Freesound Forums

Thanks for the advice, escortmarius. I only listened to the sound a couple of times at maximum volume. I did not listen for long periods of time. So I am sure it caused no damage. I also tried it a couple of times at lower volumes, before going for max. When I went for max volume, I was looking for any detail that had escaped me before - did not find any.

These sounds are alien to all of us, because the generation process has nothing to do with the normal physical vibrations of bodies or the electronic oscillators used in normal synths.
You either have a considerably better sound playing system or a considerably better set of ears than the rest of us - or both.
I am more included to think it is the second.
In this case, by 'better' I mean 'more sensitive'.

The ear, like any other microphone, has a frequency response curve. - and it is far from flat!
The ear is most sensitive around the frequencies of human speech (or speech uses frequencies in the area where the human ear is most sensitive, whichever way you want to look at it). The ear is least sensitive to the frequencies at the end of the audible range.
A bit like our eyes are most sensitive in the yellow/green area of visible light - which is the area of higher solar emission.
Anyway, the ear frequency response varies from person to person. The published ear frequency response curve is the average accross many people. - and, the response curve changes with age, so there are different curves.

This is very interesting because you do work in a noisy environment. Which seems to neither have impacted your earing nor does the noise level at work seem to bother you that much. - You seem to work in a place full of interesting sounds Maybe we will get some uploads to Freesound (hint, hint)

Finally, my question on crickets...
I have personally found that sometimes cicadas produce a sound that I find irritating. NOt just their bzzz bzzzz bzzz irritating sound, but something else. I can hear it like a high frequency clicking - imagine the clicking on this sound we have been discussing and how it seems to hammer on your ears, but imagine that at a much higher frequency.
This cicada high frequency sound I can barely hear it, but is very uncomfortable on my ears.
Now, having said that - this only happens when there is only silence and the cicadas. If ou have other noises like people talking, it masks that sound and it does not bother me.
I have no idea if it is a particular frequency, etc. But next time I am in Portugal in the Summer I will look for this noise and try to record it.

AlienXXX wrote:

This cicada high frequency sound I can barely hear it, but is very uncomfortable on my ears.

I have tinnitus. I find everything annoying. )