I have an interesting topic... well it's something I've been fascinated with for many years... I didn't know exactly what section to post this, but this one seemed like the best fit.
It's a sensitivity to low frequencies. I'm a basshead (my best car audio system was a Cerwin Vega Stroker 18 with 2000wrms in a 1989 Honda CRX and hit 148.3dB), but in my early teens before I even had a car to put subwoofers, I would notice and pay attention to low frequencies. I notice HVAC duct air flow, I would even hear/sense thunderstorms way before other people would. Like I was in tune with the low rumbles of the distant thunder. Kind of like how a seashell amplifies noises when near your ear.
Another thing that I would notice is when I'm around balloons, not necessarily just filled with helium also when filled with air from breath or pump. If I walk past one or hold out at arm's length then bring in toward my head/ears, I could hear how it affected the ambient sounds that reached my ears differently than walking past solid objects like a box or a pole or something. Try it if you aren't sure what I mean. I would hear the change in the sounds, but I also felt like a pressure differential or something. I do also notice this with other objects approaching or present as well. Not sure what the exact phenomenon is called, but it was at some point when I realized I had that sensing capability (or just me being deeply in tune to it) when something was approaching, especially from behind me.
When I was old enough to work, I had a job at a grocery store. Bagging groceries, later stocking shelves, etc. I always liked to have fun and scare my coworkers all the time. They never knew where I was or when it would happen. I'd hide behind corners or displays or my favorite, I'd sneak up behind them super quietly then shout, "hey" or or poke them or something else to startle them. Anyway, they tried to do that to me as well. When I was busy stocking shelves as fast as I could, every time they tried to sneak up behind me as quiet as they could be, I would turn around right before they got to me. They would ask how did I know they were there because they were so quiet. Well, half the time, they were still making noises I could hear, but could sense the changing of ambient sounds as well as the pressure sensation like with the balloon. I'd say it was kind of like a "blind" test because of course I knew they would try to scare me at some point throughout the day, but I never truly knew when and I wasn't looking, just able to sense it.
All that to say, are there any equipment and/or microphones that could sense or detect stuff like I mention above. Of course barometers and microphones and other...? Or have any experiments been done to check similar? I'm curious if there are any report or papers. Like if a microphone is set up in a quiet office like I'm sitting in right now at 11:30pm (I hear my computer fan, the hvac, distant vehicles on the road as they pass, blood rushing in my ears), and you move an object slowly closer and closer toward the mic, would it read anything different? I think a barometer is too slow, and maybe it's not truly a "pressure" change I sense, but if I move a book or box closer to my ear, I can feel/sense it, if that makes sense.
If you were able to set up some sound or pressure detecting equipment, I'm sure it could detect thunderstorms 15 to 20 miles away and HVAC stuff, even if lower than the other ambient noises. But what about something like a balloon or other object approaching microphone(s) from various angles...? or a person slowly sneaking up from various angles to the sensors/microphones/etc? I might try to test in my unfinished home theater in my basement because it's got a pretty low noise floor, with one of my cheap microphones just to see if anything is measurable, or maybe someday buy/borrow a higher quality mic. If I can try this experiment, I will post some results/findings. I do know that the microphones will pick up ambient noise, but they can't pickup the blood rushing in my ears or my slow, silent breathing. So I am curious what can be measured.
I'm curious to hear thoughts on this.
Tom
It's a sensitivity to low frequencies. I'm a basshead (my best car audio system was a Cerwin Vega Stroker 18 with 2000wrms in a 1989 Honda CRX and hit 148.3dB), but in my early teens before I even had a car to put subwoofers, I would notice and pay attention to low frequencies. I notice HVAC duct air flow, I would even hear/sense thunderstorms way before other people would. Like I was in tune with the low rumbles of the distant thunder. Kind of like how a seashell amplifies noises when near your ear.
Another thing that I would notice is when I'm around balloons, not necessarily just filled with helium also when filled with air from breath or pump. If I walk past one or hold out at arm's length then bring in toward my head/ears, I could hear how it affected the ambient sounds that reached my ears differently than walking past solid objects like a box or a pole or something. Try it if you aren't sure what I mean. I would hear the change in the sounds, but I also felt like a pressure differential or something. I do also notice this with other objects approaching or present as well. Not sure what the exact phenomenon is called, but it was at some point when I realized I had that sensing capability (or just me being deeply in tune to it) when something was approaching, especially from behind me.
When I was old enough to work, I had a job at a grocery store. Bagging groceries, later stocking shelves, etc. I always liked to have fun and scare my coworkers all the time. They never knew where I was or when it would happen. I'd hide behind corners or displays or my favorite, I'd sneak up behind them super quietly then shout, "hey" or or poke them or something else to startle them. Anyway, they tried to do that to me as well. When I was busy stocking shelves as fast as I could, every time they tried to sneak up behind me as quiet as they could be, I would turn around right before they got to me. They would ask how did I know they were there because they were so quiet. Well, half the time, they were still making noises I could hear, but could sense the changing of ambient sounds as well as the pressure sensation like with the balloon. I'd say it was kind of like a "blind" test because of course I knew they would try to scare me at some point throughout the day, but I never truly knew when and I wasn't looking, just able to sense it.
All that to say, are there any equipment and/or microphones that could sense or detect stuff like I mention above. Of course barometers and microphones and other...? Or have any experiments been done to check similar? I'm curious if there are any report or papers. Like if a microphone is set up in a quiet office like I'm sitting in right now at 11:30pm (I hear my computer fan, the hvac, distant vehicles on the road as they pass, blood rushing in my ears), and you move an object slowly closer and closer toward the mic, would it read anything different? I think a barometer is too slow, and maybe it's not truly a "pressure" change I sense, but if I move a book or box closer to my ear, I can feel/sense it, if that makes sense.
If you were able to set up some sound or pressure detecting equipment, I'm sure it could detect thunderstorms 15 to 20 miles away and HVAC stuff, even if lower than the other ambient noises. But what about something like a balloon or other object approaching microphone(s) from various angles...? or a person slowly sneaking up from various angles to the sensors/microphones/etc? I might try to test in my unfinished home theater in my basement because it's got a pretty low noise floor, with one of my cheap microphones just to see if anything is measurable, or maybe someday buy/borrow a higher quality mic. If I can try this experiment, I will post some results/findings. I do know that the microphones will pick up ambient noise, but they can't pickup the blood rushing in my ears or my slow, silent breathing. So I am curious what can be measured.
I'm curious to hear thoughts on this.
Tom
