Wind and wave auditory icons for monitoring continuous processes

This article presents the design and the use of two new auditory icons: the sounds of waves and wind. A synthesis algorithm is described to compute and control these sounds with high-level parameters in real-time. These auditory icons can be used effectively to monitor background activities, in particular when there is a need for continuous monitoring or when there is a need to prevent problems rather than to address them. They are a first step in the realization of controllable cohesive sound ecologies.