Guides

What a decibel is, why the scale is logarithmic, the difference between dB SPL, dBA and dBFS, and how to compare sound levels correctly.

What frequency is, how it relates to pitch and musical notes, why we hear from about 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and how hearing changes with age.

Which sound levels can damage hearing, how long is safe at 85, 94 or 100 dB, early warning signs and simple ways to protect your ears. General information based on NIOSH, OSHA and WHO guidance.

A spectrogram turns sound into a picture of frequency over time. Learn to read whistles, harmonics, noise and transients – and identify birds, voices and machines by sight.

Practical tips for recording bird song and calls – timing, microphones, parabolic reflectors, settings, ethics and how to share your recordings.

A practical guide to your first field recordings – which recorder and microphones to choose, the settings that matter, and techniques for clean, beautiful sound.

Why rooms sound the way they do – reflections, reverberation time (RT60), echoes, flutter, room modes – and practical ways to improve the sound of a home studio, office or living room.

Soundscape ecology studies the sounds of a landscape as a whole. Learn the three sources of sound, the acoustic niche hypothesis and how noise affects wildlife.

From Pierre Schaeffer's railway études to soundwalks, sound maps and deep listening – a short history of treating everyday sound as art, and how to practise attentive listening.

Field recording means capturing sound outside the studio – from birdsong and city streets to ice, wind and machines. What it is, why people do it and how to begin.