Audio development
The audio development was crucial to the experience of Connect in Transit. At the beginning of the audio development, I was unsure of what type of audio would best suite the project; whether it be musical, or a mix of music and vocals, or if I should make the audio output note by note, so the movement through the space would create some sort of musical scale.

I looked back to the feedback from the interviews; one comment that stuck out was from participant number two, when speaking about airports…

“…could be anywhere in the world, as they are very non-cultural and generic, nothing special within them makes you remember the space.”

So, why restrict the audio output to a musical experience? Could I create vocals that relate to the place, reflecting the cultural identity of the surrounding city/country? From this thought I began to think of the different types of experiences that the audio could create.

Examples - Cultural/Humorous
Audio output during the Glasgow/Edinburgh trades holiday, when there is a greater volume of local people travelling through either airports. The audio could be humorous, or play traditional music, anything that reflects the cultural identity.

“Aye, take a seat, put your feet up, your going on your holidays”
“Get yourself a wee cup o’ tea and sit down”
“ –traditional Scottish music- ”
“Have a braw holiday”
or something similar that reflects the cultural identity of the surrounding area.

Relaxation

Audio output that creates a  relaxing and calming environments, alleviating and stress caused by the hustle and bustle of the busy environment, or any fears for the journey ahead, ie, the fear of flying.

“Sit down…relax” – spoken in a soothing calm voice
“ –relaxing music- ”
“Take a deep breath in … and out … and in … and out”
A combination of calming instructions and music to create a relaxation area.

Advertising space
Audio output that is used to advertise a particular brand or product, suggesting people to go to areas within the space and buy something or do something.

“Why not pop into ‘X’ and do ‘Y’ of visit ‘Z’ and buy one of our ‘A’ ”
“ –play music associated with ‘Z’- ”
“This experience was brought to you by ‘Z’ ”
Creating an area that advertises and gives the users a memorable experience of the space and the brand.

Does the position of the project affect the audio?

Audio loops created
I decided that the most suitable style of audio for the project would be to create ambient loops of music that could blend in with the background noises of the space. I feel that by creating ambient audio pieces, I am following my own requirements for the audio not to be disruptive to other out with the area. I also feel that by creating an ambient soundscape the space will become a place for relaxation and quiet enjoyment, being appreciated by a larger user group. By limiting the audio to musical loops, I have eliminated any language barriers that may have occurred with some of the example detailed above.

By selecting a loop, it will open and play in another window. Doing this allows you to listen to more than one loop at a time, giving you a sense of how the audio will build up within Connect in Transit. Try opening the loops at different times and altering the volume of individual loops, this will give you various different combinations of playback.