Psychoacoustical approach in soundscape characterization

Abstract

Four different soundscapes with different loudness and spectral distributions were recorded in Zagreb (capital of Croatia) and reproduced to two groups of listeners while they were performing a concentration demanding task - a simplified variation of the memory game. These two groups of test subjects listened to the same soundscapes but with different loudness distribution. The game results versus time were recorded, analyzed and compared to questionnaire answers, along with loudness and property changes of each soundscape. The goal was to determine which of the sound events causes the largest distraction and to establish a connection between these results and the annoyance level of each soundscape. As expected, the loudest soundscape resulted in the lowest score and caused the largest annoyance. However, other factors proved to cause listeners' distraction, mainly unexpected sounds that differ from the main sound print. In that sense, this paper also deals with a concept of creating enjoyable sound environment in urban places.