I spent much of my childhood in the restaurant my parents worked. I learned to identify that place not by its name or what street it was on — I was far too young to have any sense of direction beyond the layout of our own apartment — but by the smells and sounds that belonged only to it. The creak of the saloon-style doors at the entrance, the way the jukebox sounded different depending on where you sat, the crinkle of the cracker wrapper in the basket at every table. The slight sting in the air from whatever peppers were cooking that day — the menu had an entire page devoted to chili alone.

It’s these sensory details that not only anchor a memory to a place, they’re a big part of what makes a place feel like yours, and part of what builds a real sense of community around it.

I’ve worked at Rollin’ Oats for nearly a decade now, and lived in the surrounding neighborhood even longer than that. I carry the same kind of associations with the sounds of this store. That’s what inspired me to try something a little different.

The Result

Inspired by projects like Obsolete Sounds and The Museum of Lost Sounds, I set out to capture some of the familiar sounds of Rollin’ Oats, and turn them into something you can actually play with. The result is an interactive soundboard.

The idea is simple: click the buttons, hear sounds. Layer them and build your own Rollin’ Oats soundscape. Have a little fun with it, and if you’re an artist, you’re welcome to download the full sound pack and use it in any creative project, audio or visual. Use the sounds as-is, loop them, remix and distort them into something weird; whatever you want to make. A lot of the local arts community already shops our aisles; it’d be pretty great to see a bit of the Oats show up in your work too.

If you make something with it, big or small, share it with us! There might be something in it for you…

See it in Action

– Eric