Description
Nature sounds is a genre centered on unprocessed or minimally processed recordings of the natural acoustic environment—such as rain, wind, ocean surf, rivers, birdsong, insects, and forests—presented as the primary listening material. Rather than foregrounding melody or harmony, the genre emphasizes environmental texture, spatial depth, and the psychoacoustic qualities of place.
While nature has been recorded since the early days of audio technology, nature sounds emerged as a distinct listening genre with the rise of ambient and New Age listening cultures, wellness and relaxation records, and the availability of high-fidelity field recording gear. Releases often aim for restorative, meditative, or documentary experiences, ranging from untouched soundscapes to gentle edits that preserve realism.
History
Early roots (1900s–1960s)
• The technical foundations lie in early field recording and wildlife documentation, notably birdsong recordings and scientific sound archives. Pioneering recordists demonstrated that the sonic environment could be a primary subject, not just a backdrop or sound effect.
• Mid-20th-century developments in portable recorders and microphones enabled longer, higher-fidelity excursions into remote habitats, laying the groundwork for immersive natural sound albums.
Emergence as a listening genre (late 1960s–1980s)
• The late 1960s and 1970s saw nature sounds marketed as standalone listening experiences. Irv Teibel’s “Environments” LPs (Syntonic Research, 1969–) popularized continuous natural soundscapes for relaxation, focus, and ambience.
• Parallel currents in ambient and New Age listening normalized long-form, minimally eventful audio; nature-focused releases and library records flourished for home listening, meditation, and therapeutic use.
Expansion, acoustic ecology, and artistry (1990s–2000s)
• Acoustic ecology and soundscape studies (influenced by R. Murray Schafer’s ideas) encouraged intentional, ethical documentation of habitats. Artists such as Bernie Krause, Chris Watson, and Gordon Hempton emphasized biophony and geophony—listening to entire ecosystems rather than isolated calls.
• Commercial series (e.g., Dan Gibson’s Solitudes) reached broad audiences, while art-leaning albums and installations explored rivers, rainforests, and underwater environments as compositional subjects.
Digital era and global access (2010s–present)
• Affordable recorders, hydrophones, and high-resolution formats, coupled with streaming platforms, enabled widespread distribution of long-form nature recordings and live environmental streams.
• The genre now spans documentary releases, wellness-oriented playlists, and gallery works, influencing ambient substyles, ASMR, meditation audio, and film/game sound design while raising awareness of ecological change through listening.
How to make a track in this genre
Core approach
• Treat the environment as the instrument. Composition is primarily a matter of selection (time of day, weather, season, location), mic placement, and duration rather than melody or harmony.
• Aim for authenticity: minimize anthropogenic noise and avoid intrusive processing unless clearly signposted as artistic interpretation.
Equipment and setup
• Use a quiet portable recorder with high dynamic range and quality preamps. Pair with suitable microphones: stereo spaced pairs (omni or cardioid), ORTF, mid–side (MS) for flexible post-control, and hydrophones for aquatic habitats.
• Employ wind protection (blimps, dead cats), shock mounts, and long cables for off-axis placement. Consider battery packs and silent clothing/footwear to reduce handling noise.
Techniques and capture
• Scout and listen before recording. Note sound sources (biophony, geophony), noise intrusions, and ideal mic placements.
• Record long takes to capture natural variability and allow for seamless loops. Use gain staging that preserves headroom for sudden peaks (e.g., thunder, bird calls).
• For stereo imaging, choose techniques that match the scene width (ORTF for coherent imaging, spaced omnis for spaciousness, MS for post-decoding flexibility).
Editing and presentation
• Gentle editing: remove handling noises and distractions; avoid over-equalization. Broadband noise reduction only if it does not introduce artifacts or erase natural ambience.
• Sequence tracks by habitat or time progression (dawn chorus to midday, incoming storm to aftermath). Maintain realistic dynamics; avoid heavy compression.
• Metadata matters: document location (as appropriate), date/time, weather, species (if known), and mic/recorder chain. Consider ethical redaction of sensitive wildlife locales.
Ethics and ecology
• Follow leave-no-trace principles and local regulations. Keep respectful distances, avoiding stress to wildlife.
• If publishing, consider whether geotagging might endanger habitats or species. When in doubt, generalize locations.
