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The Rest Is Just Noise

The Rest Is Just Noise

By: Andrew Mitchell Francesco Aletta Tin Oberman
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The Rest Is Just Noise is a monthly podcast exploring the relationship between sound and our cities. Each episode our passionate and excitable hosts (three soundscape researchers) are joined by an expert guest from fields such as acoustics, architecture, and environmental psychology, to discuss their latest work and introduce our audience to the science, beauty, and noise of urban sound.

From the announcement of the 2023 ASA Science Communication Awards for Acoustic Expert Multimedia Winner:

"The Rest is Just Noise Podcast stands out as a remarkable audio journey into the realm of acoustics. With deep knowledge and captivating storytelling, co-hosts Dr. Andrew Mitchell, Dr. Francesco Aletta, and Dr. Tin Oberman explore various acoustical phenomena and their impact on our lives. Through interviews with experts and immersive soundscapes, this podcast educates and entertains listeners, creating a space where the beauty and significance of acoustics are celebrated."


© 2025 The Rest Is Just Noise
Science
Episodes
  • Spectres, Camouflage & Unruly Sound with Fiona Smyth
    Jun 30 2025

    In the beginning there was a morass of Unruly Sound but then came the Acousticians. The pistols were fired.

    To record the introduction for today's episode, Francesco and Tin went to St Paul's Cathedral in London, looking for a suitable sonic background for this episode, which we recorded in October 2024 in Cambridge with Fiona Smyth.

    We hope you will enjoy a conversation about the history of modern acoustics as Fiona leads us from the beginning of the first acoustic experiments and early acoustic materials to using soundscape to camouflage submarines.

    Find Fiona's fascinating book, "Pistols in St Paul's: Science, music, and architecture in the twentieth century".

    Follow Fiona's ERC project, "Spectres & Camouflage".

    Find Fiona at University of Cambridge.

    Find our website: https://www.justnoisepod.com/
    Twitter: @JustNoisePod

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    44 mins
  • Soundscape Odyssey Québécois with Edda Bild
    May 31 2025

    Ben là, we recorded this episode during the two days in May 2024 while travelling through Montreal, Québec (CA). Edda Bild (la ville sonore) led us from one luring soundscape intervention site to another. Francesco, Tin and Andrew applied field recording and field rant techniques, in situ, to stay focused on their mission.

    We hope you will enjoy this sound collage of ambiances and witful insights from Edda and your favourite hosts. We start from Le Plateau-Mont-Royal and then visit the City and Quartier des Spectacles, exploring microsoundscapes and water features in quite some depth.

    Read about soundscape research conducted at Place des Fleurs-de-Macadam, Place du Portugal and other sites in:

    Soundtracking the Public Space: Outcomes of the Musikiosk Soundscape Intervention

    Bringing music to the park: The effect of Musikiosk on the quality of public experience

    How does activity affect soundscape assessments? Insights from an urban soundscape intervention with music

    A sonic perspective for the post-pandemic future of entertainment districts: the case of Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles

    Find our website: https://www.justnoisepod.com/
    Twitter: @JustNoisePod

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    28 mins
  • Urban Soundscapes in Microscope with Usue Ruiz Arana, Richard Bentley, Sarah Jones-Morris et al.
    Jan 31 2025

    First of all, thanks for coming!

    Today's episode was recorded in Microscope, Dalston last June at Usue Ruiz Arana's book launch, and we were lucky that Dan Rea from Periscope kindly introduced us, Usue and her guests.

    Stay tuned for an enticing conversation on soundwalks, soundscape practices and the future of mutispecies approach to soundscapes with Usue, Richard and Sarah and the very engaged audience - thanks to whose intervention, we end this episode with END (Environmental Noise Directive). Enjoy!

    Buy Usue's book, "Urban Soundscapes: A Guide to Listening for Landscape Architecture and Urban Design": https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003202981/urban-soundscapes-usue-ruiz-arana

    Find Usue at Newcastle University.

    Follow microscope on Instagram @micro__scope for more audio delights if you're around Dalston this year.



    Find our website: https://www.justnoisepod.com/
    Twitter: @JustNoisePod

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    47 mins

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