9 ms·

The binaural recordings are more than a little spooky. Even knowing before hand that they were going to play the sound of someone knocking on doors I had to fig

by fr0sty 12y ago

The binaural recordings are more than a little spooky. Even knowing before hand that they were going to play the sound of someone knocking on doors I had to fight the temptation to turn and look at sho was knocking on the desk next to me.

theorique 12y ago
I have a door to the right of me, so when the recording started, I had that exact sensation. "The door! ... oh, wait..." Amazing how powerful sound is as a trigger of urgent emotions and responses.
Sephiroth87 12y ago
I have to say that I never heard anything like that... I was expecting some immersion but not at that level, definitely going to check more binaural stuff now
- MarkTee 12y ago
  Not quite as good, but here's a classic (Virtual Barber Shop): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvagjJA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvagjJA
  - gingerlime 12y ago
    Nice. I swear I could feel the tips of my hair twitching when the scissors went through. (and my headphones are pretty basic)
mnw21cam 12y ago
Wow, yes, I really did turn to see who was knocking on my desk. Is it just me, or does the left channel id clip have quite a different equalisation/sound to the right one? Also, regarding the centre/twisted test clips - these are encoded as mp3 (for playing - the downloads are wav). Mp3s often encode stereo by encoding the average of the two channels and the difference between the two channels, with a lower bit rate. If one channel is inverted, then the average of the two channels will be zero, so all the sound information is encoded in the lower bit rate difference, which would give it a lower quality. Something to be aware of when making test clips like this.
- LeoPanthera 12y ago
  You are describing the "Joint Stereo" encoding mode. I haven't tested his files, but MP3 encoders also offer a "Stereo" mode, which encodes the channels entirely separately.
simbolit 12y ago
i did not read the text before. and i have a flatmate who sometimes knocks on the wall to alert me to something. i actually did stop the audio file and went over into the other room, only to find that he was not home. SPOOOKY. even after i read the text it was perfectly convincing. even when i held my hand to the wall to check the (nonexisting) vibrations the immersion did not fully end. Wow!
mxfh 12y ago
Even spookier might be the inadvertently following discovery of the ASMR role play sub-community on YouTube.
- aaronem 12y ago
  > https://www.google.com/search?q=ASMR+role+play+sub-community+on+YouTube https://www.google.com/search?q=ASMR+role+play+sub-community... Different strokes, I suppose.
- girvo 12y ago
  /shrugs Seems weird from the outside, but the feeling is really quite nice, and very relaxing. The pseudoscientific name is annoying though.
sturmeh 12y ago
I didn't read it, I was wearing open headphones and I just spent 5 minutes trying to work out who had knocked on the door near me. Even when I replay it I get freaked out.
izzydata 12y ago
Binaural recordings are fantastic. I love listening to binaural asmr (preferably without talking) using headphones in bed. It is a very relaxing experience.
- rabino 12y ago
  Can you recommend a source where to get some?
rabino 12y ago
I'm on a second floor, right beside a window. I clicked play without reading the description. It scared the life out of me.
- mscman 12y ago
  Same here. I work right next to the sliding glass door in our kitchen (door is to the right of me). Didn't read the description fully and jumped when it sounded like someone was knocking at my door, then at the window to the rear-left of me...
- woobar 12y ago
  I'am also on 2nd floor next to window. I read this comment first and then went to play the test file. And I still moved my head to the right to see who's knocking.
  - vytasgd 12y ago
    read the comment, read the article and did all the tests. Got to this one and it still freaked me out. That's crazy.
- slantyyz 12y ago
  I didn't have my headphones handy, and I just randomly played the 22 kHz >> 8 kHZ test on my MBP's built in speakers and all of a sudden my dogs just started going nuts when the announcer gets to around 14 kHz. Oops!
  - path411 12y ago
    I guess my ears are strange, I couldn't hear 22 kHz >> 19 kHz (tried on headphones and speakers) but could hear 18 kHz >> 9 kHz. If under 14 sounded anything to your dogs like it did to me I feel sorry for them, I felt like barking.
- tempestn 12y ago
  ME TOO. That was my exact experience: second floor, window, didn't read ahead. My volume was near cranked too. Just about jumped out of my skin. Also, extremely cool!
marquis 12y ago
I recently heard an extremely accurate 7.1 binaural recording in a laboratory setting. It was quite extraordinary, but mind that it takes quite a lot of production effort. The day isn't here yet that we can go outside with a pair of mics and come home with accurate binaural recordings.
blago 12y ago
I just dodged a slap in the face from my petrified girlfriend on her way back form the door :-) Sounds like it works even without headphones.

by fr0sty 12y ago

theorique 12y ago

I have a door to the right of me, so when the recording started, I had that exact sensation. "The door! ... oh, wait..." Amazing how powerful sound is as a trigger of urgent emotions and responses.

Sephiroth87 12y ago

I have to say that I never heard anything like that... I was expecting some immersion but not at that level, definitely going to check more binaural stuff now

MarkTee 12y ago
Not quite as good, but here's a classic (Virtual Barber Shop): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvagjJA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvagjJA
- gingerlime 12y ago
  Nice. I swear I could feel the tips of my hair twitching when the scissors went through. (and my headphones are pretty basic)

mnw21cam 12y ago

Wow, yes, I really did turn to see who was knocking on my desk. Is it just me, or does the left channel id clip have quite a different equalisation/sound to the right one? Also, regarding the centre/twisted test clips - these are encoded as mp3 (for playing - the downloads are wav). Mp3s often encode stereo by encoding the average of the two channels and the difference between the two channels, with a lower bit rate. If one channel is inverted, then the average of the two channels will be zero, so all the sound information is encoded in the lower bit rate difference, which would give it a lower quality. Something to be aware of when making test clips like this.

LeoPanthera 12y ago
You are describing the "Joint Stereo" encoding mode. I haven't tested his files, but MP3 encoders also offer a "Stereo" mode, which encodes the channels entirely separately.

simbolit 12y ago

i did not read the text before. and i have a flatmate who sometimes knocks on the wall to alert me to something. i actually did stop the audio file and went over into the other room, only to find that he was not home. SPOOOKY. even after i read the text it was perfectly convincing. even when i held my hand to the wall to check the (nonexisting) vibrations the immersion did not fully end. Wow!

mxfh 12y ago

Even spookier might be the inadvertently following discovery of the ASMR role play sub-community on YouTube.

aaronem 12y ago
> https://www.google.com/search?q=ASMR+role+play+sub-community+on+YouTube https://www.google.com/search?q=ASMR+role+play+sub-community... Different strokes, I suppose.
girvo 12y ago
/shrugs Seems weird from the outside, but the feeling is really quite nice, and very relaxing. The pseudoscientific name is annoying though.

sturmeh 12y ago

I didn't read it, I was wearing open headphones and I just spent 5 minutes trying to work out who had knocked on the door near me. Even when I replay it I get freaked out.

izzydata 12y ago

Binaural recordings are fantastic. I love listening to binaural asmr (preferably without talking) using headphones in bed. It is a very relaxing experience.

rabino 12y ago
Can you recommend a source where to get some?

rabino 12y ago

I'm on a second floor, right beside a window. I clicked play without reading the description. It scared the life out of me.

mscman 12y ago
Same here. I work right next to the sliding glass door in our kitchen (door is to the right of me). Didn't read the description fully and jumped when it sounded like someone was knocking at my door, then at the window to the rear-left of me...
woobar 12y ago
I'am also on 2nd floor next to window. I read this comment first and then went to play the test file. And I still moved my head to the right to see who's knocking.
- vytasgd 12y ago
  read the comment, read the article and did all the tests. Got to this one and it still freaked me out. That's crazy.
slantyyz 12y ago
I didn't have my headphones handy, and I just randomly played the 22 kHz >> 8 kHZ test on my MBP's built in speakers and all of a sudden my dogs just started going nuts when the announcer gets to around 14 kHz. Oops!
- path411 12y ago
  I guess my ears are strange, I couldn't hear 22 kHz >> 19 kHz (tried on headphones and speakers) but could hear 18 kHz >> 9 kHz. If under 14 sounded anything to your dogs like it did to me I feel sorry for them, I felt like barking.
tempestn 12y ago
ME TOO. That was my exact experience: second floor, window, didn't read ahead. My volume was near cranked too. Just about jumped out of my skin. Also, extremely cool!

marquis 12y ago

I recently heard an extremely accurate 7.1 binaural recording in a laboratory setting. It was quite extraordinary, but mind that it takes quite a lot of production effort. The day isn't here yet that we can go outside with a pair of mics and come home with accurate binaural recordings.

blago 12y ago

I just dodged a slap in the face from my petrified girlfriend on her way back form the door :-) Sounds like it works even without headphones.