I met up with the rest of the group to discuss what the soundscape was going to include. The idea of doing a soundscape about a seaside town had previously been agreed upon, so we comprised a list of the sounds that one would typically associate with a day at the beach.
The sounds we want to capture include:
- Sea and waves
- Amusement arcade
- Buckets and spades
- Sand
- Donkeys
- Seagulls
- Fairground attractions
We agreed that the soundscape would represent a typical day at the seaside from a first person perspective. It was decided that to make the listener feel as though they are the one going an journey through town, there should be the sound of footsteps to give a sense of movement. Making a distinction between different surfaces is of importance, because it will help give a sense of where the listener is at any one time. The other sounds will of course indicate location, but if the floor sound doesn’t correspond to the environmental sounds then it will sound wrong. For example, if the sound of walking on sand can be heard at the same time as the amusement arcade then the illusion of place will be lost. Furthermore, the transition from one surface material to another would indicate to the listener that the protagonist is moving between different parts of town.
The walking surface sounds we want are:
- Sand
- Concrete pavement
- Wood (pier)
- Carpet (arcade)