About the AMPLab

Who we are

Since the invention of sound recording in the nineteenth century, and especially since the introduction of magnetic tape in the 1950s, a remarkable sonic record of literary ideas, performance, and expression has been captured on a wide range of audio media formats. The AMPLab was created in large part to collect, digitize, preserve, and study this invaluable body of audible material and provide the infrastructure needed to use literary sound archives in research, development, and training.

What we do

Located at Concordia University in downtown Montreal, the AMPLab is a dedicated space where equipment, expertise, and research come together through the exploration of literary questions through sound. By combining our knowledge of audio media technologies with methods of literary study, we engage in digital preservation, archival description, digital presentation, and critical analysis of diverse collections of literary audio that document literary readings and performances, interviews, conversations, pedagogy, and other audible activities that center around literary production and expression. AMPLab is also committed to working with literary and cultural communities across Canada to consult and assist in the digitization and preservation of their “hidden” collections in an effort to expand and diversify the audible literary record.

Why we matter

Students, professors, researchers, and other interested parties may engage with the AMPLab to carry out their own research-driven projects with the help of a wide range of specialized vintage and contemporary audio equipment and a highly experienced team of sound experts. The AMPLab is a unique space to pursue projects that explore literary sound studies.

How we can help

We are here to help you define and build your audio project as well as expand the scope of literary sound studies research. The AMPLab is available and equipped for a wide range of projects, including:

– Remediation practice and theory
– Metadata creation
– Audio signal analysis
– GUI design for literary audio
– Audiotextual criticism
– Sound recording
– Close and critical listening
– Sound development and experimentation
– Digital audio data creation
– And more

Get in touch to learn more.

DiscoverPartnerships

The SSHRC-funded SpokenWeb partnership consists of universities, government, and community organizations, and involves scholars, librarians, archivists, digital humanists, literary practitioners and students from a wide range of discourses. SpokenWeb works to develop coordinated and collaborative approaches to literary historical study, digital development, and critical and pedagogical engagement with diverse collections of literary sound recordings from across Canada and beyond.

The AMP Lab at UBC Okanagan houses projects that engage in the work of the humanities–adding value to cultural artifacts through interpretation and analysis–-in a digital context, with an emphasis on audio media and/or poetry. The primary research project in the AMP Lab is the UBCO branch of the SSHRC-funded SpokenWeb Partnership Grant, on which UBC (Okanagan) is a Partner Institution.