Comparison on the characteristics of natural sound of waves and imitation sound of waves in terms of comfort level

In general, the sound of waves in a calm sea is pleasant to the human while that in a stormy sea is unpleasant. In order to create an attractive urban space in the development of the waterfront, it is essential to perform a basic planning in consideration of the comfort level of the marine environment. Most of the sound of waves that urban people come into daily contact with is from CDs sold on the market, and it is mostly an imitation sound. Therefore, in this study, the characteristics of the natural sound of waves recorded in a natural environment (on the seashore) and the imitation sound of waves from CDs were compared and analyzed in terms of the comfort level. The results of the analysis of their sound pressure spectrum and a questionnaire survey on the comfort level showed that natural sound of waves was more effective than the imitation sound of waves in terms of comfort level.