Live Webcams with Sound

Webcams with sound stream audio along with the picture, so a place can be heard as well as seen. Waves on a beach, birdsong in a garden, the horn of an approaching train or the hum of a busy street turn a silent image into something close to being there.

Sound carries what the picture misses. Rain and wind are often heard before they are seen, a bird announces itself before it lands at a feeder, and the roar of a crowd gives away an event happening just outside the frame. Many people leave such a stream running in the background as natural ambience for work or sleep.

Audio depends on the microphone and the setting. Some cameras pick up mostly wind noise on stormy days, and city microphones go quiet at night apart from the occasional car. Browsers usually start a stream muted, so the sound may need switching on in the player — and turning down first in a quiet room, since some streams are loud.