Time and Transience
Chapter 4 develops a detailed conceptual analysis of the interrelation between noise and time, to better grasp what it would mean to replace the myth of perfect fidelity with the idea of a noise resonance of sound media. It does so on the basis of a more philosophical reading of the contrast between ideal filters, exemplified by the timeless figure of the sine wave, and the inherently temporal nature of all technological filters. The chapter thereby shows that, contrary to the timeless clarity and purity assumed by the myth of perfect fidelity, the noise resonance of sound media acknowledges the inherently temporal nature of technological operations and the inevitable introduction of noise. As it shapes all recorded sound and music, noise thereby defines the listener’s experience of the multilayered temporality of technologically reproduced sound, emphasizing both its inherent pastness and its continuous flow through the present.
