The Most Amazing Audio Recording Ever
January 23, 2010 Posted by Tyler CruzNote: This post has absolutely nothing to do with web entrepreneurship, blogging, or web publishing. It’s purely off-topic entertainment for your ears.
A week or two ago I was surfing the web when I came across an audio recording which absolutely blew me away.
Now, chances are some or maybe even many of you have already heard this before (based on the 6.7 million views on the YouTube version), but I hadn’t, so I felt it was worth posting here even if only a few of you get to experience it for the first time.
The Virtual Barbershop
IMPORTANT: YOU MUST LISTEN TO THIS WEARING HEADPHONES OR IT WILL NOT WORK!
Before you start:
-
- Make sure you’re wearing headphones. It will not work at all if you are not wearing headphones. If you have the option, use the best headphones you have (Ex. real over-the-ear headphones as opposed to little iPod earphones).
- Adjust your volume. Adjust your volume so that you can hear clearly and at an appropriate level. Don’t make it too loud though as you may get scared 🙂 Also, please close any programs or websites that make noise so they don’t interfere with the experience.
- Get into it. Your experience will be much richer if you relax, play along, and really get into it. Really pretend that you’re sitting in a barbershop in Italy and are getting a haircut.
- Close your eyes after hitting play. This will greatly improve the experience.
What do you think? Was that not insanely awesome? Show it to your friends or family and watch their expression while they listen to it!
My favourite parts were the “bag” and the “surprise” at the end. I freaked out the first time I heard the ending, lol.
Italian Woman
If you’re anything like me, then you’ll want to hear more recordings like these. Unfortunately, there are surprisingly very few out there, but here’s another one I found.
However, it’s only about 20 seconds. Even so, it will probably still make you blush…
684 More
I was so raptured by these that I just had to look for more. I did manage to find close to 700 more here, but they’re not nearly as good quality as the two above.
So What the Heck Are These?
These special audio files are called binaural recordings. Wikipedia defines them as:
“…a method of recording sound that uses a special microphone arrangement and is intended for replay using headphones.”
Now, “surround sound” technology isn’t anything new, and they’ve been commonplace in most PC games for years now, but there’s something magical about a really good binaural recording that makes it seem like a completely different experience.
Binaural recordings are apparently so powerful that some companies claim they can alter brainwave patterns and induce a drug-like effect. Binaural tones is therefore a growing industry which some business people are trying to pounce on as it’s currently legal.
Products include a special iPod-like player in which “users” purchase and download special binaural tones to get a buzz off. Many users claim it really works, but many also claim it doesn’t. I personally feel it’s probably a combination of a Zen-like meditation and the placebo effect at work.
Why Isn’t the Industry Pouncing on This?
From what I can gather, the technology is very simple to create a binaural recording… basically only requiring two microphones placed at a fixed distance apart (ex. the distance of 2 human ears on a couple of mic stands.
Maybe there are already many products out for this, but if I were blind, I would LOVE to listen to a really good feature-length binaural recording. It’d be like a movie for the ears. Imagine being in the protagonists body as he is wrongly accused of terrorism and is tortured, or perhaps being the detective in an an Agatha Christie “whodunit”.
Hell, you don’t have to be blind to enjoy that. That’d be PERFECT for the plane or a long bus ride, or even listening to in bed while trying to sleep.
Maybe I’m going overboard here but I really, really, enjoyed the barbershop experience, and I hope you did too!
37 Responses to “The Most Amazing Audio Recording Ever”
Great,relaxing and interesting!
I heard about binaural recordings! It create relax state of mind by lowering your brain frequency to alpha level or even more deeper levels of mind! Generally it improve your mental and physical health!
This “cutting edge” technology can provide benefit for every human being.
Wow that is really cool, it feels so relaxing listening to those. Im sure if they would sell these type of recordings they would do really well. This is the first time I have heard of these recordings before. Thanks for sharing them.
I was a bit skeptical at first. I first started to play it from my Macbooks speakers, then I decided to get my in-ear eShure earphones. I was blown away
Thanks for sharing Tyler. A great find. I was a bit skeptical at first. I first started to play it from my Macbooks speakers, then I decided to get my in-ear eShure earphones. I was blown away.
I’m off to tell my friends about this. Thanks.
Quite cool, did a bit of research and seems the recording was made by these guys:
http://www.qsound.com/demos/binaural-audio.htm
Good find, there are some decent ones at http://www.qsound.com/demos/3d-audio.htm. However, the virtual haircut still seems to reign supreme… surprising that it was made in 1996!
Found amazing.. 🙂
Wow very cool
I never knew about this! Thanks Tyler 🙂
Thanks for the distraction to start the day Tyler. I have to confess I was expecting some sort of trick at the end – similar to those commercials that lull you into some calming landscape before freaking you out with a freaky ghost & scream at the end. Very cool, my kids loved listening to it as well.
Wow very cool almost trippy
Thanks for the heads up! 🙂
That is insane.If I was still in Uni and smoking the grass, this would make for some funny episodes.
Great Stuff
The NFL has an ultimate audio portion on their website dedicated to binaural game highlights.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-ultimate-audio
That really is quite soothing. Might even work for people who find trouble unwinding after a hard day, or those who have sleeping issues. I’m definitely gonna try and get deeper into this. Thanks.
Till then,
Jean
Sounds cool!
The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in San Francisco had an exhibit a few years ago of a binaural recording an artist did walking through the museum itself. It was amazing. You could hear footsteps that weren’t there, sounds of people that were there at the time of the recording but not there when you listened to it. It was fun and interesting.
wow genuinely eeriely realistic i had to keep opening my eyes to check a barber was not standing beside me, awesome lol
Hey, after reading this, I picked up the gear needed to make a binaural recording, and then today I just did a quick test.
It is really amazing. Check it out. This is a walk with my dogs. There happened to be a bunch of cars and maybe 5 or 6 planes and helicopters that went by overhead, so it is really interesting.
Here is the file to listen (it is a 320 rate AAC):
http://www.bitjets.com/binaural_walk_cleaned.zip
The wave file actually sounds much better but it is like 650 megs, so too big to post. I can’t believe how well this first recording came out.
Make sure you use high-quality stereo headphones and listen to it loud!
Close your eyes, relax and enjoy.
wow genuinely eeriely realistic
Thats crazy , that italian woman should’ve beein alittile longer , I can’t believe this got 7 million views on youtube
COOL!
i feel like i am sitting inside the barber shop!
amazing! 3D recording!
wow genuinely eeriely realistic
this is awesome! it made me look around me twice hahaha…the scissor looks like cutting my ear hahaha!
This is ridiculously real. And your right. It’s very entertaining. I could listen to tons of them. But like you said, what’s the point if the quality isnt that great?
Wow very cool almost trippy
Thanks for the heads up! 😛
I’ve heard all these but have to say the most intriguing binaural recordings I’ve heard are at http://www.erotescapes.com . Now THESE are mind blowing!
Maybe there are already many products out for this, but if I were blind, I would LOVE to listen to a really good feature-length binaural recording. It’d be like a movie for the ears. Imagine being in the protagonists body as he is wrongly accused of terrorism and is tortured, or perhaps being the detective in an an Agatha Christie “whodunit”.
good for writing
Great recordings Tyler, I am sure we will see much more of this kind of thing in the future.
dang, forgot to adjust the volume when i hit play and everyone in my office turned around to look at what i was doing. whoops! 🙂
i feel like i am sitting inside the barber shop!
amazing! 3D recording
it made me look around me twice hahaha…the scissor looks like cutting my ear hahaha!
I am sure we will see much more of this kind of thing in the future.
the first one was awesome. I wish a company could make more of them
That’s pretty cool, and relaxing. I heard somethings about this, I’ll try to do some research and keep everyone posted.
There are nice. I heard a lot of interesting sounds, music and other stuff all over the web. It still surprises me how many interesting feelings we can try by just clicking on an icon of a triangle.
Hi Tyler, your post SOUNDS great! 🙂 This will be very helpful to me. I have a problem in sleeping when I got home from work. This looks like very soothing.
Till then,
Regie
I have heard the virtual barbershop earlier but the Italian women audio is heard by me for the first time.Both of them are classic recordings.