Coffee Shop Soundscape
Above: A coffee shop soundscape that I created using all original sound recordings for my Digital Sound Design class. Using sounds such as an espresso machine, a marimba, rain and soft conversation, this soundscape is meant to capture the serenity in the business atmosphere of a coffee shop.
There are various classes offered to students pursuing the Digital Medias minor at Ball State. Among these offered classes, I chose to take ICOM 214, or Digital Sound Design. One of our first assignments was the create what is known as a soundscape.
For an easy definition, a soundscape is a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an immersive environment.
We could take inspiration from anywhere and build any type of soundscape. The main requirement was that we needed to go into the field and record ten distinct sounds, and merge them into a smooth and cohesive soundscape.
I took my inspiration from a coffee shop environment. I am an avid tea drinker, and the Starbucks baristas have my order memorized. I often use the coffee shop as a space for writing and observing, drawing inspiration from the world around me. So, my soundscape took on the shape of a writer scribbling away, ripping the page written and crumpling it, and an awareness of the coffee machine and hot water boiling and the silverware clattering on plates.
I am very proud of my coffee shop experience soundscape, as it was my first real project working with Adobe Audition and tinkering with sounds and sound manipulation. Overall, it was an amazing experience!