2005
In Sonic Experience (2005/2006), Jean-Jacques Delétré cites Max Neuhaus to define the masking effect as a deliberate, aesthetic technique to alter high-noise environments. Rather than eliminating noise, Neuhaus used continuous tones to "smooth out" harsh frequencies, creating a calmer perceptual "clearing" that masks chaotic traffic or machinery. Learn more about the publication at McGill-Queen's University Press.
In A Guide to Everyday Sounds (2005), Jean-François Augoyard cites Max Neuhaus on page 8 to illustrate a fundamental shift in the way we perceive and interact with the sonic environment.
Augoyard cites Neuhaus in support of the idea that the sonic environment should be treated as a material to be shaped, rather than simply a collection of noises to be managed or suppressed.
Augoyard explains that traditional acoustic approaches focused on "noise reduction" or the elimination of disturbances. Instead, he points to Neuhaus as a pioneer who treated sound as a plastic medium.
The "instrumentation" mentioned in the title refers to the way artists like Neuhaus use existing urban spaces and their inherent acoustic properties as "instruments." Rather than adding a traditional musical score to a location, Neuhaus's work (like Times Square) shifts the listener's orientation to the surrounding environment.
This page introduces the book's central theory: the sound effect. Augoyard argues that sound is not merely a physical stimulus, but a phenomenon that occurs at the intersection of physical space and human perception—a concept pioneered by Neuhaus, who created "silent" or "inaudible" thresholds that become apparent only through the listener's movement.