Soundscape and Sound Design - Tuning the New Ecology using the Expertise of People’s Mind
The Soundscape concept was introduced as a scope to rethink the evaluation of "noise" and its effects. The challenge was to consider the limits of acoustic measurements and to account for its cultural dimension introduced by Schafer’s neologism and research. Soundscape suggests exploring noise in its complexity and its ambivalence and its approach towards sound to consider the conditions and purposes of its production, perception, and evaluation, to understand evaluation of noise/ sound as an holistic approach. To discuss the contribution of Soundscape research means to focus on the meaning of sounds and its implicit assessments to contribute to the understanding that the evaluation through perceptual effects is a key issue. Analysis will place sound in context, with noise and sound linked to activity at realistic study sites. Besides the acoustical setting the listener sensational reality depends on the sociocultural background and the psychological dimension. The acoustical socialization (acoustical biography) and action frame of reference of the people concerned will influence environmental noise evaluation as well. Tools for the exploration of the Soundscape, microscopic as well as macroscopic, are needed. Beside the involvement of different disciplines it important to define areas that should built the platform in further development as economics, noise policy-standards, combined effects, common protocols, cross cultural studies, education about Soundscape, combined measurement procedures, qualitative and quantitative parameters, including the character of sounds and cross cultural questionnaires, and also the importance of survey site selection has to be emphasized.