A podcast

featuring global soundscapes in immersive 3D audio, created by hundreds of contributors worldwide.

It all began with an idea: “Could a bunch of strangers around the world come together to catalog the sound of the planet in 3D audio recordings”?

Creator & Host of The Sound of Our Planet

Ryan Freeman

I see this podcast as a crossover between a few ideas… A social experiment, meets art project, meets a cataloging endeavour, meets globetrotting.

Through the use of the Binaural recording technique, the podcast transports the listener sitting on the Tube in London, England to feel like they are standing in the middle of the Amazon forest on the other side of the world.

When conceiving this podcast, I wanted to make it as grand of an idea as possible.

“What if I mailed a very specific recording kit to strangers across the world, they record their local soundscapes, mail the kit back to me and I turn it into a podcast!”

Instagram: @itsRyanFreeman

What is Binaural recordings?

Binaural recording is a technique that uses two microphones to create a 3D stereo sound that simulates being in the same place as the sound source. The word "binaural" means "having two ears". 

How it works

  • Microphones are placed on or near a person's ears

  • The microphones are spaced apart about the width of a head 

  • The recording is played back using headphones 

Benefits

  • Binaural recording can help determine if a sound is coming from the front, back, above, or below 

  • It can create a realistic sense of being in the same space as the sound source

  • Binaural audio can be listened to in regular headphones. No fancy listening devices required