Showing papers on "Soundscape published in 2013"
TL;DR: For instance, this article found that bird songs and calls were the type of natural sounds most commonly associated with perceived stress recovery and attention restoration, but not all bird sounds were regarded as helpful for such processes.
266 citations
TL;DR: The Positive Soundscape Project (PSP) as discussed by the authors found that soundscape perception is influenced by cognitive effects such as the meaning of a soundscape and its components, and how information is conveyed by a soundscapes, for example on the behaviour of people within the soundscape.
207 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was conducted to decompose descriptors of the urban soundscape into two independent emotional dimensions, i.e., calmness and vibrancy.
181 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed and tested a Perceived Restorativeness Soundscape Scale (PRSS) to assess perceptions of a soundscape's potential to provide psychological restoration.
166 citations
TL;DR: It was revealed that the perceptual dimensions of the environment were different from the noise levels, and the acoustic comfort factor related to soundscape quality considerably influenced preference for the overall environment at a higher level of road traffic noise.
Abstract: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of audio-visual components on environmental quality to improve soundscape Natural sounds with road traffic noise and visual components in urban streets were evaluated through laboratory experiments Waterfall and stream water sounds, as well as bird sounds, were selected to enhance the soundscape Sixteen photomontages of a streetscape were constructed in combination with two types of water features and three types of vegetation which were chosen as positive visual components The experiments consisted of audio-only, visual-only, and audio-visual conditions The preferences and environmental qualities of the stimuli were evaluated by a numerical scale and 12 pairs of adjectives, respectively The results showed that bird sounds were the most preferred among the natural sounds, while the sound of falling water was found to degrade the soundscape quality when the road traffic noise level was high The visual effects of vegetation on aesthetic preference were significant, but those of water features relatively small It was revealed that the perceptual dimensions of the environment were different from the noise levels Particularly, the acoustic comfort factor related to soundscape quality considerably influenced preference for the overall environment at a higher level of road traffic noise
142 citations
TL;DR: Based on the loudness of different soundscape elements perceived on site, soundscapes were analyzed in a multi-functional urban area in Rostock, Germany as mentioned in this paper, and the results showed that although anthropogenic sounds dominated urban soundscape both spatially and temporally, certain biological sounds (biophony) and geophysical sounds (geophony), especially bird song, also played a significant role.
121 citations
TL;DR: The results suggest that landscape factors have more significant effects on experienced occurrence of individual sounds than preference for individual sounds, and that visual and functional aspects should be considered in terms of creating a better soundscape during park design and management processes.
112 citations
TL;DR: The high acoustic connectedness of marine habitats underlines the need for evaluating the impact of anthropogenic activities, particularly for ecosystems with unique biophonies in need of protection.
108 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a soundscape assessment method that is suitable for the automatic categorization of binaurally recorded sound in urban public places is presented, based on an automatic clustering algorithm based on multi-parameter analysis by 13 acoustical parameters used as similarity measures, on a large set of sound recordings.
104 citations
TL;DR: An approach traditionally used in product development and manufacturing quality – The Kano Model is proposed, which shows how adapting an approach previously used in automotive sound quality can be adapted for urban soundscapes.
100 citations
TL;DR: A literature analysis and an interpretation of how the bidirectional influence of appraising the environment and the feelings of the perceiver can be understood in terms of core affect and motivation lead to a detailed cognitive model describing how sonic content allows full freedom over mind-states or forces the activation of a vigilance function with associated arousal.
Abstract: This theoretical paper addresses the cognitive functions via which quiet and in general pleasurable sounds promote and annoying sounds impede health. The article comprises a literature analysis and an interpretation of how the bidirectional influence of appraising the environment and the feelings of the perceiver can be understood in terms of core affect and motivation. This conceptual basis allows the formulation of a detailed cognitive model describing how sonic content, related to indicators of safety and danger, either allows full freedom over mind-states or forces the activation of a vigilance function with associated arousal. The model leads to a number of detailed predictions that can be used to provide existing soundscape approaches with a solid cognitive science foundation that may lead to novel approaches to soundscape design. These will take into account that louder sounds typically contribute to distal situational awareness while subtle environmental sounds provide proximal situational awareness. The role of safety indicators, mediated by proximal situational awareness and subtle sounds, should become more important in future soundscape research.
TL;DR: In this paper, a range of perceptual, psycho-acoustic and acoustical properties were examined using principal components analysis (PCA) and multiple regression (MRC) methods.
TL;DR: The results show that the individual soundwalk procedure has advantages for measuring diverse subjective responses and for obtaining the perceived elements of the urban soundscape.
Abstract: This study proposes a soundwalk procedure for evaluating urban soundscapes. Previous studies, which adopted soundwalk methodologies for investigating participants' responses to visual and acoustic environments, were analyzed considering type, evaluation position, measurement, and subjective assessment. An individual soundwalk procedure was then developed based on asking individual subjects to walk and select evaluation positions where they perceived any positive or negative characteristics of the urban soundscape. A case study was performed in urban spaces and the results were compared with those of the group soundwalk to validate the individual soundwalk procedure. Thirty subjects (15 architects and 15 acousticians) participated in the soundwalk. During the soundwalk, the subjects selected a total of 196 positions, and those were classified into 4 groups. It was found that soundscape perceptions were dominated by acoustic comfort, visual images, and openness. It was also revealed that perceived elements of the acoustic environment and visual image differed across classified soundscape groups, and there was a difference between architects and acousticians in terms of how they described their impressions of the soundscape elements. The results show that the individual soundwalk procedure has advantages for measuring diverse subjective responses and for obtaining the perceived elements of the urban soundscape.
TL;DR: A socio-acoustic survey carried out in three large urban parks in Rome confirms that the sound environment in urban parks is often considered as "good" or "excellent" even if the sound pressure level is nearly always higher than the limits commonly used to define quiet areas.
Abstract: The present paper reports a socio-acoustic survey carried out in three large urban parks in Rome, selected on the basis of the outcome of a preliminary online survey. According to the experimental protocol applied in a previous study carried out in Milan and Naples, binaural recordings in 85 sites and interviews with 266 users of the three parks were performed only during the day in summertime. On the basis of selected acoustical descriptors, the sonic environment of the three parks was categorized and, thanks to statistical analysis, three clusters were identified. The results confirm that the sound environment in urban parks is often considered as “good” or “excellent” even if the sound pressure level is nearly always higher than the limits commonly used to define quiet areas. This is due to the influence of other factors, such as the presence of trees, natural features, and the tranquility; all of these components cannot be neglected in the assessment of the soundscape because they directly affect the psychological state of the person.
TL;DR: Comparisons with road traffic noise showed that there is a mismatch between the frequency responses of traffic noise and water sounds, with the exception of waterfalls with high flow rates, which can generate large low frequency levels comparable to traffic noise.
Abstract: This paper examines physical and perceptual properties of water sounds generated by small to medium sized water features that have applications for road traffic noise masking. A large variety of water sounds were produced in the laboratory by varying design parameters. Analysis showed that estimations can be made on how these parameters affect sound pressure levels, frequency content, and psychoacoustic properties. Comparisons with road traffic noise showed that there is a mismatch between the frequency responses of traffic noise and water sounds, with the exception of waterfalls with high flow rates, which can generate large low frequency levels comparable to traffic noise. Perceptual assessments were carried out in the context of peacefulness and relaxation, where both water sounds and noise from dense road traffic were audible. Results showed that water sounds should be similar or not less than 3 dB below the road traffic noise level (confirming previous research), and that stream sounds tend to be preferred to fountain sounds, which are in turn preferred to waterfall sounds. Analysis made on groups of sounds also indicated that low sharpness and large temporal variations were preferred on average, although no acoustical or psychoacoustical parameter correlated well with the individual sound preferences.
TL;DR: Comparing acoustic data with ratings, the perceived quality of the total environment was found to be less dependent on LAeq than soundscape and quietness, and this hypothesis is supported by the collected data on the perceivedquality of quietness.
Abstract: Urban parks play an important role in preserving and promoting the health of citizens who are often exposed to noise pollution and the stress of daily life. The present study describes the main results obtained from a survey performed in five urban parks in Milan. Measurements of the acoustic environment were carried out in 29 sites together with interviews with 231 users on certain aspects of the parks not limited to merely sound. Acoustic data show that the surveyed parks mostly do not comply with the noise limit issued by the Italian legislation on protected areas. The unweighted 1/3-octave spectrum centre of gravity G and LA50 perform satisfactorily in discriminating among the acoustic environments. Such clear distinction was not observed in the subjective ratings on the perceived quality of the soundscape, likely due to the influence by non-acoustic factors that act as mediators in the assessment. This hypothesis is supported by the collected data on the perceived quality of quietness, which was rated worse than that of the soundscape. Comparing acoustic data with ratings, the perceived quality of the total environment was found to be less dependent on LAeq than soundscape and quietness.
TL;DR: While different sound categories cannot be identified using any single acoustical and psychoacoustical parameter, identification can be made with a group of parameters, as analyzed with artificial neural networks and discriminant functions in this paper.
Abstract: Among various sounds in the environment, natural sounds, such as water sounds and birdsongs, have proven to be highly preferred by humans, but the reasons for these preferences have not been thoroughly researched. This paper explores differences between various natural and urban environmental sounds from the viewpoint of objective measures, especially psychoacoustical parameters. The sound samples used in this study include the recordings of single sound source categories of water, wind, birdsongs, and urban sounds including street music, mechanical sounds, and traffic noise. The samples are analyzed with a number of existing psychoacoustical parameter algorithmic models. Based on hierarchical cluster and principal components analyses of the calculated results, a series of differences has been shown among different sound types in terms of key psychoacoustical parameters. While different sound categories cannot be identified using any single acoustical and psychoacoustical parameter, identification can be made with a group of parameters, as analyzed with artificial neural networks and discriminant functions in this paper. For artificial neural networks, correlations between network predictions and targets using the average and standard deviation data of psychoacoustical parameters as inputs are above 0.95 for the three natural sound categories and above 0.90 for the urban sound category. For sound identification/classification, key parameters are fluctuation strength, loudness, and sharpness.
TL;DR: The acoustic complexity index was used to obtain a quantification of singing dynamics, which were positively correlated with traffic noise, which may indicate that birds try to propagate their signals with greater emphasis to override the masking effect of noise.
Abstract: An altered acoustic environment can have severe consequences for natural communities, especially for species that use acoustic signals to communicate and achieve breeding success. Numerous studies have focused on traffic noise disturbance, but the possible causes of road effects are inter-correlated and the literature on noise qua noise is sometimes contradictory. To provide further empirical data in this regard, the authors investigated the spatio-temporal variability of the singing dynamics of an avian community living in an acoustic context altered by traffic noise. Fieldwork was carried out in a wood of Turkey oaks (central Italy) bordered on one side by a main road. The soundscape was examined by positioning eight digital recorders, distributed in two transects perpendicular to the road, and recording between 6:30 and 8.30 a.m. for 12 continuous sessions. The acoustic complexity index was used to obtain a quantification of singing dynamics, which were positively correlated with traffic noise. This may indicate that birds try to propagate their signals with greater emphasis (e.g., amplified redundancy or loudness of the songs) to override the masking effect of noise. Nevertheless, an ecotonal effect could have influenced the correlation results, with this enhanced dynamic possibly being due to a more densely populated environment.
TL;DR: A model of auditory attention to environmental sound is presented, which balances computational complexity and biological plausibility and provides an acoustic summary, giving the soundscape designer a quick overview of the typical sounds at a particular location.
Abstract: Urban soundscape design involves creating outdoor spaces that are pleasing to the ear. One way to achieve this goal is to add or accentuate sounds that are considered to be desired by most users of the space, such that the desired sounds mask undesired sounds, or at least distract attention away from undesired sounds. In view of removing the need for a listening panel to assess the effectiveness of such soundscape measures, the interest for new models and techniques is growing. In this paper, a model of auditory attention to environmental sound is presented, which balances computational complexity and biological plausibility. Once the model is trained for a particular location, it classifies the sounds that are present in the soundscape and simulates how a typical listener would switch attention over time between different sounds. The model provides an acoustic summary, giving the soundscape designer a quick overview of the typical sounds at a particular location, and allows assessment of the perceptual effect of introducing additional sounds.
TL;DR: In this article, a semi-structured interview study was conducted to understand individuals' subjective responses to the soundscape of a cardiothoracic ward within a public University Hospital in the UK.
TL;DR: A subjective and physical categorization of an ambient sound is the first step to evaluate the soundscape and provides a basis for designing or adapting this ambient sound to match people's expectations and develop a categorization and differentiation analysis of soundscapes on the basis of acoustical and perceptual variables.
Abstract: A subjective and physical categorization of an ambient sound is the first step to evaluate the soundscape and provides a basis for designing or adapting this ambient sound to match people's expectations. For this reason, the main goal of this work is to develop a categorization and differentiation analysis of soundscapes on the basis of acoustical and perceptual variables. A hierarchical cluster analysis, using 15 semantic-differential attributes and acoustical descriptors to include an equivalent sound-pressure level, maximum-minimum sound-pressure level, impulsiveness of the sound-pressure level, sound-pressure level time course, and spectral composition, was conducted to classify soundscapes into different typologies. This analysis identified 15 different soundscape typologies. Furthermore, based on a discriminant analysis the acoustical descriptors, the crest factor (impulsiveness of the sound-pressure level), and the sound level at 125 Hz were found to be the acoustical variables with the highest impact in the differentiation of the recognized types of soundscapes. Finally, to determine how the different soundscape typologies differed from each other, both subjectively and acoustically, a study was performed.
01 Jan 2013
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a collection of studies on the staging of Amsterdam, Berlin and London soundscapes in historical documents, radio plays and films, and offer insights into themes such as film sound theory and museum audio guides.
Abstract: We cannot simply listen to our urban past. Yet we encounter a rich cultural heritage of city sounds presented in text, radio and film. How can such 'staged sounds' express the changing identities of cities? This volume presents a collection of studies on the staging of Amsterdam, Berlin and London soundscapes in historical documents, radio plays and films, and offers insights into themes such as film sound theory and museum audio guides. In doing so, this book puts contemporary controversies on urban sound in historical perspective, and contextualises iconic presentations of cities. It addresses academics, students, and museum workers alike. With contributions by Jasper Aalbers, Karin Bijsterveld, Carolyn Birdsall, Ross Brown, Andrew Crisell, Andreas Fickers, Annelies Jacobs, Evi Karathanasopoulou, Patricia Pisters, Holger Schulze, Mark M. Smith and Jonathan Sterne.
TL;DR: It is concluded that soundscape research can have a greater impact by helping urban planners design for health and pleasant experiences as well as developing tools for improved citizen involvement in local optimization.
Abstract: This paper is an outcome of a workshop that addressed the question how soundscape research can improve its impact on the local level It addresses a number of topics by complementing existing approaches and practices with possible future approaches and practices The paper starts with an analysis of the role of sound annoyance and suboptimal soundscapes on the lives of individuals and concludes that a good soundscape, or more generally a good sensescape, is at the same time pleasant as well as conducive for the adoption of healthy habits To maintain or improve sensescape quality, urban planning needs improved design tools that allow for a more holistic optimization and an active role of the local stakeholders Associated with this is a gradual development from government to governance in which optimization of the soundscape at a local (administrative or geographic) level is directly influenced by the users of spaces The paper concludes that soundscape research can have a greater impact by helping urban planners design for health and pleasant experiences as well as developing tools for improved citizen involvement in local optimization
TL;DR: The findings that many of these areas, particularly those with public parks, routinely experience sound types and levels associated with disturbance, suggests that urban planners need to account for the effect of increasing development on soundscapes to avoid compromising goals for ecological and human health.
Abstract: Background/Methodology
A significant implication of increasing urbanization is anthropogenic noise pollution. Although noise is strongly associated with disruption of animal communication systems and negative health effects for humans, the study of these consequences at ecologically relevant spatial and temporal scales (termed soundscape ecology) is in early stages of application. In this study, we examined the above- and below-water soundscape of recreational and residential lakes in the region surrounding a large metropolitan area. Using univariate and multivariate approaches we test the importance of large- and local-scale landscape factors in driving acoustic characteristics across an urbanization gradient, and visualize changes in the soundscape over space and time.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduce the notion of soundscape and the terminology used by the interdisciplinary field of Soundscape studies, founded by composer and activist R. Murray Schafer in the late 1960s.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used a jury technique for evaluation involving leading small groups of walkers to different locations in quasi-random order, where participants were asked to complete a short questionnaire and measurements of the physical soundscape and landscape images were used to interpret the results and give insights into the importance of various factors affecting tranquillity.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored tourists' preferences regarding the appropriate and desired soundscape of nature and how they relate to different ways of engagement with nature, each having its own historical roots, agents and social meanings.
TL;DR: A number of possible alternatives for crossmodal effects are outlined, including listening to a lower-pitched soundscape can help to emphasize the bitter notes in a bittersweet toffee while listens to a soundscape with a higher pitch tends to bring out its sweetness.
Abstract: A pair of recently published studies demonstrate that what we happen to be listening to can sometimes change our perception (or, at the very least, our rating) of what we are eating or drinking. In one recent study, North (2012) showed that the emotional attributes (or connotation) of a piece of music could influence people's perception of red or white wine. Meanwhile, Crisinel et al. (2012) reported that listening to a lower-pitched soundscape can help to emphasize the bitter notes in a bittersweet toffee while listening to a soundscape with a higher pitch tends to bring out its sweetness. Although the most appropriate psychological and neuroscientific explanations for such crossmodal effects are still uncertain, we outline a number of possible alternatives for such intriguing, not to mention surprising, phenomena.
TL;DR: Urban soundscapes at five locations in the city of Zadar were perceptually assessed by on-site surveys and objectively evaluated based on monaural and binaural recordings and the unique sound installation known as the Sea Organ was included as an atypical music-like environment.
Abstract: Urban soundscapes at five locations in the city of Zadar were perceptually assessed by on-site surveys and objectively evaluated based on monaural and binaural recordings. All locations were chosen so that they would display auditory and visual diversity as much as possible. The unique sound installation known as the Sea Organ was included as an atypical music-like environment. Typical objective parameters were calculated from the recordings related to the amount of acoustic energy, spectral properties of sound, the amount of fluctuations, and tonal properties. The subjective assessment was done on-site using a common survey for evaluating the properties of sound and visual environment. The results revealed the importance of introducing the context into soundscape research because objective parameters did not show significant correlation with responses obtained from interviewees. Excessive values of certain objective parameters could indicate that a sound environment will be perceived as unpleasant or annoying, but its overall perception depends on how well it agrees with people's expectations. This was clearly seen for the case of Sea Organ for which the highest values of objective parameters were obtained, but, at the same time, it was evaluated as the most positive sound environment in every aspect.
01 Jan 2013
TL;DR: Music, Sound and Space as discussed by the authors is a book that links up music, sound and space by revealing the transformations in public and private experience in the world of music, by testing it against many fields of knowledge, questioning and investigation.
Abstract: Reading a book like this, one cannot fail to be impressed by the scale and ambition of the undertaking. As the title suggests, its purpose is to link up music, sound and space by revealing the transformations in public and private experience. Though music is central to this book it is certainly not restricted to the art world nor yet to concert halls. On the contrary the aim is to open up the world of music, by testing it against many fields of knowledge, questioning and investigation. Just looking through the table of contents makes one realise the large number of subjects studied: the history of sound installations, new technologies for listening to music, broadcasting of background music in the workplace, the soundscape of a hospital or an Islamic village, the use of sound in healing or in war, among others. In a way Music, Sound and Space sets out to take stock of the consequences of technology’s growing involvement in the production of contemporary sound spaces, and to reveal the various sound forces shaping social life.