soundmakes

Soundmakes is a term used in acoustic studies and sound design to refer to the audible outcomes produced when a source interacts with its environment and is perceived by a listener. It is not a brand or a specific technology, but a category that encompasses the resulting sounds regardless of their origin, whether natural, mechanical, human, or digital. The term emphasizes the end acoustical result rather than the process or instrument that caused it.

Soundmakes can be broadly categorized by source: natural soundmakes such as wind through leaves or rain on a roof; human-made soundmakes such as speech, singing, footsteps, and musical instruments; and technological or synthetic soundmakes such as propeller hiss, computer tones, or processed sound effects. The same action can produce multiple soundmakes depending on context and reception, for example, a door closing may yield a thud, a soft sigh, or a metallic clang in different rooms.

Applications and study: In fields like acoustics, ethnomusicology, media production, and user experience, analysts document soundmakes to understand perception, design soundscapes, or create immersive audio. Methods include field recording, spectrographic analysis, and perceptual testing. The concept helps separate the sonic result from the instrument or code that generated it, aiding discussions of authorship, copyright, and reproduction across mediums.

See also: soundscape, acoustics, sound design.