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Are you in tune with your aural environment?


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I'm apparently always listening to my aural environment.

Sometimes I'll be in a restaurant or some other public place and I will make a comment about a song playing in the background and someone will inevitably say "What song ?" or "Oh yeah, I didn't notice it." - I can't help but notice it.

I can't stand the sound of multiple audio sources playing simultaneously.

I recently had lunch in a restaurant that had two TVs blaring on different stations. Also there was pop music playing over the sound system. I could hear spanish language music wafting out of the kitchen and then somebody had the nerve to put a dollar in the jukebox.

As I sat there with the cacophony of five different sound sources blasting around the place I looked around to see if anybody else was as irritated as I was.

Not a single person seemed to notice it.

Do you think as a musician or audio engineer you hear differently than normal people?

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Quote Originally Posted by Folder View Post
Do you think as a musician or audio engineer you hear differently than normal people?
Research has shown that musicians process music with their left brains wheras "ordinary people" process it with their right brain. To me this means that we analyze it constantly rather than just enjoy it without thinking about it as others do.

I have the same issue that you do. I can't NOT listen to music, it can never be background to me, at least not entirely. It grabs my attention - which can sometimes be very irritating as in when someone is talking to me while several sources of music are going on in the background.

Terry D.
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Quote Originally Posted by Folder View Post
Do you think as a musician or audio engineer you hear differently than normal people?
Research has shown that musicians process music with their left brains wheras "ordinary people" process it with their right brain. To me this means that we analyze it constantly rather than just enjoy it without thinking about it as others do.

I have the same issue that you do. I can't NOT listen to music, it can never be background to me, at least not entirely. It grabs my attention - which can sometimes be very irritating as in when someone is talking to me while several sources of music are going on in the background.

Terry D.
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I can ignore music easily. However, the cacophony you describe is irritating. Multiple sources going on at the same time should drive most people insane, and in a restaurant, a good manager should control that. People may not have seemed to notice it probably because they were trying desperately to tune it out or just have fun.

I am sure that as a musician or recording engineer, we listen to music differently. I'll sometimes listen to a particular part of a song, like the bass line, or admire the drummer or the production or that kind of thing.

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I can ignore music easily. However, the cacophony you describe is irritating. Multiple sources going on at the same time should drive most people insane, and in a restaurant, a good manager should control that. People may not have seemed to notice it probably because they were trying desperately to tune it out or just have fun.

I am sure that as a musician or recording engineer, we listen to music differently. I'll sometimes listen to a particular part of a song, like the bass line, or admire the drummer or the production or that kind of thing.

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Hear differently probably not, if anything maybe worse because our ears tend to be worn out.

But Process different sure.. You obviously just pay attention. Most don't. I a lot of time go into another step, and find myself cataloging acoustic properties of rooms. How reverberate vs softy is it. Is there interesting resonances, etc. Check out the construction and what not.

The cacophony you describe can be painful, but it can also be serendipidously amazing sometimes.. Its uncanny and I have no idea if I spelled that correctly

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Hear differently probably not, if anything maybe worse because our ears tend to be worn out.

But Process different sure.. You obviously just pay attention. Most don't. I a lot of time go into another step, and find myself cataloging acoustic properties of rooms. How reverberate vs softy is it. Is there interesting resonances, etc. Check out the construction and what not.

The cacophony you describe can be painful, but it can also be serendipidously amazing sometimes.. Its uncanny and I have no idea if I spelled that correctly

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Yes, I find music to be distracting more than soothing. I can't NOT listen to it. Worst is when the sound system is distorted and I'm thinking "how can these people work here all day listening to this!"

Many people enjoy falling asleep listening to music. I can't do it. I LISTEN to it and it keeps me awake. I need talk radio or television to bore me to sleep.

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Yes, I find music to be distracting more than soothing. I can't NOT listen to it. Worst is when the sound system is distorted and I'm thinking "how can these people work here all day listening to this!"

Many people enjoy falling asleep listening to music. I can't do it. I LISTEN to it and it keeps me awake. I need talk radio or television to bore me to sleep.

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Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) talks about three basic representational types that occur in the population: Visual Types, Auditory Types, and Kinesthetic Types. Based on the sensory information you use PRIMARILY to understand the world around you. Auditory Types-- you guessed it--- tend to rely strongly upon their ears to process the world around them. You can bet that Auditory Types are found in musical/audio occupations. Aso verbal occupations: NLP points out that reading text is more an AUDITORY activity than a VISUAL one (think about it).

I'm the same way vis-a-vis auditory stimuli: I'll hear it when others seemingly do not. I think it's cruel and unusual punishment, for example, that Wal-Mart employees have to listen to various videos play and replay incessantly. Some actress gushing, all day long, about how rich her coffee is. I mean, that's just pure and simple brainwash... and not even GOOD brainwash. If a song plays at the store or in a restaurant, I can't NOT hear it. DOLLAR TREE has the most amazing in-house piped-in music, BTW: 1960's oldies, but the really OBSCURE ones that Oldies radio NEVER plays!


In NLP Auditory is the Representational System dealing with hearing. It can be internal or external. Also known as Auditory Tonal (At)
There is a Representational System for each of our senses; this is the way we experience our world. What we actually perceive are representations of what each sensory organ transmits to us. Auditory (A) is to do with hearing we have (Ae) Hearing External Sounds and (Ai) Recalling of Internal Sounds.
Lowering your voice, slowing it and speaking in, for example, a sexy rhythm, will cause an activation of the auditory system. By using accessing cues, little nuances of behavior activate a major representational system, such as the auditory system. These are subtle behaviors can indicate which representational system a person is using. Typical types of accessing cues of the auditory system include eye voice tone and tempo.
If your thoughts (internal representations) are mainly pictures, then you will tend to use more visual words when describing your thoughts. If your thoughts are based on logic or making sense of something, you may tend to use words that reflect the logic of your thinking, likewise, for auditory and kinaesthetic. The words you use reflect your internal thought processes. This is a very important point as you are revealing your internal thoughts and thought structures to others through the words you choose to use or not use

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Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) talks about three basic representational types that occur in the population: Visual Types, Auditory Types, and Kinesthetic Types. Based on the sensory information you use PRIMARILY to understand the world around you. Auditory Types-- you guessed it--- tend to rely strongly upon their ears to process the world around them. You can bet that Auditory Types are found in musical/audio occupations. Aso verbal occupations: NLP points out that reading text is more an AUDITORY activity than a VISUAL one (think about it).

I'm the same way vis-a-vis auditory stimuli: I'll hear it when others seemingly do not. I think it's cruel and unusual punishment, for example, that Wal-Mart employees have to listen to various videos play and replay incessantly. Some actress gushing, all day long, about how rich her coffee is. I mean, that's just pure and simple brainwash... and not even GOOD brainwash. If a song plays at the store or in a restaurant, I can't NOT hear it. DOLLAR TREE has the most amazing in-house piped-in music, BTW: 1960's oldies, but the really OBSCURE ones that Oldies radio NEVER plays!


In NLP Auditory is the Representational System dealing with hearing. It can be internal or external. Also known as Auditory Tonal (At)
There is a Representational System for each of our senses; this is the way we experience our world. What we actually perceive are representations of what each sensory organ transmits to us. Auditory (A) is to do with hearing we have (Ae) Hearing External Sounds and (Ai) Recalling of Internal Sounds.
Lowering your voice, slowing it and speaking in, for example, a sexy rhythm, will cause an activation of the auditory system. By using accessing cues, little nuances of behavior activate a major representational system, such as the auditory system. These are subtle behaviors can indicate which representational system a person is using. Typical types of accessing cues of the auditory system include eye voice tone and tempo.
If your thoughts (internal representations) are mainly pictures, then you will tend to use more visual words when describing your thoughts. If your thoughts are based on logic or making sense of something, you may tend to use words that reflect the logic of your thinking, likewise, for auditory and kinaesthetic. The words you use reflect your internal thought processes. This is a very important point as you are revealing your internal thoughts and thought structures to others through the words you choose to use or not use

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Quote Originally Posted by Folder View Post
I'm apparently always listening to my aural environment.

Sometimes I'll be in a restaurant or some other public place and I will make a comment about a song playing in the background and someone will inevitably say "What song ?" or "Oh yeah, I didn't notice it." - I can't help but notice it.

I can't stand the sound of multiple audio sources playing simultaneously.

I recently had lunch in a restaurant that had two TVs blaring on different stations. Also there was pop music playing over the sound system. I could hear spanish language music wafting out of the kitchen and then somebody had the nerve to put a dollar in the jukebox.

As I sat there with the cacophony of five different sound sources blasting around the place I looked around to see if anybody else was as irritated as I was.

Not a single person seemed to notice it.

Do you think as a musician or audio engineer you hear differently than normal people?
I watched Fox News for a brief time on election night. The screen was full of competing boxes, each with its own drama. Largest was Sarah Palin's talking head trying to make sense of the impending loss her side was seeing. Then, in smaller box was Greta (von Something) interviewing Palin, and another box showing "battleground states". All the while, there were two or three ribbons of information crawling across the bottom of the screen giving results of House and Senate races. All this, over a background of the U.S. map decked out in its red and blue states. It was visual cacophony that reminded me of stepping into a casino, with all the lights and video screens of the machines, each making irritating noises. I just don't like that kind of environment, but clearly, there are those who do.
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Quote Originally Posted by Folder View Post
I'm apparently always listening to my aural environment.

Sometimes I'll be in a restaurant or some other public place and I will make a comment about a song playing in the background and someone will inevitably say "What song ?" or "Oh yeah, I didn't notice it." - I can't help but notice it.

I can't stand the sound of multiple audio sources playing simultaneously.

I recently had lunch in a restaurant that had two TVs blaring on different stations. Also there was pop music playing over the sound system. I could hear spanish language music wafting out of the kitchen and then somebody had the nerve to put a dollar in the jukebox.

As I sat there with the cacophony of five different sound sources blasting around the place I looked around to see if anybody else was as irritated as I was.

Not a single person seemed to notice it.

Do you think as a musician or audio engineer you hear differently than normal people?
I watched Fox News for a brief time on election night. The screen was full of competing boxes, each with its own drama. Largest was Sarah Palin's talking head trying to make sense of the impending loss her side was seeing. Then, in smaller box was Greta (von Something) interviewing Palin, and another box showing "battleground states". All the while, there were two or three ribbons of information crawling across the bottom of the screen giving results of House and Senate races. All this, over a background of the U.S. map decked out in its red and blue states. It was visual cacophony that reminded me of stepping into a casino, with all the lights and video screens of the machines, each making irritating noises. I just don't like that kind of environment, but clearly, there are those who do.
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Quote Originally Posted by Jimbroni View Post
Hear differently probably not, if anything maybe worse because our ears tend to be worn out.

But Process different sure.. You obviously just pay attention. Most don't. I a lot of time go into another step, and find myself cataloging acoustic properties of rooms. How reverberate vs softy is it. Is there interesting resonances, etc. Check out the construction and what not.

The cacophony you describe can be painful, but it can also be serendipidously amazing sometimes.. Its uncanny and I have no idea if I spelled that correctly
"...find myself cataloging acoustic properties of rooms..."

The first day of my favorite ever class at Columbia, Architectural Acoustics with Malcolm Chisholm, he stated in his introduction, "You will never sit in a room again and hear things the way you have up to this point. From now on... you will begin seeing what you are hearing."

He was right.
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Quote Originally Posted by Jimbroni View Post
Hear differently probably not, if anything maybe worse because our ears tend to be worn out.

But Process different sure.. You obviously just pay attention. Most don't. I a lot of time go into another step, and find myself cataloging acoustic properties of rooms. How reverberate vs softy is it. Is there interesting resonances, etc. Check out the construction and what not.

The cacophony you describe can be painful, but it can also be serendipidously amazing sometimes.. Its uncanny and I have no idea if I spelled that correctly
"...find myself cataloging acoustic properties of rooms..."

The first day of my favorite ever class at Columbia, Architectural Acoustics with Malcolm Chisholm, he stated in his introduction, "You will never sit in a room again and hear things the way you have up to this point. From now on... you will begin seeing what you are hearing."

He was right.
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Quote Originally Posted by thankyou View Post
I watched Fox News for a brief time on election night. The screen was full of competing boxes, each with its own drama. Largest was Sarah Palin's talking head trying to make sense of the impending loss her side was seeing. Then, in smaller box was Greta (von Something) interviewing Palin, and another box showing "battleground states". All the while, there were two or three ribbons of information crawling across the bottom of the screen giving results of House and Senate races. All this, over a background of the U.S. map decked out in its red and blue states. It was visual cacophony that reminded me of stepping into a casino, with all the lights and video screens of the machines, each making irritating noises. I just don't like that kind of environment, but clearly, there are those who do.
No wonder Fox watchers were shocked by the outcome... most of them probably had no idea what was going on. [And I mean that in the very limited sense and context we're discussing here. Please don't read a broader message in there. biggrin.gif ]


I'm actually more bugged by a single TV going than a couple TVs and the ubiquitous kitchen radio blaring Norte
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Quote Originally Posted by thankyou View Post
I watched Fox News for a brief time on election night. The screen was full of competing boxes, each with its own drama. Largest was Sarah Palin's talking head trying to make sense of the impending loss her side was seeing. Then, in smaller box was Greta (von Something) interviewing Palin, and another box showing "battleground states". All the while, there were two or three ribbons of information crawling across the bottom of the screen giving results of House and Senate races. All this, over a background of the U.S. map decked out in its red and blue states. It was visual cacophony that reminded me of stepping into a casino, with all the lights and video screens of the machines, each making irritating noises. I just don't like that kind of environment, but clearly, there are those who do.
No wonder Fox watchers were shocked by the outcome... most of them probably had no idea what was going on. [And I mean that in the very limited sense and context we're discussing here. Please don't read a broader message in there. biggrin.gif ]


I'm actually more bugged by a single TV going than a couple TVs and the ubiquitous kitchen radio blaring Norte
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Quote Originally Posted by blue2blue

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No wonder Fox watchers were shocked by the outcome... most of them probably had no idea what was going on. [And I mean that in the very limited sense and context we're discussing here. Please don't read a broader message in there. biggrin.gif ]

 

I find this "multi-media" feature of news channels to be annoying as well. Fox isn't the only one who does it too much sometimes. I suspect the idea is to try to make the TV screen looking more like you're surfing on your computer, what with scrolling text and side-bars and all. Since live talking-head shows can't be quick-edited to look like a music video the way other reality programming often is, I suppose they figure this is the next, best 'most exciting' visual look they can come up with?
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Quote Originally Posted by blue2blue

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No wonder Fox watchers were shocked by the outcome... most of them probably had no idea what was going on. [And I mean that in the very limited sense and context we're discussing here. Please don't read a broader message in there. biggrin.gif ]

 

I find this "multi-media" feature of news channels to be annoying as well. Fox isn't the only one who does it too much sometimes. I suspect the idea is to try to make the TV screen looking more like you're surfing on your computer, what with scrolling text and side-bars and all. Since live talking-head shows can't be quick-edited to look like a music video the way other reality programming often is, I suppose they figure this is the next, best 'most exciting' visual look they can come up with?
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Quote Originally Posted by Lee Knight View Post
"...find myself cataloging acoustic properties of rooms..."

The first day of my favorite ever class at Columbia, Architectural Acoustics with Malcolm Chisholm, he stated in his introduction, "You will never sit in a room again and hear things the way you have up to this point. From now on... you will begin seeing what you are hearing."

He was right.
I first read about acoustic engineering when I was 12. My grandfather had been a very successful chemical engineer and there was a lot of 'hope' (not pressure, hope) that one of the grandkids would pick that thread back up, since my dad and his brother both went into business. For some reason acoustic engineer seemed a lot tonier than recording engineer. (For one thing, I knew the former was a real engineer with a college education.)

For a couple years I went around snapping my fingers, clicking my tongue, and clapping my hands whenever I'd enter an interesting space. (And later, I kept on noticing them, even when I was too cool to do the acoustics geek act.

In the 70s, after I started playing music myself, I would take my acoustic guitar and look for the coolest sounding places around campus and town to play.

My favorites were a particularly reverberant locker room in the art department (which just coincidentally had an endless supply of arty coeds coming through) and a very long underground tunnel that went from a park at the top of the coastal bluffs, under a busy four lane street, under a wide bluff-edge strip of grass (big enough to hold several simultaneous futbol games) and then out the side of the coastal cliffs, opening on a concrete landing and short stair down the rest of the way to the beach. The whole thing was something like 800 feet long with one stairway in the middle (exiting on the 'soccer' field side of the street)... it was all but forgotten, sometimes smelled decidedly dank, had a number of light bulbs out, the rare but sometimes very scary passerby -- but man, the sound went on FOREVER...
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Quote Originally Posted by Lee Knight View Post
"...find myself cataloging acoustic properties of rooms..."

The first day of my favorite ever class at Columbia, Architectural Acoustics with Malcolm Chisholm, he stated in his introduction, "You will never sit in a room again and hear things the way you have up to this point. From now on... you will begin seeing what you are hearing."

He was right.
I first read about acoustic engineering when I was 12. My grandfather had been a very successful chemical engineer and there was a lot of 'hope' (not pressure, hope) that one of the grandkids would pick that thread back up, since my dad and his brother both went into business. For some reason acoustic engineer seemed a lot tonier than recording engineer. (For one thing, I knew the former was a real engineer with a college education.)

For a couple years I went around snapping my fingers, clicking my tongue, and clapping my hands whenever I'd enter an interesting space. (And later, I kept on noticing them, even when I was too cool to do the acoustics geek act.

In the 70s, after I started playing music myself, I would take my acoustic guitar and look for the coolest sounding places around campus and town to play.

My favorites were a particularly reverberant locker room in the art department (which just coincidentally had an endless supply of arty coeds coming through) and a very long underground tunnel that went from a park at the top of the coastal bluffs, under a busy four lane street, under a wide bluff-edge strip of grass (big enough to hold several simultaneous futbol games) and then out the side of the coastal cliffs, opening on a concrete landing and short stair down the rest of the way to the beach. The whole thing was something like 800 feet long with one stairway in the middle (exiting on the 'soccer' field side of the street)... it was all but forgotten, sometimes smelled decidedly dank, had a number of light bulbs out, the rare but sometimes very scary passerby -- but man, the sound went on FOREVER...
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