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Take a Sonic Tour of the Brain

Posted by timothy on from the all-in-your-head dept.

Duncan J Murray writes "Currently exhibiting at The Barbican, London is an exhibit on Neuroscience, which includes this 20-minute auditory exhibit looking at (or should that be listening to) — sounds of neurons firing, simulations of cochlear implants, the mosquito frequency, neverending scales, phantom words and speech reconstructed from intracranial electrophysiological recording, as well as other auditory illusions. It is worth a listen."

16 comments

  1. 17kHz Mosquito Frequency? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    ...supplied in an mp3 file with 16kHz cutoff.

    1. Re:17kHz Mosquito Frequency? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep, they probably should've used lossless... though I'm sure the actual exhibit gets it right.

      I used an audio sine wave generator site to verify; there's definitely no 17KHz in the mp3.

    2. Re:17kHz Mosquito Frequency? by Jonah+Hex · · Score: 2

      I see no indication that the mp3 is anything but the version they plan to use at the exhibit. If you look up a few directories you see that they do have some older versions in mp3, wav, and m4a; but the final is mp3 only. I have a feeling they converted to mp3 without knowing that they were cutting out the higher frequencies by doing so. Of course even without the "mosquito sound" I bet all the youngsters would claim to hear it just because they are supposed to. ;) - HEX

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    3. Re:17kHz Mosquito Frequency? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It made me analyze the mp3 through audacity, and alas, flat zero sound on 17hz.

      Then I generated a 17000hz sine just to see where my hearing range is, and at 27yo, i'm glad I still can hear it. . but after 17450hz.. dead.

      Listen to your father when he says the music is too loud when your a teenager, it pays off.

    4. Re:17kHz Mosquito Frequency? by Duncan+J+Murray · · Score: 1

      Good point - I couldn't hear it at the exhibit, so I think you're right, whereas I can hear up to 18250khz with my equipment at home. I imagine there'll be a load of under 20's panicking about their hearing now. Maybe not a bad thing.

  2. Misleading Headline. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Came here expecting Sonic the Hedgehog.

    1. Re:Misleading Headline. by Genda · · Score: 1

      I'm sorry but if there's a hedgehog in your brain, disappointment is the least of your concerns.

    2. Re:Misleading Headline. by servognome · · Score: 1

      Sad how far Sonic has fallen. Did anybody think "Sonic Tour of the Brain" would be any good at all?
      Yeah it's better than Sonic GBA, but still it's terrible

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  3. So now by JustOK · · Score: 1

    Now we'll know what a brain fart sounds like.

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  4. The brain explained (by John Cleese) by mha · · Score: 1

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQjgsQ5G8ug&feature=player_detailpage#t=34s

  5. disappointment by Xtragig · · Score: 1

    disappointment is the least of your concerns

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  6. The final brain map symphony by invictusvoid · · Score: 0

    The final part where they play the brain map symphony was awesome.!! Where can I find the whole track / more of it ?

    1. Re:The final brain map symphony by Duncan+J+Murray · · Score: 1

      http://guerillascience.co.uk/archives/3748

      He uses renoise - something I used when getting back into tracker music...

      "When Guerilla Science asked if I was interested in composing a small bit of music to accompany their project The Sonic Tour of the Brain, my answer was immediate, profane, and in the affirmative. I was delighted to get a chance to apply some daubs of art to their science and be, if only briefly, aboard their motley caravan of learning and revelry...."