World Soundscape Project (WSP)

A research project centred at the Sonic Research Studio of the School of Communication (formerly the Department of Communication Studies), Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada, devoted to the comparative study of the world soundscape.

The project formally came into existence in 1971 after preliminary work in the late 1960s, and since that time a number of national and international research studies have been conducted, dealing with aural perception, community soundscapes, sound pollution, etc., all of which have attempted to unite the arts and sciences of sound studies in the development of the interdiscipline of soundscape design. See also: Soundscape Ecology.

Publications of the World Soundscape Project include:

The Book of Noise: a primer on noise pollution for the layman, suitable for schools.

Okeanos: a ninety-minute, quadraphonic tape composition by Bruce Davis, Brian Fawcett and R. Murray Schafer, dealing with the symbolism of the ocean.

The Music of the Environment: an article by R.M. Schafer for the UNESCO journal Cultures, on the concept of the World Soundscape; the first treatment of the acoustical environment as a macrocultural composition.

A Survey of Community Noise By-Laws in Canada (1972): a collection of by-laws for all communities in Canada over 25,000 population, with commentaries on enforcement procedures and an introductory essay.

Soundscapes of Canada: a series of ten one-hour radio broadcasts designed to introduce the public to the main themes of soundscape research via documentaries, compositions and environmental recordings.

The Tuning of the World: a book by R.M. Schafer, describing natural, community and post-industrial soundscapes, soundscape analysis and acoustic design.

The Music of the Environment: an introductory essay on the subject by R. Murray Schafer.

The Vancouver Soundscape: a booklet detailing the acoustic environment of Vancouver supplemented by recordings.

European Sound Diary: a document of acoustic experiences, observations, measurements and soundwalks from a field trip to Europe. Recordings available.

Five Village Soundscapes: a soundscape analysis of five European communities undergoing a transition from a traditional acoustic orientation towards a more urbanized one. Recordings available.

Handbook for Acoustic Ecology: the present document.

The Vancouver Soundscape 1973 / Soundscape Vancouver 1996: a double CD documenting changes in the soundscape of Vancouver.