Field recordings

Sounds of the world

58,390 geotagged field recordings from radio aporee ::: maps – a global sound map dedicated to field recording, phonography and the art of listening.

58,390recordings

113countries

586city pages

3,004recordists

2,850

Streets & traffic

Road traffic is the dominant sound of modern cities and the largest source of…

2,053

Crowds & voices

Human voices are the sound we are most tuned to. Crowds, playgrounds and conversations…

1,758

Birdsong & dawn chorus

Birds are the most recorded wild animals on Earth. The dawn chorus – the burst of song…

1,407

Soundwalks

A soundwalk is a walk with the ears open – a practice developed by the World Soundscape…

1,402

Wind

Wind has no sound of its own – what we hear is air moving around and through objects…

1,389

Parks & gardens

Urban parks are where city and nature sounds meet: birds and fountains against a…

954

Trains & stations

Stations are spaces of announcements, footsteps, brakes and departing engines – often in…

810

Rivers, streams & waterfalls

Moving fresh water is a constant presence in many soundscapes. Small brooks have bright…

801

Forests

Forest soundscapes change with the season, the hour and the weather. Leaves absorb high…

753

Sea & waves

Breaking waves produce a broadband 'pink' noise with energy spread over the whole…

612

Construction & industry

Machines, workshops and building sites document labour and change in a city. Many of…

548

Church bells

Bells were for centuries the loudest regular sound in towns, marking time, celebrations…

546

Frogs & insects

After dark, frogs and insects often become the loudest animals in a landscape. Many call…

490

Night soundscapes

At night, traffic and human activity fade and distant sounds carry further, helped by…

479

Harbours, ports & boats

Rigging tapping on masts, ship horns, gulls and engines – harbours are rich, rhythmic…

452

Airports & aircraft

Aircraft noise travels far and dominates the soundscape around airports. Recordings here…

451

Mountains

Mountain soundscapes are shaped by altitude, wind and distance: echoes from rock walls…

431

Trams, metros & buses

Public transport has a strong sonic identity: door chimes, bells, announcements…

399

Street music & buskers

Music heard in the open air – buskers, brass bands, choirs and radios in shop doorways –…

357

Rain

Rain is one of the most requested sounds in the world – for sleep, focus and simply for…

355

Cafés, bars & restaurants

Clinking cups, espresso machines and the murmur of conversation – café ambience is one…

353

Farms & farm animals

Rural soundscapes with livestock, machinery and village life – including cowbells and…

316

Markets & bazaars

Markets are dense layers of voices, calls of vendors, scales, carts and music – some of…

288

Festivals, parades & fireworks

Celebrations bring music, drums, chants, fireworks and crowds together – some of the…

240

Caves, tunnels & underground

Enclosed underground spaces have long reverberation and strong resonances. Water drips…

228

Protests & demonstrations

Chants, whistles, drums and megaphones: the sound of public protest is a historical…

203

Prayer, chant & ritual

Calls to prayer, temple bells, chants and services are among the most culturally…

181

Snow & ice

Fresh snow is an excellent sound absorber, so snowy landscapes feel hushed. Ice is the…

149

Contact-mic recordings

Contact microphones pick up vibrations inside solid objects – fences, bridges, railings…

133

Fountains

Fountains are deliberately designed sounds in public space – used to mask traffic noise…

127

Thunderstorms

Thunder is the shock wave of air heated by lightning to around 30,000 °C. Distant…

Underwater (hydrophone)

Hydrophones reveal a hidden world: snapping shrimp, fish grunts, boat engines and even…

Every dot is a cluster of recordings

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Recordings come from radio aporee ::: maps, mirrored on the Internet Archive. We only include recordings whose authors chose a license that allows reuse (public domain, CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA or CC BY-ND); every page credits the recordist and links to the original.