Lion city soundscapes: Modified partitioning around medoids for a perceptually diverse dataset of Singaporean soundscapesa).

This study presents a dataset of audio-visual soundscape recordings at 62 different locations in Singapore, initially made as full-length recordings over spans of 9-38 min. For consistency and reduction in listener fatigue in future subjective studies, one-minute excerpts were cropped from the full-length recordings. An automated method using pre-trained models for Pleasantness and Eventfulness (according to ISO 12913) in a modified partitioning around medoids algorithm was employed to generate the set of excerpts by balancing the need to encompass the perceptual space with uniformity in distribution.

Effects of adding natural sounds to urban noises on the perceived loudness of noise and soundscape quality.

Introducing pleasant natural sounds to mask urban noises is an important soundscape design strategy to improve acoustic comfort. This study investigates the effects of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) between natural sounds (signal) and the target noises (noise) and their temporal characteristics on the perceived loudness of noise (PLN) and overall soundscape quality (OSQ) through a laboratory experiment. Two types of urban noise sources (hydraulic breaker and traffic noises) were set to A-weighted equivalent sound pressure levels (SPL) of 55, 65, and 75 dB and then augmented with two types of natural sounds (birdsong and stream), across a range of SNRs.