🎧 Soundscape Studio

💾 Professional Backup & Export

Protect your work and share your results in professional formats.

🔒 Complete Backup & Restore

Save ALL your Soundscape archive (exercises, audio, photos, markers) in a single JSON file.

📝 Export Exercises Database

Export all your completed exercises in universal formats for analysis and sharing.

🎵 Export Audio Archive

Download all your audio files organized in a ZIP archive with complete metadata.

Protect and share your professional field recording archive

📊 Excel (.xlsx)

Universal table with date, title, category, difficulty, location, coordinates, notes and audio/photo counters. Open with Excel, Numbers, Google Sheets or any data analysis software.

📝 Word (.docx)

Formatted report ready for printing with all exercise details. Perfect for documentation, portfolio or presentations. Compatible with Word, Pages, Google Docs.

🗺️ KML (Google Earth)

Standard geographic format for Google Earth and Google Maps. View your markers in 3D with colored icons by category.

📄 GeoJSON

Standard for professional GIS applications (QGIS, ArcGIS, Mapbox). Includes complete metadata for advanced geographic analysis.

📊 CSV

Simple spreadsheet for quick import into Excel, databases or Python/R scripts.

🎵 ZIP Audio

Organized archive with folders for each exercise, original audio files and text files with metadata. Complete backup of your sound archive.

If you find this project useful, support it with a donation:

👤 Francesco Mariano

My artistic research focuses on electroacoustic composition, interactive sound installations, soundscape composition and immersive audio environments through Max/MSP Jitter programming, TouchDesigner and development of interactive applications and software in the artistic field.

Professor of Multimedia Performance Processes and Techniques at Accademia di Belle Arti di Macerata.

🌟 Project Philosophy

• Active Learning: Not just theory, but guided practical exercises
• Accessibility: Professional tools accessible to everyone
• Professionalism: Professional standards, real equipment, proven workflows
• Community: Sharing experiences, recordings and discoveries
• Innovation: Use of modern technologies (IndexedDB, Web Audio API, Geolocation)

🚀 Future Roadmap

📱 Soundscape Studio iOS App (coming to App Store): Native version with complete backup, advanced offline functionality, professional export and additional analysis tools. It will be a paid app to support the continuous development of the project.

Soundscape Studio is the first in a series of educational tools dedicated to various musical and artistic disciplines. In the future, applications will be developed for composition, music theory, sound design, audio production, acoustic analysis and much more.

📚 Schafer's Fundamental Concepts

• Keynote Sounds: Constant background sounds (wind, distant traffic, sea)
• Signal Sounds: Foreground sounds that emerge (bell tower, siren, bird)
• Soundmark: Characteristic sounds of a place (like a visual "landmark")
• Hi-Fi vs Lo-Fi: Clean sound environments vs noisy/confused
• Schizophonia: Separation of sound from its original source (e.g. recordings)

🎼 Field Recording Applications

• Musique Concrète: Composition with concrete sounds (Pierre Schaeffer, Pierre Henry)
• Sound Art: Sound installations, acoustic sculptures
• Sound Design: Cinema, video games, theater
• Acoustic Documentation: Sound archives, anthropological research
• Acoustic Ecology: Study of natural environments, bioacoustics
• Sonic Mindfulness: Deep listening, meditation, sound therapy

👨‍💻 Developed by:

Francesco Mariano - Gruppo Apuano Sperimentale

💰 Support the Project:

If you find this project useful, consider supporting it via PayPal donation.

If you find this project useful, support it with a donation:

🏠 Dashboard

Your home base. Here you'll find:

• Completed Exercises: History of your saved exercises with audio, photos and notes
• Quick Access: Shortcuts to main sections (Exercises, Toolkit, Map, Library)
• Activity Overview: View your field recording progress

💡 Tip: Return here after each session to review your work!

🔔 Soundscape Exercises

The heart of the toolkit. 181 professional exercises divided into 27 categories:

• Urban Traffic: Cars, motorcycles, buses, traffic jams
• Markets: Voices, vendors, commercial atmospheres
• Nature: Woods, birds, rain, wind
• Coast: Sea, waves, ports, beaches
• Railways: Trains, stations, level crossings
• Industry: Factories, machinery, construction sites
• Urban Parks: City and nature combined
• Voices/Crowd: Demonstrations, events, conversations
• Construction Sites: Building, demolition, road works
• Airports: Planes, terminals, announcements
• Public Interiors: Museums, libraries, metro stations
• Special Events: Festivals, concerts, celebrations

💡 How it works:

1. Filter by category or difficulty level
2. Read brief, objectives, recommended setup
3. Go to the field and record
4. Return to the app and click "Start Exercise"
5. Upload audio, photos, notes, answers to guide questions
6. Save everything locally (IndexedDB) - no account required!

🗺️ Soundscape Map

An interactive map to document your soundscapes:

• Geolocate: Click on the map to add markers
• Categorize: Traffic, market, nature, industrial, etc.
• Record or Upload: Add audio directly from microphone or file
• Annotate: Describe the soundscape, time, weather conditions
• Play: Click on markers to listen to your recordings

💡 Use the Map to build a personal geolocated archive of your recordings. Perfect for urban or natural acoustic documentation projects.

🔧 Toolkit

An equipment guide for field recording. Divided into 3 levels:

• 🟢 Budget (€50-200): Smartphone + app, entry-level recorders (Zoom H1n)
• 🟡 Intermediate (€200-1000): Zoom H5/F3, shotgun microphones, accessories
• 🔴 Professional (€1000+): Zoom F6, Sound Devices, professional Sennheiser/Rode microphones

Each product includes:

• 📄 Professional review: Pros, cons, ideal use cases
• 🛒 Purchase link: Thomann (audio hardware) or Amazon (accessories/books)
• 💰 Price range: Updated estimate
• ⚙️ Key specifications: Resolution, channels, battery life, weight

💡 You don't have to buy everything! Start with Budget, experiment, then invest based on your needs.

📚 Library

Curated resources to deepen theory and practice:

• 📕 Essential Books: Schafer, Krause, Watson, Oliveros - the field recording classics
• 🎬 Videos & Documentaries: Tutorials, interviews, soundscape documentaries
• 🎧 Audio Examples: Iconic recordings to study (Bernie Krause, Chris Watson)
• 📄 Papers & Articles: Academic research on acoustic ecology, sound studies
• 🔗 Online Resources: Sound archives, community, forums, databases

💡 Amazon links in the Library include the affiliate tag soundscapestu-21 - if you purchase from there, you support the development of this project at no additional cost!

🆓 Free Version

The free version allows you to experience all the main features of Soundscape Studio:

• ✅ All 181 exercises accessible (27 complete categories)
• ✅ Unlimited audio and photos for each completed exercise
• ✅ Up to 20 markers on the interactive map
• ✅ Complete local storage (IndexedDB + LocalStorage)
• ✅ Access to Toolkit, Library, Guide

⚠️ LIMITATIONS:

• ⚠️ Data saved ONLY locally in browser (risk of data loss)
• ⚠️ If you delete the app or change device, you lose your entire archive
• ❌ No export functions (no PDF, no GeoJSON/CSV, no complete backup)
• ❌ Maximum 20 markers on the map (vs unlimited in Premium)

💡 The free version is perfect to try the app and first exercises, but does not offer protection for your long-term work.

⭐ Premium Version - "The Professional Archive"

The Premium version transforms Soundscape Studio into a secure and shareable professional archive:

• 💾 Complete Backup and Restore: Export/import all data (exercises, audio, photos, markers) in a single JSON file
• 📄 Professional PDF Export: Generate printable reports of your exercises with audio, photos and notes
• 🗺️ Export GeoJSON/CSV/KML/Excel/Word: Export your data for GIS analysis, scientific research, team sharing
• ♾️ Unlimited markers on the map (vs 20 in free version)
• 🚀 All future Pro features: New features, advanced tools, professional integrations

🎯 Who is the Premium version for?

• Professional sound designers who want to protect their sound archive
• University students who need to present field recording projects
• Researchers and sound artists who need GeoJSON export for scientific analysis
• Serious enthusiasts who invest time in field recording and don't want to risk losing data

💡 Premium offers you peace of mind: your work is safe, shareable and professional.

🎤 During Recording

• Always use headphones to monitor in real time
• Check levels: avoid clipping (red LEDs), but don't record too low
• Record at least 2-3 minutes for each soundscape (you need material for editing)
• Make multiple takes of the same location (morning vs evening, weekday vs weekend)
• Experiment with different angles: stereo XY, MS, spaced pair
• Note everything: time, weather, special events, technical issues

📝 Documentation

• Take photos of the setup: microphone, position, environment
• Mark precise GPS coordinates (use the Map!)
• Describe in detail: "Market square, Saturday morning 9:30, sunny, about 50 people"
• Save technical metadata: gain, sample rate, microphone type

🔒 Privacy & Legal

• In Italy, recording in public spaces is generally legal (no expectation of privacy)
• Avoid recognizable private conversations (GDPR)
• Ask for permission in private spaces (museums, shops, restaurants)
• If publishing online, consider Creative Commons release

🎓 Recommended Workflow

1. Choose 1-2 exercises from the Exercises section
2. Study the brief and prepare equipment (see Toolkit)
3. Go to the field and record (use Soundscape Map to geolocate)
4. Return home, complete the exercise in the app (upload audio, photos, notes)
5. Listen back, analyze with the exercise's guide questions
6. Deepen your knowledge by reading resources from the Library
7. Repeat! Consistent practice is essential

Where is my data saved?

Everything is stored locally in your browser (IndexedDB). There's no server, no account, no upload. Your audio, photos, exercises remain private on your device. ⚠️ Warning: If you clear browser data, you lose everything! Use the "Export" function for backup.

Can I use Soundscape Studio on mobile?

Yes! The site is responsive. Audio recording works on mobile browsers (Chrome, Safari). Geolocation works perfectly on smartphones. A dedicated native iOS app is planned for the future.

How does the business model work?

Soundscape Studio is available as an iOS app on the App Store with complete features: professional export, advanced offline access and analysis tools.

The project is supported through app sales, affiliate links (Thomann, Amazon) and voluntary PayPal donations. If you find this toolkit useful, consider purchasing the app, buying equipment from the provided links or making a donation to support development!

Can I contribute to the project?

Absolutely! You can:

• 📧 Send feedback and suggestions via email
• 🎧 Share the project with other sound recordists
• 💰 Make a PayPal donation
• 🛒 Purchase equipment from affiliate links
• 📝 Report bugs or propose new exercises

How much browser space does it take?

It depends on how many exercises you complete. An exercise with 5 audio files (2-3 min each) and 3 photos takes about 20-50 MB. Most modern browsers allow several GB of IndexedDB storage. You can monitor space in browser settings.

Can I share my recordings?

Currently there's no integrated sharing function (everything is local). You can export your exercises as files and share them manually. An optional community/gallery might be added in the future.

👨‍💻 Developed by:

Francesco Mariano - Gruppo Apuano Sperimentale

💰 Support the Project:

If you find this project useful, consider supporting it through a PayPal donation.

No exercises with saved audio. Go to 🔔 Soundscape Exercises and complete an exercise with recordings.

No markers with saved audio. Go to 🗺️ Soundscape Map and add a marker with audio.

Supported formats: MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, WEBM

🎯 What is a Spectrogram?

A spectrogram is a visual representation of the frequency content of an audio signal over time. It shows which frequencies are present at each moment of the recording and with what intensity.

📊 How to Read It?

🔍 Characteristic Spectra

💡 Analysis Tip

Observe the Peak Frequency displayed in the top right: it indicates which frequency is dominant at each moment. Compare this information with the visual patterns to identify sound sources in your soundscape!