Soundless Music Shown to Produce Weird Sensations: Reuters

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the effects of low-frequency sound, particularly inaudible frequencies, on human perception and sensation. Participants explore various contexts, including music, sound systems, and natural phenomena, while sharing personal experiences related to these sounds.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that low-frequency sounds, which are inaudible to humans, can produce physical sensations and emotional responses.
  • One participant recalls experiences with high-performance car stereo systems, noting a debate among enthusiasts about the value of reproducing sounds below human hearing thresholds.
  • Another participant asserts that low-frequency sounds can be felt, referencing the experience of watching "Jurassic Park" with a capable sound system.
  • Discussion includes the phenomenon of infrasound in organ music, which may evoke religious feelings, as noted in a referenced article.
  • A participant shares a personal account of feeling sensations during the playback of a volcanic eruption recording, describing physical reactions and environmental changes.
  • Another participant expresses interest in obtaining the volcanic eruption CD mentioned in the previous post, linking it to their own experiences with low-frequency sounds.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that low-frequency sounds can be felt and may influence emotions, but there are differing views on the implications and contexts of these experiences. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the extent and nature of these effects.

Contextual Notes

Some claims rely on personal anecdotes and subjective experiences, which may not be universally applicable. The discussion also touches on the technical aspects of sound reproduction and the physiological responses to sound, but lacks detailed scientific analysis.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in acoustics, sound engineering, psychology of sound, and those exploring the intersection of sound and human experience may find this discussion relevant.

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MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Mysteriously snuffed out candles, weird sensations and shivers down the spine may not be due to the presence of ghosts in haunted houses but to very low frequency sound that is inaudible to humans

http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=3401200
 
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This one reminds me of the thread dealing with high performance car stereo systems. I had read where some enthusiasts thought it a pointless drain on your system to produce/reproduce sounds below the threshold of human hearing. Other enthusiasts thought it still made sense, claiming that even if you couldn’t hear the sound your body could still feel it.

Maybe those darn kids are at it again.
 
Different issue entirely, boulder. You can most certainly feel low frequency sound. Pop Jurrasic Park into your DVD player and crank it up (if you have a decent sound system). Generally the frequency response in a good sub goes down to 20hz or so.
 
I've heard of but never experienced that. Must be pretty neat.
 
When I was stationed in Hawaii, a fellow Marine had a cd of a volcanic eruption. When he played it through his his Cerwin Vegas at "11" you would hear nothing for the first two minutes or so. As it got closer to the audible part I could feel a slight excitement at my core and would have a feeling like, "LET'S GET OUTA HERE!" almost like when you KNOW something is wrong but you can't say exactly what. Drinking beer from a bottle made your lips tickle. The MP's canines would be visibly upset and there was a noticeable lack of birdsong. After a few minutes we would have to go back inside and put things back where the were originally because they "walked". Never thought much about it until now. Thanks guys.
 
Originally posted by Echo 6 Sierra
When I was stationed in Hawaii, a fellow Marine had a cd of a volcanic eruption.
Any idea where I could get that from?

I have a cd called "The Big Picture" which has some great high power movie sound/music clips. One is the launch sequence from Apollo 13. The CD comes with a warning about possible damage to your speakers due to the low frequncy sounds in some of the clips. I had my speakers sitting on my desk at school and they used to "blow" things across the desk - papers, pencils, coffee cups, etc.

BRB, I need to go buy a new (bigger) sub...
 
Sorry, this is all I could come up with:

http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/frequent_questions/grp13/question956.html

good luck.

E6S
 
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