The definitions for Soundwalk and Soundscape are taken from "The Handbook for acoustic ecology", written by Barry Truax, published by A.R.C Publications,©1978, Vancouver, Canada.

Soundwalk: A form of active participation in the Soundscape. Though the variations are many, the essential purpose of the soundwalk is to encourage the participant to listen discriminatively, and moreover, to make critical judgments about the sounds heard and their contribution to the balance or imbalance of the sonic environment.

 

It is also of key importance to give a definition of Soundscape.

Soundscape: An environment of sound (sonic environment) with emphasis on the way it is perceived and understood by the individual, or by a society. It thus depends on the relationship between the individual and any such environment. The term may refer to actual environments, or to abstract constructions such as musical compositions and tape montages, particularly when considered as an artificial environment.

The study of the systematic relationships between man and sonic environments is called SOUNDSCAPE ECOLOGY, whereas the creation, improvement or modelling of any such environment is a matter of SOUNDSCAPE DESIGN. All aspects of soundscape studies have been the concern of the WORLD SOUNDSCAPE PROJECT.

Since a soundscape is shaped by both the conscious and subliminal perceptions of the listener, soundscape analysis is based on perceptual and cognitive attributes such as foreground, background, contour, rhythm, silence, density, space and volume, from which are derived such analytical concepts as KEYNOTE, SOUND SIGNAL, SOUNDMARK, SOUND OBJECT, SOUND EVENT. See also: ACOUSTIC SPACE, CLAIRAUDIENCE, EAR CLEANING, SOUNDWALK, TAPE RECORDER.

Ref: R.M. Schafer, The New Soundscape, Toronto, 1969; B. Truax, "Soundscape Studies, An Introduction to the World Soundscape Project, "Numus West, no. 5, Spring 1974.