Please scroll down to the bottom to get to both train station sounds albums!
There is something about train station and airports that I really love! I just enjoy it hanging out around these places and can easily forget the time in a second.
Watching the daily life passing me and listening to the sound is something magical.
There is just always something going on. There are stations with tons of people and sounds like Japan for example or there is almost nothing going on like here in Chiangmai. 🙂
Okay, I wouldn’t say nothing but the frequency of people and trains is not very high with about 10 trains per day. I had to come on two separate days to create these albums and one reason is because I missed the BKK train on day first.
I also need to come back again because of the rain. I had the chance to record the incoming train from BKK but the railway is wet what makes the really cool braking squeaking sound of these old trains almost silence.
I hope I have luck with that. I am here for another 1.5 months. On the first day when I arrived, I saw two trains, One local train and one express train to Bangkok. I remember two years ago we took this train and if you want you can watch the video about it. It was one of my favorite videos we did two years ago.
The “express” train took around 13 hours if I remember this correctly and it was a fun experience. Next time I take the plane.
While I was hoping for an incoming train I recorded several engine sounds from the waiting trains with an amazing outcome. The exhaust of the machines or the hydraulic popping sound effects. These are great sounds for sound design or experimental music makers.
Besides this, I got some really nice extra sounds like several announcements in Thai, English, and Chinese. Plus some train honks, accelerations, people with Walkie Talkies.
On the second day, I waited for the Bangkok- Chiangmai train and could record the sound of the in-coming train. I hoped more people would come out of the train to get more footsteps and people sounds but just a handful left the train. Rain season is starting now and maybe many people are just taking the one hour flight instead of the 13 hours train ride.
If you are wondering how I recorded I kept all my equipment visible. People and staff walked by and the first look was a wondering one and the second with a smile. Nobody cares and this train station is super clean and save. I think with the same setup in Germany I would say to 99.9 percent that an official would probably tell me to leave and recording is not allowed.
Before I left the train station, I recorded the engine sound of the Locomotive and I these engines are old. Most of the trains are from the 80s and still running. Amazing. You can find these recording in the H6 album.
A few days before I stopped at the railway cross and could record this beeping sound of the barrier and you can find these recording in the Zoom H6 album from the train station as well. It is track 20!
Do you see the Draisine in the picture behind the railway? Four construction workers came in with it and I could record the sound of it as well. One time from right to left and left to right. It’s also in the H6 album.
I created two Bandcamp albums for these sound effects. One only recorded on the H6 and one only recorded with the Zoom F4 and the DPA 4060.
You can decide which one you like more but the H6 album as a little bit more sounds in it. If you have access to my Sync Cloud already you can find all these sound effects in the Bandcamp category. If not but you want access to over 1000 recordings just hit the “coffee” button!
