4 ms·
I briefly mention this phenomenon in Designing Sound [1], and have since learned there are several forms of it elicited aurally. As well as the pleasurable goo
by nonrandomstring 4y ago
I briefly mention this phenomenon in Designing Sound [1], and have
since learned there are several forms of it elicited aurally.
As well as the pleasurable goose-bumps associated with positive musical
emotion there's another kind, an 'uneasy' frission that is the feeling
of hairs on the back of your neck raising.
While the "Wilhelm scream" is the most talked about sound design
cliche, probably the one familiar to most of you will actually be the
"doom tone" (60-100Hz noise bands), a signifier of "space", "evil" etc
- think of Vader's "force choke".
It's a great example of a fear response that is hard-wired, because it
represents danger, avalanche, thunder, earthquake or stampeding
animals. We have deep auditory circuit, and evolutionary advantage to
run away.
The other kind of frission stimulated by very high buzzing seems more
mysterious. I discussed with sound designer prof. Mark Grimshaw, who
amongst other things is an expert on the horror/suspense genre [2], as
to why some screeching (bat-like) or buzzing sounds might give us such
creepy feelings. It turns out the sound of mosquitos causes the hairs
on the neck to stand up - likely a defence against being bitten when
we were much hairier creatures.
Still mysterious, I think, is the reason nails on a blackboard
"hurts your teeth", and the exact mechanism and function of
pleasurable frission is still a mystery as far as I know. I suspect it
may have a social signalling utility, much like blushing. In times
when we were much more attuned to each others' body states there could
be an evolutionary advantage to signalling when we feel good about
something.
[1] https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/designing-sound https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/designing-sound
[2] https://sonicfield.org/sonic-virtuality-sound-as-emergent/ https://sonicfield.org/sonic-virtuality-sound-as-emergent/
- jl6 4y agoCould you link to an example of a doom tone?
- eurasiantiger 4y agoThis album is full of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjrvXtDwEFc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjrvXtDwEFc
- rzzzt 4y agoWhen the T-1000 appears: https://youtu.be/vIfUW5-qkc4?t=10 https://youtu.be/vIfUW5-qkc4?t=10
- jonhohle 4y agoNot a link, but many (most) David Lynch movies/shorts have a low background drone that is discomforting in an otherwise normal scene. It often changes tone with shot changes giving the impression that impending physical danger is approaching or receding but never comes. More than almost any other director, his movies make me “feel” a particular way (mostly uncomfortable).
- codeflow2202 4y agoFor anyone interested: When removing the dialogue audio channel from Twin Peaks episodes, it is nice to discover the rich tapestry of sound design hidden underneath. Listen to the sounds extracts these layers for you personal enjoyment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5ZMZEaK4lQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5ZMZEaK4lQ
- supermattt 4y agoI believe it's frisson, not frission
- nonrandomstring 4y agos/frission/frisson : You're right indeed! there'e what happens when the previous article you're reading is on nuclear power :)
- divs1210 4y agoCommenting to refer in the future.
- tremon 4y agoNote that you can favorite comments as well as articles. It's in the info bar next to "flag" on the write reply page. You can retrieve them later through your profile page.
- enimodas 4y agoI've read those explanations of 'avalanche, thunder, earthquake, stampeding animals' before, but I think those are bunk. Most of those are far too rare to cause evolutionary pressure. Wolves, on the other hand... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrU4OY6W1qE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrU4OY6W1qE Used for a nice effect in music too, in Ben Frost's the carpatians https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qheTGTNxRVs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qheTGTNxRVs Try listening to that in a dark room!