Building Your Own Collection of Ambient Sounds by Recording Your Neighborhood
Collecting the Sounds You Used to Pass By
Raindrops tapping on an awning, the evening murmur of a market, the sound of the first bus passing at dawn. These are sounds we hear every day but have never gathered in one place. Collecting ambient sounds is a hobby of recording these moments and building them into your own personal folder. Play them while studying or before falling asleep, and the background becomes not a purchased track, but “my neighborhood.”
| Section | Key summary |
|---|---|
| Collecting the Sounds You Used to Pass By | These are sounds we hear every day but have never gathered in one place |
| Starter Gear and Budget | If you start wanting better sound, add gear slowly in the order below |
| Difficulty and Time Required | The difficulty level is easy |
| Your First Recording Sequence | Write down 5 sounds you want to record |
| Making a Neighborhood Map with Sound | Once you have around 20 files, try sorting them into folders by time of day and location |
Starter Gear and Budget
You can begin with just the default voice recorder app on your smartphone, so the starting cost is 0 won. If you start wanting better sound, add gear slowly in the order below.
- 0 won: smartphone + default voice recorder app (try recording with this first for a month)
- Around 10,000 won: a foam wind muff to block wind noise (essential for outdoor recording)
- 20,000 to 40,000 won: an external microphone that plugs into your smartphone (makes the sound clearer)
- 0 won: use a free audio editing app to reduce noise and trim the beginning and end
Difficulty and Time Required
The difficulty level is easy. The hard part is not the technology, but “waiting quietly.” To capture one good sound, you need to record in one spot for 3 to 5 minutes, then cut out only the cleanest 30 seconds to 1 minute. If you go out once, recording in two or three places is enough, and 1 hour will do.
Your First Recording Sequence
- Write down 5 sounds you want to record. Be specific, such as “rain, market, dawn alley, inside a cafe, birdsong in the park.”
- Turn on airplane mode to block notifications, and do not hold the phone in your hand; lean it against a bag or railing instead to prevent hand-rubbing noise.
- Stay still for 5 seconds after starting the recording. This gives you room to cut out noise at the beginning later.
- Record for a long stretch of 3 to 5 minutes in one location. Leave passing cars and voices as they are.
- When you get home, use an editing app to cut out the cleanest 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Save the file name as “date_place_sound.” Example: “0611_traditionalmarket_eveningmurmur.”
Making a Neighborhood Map with Sound
Once you have around 20 files, try sorting them into folders by time of day and location. For example, “dawn / daytime / night” or “near home / market / park.” Later, if you stitch them together, you can create a 5-minute sound walk that follows a day in your neighborhood. It is also fun to record the same places again when the season changes and compare the results.