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This paper analyses the effects of a non-uniform laminar flow past a circular cylinder using the direct numerical simulation approach. Compared to the cylinder immersed in a uniform flow case, modifications caused by the non-uniform approaching flow on the evolution of the flow and sound fields are studied in detail in the present work. The prescribed non-uniform velocity profile at the inlet has a Gaussian distribution and imitates a jet or a wake flow velocity profile. The sound is generated due to periodic vortex shedding behind the circular cylinder. The frequency of vortex shedding and the strength of the shed vortices depend on the inflow velocity profile. Hence, variation of the inflow velocity profile alters the shed vortices, changing the generated sound field. It is observed that the amount of gain or deficit present in the prescribed inflow velocity profile compared to the uniform inflow profile alters the sound field information. The jet kind of inflow profile creates a sound of higher frequency and intensity in contrast to the wake kind of inflow profile. The presence of shear in the inflow velocity profile is also expected to change the sound propagation direction. However, in present simulations, the distance over which sound propagation is considered is small compared to the wavelength of the sound waves, and sound beam drift effects are not observed much. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]