The soundmap is at https://soundmap.sites.pomona.edu. The simpler address soundmap.pomona.edu also takes you there. It intended as a class project for MUS 91: Perception, Cognition, and the History of Sound.
To get a sense of the possibilities, you may wish to start by listening to some of the entries. I recommend including some of the entries made between 2012 and 2021 in your spot-checking; click on Old Soundmap. The old soundmap got full enough and the campus landscape changed enough that it made sense to start a new map. It is intended that the new soundmap’s entries can be scaled down compared to those of the old soundmap. Specifically, prose write-ups of soundscapes need not be as long (unless the writer wants them to be) and spectographs of soundscapes aren’t required. The new soundscape also has a simpler uploading process than did the old soundscape.
The Soundmap runs on WordPress and makes use of the Open User Map plugin.
Instructions
Record and Gather Other Materials and Info
- Make and edit a recording.
- The key points are that the recording, once edited, should be in mp3 format, shouldn’t exceed 2 minutes in duration or 4 MB in file size, and the loudest dB level in it should be about 5 dB below maximum.
- Give the recording a filename that identifies it clearly and concisely based on its location or content and date. Use the format 2026-Feb-HMC-Hoch.mp3 or 2026-Mar-POM-Walker-Mockingbird.mp3
- Here are details about how to record.
- Details about how to edit and save soundfiles.
- Any questions? Ask acramer@pomona.edu.
- Gather the information you need. See the end of this document.
- You may wish to provide an illustration or two such as a photo of the location, a timeline of the recording, an annotated spectrograph of the sound. If so, make such files and give them names. You don’t have to do this unless you are documenting a reverberant space, in which case you need to make a graph of the sound.
- Use this plugin to graph reverberation/balloon pops semi-automatically.
- For a soundscape, if you would like to make a timeline or diagram, you are welcome to do so in any way you like.
- For birdsong or soundscapes, if you would like to include a spectrograph, an app called Sonic Visualizer may be the easiest way to save it as a graphic file. A Praat plugin can also do this. Audacity doesn’t save images so well.
Upload and Enter Info
- Go to https://soundmap.sites.pomona.edu/wp-login.php and log in with your credentials. If you received no credentials, first check your spam folder and then contact acramer@pomona.edu.
- Get to the front page of Soundmap by clicking on Claremont College Soundmap in the upper left corner or by going to https://soundmap.sites.pomona.edu.
- When logged in, you should see a map with a circled plus sign (+) in its upper right corner. Click on that circled plus sign to add a location.
- Fill in the blanks. For the location, it’s best not to enter an address for the location, but instead to click as precisely as you can on the location where you recorded. Remember to choose the appropriate marker: Soundscape, Reverberant Space, or Wildlife. Submit.
- If you have image files to upload, get to the dashboard (menu on the left side of window). To get to the Dashboard, you may need go to the upper left corner of the WordPress window in the browser, hover over Claremont Colleges Soundmap. On the left side of the browser, select Media and follow the steps to add or upload a new media file.
- To add images or otherwise edit your post, click on Open User Map on the left side of the dashboard and find your post. Edit (Classic Editor is strongly recommended unless you know WordPress) and Update.
Here are the key points above as a table.
What to include in soundmap writeups
Soundscape
Title. Should capture what is essential about the soundscape in relation to its location; perhaps also indicate the time of day, time of year, etc.
About the location. A short paragraph.
About the soundscape. Describe and discuss the soundscape.
Keywords. Offer a few keywords referring to sounds heard in the recording. For example, fountain, garden, ball bouncing, crowd noise.
Date, time, and location of recording.
Recording equipment. Identify the microphone. Describe other equipment, the recording setup, or recording methods if it seems significant.
Reverberant space
Title. Location is most important here.
About the location. A short paragraph.
Reverberation characterics. List as many of the following durations as you can: decay of 30dB, decay of 50dB, decay of 60dB, decay to background level, decay to minimum. If particular frequency bands are emphasized or attenuated in the acoustic space, give the frequency bands. Leave blank if this is not a balloon-pop recording.
About the acoustic. Describe qualitatively and discuss the acoustic characteristics of the space.
Date, time, and location of recording.
Recording equipment. Identify the microphone. Describe other equipment, the recording setup, or recording methods if it seems significant.
Birds or other wildlife
Title. Location and animal are most important.
About the location. A short paragraph.
About the soundscape. Describe and discuss the birdcalls heard. If relevant, say something about the soundscape.
Identifications. List species heard (common and/or scientific names)
Date, time, and location of recording.
Recording equipment. Identify the microphone. Describe other equipment, the recording setup, or recording methods if it seems significant.
