Environmental Sounds Research Articles

Music Listening as Exploratory Behavior: From Dispositional Reactions to Epistemic Interactions with the Sonic World.

Listening to music can span a continuum from passive consumption to active exploration, relying on processes of coping with the sounds as well as higher-level processes of sense-making. Revolving around the major questions of "what" and "how" to explore, this paper takes a naturalistic stance toward music listening, providing tools to objectively describe the underlying mechanisms of musical sense-making by weakening the distinction between music and non-music. Starting from a non-exclusionary conception of "coping" with the sounds, it stresses the exploratory approach of treating music as a sound environment to be discovered by an attentive listener. Exploratory listening, in this view, is an open-minded and active process, not dependent on simply recalling pre-existing knowledge or information that reduces cognitive processing efforts but having a high cognitive load due to the need for highly focused attention and perceptual readiness. Music, explored in this way, is valued for its complexity, surprisingness, novelty, incongruity, puzzlingness, and patterns, relying on processes of selection, differentiation, discrimination, and identification.

The impact of the community's sound environment on social interactions among residents

The built environment significantly influences social interactions, which are crucial for residents, but little is known about how these interactions are affected by the community's sound environment. This study conducted sound intervention experiments in the community to investigate the impact of alterations in the sound environment on residents' social behaviours. The social interaction situations under five sound intervention conditions were recorded and evaluated from three dimensions: participation, occurrence, and depth. The results indicated that a more natural sound environment in the community leads to a higher proportion of socially interactive residents and an increased occurrence of social interactions among residents. Birdsong interventions increased paired social interactions by 16.3 % compared to traffic noise, while water sound interventions increased grouped social interactions by 16.6 % compared to the control. Compared to the frequency in the lowest group, individual prolonged pair social interactions increased by 0.26 occurrences with birdsong intervention, and prolonged group social interactions increased by 0.19 occurrences with water sounds intervention. The findings can inform community designers about the strategic use of sound to enhance the environment and promote social interactions among residents.

The audio-visual incongruency asymmetry. Natural sounds in an urban visual setting are more relaxing than urban sounds in visual nature

Audio-visual interactions play a crucial role in environmental perception. Incongruent audio-visual environments, although prominent in the urban fabric, have been underlit in research. Contrasting exposures to visually natural environments combined with urban sounds, as well as the reverse scenario of visually urban environments with natural sounds, are explored for their restorative potential, both at the cognitive level by means of self-reported evaluations and instinctively through measurements of electrodermal activity. The test panel (n=67) results point at a strong audio-visual urban-nature incongruency asymmetry. Eventful natural sounds in an urban setting were perceived as more pleasant and relaxing than eventful urban sounds in a green environment. So augmenting an urban environment with natural sounds, even in absence of any visual natural features, could be an interesting soundscape intervention. In contrast, a visually natural environment paired with urban sounds is strongly negatively perceived. The findings further contribute to a growing body of literature emphasizing the importance of the sonic environment in designing restorative spaces.

Solution-oriented development of the sound environment in industrial workplaces

Objectives. Research literature has not given much evaluation to why the proposed noise control actions in workplaces are not being implemented. There are views of the different personnel groups in the workplace and the reasons why the possibilities for solutions have not been examined. Methods. The companies under study were a welding machine shop, an assembly plant, a heavy steel company and an art glass factory. Noise management was approached by combining the perspectives of technology, acoustics and occupational safety with the examination of sociocultural factors at the workplace level. Results. Noise was not well represented in occupational safety practices. The productivity aspect was strongly emphasized. The use of personal protective equipment created the illusion that everything possible has been done and noise controlled. Conclusion. The study developed a model in which experts in the field of acoustics and sociocultural researchers together evaluated the state and development needs of noise abatement. The results of the project show that successful noise control solutions require a process involving all staff in the workplace.

Acoustic discoveries of the Carinthian Gate theatre (Kärntnertortheater) of Vienna: on the trace of a lost artistical building heritage

Throughout history, many cultural heritage buildings of important value have been lost due to natural disasters as well as human causes (e.g. fire, war destruction, change of use etc.). The needs to build a larger theatre, as occurred in Vienna, addressed the Carinthian Gate theatre to have different room functions, while currently is considered the house of Sacher cake at international level. This paper deals with the discovery of the acoustic response of one of the most important theatres of Vienna. The realization of a 3D model that reproduces the architectural features allows the authors to perform acoustic simulations that reveal the sound environment that would be perceived by the audience during artistic performances at the end of eighteenth century in Vienna. In addition, the simulated results of the main acoustic parameters have been compared with the values of other opera theatres provided with similar dimensions and architectural features, as already studied by the authors. The results indicate an overall acoustic response, as typical of horseshoe shape plan layout theatres with the values of clarity found very close or within the optimal range, the sound strength ranging between 4 and 11 dB, and the reverberation time close to 1.5 s, in line with the criteria of opera theatre based on the room volume of the main hall and finished materials applied to the surfaces of the 3D model.

The sound heritage of Kotagede: the evolving soundscape of a living museum

Kotagede, the capital of the ancient Mataram Kingdom and currently an area in the Yogyakarta Province of Indonesia, is known as a ‘real living museum’. It was previously a residential area with many vital premises and heritage buildings that became a tourist area. Its locally established activities enrich the visual and sound environment of the vicinity. However, it has gradually lost its distinguishing sounds. A series of studies aims to improve the possibility of restoring past soundmarks to preserve the intangible heritage and make living museums as rich as possible. This paper reports the initial stage of the series, which focuses on capturing the rich historical sounds of Kotagede. The study was carefully designed to collect comprehensive data on heritage sounds using qualitative methods consisting of an initial focus group discussion (FGD), in-depth interviews, and a final FGD. These methods resulted in a large amount of data that were processed and classified using the descriptive phenomenology approach with the Colaizzi protocol. The study found that Kotagede has various soundmarks grouped into local and outside sounds. The locally rooted sounds can be grouped into eight categories, some of which can be extended as past and present sounds and a few that have persisted from the past to the present. In the subsequent stage, this classification and local leaders' concerns helped the researchers select and prioritise sounds for preservation and tourism purposes. The study emphasises the importance of choosing suitable participants to provide detailed and comprehensive information.

Early maturation of neural auditory novelty detection − Typical development with no major effects of dyslexia risk or music intervention

ObjectiveTo determine the early development of novelty detection and the effect of familial dyslexia risk and infant music intervention on this development. MethodsIn the longitudinal DyslexiaBaby study, we investigated the maturation of novelty-P3 and late-discriminative negativity (LDN) event-related potentials to novel sounds at birth (N = 177) and at the ages of 6 (N = 83) and 28 months (N = 131). ResultsNovelty-P3 was elicited at all ages, whereas LDN was elicited at 6 and 28 months. Novelty-P3 amplitude was largest at 6 months, and its latency decreased with age. LDN amplitude decreased and latency increased between 6 to 28 months. Dyslexia risk or intervention had no effects, apart from a longer LDN latency in the high-risk than no-risk group. ConclusionsAlready neonates respond to novel environmental sounds, indicating prerequisites for detecting potentially relevant events at birth. Maturation influences neural novelty detection. SignificanceNovelty detection is crucial for perceiving important events, but its early development has been scarcely studied. We found, with a large sample, that neonates detect novel events, and showed the developmental pattern of its neural signature. The results serve as a reference for studies on typical and atypical novelty-detection development in infancy when behavioral testing is challenging.

Effect of hearing aids on the externalization of everyday sounds.

This study examined the influence of stimulus properties on sound externalization when listening with hearing aids. Normally hearing listeners were presented with broadband "tokens" (environmental sounds and speech) from loudspeakers, and rated externalization using a continuous scale. In separate blocks, they listened unaided or while wearing behind-the-ear hearing aids with closed domes and low gain (linear or compressive). There was a significant influence of token on ratings, even for unaided listening, and the effect of hearing aids depended on token. An acoustic analysis indicated that hearing aids were more likely to disrupt externalization for peakier sounds with a low-frequency emphasis.

Acoustic wave propagation in depth-evolving sound-speed field using the lattice Boltzmann method

This study investigates the propagation of sound waves within deep-sea low-sound-speed channels using the lattice Boltzmann method, with a key focus on the influence of depth-dependent sound speed on wave propagation. The depth-variable sound speed condition is realized through the incorporation of an external force proportional to the density gradient. After the model verification, investigations into the two-dimensional spreading of sound sources reveal that the depth-dependent sound speed curves the wave propagation. When source depths differing from the low-sound-speed channel, wave paths deviate due to contrasting speeds above and below. When the sound source is situated within the low-sound-speed channel, waves exhibit converging patterns. The simulations also detail the total reflection behavior of sound waves. When the incident angle falls exceeds the critical angle, the waves remain intact within the low-sound-speed channel, thereby enabling the preservation of high amplitude acoustic signals even at remote locations. The subsequent simulations of sound wave propagation around obstacles demonstrate that the low-sound-speed channel also exhibits better signal transmission capabilities in the presence of obstacles. In a uniform sound speed environment, acoustic wave propagation around a submarine exhibits a symmetric pattern. By contrast, under depth-evolving speed conditions, submarines operating at various depths manifest distinct propagation characteristics, such as asymmetric wave propagation during shallow diving, as well as wave attenuation or even silencing when cruising within low-sound-speed channels. These findings underscore the profound implications of depth-evolving sound speed on underwater acoustic signal detection and transmission.

Sensory room: Naturalistic assessment of auditory and visual perception in developing children

IntroductionHearing is essential for language acquisition and understanding the environment. Understanding how children react to auditory and visual information is essential for appropriate management in case of hearing loss. Objective and subjective assessments can diagnose hearing loss, but do not measure natural perception in children. We developed a “sensory room” for complementary assessment of children's perceptions so as to assess behavioral responses to meaningful natural sounds and visual stimuli in an ecologic environment suited to children. Material and methodsSixteen normal-hearing children and 10 with congenital hearing loss before cochlear implantation, aged 13 to 32months, were included in this feasibility study. They perceived 18 environmental sounds and 9 visual stimuli, and their behavioral responses were coded accordingly as: stopping, looking, moving, pointing, language or emotional reactions. ResultAll children completed the task, demonstrating its feasibility in children. Percentage responses to auditory versus visual stimuli did not differ in normal-hearing children; those with congenital hearing loss responded like normal-hearing children to visual stimuli, but did not react to auditory stimuli. Progression in normal-hearing children's behavioral responses corresponded to cognitive and linguistic development according to age. ConclusionThe “sensory room” quantified children's responses to various auditory and visual stimuli, providing clinicians with measurable insight into the children's sensory perception and processing.

Socioeconomic Disparities and Other Factors Affecting Time to Dispensing of Pediatric Hearing Aids.

Pediatric hearing loss can significantly impact speech, language, social, and educational development. Providing access to speech and environmental sounds using amplification devices, such as hearing aids, can help improve developmental outcomes. However, timely rehabilitation and intervention may be delayed due to limited access to resources, further prolonging the adverse effects of childhood hearing loss. The aim of this study was to investigate socioeconomic barriers in time to dispensing hearing aids in a diverse pediatric patient population. Data from an existing internal database from a tertiary pediatric hospital were analyzed from January 2020 through August 2022 for barriers associated with hearing aid (HA) dispensing delays. Demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained. Multivariate regression and survival analysis statistics were used to identify factors associated with delayed time to dispensing hearing aids. Of the 121 patients who had been appropriately diagnosed and fit, 108 (89.3%) had received hearings aids and 13 (10.7%) had not at the time of the study. Of those who had received HA, time to dispensing was not significantly impacted by sex, race, ethnicity, language, or income level. Insurance was found to be an influencing factor in time to receiving the HA. Factors such as insurance and hearing loss laterality contribute to delays in receiving hearing aids. Identifying these specific barriers and disparities in hearing rehabilitation services will prove vital in facilitating an expedited and equitable pathway to receiving hearing aids. 3 Laryngoscope, 2024.

Research on the health performance improvement strategy of traditional dwellings in southern Henan province under the concept of healthy building

As the most basic unit of human life, the health attributes of dwellings have a significant impact on residents' health. Rural areas in Henan Province exhibit a high degree of "hollowing out," with permanent residents being highly sensitive to health issues. Therefore, studying the improvement strategies for the health performance of rural dwellings is of great significance to residents' health. This paper reviews the development of domestic healthy building concepts and relevant evaluation systems, and analyzes the correlation and mechanism between various building element indicators and health issues in dwellings based on relevant evaluation systems. Finally, drawing on modern healthy building concepts, the paper conducts a health performance analysis of traditional dwellings in southern Henan Province from four aspects: thermal environment, light environment, air quality, and sound environment, and proposes targeted improvement strategies.

Research on the Sustainable Development of Green Finance in Hainan Free Trade Port under the Dual Carbon Goals

Against the backdrop of global climate change, the Chinese government has proposed the ambitious goals of "carbon peak" and "carbon neutrality" (dual carbon goals). As an important part of the national strategy, Hainan Free Trade Port plays a key role in its sustainable development through green finance. This study aims to explore the connotation, current status, and challenges of green finance in Hainan Free Trade Port under the dual carbon goals, and propose strategies and paths to promote its sustainable development. The study finds that a sound policy environment, innovative financial products and services, specialized talent cultivation, and effective evaluation and risk management mechanisms are key factors for achieving the sustainable development of green finance in Hainan Free Trade Port.

Supporting the Living Laboratory: A Literature Review of Montreal Sound-Related Research

Sound and noise play a critical role in the experience of urban environments. We review the literature on sound environments in Montreal and their effects on city users, including public sector reports from the City of Montreal and Montreal’s public health agency in addition to academic research, published between 2010 and 2020. 73 studies were analyzed according to scale, methodologies, methods, settings, sound sources covered, and domains of findings. This review summarizes the main findings at city level, paving the way for more integrated urban sound and noise policies tailored to local realities while staying informed of international best practices.

HM–GDM: Hybrid Measures and Graph-Dependent Modeling for Environmental Sound Classification

One of the upcoming areas of research is the automated environmental sound classification, as its application is highly utilized in criminal investigations scenarios, surveillance systems, biomedical fields, radio navigation systems, etc. The procedure of environmental sound classification deals with standardized techniques such as feature extraction and feature selection, followed by classification with machine learning or deep learning techniques. In this work, five feature extraction techniques are used initially such as the discrete wavelet transform (DWT)-based empirical mode decomposition (EMD) technique, phase space reconstruction (PSR), kernel principal component analysis (KPCA), variational mode decomposition (VMD) and tunable Q-wavelet transform (TQWT). The extracted features are then selected through seven feature selection techniques, out of which two have been proposed newly and five have already existed. The proposed feature selection techniques are stratified clustered collective technique (SCCT) and fuzzy-based template shape clustering (FTSC). The other feature selection techniques used are the generalized discriminant analysis (GDA), ReliefF, Fisher discriminant criterion (FDC), Kruskal–Wallis test and coati optimization algorithm (COA). The selected features are then classified through the proposed swarm intelligence-based hybrid Adaboost – random forest termed as SIHAR classifier and the selected features are classified with the less explored sparse representation classifier (SRC) along with eight other traditionally used machine learning classifiers. The work also proposes graph-dependent modeling for the environmental sounds where the rhythms are extracted for the similarity assessment and later the decision-making is done using hypothesis testing. The work is tested on Firat ESC-50 dataset and the best results are produced in terms of a high classification accuracy of 87.48% which is obtained for the TQWT + SCCT + SIHAR combination.

A proof of concept participatory study on virtual sound immersion: developing an inclusive prototype to improve the experience of planning leisure activities outside the home

Individuals with atypical sensory and/or cognitive profiles have little access to out-of-home activities during their free time. A lack of information on activities and the characteristics of the outside environment often prevents them from investing in or obtaining new experiences. When they do participate, they often encounter difficulties and various obstacles that lead to failed attempts. This may lead to disengagement and a significant reduction in their social participation. The aim of this study was to co-construct a prototype based on the user’s needs and evaluate its feasibility and social validity from an exploratory perspective. A participatory research model using a mixed method based on an iterative design thinking methodology was used. The results show that describing the sensory attributes of environments increases people’s sense of familiarity and self-evaluation of accessibility. As a proof of concept, a virtual sound immersion prototype has been developed. It enables users to explore the sound environment and project themselves into new activities, including the emergence of the idea, the journey to get there and the performance of the activity itself. This study establishes the first step in the development of inclusive assistive technology and discusses issues related to the universal accessibility of the device.

Cochlear-implant simulated spectral degradation attenuates emotional responses to environmental sounds

Objective Cochlear implants (CI) provide users with a spectrally degraded acoustic signal that could impact their auditory emotional experiences. This study evaluated the effects of CI-simulated spectral degradation on emotional valence and arousal elicited by environmental sounds. Design Thirty emotionally evocative sounds were filtered through a noise-band vocoder. Participants rated the perceived valence and arousal elicited by each of the full-spectrum and vocoded stimuli. These ratings were compared across acoustic conditions (full-spectrum, vocoded) and as a function of stimulus type (unpleasant, neutral, pleasant). Study Sample Twenty-five young adults (age 19 to 34 years) with normal hearing. Results Emotional responses were less extreme for spectrally degraded (i.e., vocoded) sounds than for full-spectrum sounds. Specifically, spectrally degraded stimuli were perceived as more negative and less arousing than full-spectrum stimuli. Conclusion By meticulously replicating CI spectral degradation while controlling for variables that are confounded within CI users, these findings indicate that CI spectral degradation can compress the range of sound-induced emotion independent of hearing loss and other idiosyncratic device- or person-level variables. Future work will characterize emotional reactions to sound in CI users via objective, psychoacoustic, and subjective measures.

Feasibility of Non-contact Noise Cancellation for Medical Device Alarms in Intensive Care Unit: An In Vitro Experiment

Objective: Medical device alarms in intensive care units (ICUs) are essential but their constant noise contributes to sleep disturbance and delirium in patients, jeopardizing their health and recovery. Therefore, improving the sound environment for patients in the ICU is crucial. This fundamental experiment investigated the potential of non-contact noise cancellation to reduce the noise level from medical device alarms in patients’ ears. We tested whether non-contact noise cancellation using a loudspeaker reduced the noise level of medical device alarms. Methods: In Experiment 1, we measured and analyzed the electrocardiogram sounds (volume 2, default setting) from a bedside monitor and the alarm sounds (volume 2, default setting) from a syringe pump. Negative-phase sound waves were subsequently generated for each alarm type. In Experiment 2, we tested whether non-contact noise cancellation using a loudspeaker reduced the noise level of each alarm. Results: The electrocardiogram sound from the bedside monitor was highest around 1kHz, while, the alarm sound from the syringe pump peaked around 4kHz. Non-contact noise cancellation using the loudspeaker reduced the electrocardiogram sounds emitted from the bedside monitor by more than 15decibel (dB) and the alarm sounds from the syringe pump by more than 10dB. Conclusion: A 10dB change doubles or halves the perceived loudness, making the over 10dB reduction achieved for medical device alarms in this study highly significant. The results of this experimental study demonstrate the promising potential of noise-cancelling loudspeakers for improving patient comfort and well-being in ICUs.

Experimental Investigation on Building Sound Environment: Traffic-Induced Air Noise and Structure-Borne Noise

Experimental Investigation on Building Sound Environment: Traffic-Induced Air Noise and Structure-Borne Noise

From ‘musique concrète’ and Acousmatic Art to the ‘New Music Theater’. The Austrian Composer Dieter Kaufmann

This article follows the way the Austrian composer Dieter Kaufmann has gone with his conceptions taken from musical and extra-musical domains, as literature, visual arts, religion and politics, describing some of his theatrical works. For him the function of music is to improve the society and therefore his works are a critic to politics or to religion. Having studied in Paris by Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Schaeffer, François Bayle and René Leibowitz, he contributed to the development of the electronic music in Austria with his creation and his teaching of electroacoustic composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. He went further than the Parisian ‘musique concrète’, which worked with sound objects, and consciously selected and worked with objects of sound ambient in order to manage the sound environment, to musically shape it. The acousmatic art deals with sound objects, which are recorded and projected in another space, the theatre scene being an ideal space of it. A large part of his works are included in the genre of New Music Theater of the 20th and 21st century, where sound (tone and word) and movement come together, each of them having the same weight. Keywords: musique concrète, sound object, acousmatic art, multimedia, electroacoustic composition