From Sydney, Australia comes a way to connect the world’s natural soundscape via technology. Nature Soundmap was created by a group of professional nature recordists from around the globe. Viewers can simply click on the map and be transported to another part of the world within seconds.
For those of us itching to explore again, the Nature Soundmap project is one way to virtually travel by way of your laptop or home computer.
Combining high-quality field recordings with the latest satellite imagery, Nature Soundmap brings together some of nature’s most beautiful, interesting and inspiring sounds.
[Bardia National Park, Nepal]
Immerse yourself in a pulsating insect chorus in Borneo’s tropical rainforest, or climb the Himalayas and relax to the melodies of birdsong in an alpine meadow. Use Nature Soundmap to discover the wonderful soundscapes and wildlife sounds of our planet.
Many recordings in the collection are ‘binaural’ soundscapes — stereo recordings made with two microphones to capture 360-degree sound. This recording technique most accurately imitates the natural experience you would hear with your own two ears and provides a realistic representation of all of the sounds in a particular habitat or location.
[Emperor Penguin Colony, Terre Adélie, Antarctica]
If you sit back, close your eyes and relax while listening to a well-recorded soundscape, it doesn’t take long before you feel like you’re actually there! A good pair of headphones does help to enhance your experience.
While the main focus is on whole soundscapes, the site also includes selected recordings of individual species considered particularly outstanding or interesting for their sound or rhythmic patterns.
A growing team of over 90 nature sound recordists from around the globe have collaborated to make this project a success. The contributors page displays brief overviews of all recordists with links to their individual profile pages.
Search through the Wild Ambience website and you’ll discover albums capturing the sounds from the interactive exploration map. If you find sounds that elevate your mood – or simply artists whose work you’d like to support – you can digitally download their collections via mp3 and FLAC (48kHZ/24bit) formats.
In some cases, a physical CD is also available at a slightly higher price point. Other sounds are linked to SoundCloud (if you have an account there, you can follow and/or purchase the clip that way).
There’s no shortage of beautiful sounds to move your day. One of my fave sound clips comes via recording artist Marc Anderson who’s recorded the soothing sounds of the birds during a rain shower at the Kumul Lodge in Papua New Guinea. Imagine beginning your day “in” a cloud forest at dawn from the highlands of Papua New Guinea!
Support Nature Soundmap
As of this writing, the best way to contribute to the Nature Soundmap is to visit the individual recordist’s website and purchase one of their CDs or digital downloads. Much of their own time, energy and expense has gone into capturing these recordings; a modest payment will help support future field trips. If you’d like to submit a recording to the project, please visit the submissions page for guidelines.
