A soundscape can be said to be the audible equivalent of a landscape. Put simply, it is a representation of a place or environment through what can be heard rather than what can be seen. Like their photographic equivalents, soundscapes can be realistic and so be directly representational or they can use modifications of(and additions to) the original sounds to create a more subjective sound picture, rather like using a lens to change perspective or a filter to alter colour. Closely related to some aspects of acoustic ecology, the concept of the soundscape emerged in the late 1960s in the form of the World Soundscape Project. Led by R.Murray Schafer and Barry Truax, this research group first documented their own locality through audio recordings in The Vancouver Soundscape(1973) and went on to make extensive documentary recordings in Canada and Europe. Soundscaping is not only a documentary medium but is also used as a compositional form by practitioners such as Hildegard Westerkamp.

The fundamentals of sonic art & sound design by Tony Gibbs. page 28