Freesound Forums

We live on a planed called Earth, but ~71% of its surface is actually covered with water.
About 60% of the human body weight is water.
And water is, of course, essential to life as we know it.

Besides its amazing physical and chemical properties, water is also a super versatile element for sound creation and sound design. - There are just so many different sounds that are made by water, in nature and otherwise.
From light raindrops to torrential rains, from gentle trickling streams to massive waterfalls or the fury of oceans...
From faucets and toilet flushes to showers, swimming pools, garden water features or water flowing inside pipes and radiators....
Water, of course also makes ice and steam, which come with their own amazing sets of sounds....

Your next challenge is to record sounds "made by" or "with" water.
Of course, you can record your shower, the rain on the window or your toilet flush....
But, what I really challenge you to do is to try and come up with other sounds, as unique as you can imagine, made by or with water. Water does not need to be the only ingredient for making the sound, but has to be an essential component of it.

Some (wacky) ideas to help you get started:
- different objects falling into water
- different objects hitting water
- water hitting different objects
- try to record water flowing through pipes, radiators, etc.
- record your fish tank
- Do you have a hydrophone? maybe you know how to make a home-made version?
- Can you make sounds with ice? Or with steam?
- A minute of fame for that annoying dripping tap in the kitchen?
- Can you make recordings of sewers, water treatment stations, water reservoirs?
- What about water dripping in caves or other underground structures?
- What about popping a balloon under water?

Tag recordings with "Dare2025-03", also please tag them with "water", "ice" or "steam", as appropriate. You are also encouraged to include in the description which equipment you used to record the sound and to geotag field recordings.

Please post here on this thread with a link to your sound.

Deadline for uploads 02-Mar-2025

Its above my paygrade, but if I had the tools and the skill.
I would do a water/oil show like this https://youtu.be/IYZkh8UI0JI?si=8FII5BgUW-cqBcfX

And convert a video format to midi cc or other controls to modulate a sample or synth.

Like each R G B value controling the mix of a synth's OSC. Maybe movement or contrast could be a wavetable?

Letting water "create" its digital sound.

Is that "whacky" enough? Lol

1) Two children swimming in Glänninge lake (2016).
I took the sound from a video recorded with my phone.
https://freesound.org/people/gis_sweden/sounds/789308/

2) I captured the picture of the two children diving/jumping into the lake. Imported the picture as raw data into Audacity. Played with the sound and got this drone. I call the drone "Diving". Water related.
https://freesound.org/people/gis_sweden/sounds/789319/
>> look in spectrum mode!

gis_sweden wrote:
2) I captured the picture of the two children diving/jumping into the lake. Imported the picture as raw data into Audacity. Played with the sound and got this drone. I call the drone "Diving". Water related.
https://freesound.org/people/gis_sweden/sounds/789319/
>> look in spectrum mode!

Hello gis_sweden

Sorry I have not been very active. - Last few days turned out busier at work and home than I expected.
I was expecting one or two entries that would "push the envelope" but this is fantastically outrageous bending of the rules. - Well done!

Sadiquecat wrote:
Its above my paygrade, but if I had the tools and the skill.
I would do a water/oil show like this https://youtu.be/IYZkh8UI0JI?si=8FII5BgUW-cqBcfX

And convert a video format to midi cc or other controls to modulate a sample or synth.

Like each R G B value controling the mix of a synth's OSC. Maybe movement or contrast could be a wavetable?

Letting water "create" its digital sound.

Is that "whacky" enough? Lol

It is funny what gis_sweden submitted... Because when I read your post and watched the video, I though tthat capturing some still images and converting picture-to-sound might give interesting resluts. - Actually, you can still do that, just take some screen snapshots and use one of many picture-to-sound conversion software...

Anyway, I did not mention it because I was considering something (with water) that would have patterns that would convert better into sound...

Sadiquecat inspired me to play with pictures in Audacity again 🤗
If I'm not wrong it was a popular thing to do here on Freesound some years ago.
Hmmmm, have to search on "raw import", "picure", "audacity" 🤔

AlienXXX wrote:

Sadiquecat wrote:
Its above my paygrade, but if I had the tools and the skill.
I would do a water/oil show like this https://youtu.be/IYZkh8UI0JI?si=8FII5BgUW-cqBcfX

And convert a video format to midi cc or other controls to modulate a sample or synth.

Like each R G B value controling the mix of a synth's OSC. Maybe movement or contrast could be a wavetable?

Letting water "create" its digital sound.

Is that "whacky" enough? Lol

It is funny what gis_sweden submitted... Because when I read your post and watched the video, I though tthat capturing some still images and converting picture-to-sound might give interesting resluts. - Actually, you can still do that, just take some screen snapshots and use one of many picture-to-sound conversion software...

Anyway, I did not mention it because I was considering something (with water) that would have patterns that would convert better into sound...

Not wishing to derail the thread, so will keep this very brief.
Yes picture-to-sound techniques were in fashion for a while at Freesound and were the theme of at least one Dare.
I am sure a search in the forum will bring up some of the discussions and techniques.

I am likely to bring up the topic again for a future dare. Although that is something we already visited.

But for now, the topic is water...

A semi thorough search :

image to waveform software ? https://freesound.org/forum/off-topic/44868/

Generating "music" file from Picture/waveform
https://freesound.org/forum/your-work-made-with-freesounds/41948/

Dare-37: kwahmah's image-to-sound drumkit (MINI-DARE)
https://freesound.org/forum/dare-the-community/37738/

raw data conversion
https://freesound.org/forum/production-techniques-music-gear-tips-and-tricks/35400/

white noise sample, constructed one sine wave at a time?
https://freesound.org/forum/sample-requests/35199/

Dare 26 - unusual sound creation techniques - DISCUSSION THREAD
https://freesound.org/forum/dare-the-community/34720/

Raw images converted to sound
https://freesound.org/forum/off-topic/5192/

Converting raw data into audio?
https://freesound.org/forum/production-techniques-music-gear-tips-and-tricks/941/

Just a short spill from the kitchen sink, filling a small plastic bottle.
Definitely not one for creativity, but very generic sounds find their place somewhere too

https://freesound.org/people/copyc4t/sounds/790494/

I made this https://freesound.org/people/Sadiquecat/sounds/790547/

A few other water recordings as well, but I guess the thing above is my official Dare sound.

Runner-up would be recording washing-up from under the sink : https://freesound.org/people/Sadiquecat/sounds/789763/

Late contribution...
Take a look in spectrum mode 😁

https://freesound.org/people/gis_sweden/sounds/790885/

gis_sweden wrote:
Late contribution...
Take a look in spectrum mode 😁

https://freesound.org/people/gis_sweden/sounds/790885/

LOL! - good one!

Hello Folks!

You might have noticed I was a bit silent lately, and also that the deadline has passed without me officially closing the dare.

I was away on business travel for the last week, which explains the above. And also why I didn't, in the end, participate in this dare.

I might come back and post additional comments here. Also, anyone, feel free to continue any related discussions on this thread.
No more submissions, though... As we get ready for the next dare!...