I chose to do my soundscape assignment at a Starbucks location in Ajax. I will begin with the list of sounds I heard; 

–          The muddled sound of many people talking, both workers and customers

• The sound had a low pitch and medium volume.
• Continuous sound of murmur and blending of voices which was constantly heard as background noise. On occasion I heard distinct sentences.
• The sound was manmade

–          Crinkle of plastic and paper bags

• The sound of both types of bags crinkling had a low volume and low pitch.
• It was unique because I only heard the sound three times.
• Very quick sound, technological and manmade.

–          Whooshing of steam from the espresso machine

• High pitch and high volume
• Sound occurs fairly quickly each time it is being used
• Repetitive sound which was heard many times, technological  

–          Music from speakers

• The music was at a medium volume and part of the background noise.
• It was continuous as the music did not stop playing.
• Technological, very soothing type of music.

–          Clink of metal spoon against metal jug

• Technological and manmade.
• Low pitch and low volume.
• Repetitive, each time I heard it the sound was very quick.

–          Clicking of heels

• Manmade and technological.
• High pitch and unique, only heard it once.
• Very quick sound, became more distant as person kept walking.

–          Change from cash, the customer giving money to cashier and vice versa.

• Technological and repetitive.
• High pitch and low volume.
• Jingling sound of cash being passed was a quick sound.

–          Light roar of blender

• Technological and repetitive.
• Low pitch and loud volume when being used.

–          Squeaky sound of door opening and closing

• High pitch and repetitive as people kept opening the door to enter or leave the coffee shop.
• Technological and manmade.

–          Chair scraping against ground

• High volume and low pitch.
• Unique, only heard it once in a while.
• Manmade and technological.   

Within a setting such as Starbucks, many sounds can be heard even within a short timeframe such as a thirty minute period. I sat at Starbucks on Monday September 23^rd, 2013, at 1:30pm-2:00pm. There were many sounds I heard which are unique to the setting which I chose. Right when I first entered Starbucks, I heard the muddled sound of many people talking, both workers and customers. I would say this was the key note of the location because it was something that was continuous and people are always in Starbucks talking. It had a very low pitch and a medium volume. The continuous sound of murmur and blending of voices was constantly heard, perhaps one could say was background noise. On occasion I heard distinct sentences. The sound was of course manmade.

All of the sounds that I heard and have listed above are very meaningful and unique to the setting I was in. For example, what I believe to be the sound note of Starbucks is very meaningful to the location because the sound would not make sense in all settings. This distinct whooshing sound made by the espresso machine is well known by regular Starbucks drinkers, perhaps even those who do not always find themselves in Starbucks. The sound is very unique and meaningful in that when it is heard, it is obvious to the listener they are in not just any coffee establishment, but a Starbucks. For example this sound is not heard in all coffee shops, Tim Hortons does not have this sound nor does Coffee Time, to name a few. The whooshing sound of the espresso machine was both high in pitch and volume. The sound occurred fairly quickly each time the machine was used. It was very repetitive and a technological sound.

When sitting in a location such as Starbucks, so much is going on around you and there are so many sounds to pick up on. The list I have made is the most prominent sounds I picked up on which also have meaning related to the location. What I have found from my analysis is that majority of the sounds I heard in Starbucks are both technological and manmade. By this I mean the sounds are coming from a technology but would not occur if it were not for the human action/use of the technology.