Think of your ears as eyes...

Welcome!

No idea how you got here, but chances are you were looking for someone named Laurent Mertens. Unfortunately for you, I share my name with many a brother from another mother, which leaves you with the cumbersome task of trying to figure out whether I am the specific specimen you are after. If it helps, I am the one who sometimes likes to...

Hope that helps! In any case, the main course of this website can be found below. Feel free to stick around and check it out.

On the map below you can find recordings of the background noise at the indicated spots. Click on a dot, and a popup will appear containing its coordinates and corresponding recordings for your listening pleasure. Note that overall volume is rather low (even if there is a lot of background noise, it is still background noise, luckily), so use of headphones is highly recommended. This also has the added benefit of enjoying something close to binaural recordings.

All recordings were made using a Tascam DR100-MKII and a pair of Audio-Technica Pro37R mics in AB, spaced +/- 14cm apart and facing outward 45°, and Gutmann windjammers. Gain setting was 'H' with the knob turned to 8. Original recordings are 44.1Khz 24bit. Some minor noise reduction is then applied (for the Tascam's own noise) and the result is converted to 44.1/16 to save some hosting space.These are still WAVs though, no mp3's!