A Taxonomy of Sound Sources for use in Soundscape Studies

Lex Brown Griffith University Brisbane, Australia

Acknowledgements to Jian Kang & Truls Gjestland

COST Action TD0804 WorkshopEdinburghHot topics in soundscapesOctober 2009

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Kin Che LAM

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Kin Che LAM

Sound source identification is an (initial) component of (nearly) all

soundscape studies

the need

Examples

• Simple description of sources in field studies

• Seeking what sources people identify in their surroundings (or in memory)

• Names of sources included in laboratory studies

• Analysing soundscapes:– disaggregation into component sounds– masking of some sources by others

Different studies often use different (sometimes ambiguous) .…..

– source terminology &

– categories/classification

“human sounds”……….…sometimes includes traffic noise sometimes not

“natural sounds”…………sometimes includes humans as natural, sometimes not

“urban/city sounds”……....highly variable as to what is included

“man-made sound” (sic)

the problem

In different studies, current terminology often intertwines:

– the presence of a sound

– A “proximity” classification

background sound foreground soundambient incidental soundsdominant sounds intermittent (temporal class.)

* sometimes without specification of sources that constitute that classification

the problem

In different studies, current terminology often intertwines:

– the presence of a sound

– human values ascribed to that sound.

intruding sound unwanted soundannoying sound preferred soundquiet good noise quality (sic)pleasant sounds

the problem

A standardised classification scheme (taxonomy) of sources/source types

towards a solution

Criteria for taxonomic nomenclature:

1. Universal across all types of places (different acoustic environments: urban, wilderness, rural etc)*

*with as few footnote qualifications as possible

• wilderness,

countryside, recreation contexts

• urban space contexts

A ‘divide’ in the literature

Soundscapes cuts across many fields

soundscapes

landscape designandmanagement

urban design/planning

recreationmanagement

environmentalnoise management

wildernessmanagement

sound qualityMusic/soundinstallationshuman acoustic

comfort

housinghuman health/well-being

Criteria for taxonomic nomenclature:

1. Universal across all types of places (different acoustic environments: urban, wilderness, rural etc)

2. Nomenclature avoids value judgements

Criteria for taxonomic nomenclature:

1. Universal across all types of places (different acoustic environments: urban, wilderness, rural etc)

2. Nomenclature avoids value judgements

3. Unambiguous in translation across languages

Indoor Acoustic

Environment

The Acoustic Environment

Outdoor Acoustic Environment

dittoWilderness2 Acoustic Environment

Urban1 Acoustic Environment

Rural1 Acoustic Environment

Underwater Acoustic Environment

ditto ditto5ditto

Sounds generated by human activity/facility

Sounds not generated by human activity

Voice&Instrument

Social/communal

voice

Non-amplifiedAmplified4

MotorisedTransport

air traffic

rail traffic

roadway traffic

marine traffic

Electro-mechanical: -stationary -mobile

footsteps

electrical installation

non-motorised

Human movement

construction

ventilation

agriculture

domestic

recreation

Other Human6

wildlife

earth/ice movement

thunder

water

wind

music

speech

singing

laughter

Nature3

Domesticated Animals3

industry

bells

clock chimes

fireworks

azan

alarms

A Taxonomy of Sources

DomainsCategoriessources

Domains

Categories

sources

Indoor Acoustic Environment

The Acoustic Environment

Outdoor Acoustic Environment

Wilderness2 Acoustic Environment

Urban1 Acoustic Environment

Rural1 Acoustic Environment

Underwater Acoustic Environment

1 The urban/rural distinction will not always be readily defined, but remains useful.

2 The wilderness category includes national parks, undeveloped natural and coastal zones, large recreation areas etc. The wilderness/rural divide will not always clear cut.

Domains

Urban1 Acoustic

Environment

Sounds generated by human activity/facility

Voice&Instrument

Social/communal

Non-amplifiedAmplified4

MotorisedTransport

Electro-mechanical: -stationary -mobile

Human movement

Other Human6

4 Recording, replay, and amplification may occur for any sounds – as for example in installations playing nature/wildlife sounds

6 Coughing, for example

DomainsCategoriessources

Voice&Instrument

Social/communal

voice

Non-amplifiedAmplified4

MotorisedTransport

air traffic

rail traffic

roadway traffic

marine traffic

Electro-mechanical: -stationary -mobile

footsteps

electrical installation

non-motorised

Human movement

construction

ventilation

agriculture

domestic

recreation

Other Human6

music

speech

singing

laughter

industry

bells

clock chimes

fireworks

azan

alarms

Categoriessources

Sounds generated by human activity/facility

Sounds not generated by human activity

wildlife

earth/ice movement

thunder

water

wind

Nature3

Domesticated Animals3

3 While “nature” and “domesticated animals” sources are “not generated by human activity” there are many exceptions—sounds of running water in constructed water features or the sounds of wind on buildings. Domesticated animal sounds will generally be from animals associated with a human activity/facility.

Urban1 Acoustic

Environment

DomainsCategoriessources

Indoor Acoustic

Environment

The Acoustic Environment

Outdoor Acoustic Environment

dittoWilderness2 Acoustic Environment

Urban1 Acoustic Environment

Rural1 Acoustic Environment

Underwater Acoustic Environment

ditto ditto5ditto

Sounds generated by human activity/facility

Sounds not generated by human activity

Voice&Instrument

Social/communal

voice

Non-amplifiedAmplified4

MotorisedTransport

air traffic

rail traffic

roadway traffic

marine traffic

Electro-mechanical: -stationary -mobile

footsteps

electrical installation

non-motorised

Human movement

construction

ventilation

agriculture

domestic

recreation

Other Human6

wildlife

earth/ice movement

thunder

water

wind

music

speech

singing

laughter

Nature3

Domesticated Animals3

industry

bells

clock chimes

fireworks

azan

alarms

A Taxonomy of Sources

DomainsCategoriessources

Ability to equate

category/source nomenclature

across all studies

in any places of

soundscape interest