This exhibit is a cutout to represent the Wanderer, the last slave ship to arrive off the US’ eastern seaboard some 50 years after congress abolished slavery.
An example of a non-repeating randomized soundscape, four audio channels are used to reproduce what the Wanderer may have sounded like.
Two QS6112 units provide for 4 channels of audio. A low speaker is used for sounds of water sloshing around the keel. Two speakers in the slave section randomize sounds of people speaking, chains rattling, coughing and meaning while one speaker located at the top has sounds of rain in the deck, and people walking around the wooden deck. It isn’t something you want to listen to for too long, and testing it in our office was not the easiest task. We have since implemented a facility within QuickSilver that allows us to turn down the audio when there are no visitors in the vicinity of an exhibit such as this.
These units can free-run, or they can be controlled using TeaParty. Of course, show content updates can be done over the wireless link.