To co-incide with the BBC World Service radio programme, Save our Sounds, Milo Creative was commissioned to produce City Soundscape, a 3D environment in which users could explore a series of virtual soundscapes. The Save our Sounds radio programme explored disappearing sounds from around the world and encouraged people to go out and record them to include within the Save our Sounds online audio archive.

Stop and listen to the sounds around you. Shut your eyes and open your ears. We can so easily take sound for granted. If you have ever been in a room and only noticed the whirring noise of a fan when somebody switches it off, you understand the point.

Introduction to Save our Sounds

The activity aims to reflect the diversity of the World Service audience so that anyone using might see or hear something familiar. To this end we worked closely with their producers to research a range of appropriate sounds to build the soundtrack for each of the spaces within the activity. The BBC gave us unrestricted access to the World Service sound archive, which allowed us to incorporate sounds from across the globe. Our sound designer, Rob Bagshaw, was then able to weave together five very distinct audio experiences to explore.

Utilising Flash PaperVision 3D, we were able to build an immersive 3D space mixing visual and audio elements that enable the user to navigate their way through these virtual locations experiencing sights and sounds. Coupled with the sound design, this produced an immersive exploratory experience accessible to the World Service audience.

Milo delivered this project from concept to launch in a little over four weeks, it was one of the first interactive flash activities commissioned by BBC World Service and is available to their global audience. The BBC’s Save Our Sounds campaign went on to be awarded a UK Radio Academy award for Best Cross-Media Promotion or Campaign