Tiny sounds. Big vibes.
Your Latte, Matcha,or Pastry is On Me
A Portland sound + video art project
With handmade sensors and a macro camera, I capture the tiny sounds everyday objects make and turn them up until they start to sing.
18+ · Public café · Friends welcome
- About an hourat a Portland café
- Filmed + recordedobjects only, unless you want to appear
- Your comfort, your callskip anything, anytime
- Plus a sound souvenira short clip, yours to share
Artwork by Rob
Grab your spot
Just the basics for now. Next, you’ll choose what’s on camera, your order and a time.
Here’s exactly what happens
Meet at a café near you
Tell me what part of Portland is easiest for you. I’ll pick a café nearby for the sounds we can find there, and we’ll meet during opening hours. I’ll show you the camera and the sensors first, and we’ll sign the one-page release.
Make sounds, small and big
Depending on the sound that inspires me at the moment, I’ll suggest things to try that might help us find it. Say “skip” anytime and I’ll come up with something new. You can end the session whenever you like.
Get your sound souvenir
I’ll send you 10 to 30 seconds of the sounds we captured, yours to keep and share.
Everyday things, magnified
Think macro photography, but for sound. A few ideas:
- Stir your lattethe cup rings like a singing bowl
- Pour your drink over icethe cubes crack like a frozen lake
- Take a seatthe bench creaks like a cozy cabin floor
- Drop onto a benchthe bench booms like rolling thunder
- Doodle in your notebookyour pencil crunches like fresh snow
- Sprinkle some sugareach grain lands like a hailstone
What I film
The star of every shot is the object and its sound, filmed up close by a macro camera that makes tiny things look huge, like the ripples in your drink. The default is objects only, and you choose whether you appear. If a camera catches more of you than you picked, I’ll crop it out or delete it.
- Objects onlyThe cup, the table, the sounds. You stay out of the final video.
- Objects + my handsYour hands can be in the shot, doing the tapping and swirling, but not your face.
- Objects + meYou can be in the shot too, so you may be recognizable. What’s in frame depends on the sounds we make.
Why I’m doing this
I’m searching for the perfect tiny sound. Every session adds to a library of sounds and videos. It becomes my sound art, my reference for recreating film and video sounds in the studio, and a way to explore sound healing and the hidden resonance in everyday things. I don’t know exactly where these sounds will take me yet, and that’s the beauty of it. Maybe next time you’ll stop to notice the leaves rustling in the wind, or the hum of a coffee grinder and the teeny tiny springs you can hear inside its roar. And that’s where you come in: everyone sounds different, and the way you tap, swirl or slide is your own, so every session brings something new.
Good questions
Where do the sensors go?
Only on things: the cup, the table, the bench, the paper, a book. They pick up the vibrations traveling through the wood, glass and paper. They never go on you.
Can I leave early or skip something?
Anytime. Say “skip” and we’ll try something else, or say you’re done and we’re done, no explanation needed. Your drink is still on me.
Who sees the recordings?
Right now, just me. I haven’t posted anything from a session yet. The sounds may become sound art, installations or sound healing pieces, and part of the fun is discovering where they lead. If I ever want to share something you’re in, I’ll ask you first.
What’s in the release?
It’s one page, and you can read it before you come. It says I can use the sounds we record in my art and my sound library, which could someday include commercial projects. For video that shows you, there’s a separate box, and it’s only a yes if you tick it. It also writes down your camera choice: objects only, your hands, or your face too. Any conversation the sensors pick up by accident gets taken out. Read it here.
Can I bring a friend?
Yes, always. A friend can grab a drink and hang out with us the whole time. I can only afford 1 drink or pastry per session, so if they’d like to sign up too, please book back-to-back sessions.
How do I know this is legit?
I’ve been a Portland photographer since 2006 (RobProPhoto LLC), and you can see my work on Instagram at @robprophoto. We always meet at a public café during opening hours, friends are welcome, and you can read my story and the release before you decide. Every person taps, stirs and sits a little differently, and I can’t make those sounds alone, so the drink is my thank-you.
What gear do you use?
A DJI Osmo Pocket for close-up macro video, and sometimes an Insta360 for angles the Pocket can’t get. The Insta360 sees wide, so I crop its video to your camera choice. The sensors I build myself. They record vibrations and turn them into sound, and if you’re curious how they work, google contact microphones.
Do I need to bring anything?
Nope. I’ll bring everything we need, unless you have something you’d like to hear.