Freesound's Broad Sound Taxonomy sorts sounds into five browsable top-level categories

The Broad Sound Taxonomy (BST), introduced on Freesound in April 2025, is a two-level classification with five top-level categories: Music, Instrument Samples, Speech, Sound Effects, and Soundscapes. Tagging a sound with a BST category makes it findable by browse and filter in addition to keyword search. Uploaders assign a BST category via the standard describe form or as a required field in bulk-upload data files. The taxonomy is deliberately broad rather than fine-grained — it covers the major use cases while staying simple enough to apply consistently. (The FAQ text states 23 second-level subcategories, but the live BST reference page currently lists more; the stable, teachable content is the five top-level classes and BST’s purpose, not the exact subcategory count.) Knowing the five top-level categories helps a user pick the right filter when searching Freesound.

Examples

A field recording of rain would fall under Soundscapes. A TR-808 kick drum hit would be Instrument Samples. A voice-over recording would be Speech.

Assessment

Assign a BST top-level category to each of three sounds: a barking dog, a piano chord, and an ambient underground train station recording. Justify each choice.