Sonic Experience: A Guide to Everyday Sounds

by Jean-François Augoyard, Henri Torgue

In a multidisciplinary work spanning musicology, electro-acoustic composition, architecture, urban studies, communication, phenomenology, social theory, physics, and psychology, Jean-François Augoyard, Henry Torgue, and their associates at the Centre for Research on Sonic Space and the Urban Environment (CRESSON) in Grenoble, France, provide an alphabetical sourcebook of eighty sonic/auditory effects. Their accounts of sonic effects such as echo, anticipation, vibrato, and wha-wha integrate information about the objective physical spaces in which sounds occur with cultural contexts and individual auditory experience. Sonic Experience attempts to rehabilitate general acoustic awareness, combining accessible definitions and literary examples with more in-depth technical information for specialists.

Genres: Music, Theory

230 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2006

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview of terminology related to sonic effects. Although it's organized similarly to an encyclopedia, I read it cover to cover and it was able to sustain interest. I've discovered many concepts here that will lead to further research.

Anyone interested in sound theory should read this.

[Onur Engin · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sonic Experience: A Guide to Everyday Sounds,” originally published in French in 1995 by Cresson researchers Henri Torgue and Jean François-Augoyard, is an alphabetically organized reference work that provides a comprehensive lexicon of terms for understanding the everyday experience of sound. The authors, both of whom have interdisciplinary backgrounds in fields such as sociology, urban planning, philosophy, musicology, and acoustics, divide the discussion of these sonic effects into seven domains of reference: physical and applied acoustics, architecture and urbanism, psychology and physiology of perception, sociology and everyday culture, musical and electroacoustic aesthetics, and textual and media expressions. The book also includes essays by eleven soundscape researchers at Cresson, and covers a range of unusual terms, such as Sharawadji, Photonie, Phonomnesis, and Ubiquity. While some of these may initially seem complex, they offer precise language to describe their subtle and nuanced aspects. For example, Sharawadji is used to describe “an aesthetic effect that characterizes the feeling of plenitude that is sometimes created by the contemplation of a sound motif or a complex soundscape of inexplicable beauty.” Overall, “Sonic Experience” serves as a valuable resource for scholars and practitioners interested in the study of sound and its impact on human experience.

[Tomas Serrien · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5. Haha, reading this felt so nerdy! This book gives an original and fascinating overview of different sonic effects and analyzes the way humans are perceiving those auditive wonders. Although the coherence in the text is somewhat sloppy and vague, the authors give some interesting insights, especially those about phonomnesis, remanence, synecdoche, ubiquity, anamnesis, masking and sharawadji. It remains a mystery to me why certain sonic effects are discussed in detail, while others are simply listed as a sort of ‘simplistic’ category.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost like a dictionary of sonic effects with examples of environments they'd be heard etc. Interesting for a sound designer who wants inspiration in how to locate, form and change sound over time to give off particular acoustical impressions. Used in combination with Trevor Wishart's book you are likely to formulate a totally new perspective on sound.

[Calvin Lesko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to anyone who composes music, as the sonic terms explain concrete ways to relate the psychological effects of hearing sounds to the acoustic properties of those sounds through a kind of functional structuralist approach. Skimming through the book, a lot of it reads at first as trivial, but if you work with it for a while, the list of effects comes together to explain most psychological phenomena associated with hearing sounds.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beyond nerdy.
Possible structure-pillaging.

[Roberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful book on urban acoustic phenomena that can be applied to electroacoustic composition and music as well, i loved it.