This week I focused more closely on the role of technology in shaping how environments are heard and understood. While continuing my experiments with synthesis, spatial processing, and environmental textures, I realised that many experiences of “natural sound” are already deeply technological rather than purely acoustic or direct.
During the process, I began comparing the way microphones capture sound with the way humans actually perceive environments. Microphones do not hear in the same way as human ears; they emphasise certain frequencies, reduce others, and can isolate details that might normally go unnoticed in everyday listening. Through the use of stereo recording, EQ, compression, reverb, and layering, recordings can become clearer, wider, and more immersive than real environments themselves.
This became especially noticeable when listening back through headphones. Some recordings felt more spatially detailed and emotionally atmospheric than the actual spaces I originally experienced. In this sense, technology does not simply document environments but actively reshapes them into constructed listening experiences.
These experiments also made me question the assumption that field recording functions as objective evidence of reality. Recordings are often trusted because they appear indexical — they seem to contain a direct connection to the world. However, every stage of recording involves mediation through microphones, software, editing decisions, playback systems, and listening contexts. What listeners hear is therefore not the environment itself, but a technologically produced interpretation of it.
This idea connects strongly to my essay research, particularly the writings of Mark Peter Wright, who discusses how realism in field recording is shaped through mediation and perception. It also relates to my practical work, where synthetic textures can sometimes feel equally or even more “natural” than actual recordings.
As the project develops, I am becoming increasingly interested in the idea of “artificial listening” — the possibility that technologies do not merely extend human hearing but create entirely new ways of perceiving environments. Rather than treating technology as transparent or neutral, I now see it as an active participant in constructing what is understood as natural sound.
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