Soundscapes: Getting Sound Right

A couple of years ago, I decided to get the Calm app. Going through my last year of my bachelor's degree, I found myself in constant bouts of stress where I would often have to force myself to take mental health breaks to ensure I didn't go crazy by the end of the year. It's safe to say that I ended up finishing my degree, but I can credit Calm not for guided meditation or the Daily Jays (which sounds like something illegal), but for a feature that, in my opinion, is under-appreciated: Soundscapes.

I initially got the Calm app intending to use its meditation features, but after months of almost weekly use, I found myself mostly drawn to the soundtrack of beaches, waterfalls, lakes, and a variety of other environments they offer. It became something I used during study sessions, idle breaks, or even grocery shopping. If it weren't music, I would often have some kind of soundscape playing.

I'm aware of how strange this might seem. The idea of just listening to your environment, to sit there and take in your surroundings, is almost foreign in an age where the infinite doomscroll replaces bouts of boredom and seemingly no one can sit still. But actively listening to other types of environments while doing any task is particularly odd compared to simply not wearing headphones.

This love affair I've developed with soundscapes has me hooked on this form of auditory experience. Unlike movies, soundscapes are inherently authentic and real: you feel as if you're in the very place where the recording was taken. Add a visual component in the form of photography, and you have an audio-visual experience that demands only minimal attention from you.

This combination of media does exist: there are tons of videos on YouTube and dedicated websites with audio and video of various soundscapes, many containing drone footage. Yet, I have two problems with the current landscape:

1. If you can find a dedicated soundscape without unnecessary piano music playing in the background, the audio quality tends to be quite terrible (probably recorded on a phone mic).
2. Drone footage is cool and all, but it can sometimes be distracting as hell.

Interestingly, some video games have managed to get sound and environments right in ways that real-world recordings often miss. One of the Soundscapes on the Calm app is from the Rare developers called the Sea of Thieves. Having sunk hours into that game in solo and multiplayer games with some friends a few years back, this soundscape came as a bit of a surprise to me. Yet, it became one of my favorite soundscapes, providing a gentle reminder of the places on the Sea of Thieves; an already visually stunning game with a perfect acoustic environment.

GTA IV is another game in which environment is done right. I won't go into depth on the beauty of Liberty City's (a digital New York City equivalent) environment, as there are plenty of people who've done a much more thorough job than I can (and probably ever will?) Yet, listening to the Algonquin environment (Manhattan digital equivalent), you can't help but feel as if you're "actually there."

These game environments demonstrate the power of well-crafted soundscapes to create immersive experiences. They've made me reflect on how we could apply similar principles to real-world photography and sound recording.

Another prime example of a captivating soundscape, albeit in a different context, is Bill Evans' Waltz for Debby. In this jazz recording, you hear not just the music but also the ambient sounds of the audience. This blend of intentional performance and unintentional background noise creates a rich, immersive atmosphere that transports the listener to that specific moment in time. It's a perfect illustration of how capturing ambient sounds can enhance the overall experience and create a more vivid auditory landscape.

Looking back at many of my old photographs from the last decade or so, I miss, or in almost all cases, forget what it sounded like when the picture was taken. Sometimes I wish I had shot a video instead...

Take, for example, a picture I took during a hike on the Amalfi Coast back in 2017. I can't help but wonder what it sounded like when I captured that moment. In a sense, you're mentally teleported and time-traveled to another point in time: one which captures the sheer beauty and essence of the environment you were in when the picture was taken.

Looking back at this picture from the hike, one wonders what 15-year-old me was thinking and feeling. Looking back at this image, you could maybe catch a glimpse, or maybe a slight hint. But capturing beauty's essence visually, I can't help but wonder what she'd sound like.

Combining photography and soundscapes would be an interesting project I'd love to explore. I'm excited by the idea of shooting pictures in places like Bali or Sorrento, while simultaneously capturing the sounds of rolling waves, chirping birds, and rustling trees.

Pairing high-quality images with authentic ambient audio, I could create a more immersive way to preserve and share these moments, allowing others to not just see, but also hear the essence of a place and time. It'd be cool to take it to a large scale and have it in a museum one day. But for now, one day at a time.

But one day.

For now, I've got to go back to making Knowledge Graphs.