09-01-21_1859_Soundwalk Sao Bento.wav

Soundwalk through train station São Bento in Porto on a foggy evening in January. The station is a terminus, there is a huge tiled entrance hall, then the large hall were the rails end (covered with a big roof and open to the sides) and after that all rails disappear into a huge tunnel (visit http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estação_Ferroviária_de_Porto-São_Bento for some more information). I started the soundwalk in the entrance hall (first minute), then walked along the platform towards the tunnel (tunnel from ca. 6:20) and a little bit inside (until ca. 9:40) and back to the beginning of the platform. From there to another platform to an old diesel-train (around 20:00) and back to the entrance hall.In the beginning you hear lots of people talking, passing by, steps, huge echo from the tiled walls. From far already some signals (beeping) from the station hall, also some church bells from outside the station. At 1:15 a woman running to catch her train. Beeping and whistling signals in the hall all the time accompanied with a constant hissing/brawling from electricity, train engines, perhaps also traffic from outside. Crackling and humming from the electricity on the powerlines. Loud honking at 1:30. Train doors closing automatically with a hiss and a click (most of the trains are modern electric ones). At 2:10 one train leaving the station with a hiss from the hydraulic system and then a tonal humming sound, followed by the rhythmical rattling of the wheels on the rails disappearing in the distance. At 2:40 female voice announce the the next trains in Portuguese from a speaker hanging high up from the roof. Hugh echo and deep humming sound at the same time. People going to the trains, talking. Constant ambient noise like before. At 3:18 loud hissing from the hydraulic system of a train. Another announcement at 4:14. Light disturbance from wind. Ambient noise from the hall and the trains goes away as I continue walking on the platform. Another train leaving at 6:00 with more rattling on the rails. In the tunnel: water dripping from the ceiling, station noises from very far away, almost not audible, echo from the walls like in a cave. At 7:59 announcement from far away with big echo. At 8:50 heavy train passing with metallic rattling sounds and disappearing into the tunnel. Another announcement from far away at 9:34. Hissing at 9:59. Going back into the hall: station noises grow back, train starting and passing round 10:30. Rhythmical engine sound round 12:00 (continuing one minute). Single sounds that might be worth sampling: Hissing of hydraulic systems (1:51, 3:18, 5:37, 5:54, 10:00, 14:05, 14:32, 14:50/54, 15:03, 15:32, 20:44), Train starting and leaving (2:11, 5:55, 8:45, 10:10, 16:06), Announcements (2:40, 4:14, 8:00, 9:36, 10:59, 14:37, 18:00, 19:00), doors (1:39, 13:57), beeping (17:22), the motor of the diesel-train (19:40).Recorded with M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 with two AKG C condenser microphones in XY-Position.