Lecture 3: Noise to soundscape Flashcards
What are differences between the environmental noise management approach and the soundscape approach?
Environmental Noise Management Approach:
- sound managed as a waste
- focus on sounds of discomfort
- human response related to level of sound
-measures by integrating acorss all sound sources
- management by reducing sound level
Soundscape approach:
- sound perceived as a resource
- focus is on sounds of preference
- preference often unrelated to level - quiet not the objective.
- requires differentation between sound rouces: wanted sounds from unwanted sounds
- manages by ‘wanted sounds’ masking ‘unwanted sounds’
What is difficult with soundscapes in theory?
It is very subjective and is all about emotions:
* emotions are internal, conscious and relational
* Emotions are short-lived phenomena and must be distinguished from mood and attitude by means of duration
What are some different theories?
Southworth: new urbanist approach - how can city sound better serve its inhabitatants
Schafer, R.M.: musical composition as a soundscape or radio program or acoustic environment.
What is a soundscape according to ISO 12913?
An acoustic environment as perceived or experienced and/or understood by a person or people in context.
A construction of the (acoustic) environment through perception and it is not the acoustic environment itself.
Sound pressure level measurements can indicate quietness.
Is this statement true or false?
False. Sound pressure level measurements can’t indicate quietness as it differs on a project-by-project basis. Quiet has a different meaning for different people.
What is the difference between hearing and listening?
Hearing: physiological potential of our body. While listening is the phenomenality of the experienced world.
What are the three states of listening by Truax?
Listening in search: active, conscious activity ‘tuned in’.
Listening in readiness: intermediate listening. Attention is ready to receive info, but focus of attention lies somewhere else.
Background listening: distracted listening. Listener is engaged in another activity.
In what two situations should we do a soundscape?
- When there is a noise annoyance report on a general or particular place of space
- When there is the desire to make a specific place more acoustically desirable.
What are methods of data collection with the soundscape approach?
- Soundwalks
- Questionnaires-semantic scales
- Two-dimensional soundscape models
What is a soundwalk?
Method to obtain human sensations/responses/outcomes.
Participatory group sound and listening walks through the environment.
What are the different ways to reduce unwanted sounds. Name examples too.
❑ Reduction of the sound level at the source:
- fleet management (e.g vehicle type certification)
- silent asphalt
- regulations for heavy vehicles
- softening ground between a source and receiver.
❑ Reduction of the sound along the transmission path:
- noise barriers
❑ Reduction at the receiver:
- Shielding sensitive receptors through increasing the attenuation of the building envelops such as dwellings and schools (e.g insulation)
What is noise engineering?
Combining multiple methods previously described for example as solutions in areas exposed to road traffic and railway noise:
* low barrier
* traffic moderation
* tree belts
* low barrier
* vegetated berms
Explain sound intensity with an example.
You can compare it to a balloon of honey. When you fill the balloon with air, the honey on it expands and gets thinner (with less mass). This is also the case with sound intensity. It changes as we get further from the sound source. Becomes less and less.
The more intense sound is produced by a source that has smaller-amplitude oscillations and has greater pressure. Is this true or false?
False, it’s about larger-amplitude oscillations.
What is the difference between sound power and sound pressure?
Power:
* only related to source and environment
* depends on the source
* independent of situation
* lets you compare applies to apples
* can’t be measured directly, must be calculated
pressure:
* what we experience, the pressure difference
* sound pressure level depends on both source and the environment
* sound pressure is situation-dependent
* difficult to compare apples to apples
* can be measured directly with microphone.
