The Piezo (Amber) high frequency sine wave

Just ripped my good old Amber album to flac. Played it back on foobar2000->Soundblaster xfi...

After 13 seconds, I remember, there was that nice high frequency sine wave, much higher than in Ventolin, I'd say far beyond 10000Hz, maybe 15000.

I'm not hearing it! It must have been escaped from my Amber CD! Or the sad truth is, my ears are 37 years old and Houston, we have a problem. I definitely need to check other gear, but likely I cannot hear such high freqs any more...

Do you?

I love you

Oh, thank you, sweetheart. Yeah I'm currently on the "Good old IDM times" trip and listening to my youth, hehe. I cannot do anything, I have to talk/write about that things. Well, what you see on www.twitter.com/classical59192 is what I basically listen to...

I just checked, I remembered correctly. It's very well visible e.g. in foobar2000's spectrum, somewhere at 14000Hz.

  Wikipedia said:

Specifically in humans, we have a maximum aural range of 12 Hz under ideal laboratory conditions[1] to 20,000 Hz in some individuals, but the range shrinks during our lifetime, usually beginning at around the age of 8 with the higher frequencies fading.

Have you been listening a lot of 'Stud'? It definitely kills high-frequency ear receptors

I'm 22 and can't hear it either. Even after high pass filtering it in audacity. But I just did some tests and my ears start failing at 18khz. Which seems normal to me.

20Hz to 20Khz at birth. (Average) The range lowers everyday (mostly from the higher frequencies).

  On 12/4/2009 at 5:07 PM, xxx said:

In "Acrid Avid Jam Shred" at the end where Aphex is going wild with the wide open portamento lead, he hits 3 or 4 notes probably at the top of the synth's capacity. I can't hear those anymore. When I heard it at 15, it did my head in. Now, I just "know" that there are high frequencies happening but I wouldn't have sensed them on my own.

 

That's why I stay the fuck away from Raster-Noton. I know it's cutting edge shit but all it does is cut my speakers and my cochlea. I don't have enough left to be getting into musical sadomasochism

this is all very disturbing. And I just started listening to that shit too (Raster-Noton). I'm scared to put on Acrid Avid now, in fear I won't hear those pitches. Shit.

jesus, people this thread is getting depressing

i used to be able to hear all the melodies from Boards of Canada's Magic Window....but now all i hear is silence :(

I've had a similar problem since I went to a Merzbow gig in London. Now everywhere I go the plants wilt and people fall off their bikes.

i'm 36, have been to hundreds of gigs and hundreds of clubs at high volumes without earplugs.

i can still hear the 'mosquito' that they installed in my local train station to prevent kids hanging around and er... hanging around or something.

i just always feel pity for my two-year-old, because she must hear it twice as well as me, and it drives me fucking violent batshit.

  On 12/4/2009 at 11:21 PM, oscillik said:

i used to be able to hear all the melodies from Boards of Canada's Magic Window....but now all i hear is silence :(

lol

  On 12/4/2009 at 11:21 PM, oscillik said:

i used to be able to hear all the melodies from Boards of Canada's Magic Window....but now all i hear is silence :(

I actually laughed at this, well played.

As for the thread:

I can hear that high pitched noise in Piezo. I've not really noticed it before, but once I focused in on it, it kind of annoyed me. Doesn't detract from the song at all though.

Second Bad Vibel, I can hear it on there too.

Acrid Avid Jam Shred, at the end, I can hear those really high notes too.

Those mosquito ring tones annoy me. I hate walking into a room and being able to hear that a TV is on through my headphones with music going too. I guess I'll dislike that I can't hear it once it gets to that point. I'm seventeen, by the way. I best enjoy high pitches while I still can.

  On 12/4/2009 at 10:25 PM, Marked x 0ne said:

jesus, people this thread is getting depressing

It's about what generations experienced before us. "I'm never getting old!".

Low end 90s digital equipment had crappy DAC's (or something). Most Amber tracks have the ring, about 15,665Hz.

Anyone with a spectrum analyser can find this.

I thought everyone knew this.

Well, we know now. I actually didn't know that previously, so thanks.

Also, read the rules/welcome to the forum/read the rules again, etc.

i'll keep that in mind next time my grandma remarks on an aphex/ae song. she's called a few tracks things like "so pretty" "nice sounding" and "what are those sounds?", it's kind of funny to think she may not be hearing the whole thing.

she's 86

Just had a quick listen, I think I'm still not missing anything.

I have to agree with xxx, but Raster-Noton releases some great music.

  On 12/6/2009 at 9:46 AM, Arctandem said:

Low end 90s digital equipment had crappy DAC's (or something). Most Amber tracks have the ring, about 15,665Hz.

 

Anyone with a spectrum analyser can find this.

 

I thought everyone knew this.

hi sean/rob

Yeah, Aphex Twin's Tha and Hedphelyum has the same thing.

Second Bad Vibel...

now all I can hear is the high pitched tone.

I did a freq analysis, looks like it's just moving slowly between 18000hz and 18300hz...

ow, my ears.

The thing is that the drums mask a hell of a lot of the top end. I can vaguely make out the frequency only when it's the ambient ending section (around 7 minutes) and it's more like I can 'sense' it than hear it.

I can hear it.

But only through my right ear.

  On 12/4/2009 at 11:43 PM, Obel said:

I've had a similar problem since I went to a Merzbow gig in London. Now everywhere I go the plants wilt and people fall off their bikes.

lol

and yeah this thread is depressing.

we can never be young again. we're all slowly dying. :(