Lo-fi soundscapes erase the distinction between signal and noise

Evidence

Of the four general definitions, probably the most satisfactory is still “unwanted sound.” This makes noise a subjective term. One man’s music may be another man’s noise. — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 614 (#expands, via linked claim)

Two new techniques were introduced: the discovery of packaging and storing techniques for sound and the splitting of sounds from their original contexts—which I call schizophonia. The benefits of the electroacoustic transmission and reproduction of sound are well enough celebrated, but they should not obscure the fact that precisely at the time hi-fi was being engineered, the world soundscape was slipping into an all-time lo-fi condition. — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 319 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim
• XREF: connects to: Figure, ground, and field map onto signal, keynote, and soundscape — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 501; Hi-fi and lo-fi soundscapes differ by whether individual sounds survive masking — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 151; The splitting of sounds from their sources coincided with the soundscape’s decline into lo-fi — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 319 (+13 more)

Related

• The splitting of sounds from their sources coincided with the soundscape’s decline into lo-fi (similarity 0.91)
• Hi-fi and lo-fi soundscapes differ by whether individual sounds survive masking (similarity 0.87)
• Noise is fundamentally subjective rather than an objective property of sound (similarity 0.86)
• Hi-fi gadgetry creates a synthetic soundscape where machine sounds direct modern life (similarity 0.85)
• Electroacoustic reproduction gives sounds an independent existence from their makers (similarity 0.84)
• The same expressive act carries different weight depending on setting noise and activity (similarity 0.84)
• Extreme acoustic congestion can erase the ability to distinguish any signal (similarity 0.84)
• Sound denotes both a physical wave and the subjective percept it evokes (similarity 0.80)
• Before electroacoustics every sound was unique and unfalsifiable (similarity 0.80)
• Sound quality is fundamentally subjective and requires perceptual testing to characterize (similarity 0.80)
• Whether a sound counts as noise depends on subjective interpretation, not acoustics (similarity 0.80)
• Acoustic design now shapes everyday spaces from offices to wind farms (similarity 0.80)
• Distinctions between music and noise are always politically constructed, not neutral (similarity 0.80)
• Figure, ground, and field map onto signal, keynote, and soundscape (similarity 0.79)
• Cars can synthetically reproduce engine sound through the audio system. (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Noise is fundamentally subjective rather than an objective property of sound #expands (0.80) — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 614
• The splitting of sounds from their sources coincided with the soundscape’s decline into lo-fi #complicates (0.70) — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 319