Exploring the quietest place on Earth
November 28, 2022 9:11 AM Subscribe
Opening the door to an industrial refrigerator that has been affixed to a Cubist sculpture of Fozzie Bear Caity Weaver visits what might be the most silent, anechoic human-built space on Earth. (gift link)
Other textual accounts from Smithsonian and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Videos from WCCO and Transcendental Media.
Caity Weaver previously.
Other textual accounts from Smithsonian and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Videos from WCCO and Transcendental Media.
Caity Weaver previously.
"But the thing the speakers were designed to do — alert anyone within a 15-mile radius that an immense ground force was advancing — made them inconvenient to test in America, where many Americans lived at the time."
posted by mittens at 9:38 AM on November 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by mittens at 9:38 AM on November 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
Worth reading just for this sentence:
In the decade since, the legend has been propagated, and sometimes further embellished with details about room-induced hallucinations, in outlets from Smithsonian Magazine (the official journal of the Smithsonian Institution) to UberFacts (an online trivia font with 13.6 million Twitter followers, no connection to the ride-sharing app and a tenuous one to facts).posted by box at 9:55 AM on November 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
Metafilter: an absolute taboo, akin to witnessing the fabrication of Chicken McNuggets
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:58 AM on November 28, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:58 AM on November 28, 2022 [6 favorites]
I'd be curious to spend an hour in that chamber, just for the novelty of experiencing it. But not $600 worth of curious.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:00 AM on November 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:00 AM on November 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
since sound depends on the propagation of pressure waves, usually with air as a medium, the quietest place on earth is inside an active vacuum chamber.
The Daily Mail reported, that no one had ever “survived” a visit of longer than 45 minutes
you would be lucky to survive 15-20 seconds in an active vacuum chamber
Even if they could, he said, Orfield Labs recently achieved what he described as “a legitimate measurement” of “–24.9 dBA,” besting Microsoft anyway.
in a perfect vacuum, dBA is undefined. in a less-than-perfect vacuum – which, frankly, is always going to be the case what with the human body outgassing when placed in an active vacuum chamber – approaches -∞ dBA as atoms and molecules are removed. both Orfield and Microsoft have a long way to go.
posted by logicpunk at 10:05 AM on November 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
The Daily Mail reported, that no one had ever “survived” a visit of longer than 45 minutes
you would be lucky to survive 15-20 seconds in an active vacuum chamber
Even if they could, he said, Orfield Labs recently achieved what he described as “a legitimate measurement” of “–24.9 dBA,” besting Microsoft anyway.
in a perfect vacuum, dBA is undefined. in a less-than-perfect vacuum – which, frankly, is always going to be the case what with the human body outgassing when placed in an active vacuum chamber – approaches -∞ dBA as atoms and molecules are removed. both Orfield and Microsoft have a long way to go.
posted by logicpunk at 10:05 AM on November 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
Having been in my share of anechoic rooms for professional reasons, it really is very disconcerting.
posted by Dr. Twist at 10:17 AM on November 28, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by Dr. Twist at 10:17 AM on November 28, 2022 [7 favorites]
Amusingly, I was once involved in the design of an extremely still room at Argonne, where as close to no outside vibrations as we could manage would enter the room. Not sound, not seismic activity, nothing. We didn’t give a shit about internal-to-the-room reflection, so this was not an anechoic chamber, but it was a fun concept to work on.
I am still to this day really quite irritated that I never got to experience it. I admit, I do wonder if it would have been a Rick & Morty Perfect Level moment. Probably not. But now I will never know goddammit.
posted by aramaic at 10:18 AM on November 28, 2022 [7 favorites]
I am still to this day really quite irritated that I never got to experience it. I admit, I do wonder if it would have been a Rick & Morty Perfect Level moment. Probably not. But now I will never know goddammit.
posted by aramaic at 10:18 AM on November 28, 2022 [7 favorites]
As she mentioned, there's a lot of lore about "hearing your own blood pumping" and John Cale famously experienced it: Here's a brief clip of him describing it in his own words.
posted by gwint at 10:19 AM on November 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by gwint at 10:19 AM on November 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
I've a little bit of curiosity about this experience, but I expect it'd be merry hell for someone with tinnitus. When I sit in a moderately quiet space, the ringing is annoying enough, a (very nearly) completely silent room would be much worse.
posted by jzb at 10:24 AM on November 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by jzb at 10:24 AM on November 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
Something that kept running through my head as I read the article – is there a supply of fresh air in the chamber when it's sealed, and if so, how is it introduced without introducing noise? I wonder if any of the mental effects experienced during a long stay may be affected by rising CO2 levels inside the chamber. But maybe it's not really perfectly sealed, as evidenced by the faint sliver of light that Weaver described seeing.
posted by zsazsa at 10:24 AM on November 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by zsazsa at 10:24 AM on November 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
“Orfield’s now-infamous anechoic chamber sits just steps from the room where the disco hit “Funkytown” was first recorded.”
Delightful piece of trivia there.
posted by Aznable at 10:27 AM on November 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
Delightful piece of trivia there.
posted by Aznable at 10:27 AM on November 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
I hate an empty room. A regular old ... echoic? ... room. We had the ground-story floors stripped and resurfaced during a kitchen renovation about 5 years ago, and every time I walked into the (empty) house, I was uncomfortable just being there. It's hard to describe why -- other than the persistent noise floor of the world -- but the air just sounded wrong. Even now, we haven't really done enough to treat the walls and floor and those rooms are noisy to me.
I recently built a small, not-really-a-booth vocal booth in the basement. It's just a few layers of moving blankets on a frame, no real insulation. But the basement is lively, despite the rug and futon in it, because the walls and ceiling are drywall, and the floor is tile. The second I step inside the little not-a-booth, it's like the sound jumps from "out there" to inside my head. Someday I will deaden it further (probably with 4-6" of mineral wool) and probably drive myself slightly mad.
I don't think I'd enjoy being inside the chamber described here, but I sure would like to try it anyhow.
posted by uncleozzy at 10:30 AM on November 28, 2022
I recently built a small, not-really-a-booth vocal booth in the basement. It's just a few layers of moving blankets on a frame, no real insulation. But the basement is lively, despite the rug and futon in it, because the walls and ceiling are drywall, and the floor is tile. The second I step inside the little not-a-booth, it's like the sound jumps from "out there" to inside my head. Someday I will deaden it further (probably with 4-6" of mineral wool) and probably drive myself slightly mad.
I don't think I'd enjoy being inside the chamber described here, but I sure would like to try it anyhow.
posted by uncleozzy at 10:30 AM on November 28, 2022
I've been in smaller anechoic chambers as well as very well treated recording booths and spaces and I have serious doubts it would drive anyone insane, but then again I'm super comfortable with novel experiences and being alone with my own thoughts. I've done stuff like flotation and sensory deprivation tanks, Ganzfield experiments and I like all that just fine.
I know there's a lot of people that struggle with being alone, quiet and bored but I would guess that MeFi's demographic skews towards introverts that would have no problems with it.
If there was actually a 7 million dollar prize for this someone like me would have easily won it by now because it sounds like a nice vacation.
I did once spend about 15 days living in recording studio house and pet sitting for someone, and I was sleeping the very well isolated vocal booth because it was just the warmest and most comfortable space for that, and that got a little weird and I ended up having to play ambient music on my phone so I could sleep easier, but that's normal for me in general.
I could easily spend hours, days or even in an anechoic chamber on purpose and using it more or less as intended by bringing in some very nice speakers, a bunch of music and maybe a couple of analog synths to noodle around on. Oh, and maybe some certain party favors and some fun party lights.
Which might make for a cool concept album and music production stunt by way of locking yourself in an anechoic chamber for a month and making an ambient album.
And all of that being said, I think the quietest thing I've ever heard is actually outside and in nature. A really big dry lake bed in the deep desert with no wind, traffic noise in the distance or planes flying over is probably about as quiet as it gets naturally.
At night on a warm, still and moonless night it feels like you're floating in space because there's nothing but the ground to reflect any noise you make, and that generally reflects and radiates away from you because there's just one huge, flat horizontal plane under your feet, and you can't really see the ground except for a faint glimmer of starlight.
Which is kind of fun because you can basically walk, or run in any direction and it doesn't feel like you've moved anywhere at all because of how flat and featureless a really big dry lake bed can be.
Really deep in some woods also gets really quiet without any wind or animal activity, but there's always some noise there from falling twigs and leaves and stuff. It can get so quiet you can hear very small bugs rustling around in the leaves, dross and dirt.
posted by loquacious at 10:43 AM on November 28, 2022 [8 favorites]
I know there's a lot of people that struggle with being alone, quiet and bored but I would guess that MeFi's demographic skews towards introverts that would have no problems with it.
If there was actually a 7 million dollar prize for this someone like me would have easily won it by now because it sounds like a nice vacation.
I did once spend about 15 days living in recording studio house and pet sitting for someone, and I was sleeping the very well isolated vocal booth because it was just the warmest and most comfortable space for that, and that got a little weird and I ended up having to play ambient music on my phone so I could sleep easier, but that's normal for me in general.
I could easily spend hours, days or even in an anechoic chamber on purpose and using it more or less as intended by bringing in some very nice speakers, a bunch of music and maybe a couple of analog synths to noodle around on. Oh, and maybe some certain party favors and some fun party lights.
Which might make for a cool concept album and music production stunt by way of locking yourself in an anechoic chamber for a month and making an ambient album.
And all of that being said, I think the quietest thing I've ever heard is actually outside and in nature. A really big dry lake bed in the deep desert with no wind, traffic noise in the distance or planes flying over is probably about as quiet as it gets naturally.
At night on a warm, still and moonless night it feels like you're floating in space because there's nothing but the ground to reflect any noise you make, and that generally reflects and radiates away from you because there's just one huge, flat horizontal plane under your feet, and you can't really see the ground except for a faint glimmer of starlight.
Which is kind of fun because you can basically walk, or run in any direction and it doesn't feel like you've moved anywhere at all because of how flat and featureless a really big dry lake bed can be.
Really deep in some woods also gets really quiet without any wind or animal activity, but there's always some noise there from falling twigs and leaves and stuff. It can get so quiet you can hear very small bugs rustling around in the leaves, dross and dirt.
posted by loquacious at 10:43 AM on November 28, 2022 [8 favorites]
Closest I've gotten to this experience is a company that does sensory deprivation experiences here in Pasadena. 1 hour long with a bit of time spent on easing into the experience and easing out - so say 50 minutes of actual deprivation.
That 1 hour was enough for me because my brain just started racing - not in a "I'm going insane" sort of way - just in a "ok, that's enough of that!" way.
Sound booths always make me feel uncomfortable because it feels my ears are wanting to pop, but won't. The deprivation tank didn't have that sensation, but the "whoosh, whoosh" of my blood in my ears was unsettling enough.
Kinda want to go back again. My wife described it as one of the best naps she ever had!
posted by drewbage1847 at 11:01 AM on November 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
That 1 hour was enough for me because my brain just started racing - not in a "I'm going insane" sort of way - just in a "ok, that's enough of that!" way.
Sound booths always make me feel uncomfortable because it feels my ears are wanting to pop, but won't. The deprivation tank didn't have that sensation, but the "whoosh, whoosh" of my blood in my ears was unsettling enough.
Kinda want to go back again. My wife described it as one of the best naps she ever had!
posted by drewbage1847 at 11:01 AM on November 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
Pre-pandemic I went to a sensory deprivation spa once a month and floated in a tank. That was a pretty great experience for about 90 minutes.
posted by interogative mood at 11:16 AM on November 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by interogative mood at 11:16 AM on November 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
I'd be curious to spend an hour in that chamber, just for the novelty of experiencing it.
I was allowed in a large anechoic chamber as a child as part of some sort of science camp visit. Highlights included screaming into the walls to see how little sound would be reflected and bouncy-walking on the springy mesh that formed the walkable surface (suspending visitors above the spiky surface of the floor). I'm glad we didn't get a field trip to a particle accelerator or I'd probably have a hole in my head.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:28 AM on November 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
I was allowed in a large anechoic chamber as a child as part of some sort of science camp visit. Highlights included screaming into the walls to see how little sound would be reflected and bouncy-walking on the springy mesh that formed the walkable surface (suspending visitors above the spiky surface of the floor). I'm glad we didn't get a field trip to a particle accelerator or I'd probably have a hole in my head.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:28 AM on November 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
I've been in a few big anechoic chambers and they're very interesting, disorientating even. The one at Microsoft's research and testing facility is one of the most serious and the guy who runs it is a treasure.
We did a fun thing where they turned out all the lights as well (obviously completely dark) and let you experience that for a minute. I can certainly imagine my imagination running wild but I do believe (as the guy explained) that stories of inevitable madness are quite exaggerated.
The most interesting bit is really how it makes you aware of your own personal definitely of quiet. You thought it was quiet at home but no! Knowing what real silence is like — and that it feels psychologically and biologically impossible — helped make it clear to me that "quiet" is very, very relative, and as much about the internal state as the external.
I would certainly recommend taking a tour of one of these things if you get a chance, or doing a sensory deprivation thing just as a way to test out that extreme of sensation. Like doing drugs to alter your perceptions or going to a loud show to max them out, it's valuable in itself just to "experience your experience" if you will.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 12:26 PM on November 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
We did a fun thing where they turned out all the lights as well (obviously completely dark) and let you experience that for a minute. I can certainly imagine my imagination running wild but I do believe (as the guy explained) that stories of inevitable madness are quite exaggerated.
The most interesting bit is really how it makes you aware of your own personal definitely of quiet. You thought it was quiet at home but no! Knowing what real silence is like — and that it feels psychologically and biologically impossible — helped make it clear to me that "quiet" is very, very relative, and as much about the internal state as the external.
I would certainly recommend taking a tour of one of these things if you get a chance, or doing a sensory deprivation thing just as a way to test out that extreme of sensation. Like doing drugs to alter your perceptions or going to a loud show to max them out, it's valuable in itself just to "experience your experience" if you will.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 12:26 PM on November 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
Now I want to visit the anechoic chamber at my university. I've wanted to rebuild my previous relationship with the acoustics dep. for a while, maybe this is the excuse... Well, with some sciency reasons, but I am already working on that.
Loquacious, I agree that some places in nature are extremely quiet. I just spent a week at our really isolated farm, and unusually, there wasn't any wind most of the time. The quiet at night was amazing, and to me really soothing.
posted by mumimor at 12:54 PM on November 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
Loquacious, I agree that some places in nature are extremely quiet. I just spent a week at our really isolated farm, and unusually, there wasn't any wind most of the time. The quiet at night was amazing, and to me really soothing.
posted by mumimor at 12:54 PM on November 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
Derek from the Veritasium youtube channel visited the BYU chamber, and recorded his stay there in the dark. The second half of the video is snippets of the sound recording, with his whispered comments.
Can silence actually drive you crazy?
8 years ago, 31 million views!
~~~
At the other extreme: The longest reverberation room, a concrete storage tank 237 meters long. The sounds keep bouncing back and forth for a long time.
posted by jjj606 at 1:23 PM on November 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
Can silence actually drive you crazy?
8 years ago, 31 million views!
~~~
At the other extreme: The longest reverberation room, a concrete storage tank 237 meters long. The sounds keep bouncing back and forth for a long time.
posted by jjj606 at 1:23 PM on November 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
I went to the bottom of a deep cave many years ago, and once there we turned off all our lights and sat in silence for about ten minutes. I found it quite a disorienting experience. And then the party leader struck a match [1], and the resulting sound and light were the most amazing thing. I'd love to do that again.
[1] This was a good 40 years ago. Environmental concerns would mean not doing that now. Probably wouldn't use carbide lamps, either.
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 1:57 PM on November 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
[1] This was a good 40 years ago. Environmental concerns would mean not doing that now. Probably wouldn't use carbide lamps, either.
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 1:57 PM on November 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
In the 1981 edition of Peterson's Field Guide to the Atmosphere there’s an account of a spelunker lighting a match in a deep cave. Turned out the air was supersaturated with water vapor, and the resulting fog from the sudden introduction of so many condensation nuclei was so thick no one could see anything for an uncomfortably long time.
posted by jamjam at 2:58 PM on November 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by jamjam at 2:58 PM on November 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
Being in that kind of quiet space sounds staggeringly cool. I've occasionally been in spaces quiet enough that I can hear (hear? feel? somewhere along that spectrum) my own heartbeat, but never something quieter than a 'normal' sort of quiet. The closest to an anechoic chamber that I've been in would be a room for antenna testing that had the walls and part of the floor covered in what looked like anechoic foam, but it wasn't isolated from the rest of the building at all or anything like that.
Not nearly as impressive as the longest reverberation room but far more accessible, the Maparium in Boston is one of the most acoustically weird spaces I've ever been in.
posted by rmd1023 at 5:39 PM on November 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
Not nearly as impressive as the longest reverberation room but far more accessible, the Maparium in Boston is one of the most acoustically weird spaces I've ever been in.
posted by rmd1023 at 5:39 PM on November 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
i can haz nap timez?
posted by Jacqueline at 11:17 PM on November 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Jacqueline at 11:17 PM on November 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
I’ve been in exactly one anechoic chamber, and found the experience quite amazing. If you ever have the opportunity to go to one, do it.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:33 AM on November 29, 2022
posted by Thorzdad at 5:33 AM on November 29, 2022
I wonder if the people who freaked out in the chamber (allegedly) are maybe suffering from a phobia that they weren't aware of because there's really no similar environment in nature that would trigger it?
Also, calling dibs on "forbidden blood song" as my next MeFi name in case I ever give up this one.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:09 PM on November 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Also, calling dibs on "forbidden blood song" as my next MeFi name in case I ever give up this one.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:09 PM on November 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
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