Soundride - binaural audio piece - 2024

Klangweg, Toggenburg

The soundride is a binaural audio piece for headphones and smartphones on the Wildhaus / Oberdorf cable car, which functions both as an outro for the descent and as an intro for the ascent in relation to the sound path.

The ride on the chairlift is intended to offer a moment of calm and immersion. At the same time, it is an introduction to the sound sphere of the sound path and its surroundings, as well as a sensitization to the sense of hearing and attentive listening. This combination is achieved through the use of augmented reality (AR): with the help of open headphones, which do not shield visitors from the outside world, the natural soundscape of the sound path is overlaid with an additional sonic layer.

This consists of speech and noises and is designed in three-dimensional binaural sound. This means that visitors can perceive sounds 360 degrees from all directions. In February 2024, we were on site to make special binaural recordings of various sounds directly on the Wildhaus cable car. By combining the recordings with the natural sound sphere, this will result in delightful irritations and visitors will ask themselves things like “Did I really just hear a skier chasing through the snow below me - in the middle of summer?” or “Can I suddenly hear the conversation of the people in the chair in front of me clearly?”

At the level of language, we make sure that visitors always feel accompanied. At the same time, they are given a gentle introduction to the sound trail on the way up and a friendly farewell on the way down.

Credits

client: Klangwelt Toggenburg
art installation: Idee und Klang Audio Design
scenography: Frank Dittmann
graphics: Markus Kraft
text: Bettina Mittelstraß