Sonidos (Sounds)


Sonidos by Cheyenne Díaz


I opted to create a soundscape, utilizing audio that I recorded while on a trip to Puerto Rico with my family this past summer. Given the immense popularity of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show that shined so much light on being not only Boricua, but also being Latinx in general, I wanted to create a sound experience that brings joy and shows my pride in where I come from.

I often enjoy recording "b-roll" clips of the places I visit and interesting things I see on my phone, and I rarely ever consider the audio when I do this. I will often be having conversations in the background with the person I'm with, commenting on the captivating sights in front of me. 

It truly felt like a very reflective and intentional process, selecting video clips with audio qualities that were just as stunning as the views themselves, particularly those sounds of nature.

I chose to compose my piece as a wordless day in my life in the nature of Puerto Rico. It begins with the birds chirping in the early morning, with the palms rustling in the gentle breeze. The listener can hear the rumbling of distant roads intertwined with the sounds of a home in the countryside after a torrential rainstorm. The steps of a family hiking El Yunque, and finally the melodic calls of the coquí which echo through the dark and lull the islanders to sleep each night, the same call that lulled our ancestors to sleep for thousands of years. 


(if the above link does not work: https://on.soundcloud.com/ADd5w9KiefwCAhPTbI)

Comments

  1. Jiwon LeeApril 6, 2026 at 6:06 AM

    Hi Cheyenne, I really love the sound of birds chirping, so that part stood out to me right away. The steps, the trees, everything blends together so naturally that I couldn’t even tell where one part ended and the next began. I went to Puerto Rico for the first time last summer, and your soundscape actually brought me back to that trip. Thanks for sharing your work!

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