Audiophilia in Times of Uncertainty

Wall musings. Meow Wolf, New Mexico.

I'm a lifelong audiophile. Over the decades, certain sounds have captivated me and I've finally decided they needed to be here (thanks, Soundcloud). Sound and music and all the artistry they command have been fundamentally altered in ways we can no longer comprehend. Case in point:

Mom:  "I've been listening to your Alexa and it's pretty good sound, but it's really nothing like records. The quality of a record is absolutely superior."

Are statements like this opinion? Changes in music technology have been huge, but from a consumer standpoint (rather than a sound engineer's), it's been more subtle. The album remasters of LPs my Mom owns float casually by when I pull them up on a streaming service. I might see a causal reference to a year sometime after 2005, or note the word "remaster" on something that is decades old.

Nostalgia has a larger part to play in how better may really be in the ear of the beholder. I don't miss the grainy, distorted, treble-heavy sounds. I don't miss stuff recorded in mono vs. stereo. Growing up, I wasn't much into ANY kind of music with bass...simply because it sucked so bad on vinyl.

Sounds to Mitigate Uncertainty

However, there are certain sounds that always make me catch my breath and listen. When I hear them, they are moments that force me to sit up, pause what I'm doing, and just listen to my gut feelings. At these times, I make notice my thoughts and let the senses open.

In sharing them here, I encourage you to explore what opens you up or give you moments to stop everything and pause. How do you tune into "what the universe has to say?"

So here, let's get a little bit more deeply into the mood... and fire up your...

Audio Crystal Ball

via GIPHY

The sea has always been mystical to me. Mankind has so many sounds that have humbly served our needs in the face of the ocean's awesome power:






And my absolute favorite (so cascading and powerful)

Hyperdrive Failure

Don't think you are an audiophile? Are you a Star Wars fan? What about the sound of the Millenium Falcon's hyperdrive failing. Its famous hyperdrive failure sound is the blend of 8 sounds combined to create the effect. Watch the video of what the sound engineer did to create it, it's pretty cool.

Age of Aquarius

I've been thinking about the Falcon as I watch, mostly in awe, at our society and culture getting ready to "make the jump to light speed" heading straight into the Age of Aquarius.

Life in the age of Covid. Mother Nature returning the bad case of emphysema we've given Her. However you characterize our worrisome and uncharted mass fate, we are suddenly all in this together. Let's get the hyperdrive working, eh?