I hope to clarify the present situation by sketching the conceptual basis of the two models which seem to stand in the greatest opposition, namely the traditional energy and signal transfer model that derives from acoustical and audio engineering, and the listener-centred soundscape model that has emerged from soundscape studies. By Hildegard Westerkamp. Environmental sound can be understood as a type of language. Since audio technology and recording equipment can now be used in similarly portable ways as a camera, the soundscape can be recorded, reproduced, composed and processed by more people than ever before. All sounds of the world can be heard on radio, TV, CD, and the internet.
All sounds can become part of a broadcast, a soundscape composition or a film soundtrack.
An attempt will be made here to explore how listening to and composing with environmental sound can serve as a bridge between the local and the global. This is a PDF document. Download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader to use with this article. New institute to begin research into quiet highways. Engineers at Purdue University have formed the first center in the nation dedicated to understanding the precise physics behind highway noise, a prerequisite for reducing the nuisance.