What does quiet mean to you?

The idea of quiet varies between cultures and individuals. Quiet is a commodity in the remote New Zealand wilderness, it is therapeutic in a busy frantic world or it is torture in the form of sensory deprivation. These differences in perception are not just related to the small space inside the ear of the listener, they are also dependent on the prior experiences of the listener and the feelings and physiological responses associated with noise. With a surge of global interest in soundscapes, we evaluate the accepted approach to planning for noise and examine the impact that sounds have on our lives to see if these approaches are fit for purpose. We probe the tenuous link between acoustic quality and noise level to provide an overview of current moves towards an alternative approach to ensuring acoustic amenity. Finally, we investigate the scientific, artistic and perhaps voyeuristic aspects of field recording and explore the aspirations of on-line communities of academics, historians, scientists and hobbyists (all passionate listeners) to progress our understanding of how deeply we interact with our soundscapes.