4 ms·

I'm on the spectrum, and I hate loud noises with a burning passion (due to the fact that the all of the information usually hurts like all get-out), but somethi

I'm on the spectrum, and I hate loud noises with a burning passion (due to the fact that the all of the information usually hurts like all get-out), but something ever since being a child that has gotten me extremely excited whenever I hear it is in the slow, giant-engine-whine "whip whip whip whip whip whip whip whip whip" sound of traditional old-school dirigibles from movies and such. I don't even know if the classical dirigibles even make that noise. It just gives me dopamine. I relearned a similar lesson while hiking the Appalachian Trail this year, I stayed at a paid campsite by the railroad tracks. I thought I was going to hate it, but somehow my adult, self-believed rational self turned into a gasp-giggling, excitedly-breathing, and hand-clapping and jumping up and down experience whenever a train came by (and blew its horn at full volume because we were right freaking near a train crossing). Intellectually I don't have the strongest passion for trains, but viscerally is something else. It did not matter if it woke me at 4-5 in the morning, I would always lift the hammock tarp and find myself very excited each time. My emotions about the issue are roughly about the same as if you personally suddenly found your body and brain doing that around trains. I'll probably seek trains out more for that reason (because it feels...amazing!), and continue working through whatever residual shame lies in authentically experiencing such a thing as my self with that kind of joy. My brain may be autistic, but my soul is not, so some things require adjustment. <3 :')))) ;')))) :')))) <3 Still, what a beautiful thing to have such small things to make me extremely happy, no matter how unexpected or "strange", given the context.

dhosek 3y ago
There seems to be something somehow wired into (at least some) people’s brains that makes trains appealing. You don’t see, e.g., BusFan forums to correlate with the RailFan forums. Heck, I can entertain myself for extended stretches of time just following the path of railroad tracks on Google Maps.
- technothrasher 3y ago
  There probably aren't as many bus spotters as train spotters out there, but they definitely do exist in more than de minimus numbers.
Steltek 3y ago
I have to imagine that sounds like that from movies are entirely fabricated from a sound designer's mind. The best you could hope for would be a live sound recording from a Goodyear blimp. In fact, from a quick Youtube check, the Goodyear Blimp sounds a lot like any other propeller driven plane on takeoff. While LTA's design is electric and hopefully quieter, it adds evidence that the desired sound from movies is probably fiction. Edit: clarity
- tbalsam 3y ago
  I have a sinking feeling under some further investigation that it may be! I am pretty sure that I've heard it in a few places, one of which being the Disney movie Up. I'm not sure how to describe it, it is a sensorially very unique and pleasant experience for me hearing it. Here's one example, starting roughly around 7-8 seconds or so: https://youtu.be/ah7I6jr-gKQ?feature=shared https://youtu.be/ah7I6jr-gKQ?feature=shared I listened to some older zeppelin/dirigible recordings based on your comment and they seem to make a rather nice, but also not as-euphoric fan whine. Noooooo, that is quite disappointing! I think there's one game that had an extremely highly punctuated, very clockwork-like soundtrack in one of its worlds that used the dirigible-whip sound as a base layer for one of its themes whenever you were in that part of the world. I'll see if I can find it. Curious that it shows up in a few places, there _has_ to be able origin for why people who are designers associate it with airships. It likely wouldn't just occur by chance....
  - tbalsam 3y ago
    Okay, I found the MonkeyBall adventure reference, at about 2:17:00 or so (it's so low in the mix usually you just here it when falling out, and there's this sorta terrible whining noise above it), but I remember it sticking out to me for whatever. Like many things in autism, I have effectively 0 clue why: https://youtu.be/rdnITafjFcQ?si=2mCNpD9zne8YjaKq https://youtu.be/rdnITafjFcQ?si=2mCNpD9zne8YjaKq
- jameshart 3y ago
  Yes, movie sounds are intended to sound like viewers expect, not how they actually sound. See Airplane! where the action all takes place on a passenger jet but the background sound effects are all for a propeller airliner, because it evokes the sound and feel of Zero Hour, the movie it’s parodying. (https://www.google.com/search?q=zero+hour+movie&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#fpstate=vclbx https://www.google.com/search?q=zero+hour+movie&ie=UTF-8&oe=...)

dhosek 3y ago

There seems to be something somehow wired into (at least some) people’s brains that makes trains appealing. You don’t see, e.g., BusFan forums to correlate with the RailFan forums. Heck, I can entertain myself for extended stretches of time just following the path of railroad tracks on Google Maps.

technothrasher 3y ago
There probably aren't as many bus spotters as train spotters out there, but they definitely do exist in more than de minimus numbers.

Steltek 3y ago

I have to imagine that sounds like that from movies are entirely fabricated from a sound designer's mind. The best you could hope for would be a live sound recording from a Goodyear blimp. In fact, from a quick Youtube check, the Goodyear Blimp sounds a lot like any other propeller driven plane on takeoff. While LTA's design is electric and hopefully quieter, it adds evidence that the desired sound from movies is probably fiction. Edit: clarity

tbalsam 3y ago
I have a sinking feeling under some further investigation that it may be! I am pretty sure that I've heard it in a few places, one of which being the Disney movie Up. I'm not sure how to describe it, it is a sensorially very unique and pleasant experience for me hearing it. Here's one example, starting roughly around 7-8 seconds or so: https://youtu.be/ah7I6jr-gKQ?feature=shared https://youtu.be/ah7I6jr-gKQ?feature=shared I listened to some older zeppelin/dirigible recordings based on your comment and they seem to make a rather nice, but also not as-euphoric fan whine. Noooooo, that is quite disappointing! I think there's one game that had an extremely highly punctuated, very clockwork-like soundtrack in one of its worlds that used the dirigible-whip sound as a base layer for one of its themes whenever you were in that part of the world. I'll see if I can find it. Curious that it shows up in a few places, there _has_ to be able origin for why people who are designers associate it with airships. It likely wouldn't just occur by chance....
- tbalsam 3y ago
  Okay, I found the MonkeyBall adventure reference, at about 2:17:00 or so (it's so low in the mix usually you just here it when falling out, and there's this sorta terrible whining noise above it), but I remember it sticking out to me for whatever. Like many things in autism, I have effectively 0 clue why: https://youtu.be/rdnITafjFcQ?si=2mCNpD9zne8YjaKq https://youtu.be/rdnITafjFcQ?si=2mCNpD9zne8YjaKq
jameshart 3y ago
Yes, movie sounds are intended to sound like viewers expect, not how they actually sound. See Airplane! where the action all takes place on a passenger jet but the background sound effects are all for a propeller airliner, because it evokes the sound and feel of Zero Hour, the movie it’s parodying. (https://www.google.com/search?q=zero+hour+movie&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#fpstate=vclbx https://www.google.com/search?q=zero+hour+movie&ie=UTF-8&oe=...)