Since the Time Series Data Library had a wealth of data files on lynx hunting and trapping, I thought I'd try sonifying a few of them, since I'm a fan of the majestic lynx. I used three datasets: one recording the annual number of lynx pelts sold by Hudson's Bay Company in Canada, one recording the annual unit price of those pelts, and one recording the annual number of lynx trapped in the MacKenzie River area of Canada. I went for two things with my data - I wanted to balance the sadness that naturally comes with seeing uncontrolled hunting of a magnificent wild animal with the excitement and rustic vibe that the life of a turn-of-the-century trapper in the frontier lands of Canada must have been like. For the first effect, I experimented with a number of UGs built into ChucK and settled on the VoicForm, which gives a low, human-like hum that sounds a little ominous and macabre. I tried to find a more lighthearted UG to counterbalance and settled on the Clarinet UG which, with modified frequency, makes a nice polyphonic counterpoint to the throaty hum.
All data was taken from the Time Series Data Library: 'Annual Number of Lynx Trapped, MacKenzie River, 1821-1934', Annual number of lynx pelts (Hudson's Bay company, Canada 1857-1911', 'Annual unit price of lynx pelts (Hudson's Bay company, Canada) 1857-1911)'.