or more sounds. Music for
them has nothing to do with their powers of audition,
but only to do with their powers of observing
relationships. In order to do this, they have to
ignore all the crying babies, fire engines, telephone
bells, coughs, that happen to occur during their
auditions. Actually, if you run into people who are
really interested in hearing sounds, you’re apt to
find them fascinated by the quiet ones. “Did you hear
that?” they will say.

Emphasis added by yours truly.