Mediaworks in Context, 2008-09
Soundscape Assignment, Groups of 3 or 4; Stereo, 1 to 3 min.
A soundscape is an acoustic environment or an environment
created by sound.1 For this assignment, you may interpret a real
environment or create a fictional one.
If you are working with a multi-track application, experiment
with layering and basic features such as volume, position
(panning, LR center for stereo), and use a few tools such as
fading in and out, looping, or try adding a simple effect such as
echo, reverb, or reversing your sound.
For your soundwalk exercise, you drew/mapped/perceived the
origin, direction, shape, position, and spatial dimension of
different sounds in the environment, and learned to recognize the
1
From Wikipedia
As such, it refers in the first place to the natural acoustic environment, consisting of the
sounds of the forces of nature and animals, including humans. This is the domain of
acoustic design (R. Murray Schafer).
There are different elements of the soundscape such as keynote sounds, sound signals,
and soundmarks.
Keynote Sounds: This is a musical term that identifies the key of a piece, not always
audible… the key might stray from the original, but it will return. The keynote sounds
may not always be heard consciously, but they “outline the character of the people living
there” (Schafer). They are created by nature (geography and climate): wind, water,
forests, plains, birds, insects, animals. In many urban areas, traffic has become the
keynote sound.
Sound Signals: These are foreground sounds, which are listened to consciously. Ex:
warning devices, bells, whistles, horns, sirens, etc.
Soundmark: This is derived from the term landmark. A soundmark is a sound which is
unique to an area. “Once a Soundmark has been identified, it deserves to be protected,
for soundmarks make the acoustic life of a community unique” (Schafer).
Soundscapes are often combined with the performance of music.
A soundscape composition is an electroacoustic musical composition creating a sound
portrait of a sound environment. Composers who use soundscapes include real-time
granular synthesis pioneer Barry Truax and Luc Ferrari, whose Presque rien, numéro 1
(1970) is an early soundscape composition. (Roads 2001, p.312)
different “room tones” or ambiances according to the particular
acoustics of closed spaces (rooms). You worked with what was
already there, and you traveled through a selected location. For
the soundscape you’re creating an acoustical environment from
scratch. It may be helpful to ask yourself the question: How
would you reproduce the experience of a soundwalk to an
audience?
There are no rules as far as what your soundscape should be, but
be realistic as far as the time and resources you have. If you
need ideas please look up our additional resources.2
Planning your design first is recommended and here’s a
suggested workflow:
Please start with a simple creative design/map; thinking about
what do you want your audience to experience, and its virtual
positionality may help you. Do you want your audience to “travel
2
Sound can influence our everyday lives in many ways. It can contaminate a peaceful
environment, for example think of low sound is used in intensity war techniques, torture
by sound, sound testing on animals; it exists in temporary construction sites, and
machinery for example. Beyond the beauty of music, think of how sound has in the
other hand used in therapy and healing. Sound enthusiasts have formed groups such
as the Nature Sound Society who go around the world recording the sounds of nature
and the environment to create sound libraries, or other projects that incorporate
storytelling, poetry and music. Sound has been creatively explored in psychoacoustics,
check Alvin Lucier at UBU WEB for example.
Additional resources: World Forum for Acoustic Ecology
Science of Music: Headlands Experiments: Exploratorium's Accidental Scientist.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/music/exhibits/headlands/index.html
William Burroughs, Origin and Theory of the Tape Cut-Ups (3:43)
From a lecture given by WSB at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at
Naropa Institute, April 20, 1976.
http://ubu.artmob.ca/sound/burroughs_william/Break-Through/Burroughs-William_Origin-
and-Theory.mp3
Walter Ruttmann/DJ Spooky u.a. (Walter Ruttmann/DJ Spooky et al.)
«Weekend Remix»
http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/works/weekend-remix/
http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/works/weekend/
John Cage Williams Mix, 1962
http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/works/williams-mix/audio/1/
Amazing document on audio art:
http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/themes/overview_of_media_art/audio/scroll/
through” your soundscape, or are they going to be surrounded by
it?
You may use the sounds from the common library, and record
additional sounds or voices as needed.
What ambiances do you need for your soundscape? Lay them
down first.
Use different tracks for ambiances, sound effects, & voice. The
use of music may distract our focus on the nature of sound, so if
you use/compose music do so sparingly.
What sound effects would help you in creating this environment?
Lay one at the time and check for volume, and positionality (left,
center, right). Are the sounds surrounding the audience? Are
the sounds coming from a particular direction?
Learn about “normalizing your sound” and apply it only if you
need it; it tends to even out the overall volume from the loudest
to the quietest of your sounds.
Please burn your soundscape to a CD and test it before critique.