The Cultural Dimension of the Soundscape: Beyond the “Hi-Fi” and “Lo-Fi” Duality of R. Murray Schafer

Raymond Murray Schafer proposed the concepts of “hi-fi” and “lo-fi” (high fidelity
and low fidelity) to qualify soundscapes from an aesthetic and ecological perspective. According to his assessment, landscapes where individual sounds can be heard clearly are hi-fi, whereas landscapes whose particular acoustic signals are masked by a density of sounds that makes discernment difficult are lo-fi (Schafer, 1994). This categorisation links rural with hi-fi and urban with lo-fi, in an opposition that fails to account for many other fundamental attributes of how communities and individuals relate to their soundscape. Consequently, the primary classification of “noise” that is intuited in such a characterisation
becomes problematic, insofar as a collectivity gives meaning to apparently
noisy environments, which actually represent deep-rooted modes of socialisation
vital to communication and even heritage identity. Through the results of research
carried out by the author in different sound environments, the article argues that some soundscapes, a priori considered lo-fi, embody forms of socialisation with deep cultural roots and meaning, while hi-fi soundscapes express situations far removed from the bucolic ideal that Schafer’s definition implies. Finally, the author reflects on the different criteria applied by scientific, cultural and aesthetic approaches to the study of soundscapes.