If you can't hear this audio problem then it's *your* fault - Bad Audio Diary BAD14

Usually when there's an audio problem, it's the producer or engineer who's at fault. But what if their audio is perfect and the listener gets it wrong? Check out the Audio Masterclass Music Production and Sound Engineering Course at bit.ly/3W3tpKo
UPDATE NOTE
This is an updated version of the video that you can find at • If you can't hear this... - That video is now disrecommended but you will see some interesting comments.
CREDITS
The Orville - Fuzzy Door Productions, 20th Century Fox Television
Seth MacFarlane - Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0
Star Trek Discovery: CBS Television Studios, Living Dead Guy Productions, Master Key Production (Production Services), Roddenberry Entertainment, Secret Hideout
Star Trek: Star Trek Picard - CBS Television Studios, Roddenberry Entertainment, Secret Hideout
Wikipedia's idea of a home cinema system - LG전자, CC BY 2.0
B&W 801 - Original source not known. If you know, send us an update.
Auratone loudspeakers - Image source unknown
Yamaha NS10M Studio - Ohconfucius, CC BY 2.0
Back to the Future - Universal Pictures (A Robert Zemeckis Film), Amblin Entertainment, U-Drive Productions
Headphones - Jecklin Float, image source unknown

[@trottophone]

The rumble is quite loud in my HD650 headphones. Not so long ago, I would have regarded any equipment that cut off frequencies over 12kHz to be pretty poor. Now that I'm in my 60s, I can hear nothing over 12kHz. It was a bit of a shock when I found out!

[@SO_DIGITAL]

Mine too!

[@eaustin2006]

I hear the tone right out of the box with my $100 Jabra 45h headphones plugged into an Amazon Fire tablet. I thought it had simply been recorded badly, didn't know about the ship rumble they were going for.

[@richsherman3673]

My good friend Mr. Masking, often helps Me hide these noise floor problems :) love your Videos..

[@RitzyBusiness]

I think the funny part is I didnt even notice the noise of the ship until you pointed it out. When I went back to listen again it became extremely obvious and I cant unhear it I was just enjoying the orchestra 😂. Kind of funny the kind of ambient noise our brains can filter out.

[@Scampi95]

I could hear the rumble perfectly in the orchestra on a set of Sony WHXM2 headphones. What I did notice was that the whole audio sounded like it had gone through a low pass filter. It lacks sparkle, brilliance, presence.

[@cosmicalsounds]

I'm using the Focal Clear audiophile headphones with the beyerdynamic amplifier. I noticed the rumble but ignored it because I figured it's part of the audio. Everything sounded fine and it was. When you played the rumble portion back itself, I could easily hear and feel it. Quite nice, very smooth bass. I like it. Edit: I could not hear the last frequency toward the end because it was too high to register on the Focal Clear.

[@henrikpetersson3463]

It was quite audible on my headphones. But not on my monitors for obvious reasons. Which I am aware of. That's why I always check my mixes on headphones with a good bass reproduction, as well as check it visually. Hi-passing the source tracks can also reduce the potential issues. An alternative can be to mount a low frequency transducer to your chair. It will at least enable you to feel the lower frequencies without introducing the issues of using a sub bass. At least I could still hear the 12kHz tone at the end loud and clear.

[@musicandfilms9956]

I heard that rumble clearly through my £20 earphones.

[@sunnyjkelley]

My subs went crazy and I felt it immediately. I def heard the last freq as well.

[@memeswillneverdie]

no I can hear it fine, there is also a few clicks and pops in the beginning of the clip. I thought the rumble was a bit too loud as it was quite distracting at times.

[@sianorr2559]

Gosh I heard both the low frequencies on my dynaudios, plus that piercing high frequency at the end. I'm in my 50s, I was surprised to hear the high frequency so percingly clearly.

[@444guns]

Listening on Audio Technica ATH-M20x headphones and it was crystal clear from the beginning.

[@SO_DIGITAL]

I heard the high tone. You're so entertaining and engaging.

[@nautje]

Heard the rumble (and the high frequency tone at the end) just fine on my Razer Opus wireless headphones. :)

[@ac81017]

Love the B&W 801's! I had the 801 series 80, great speakers.

[@Kawa-oneechan]

I could hear the rumble just fine. Soft, understated, but clearly present.

[@SO_DIGITAL]

You should be old enough to remember the 405 line B/W TV in the UK. Did the line scan whine bother you at all at 10,125 kHz? The 15,625 kHz whine from our PAL colour TV used to drive me crazy when I was a kid. My parents couldn't hear it.

[@RackGearAddict]

I guess you don't have to worry about breaking the 4th wall in video anymore

[@isomeme]

I didn't hear the rumble. I thought the problem under discussion was going to be that the stereo location and loudness of instruments didn't change as the camera position changed. This was impossible for me not to notice, and led to the sense that I was watching a silent film of an orchestra playing their instruments while a synchronized recording from fixed microphones played on the soundtrack.

[@henrikpetersson3463]

I think it would have been quite messy if they made they had mixed the audio from the camera POV. I honestly don't think that it would have bothered you if you weren't looking for something "wrong".

[@isomeme]

@@henrikpetersson3463 , absolutely. I only noticed it because I was searching for something wrong, and the camera POV was moving around so much.

[@MostlyBuicks]

Ah, B&W 801!! NIIIIICCCE. I agree The Orville was a great TV show. Funny, and respectful of the original Star Trek.

[@jacobgoerz1953]

This reminds me of an interesting experience as a teen with the Track "Leaving on a Jet Plane" from the Armageddon sound track. The opening had this head crushing drone of a sound. When I asked my dad about it, he could not hear it. Now that I am older, I cannot hear it too :D

[@chaoticsystem2211]

Hear what??

[@searchiemusic]

i've got a pretty powerful sub so i'm going to have to try and see how this sounds tomorrow, it certainly was actually really annoying and i picked it up with my headphones

[@nicc5122]

I'm 59 and i got the 12k. I have a sub on the system along with the little arcam muso's so no guesses on the rumble. On cans I could probably hear higher I need to check.

[@chrlz904]

Another Orville fan hear, and my home system is cheap, but sub goes down to about 18hz.. From the start, the rumble was not only very clear, I recognised it! On my very first time of seeing this show, which I too think is brilliant, I just loved the atmospheric effect of that distinctive rumble. So as I watched this it was no surprise to see the aliens and then the crew...😅. Nice video! I'll be back shortly.. I have sennheisers cheapest on-ear headphones, and I reckon I'll hear it.. love sennheisers... Added, I have sennheisers hd 2.1 cheap phones, and could easily hear it... Btw, that's a very nice orchestral recording.. 'cept for the rumble of course😊

[@AudioMasterclass]

It's a very nice recording. Seems to have made the Star Trek producers up their game lately. DM

[@TheGreatTomDix]

I can hear them on my Astro A40's. Used them for years and they are amazing!

[@unwantedillusions]

Hi, good video to test my headhones and earphones, Listening to it from an Apple open earbud.. it was "my fault" then i used a Sony MDR-AAP 100, now I was able to listen to the background noise. Grettings from Perú

[@MrAdopado]

I can hear it even on ye olde Apple ear buds ... but there's no way I would ear it with any other audio playing along!

[@lukeduke9304]

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro plays it very clear!

[@MostlyBuicks]

Of course I was not sure what to listen for. I could not hear it on my laptop, through my Crown PSL-2 preamp and Crown PL-2 power amp and NHT Super One speakers. AFTER I understood what I was supposed to hear, I replayed it through my main system and the rumble was very distracting. Not my fault, but the desk top equipment's shortcomings.

[@peterthompson9854]

Could hear it on my Sennheiser MW3 earbuds. So you don’t need expensive kit to hear it. It really surprises me that recording studios use fairly mediocre monitors to mix with while so listen to their work on six figure systems.

[@catkeys6911]

I heard that low frequency rumble just fine- but only because I was wearing very good headphones. But that's the lowest frequency I've ever heard on a KZbin video. OK- I just played it through my p.c.'s Altec Lansing subwoofer system and I can still hear it- but only the upper frequencies of the rumble- it sounds lower and louder through the headphones.

[@utube4andydent]

That was a hig pitched tone at the end. My sub bass speaker did not like the very low tone though.

[@Downhuman74]

That last bit -- I'm 48 and can still hear that frequency as plain as day-- on ultra-crappy budget CA PC speakers no less. I shouldn't be able to. I'm also a drummer who has been less-than-careful about protecting my hearing.

[@emiel333]

Well, I could hear the low rumble background noise..

[@Flint1y]

I heard it very clearly throughout on my DT770 pro 250ohms, but not on my 15w Edirol MA-15D micro monitors. It's why I do most of my production and tracking exclusively in headphones, though I'd rather not if an alternative was available. A Sub has been on the shopping list for a while.

[@lukeduke9304]

Exactly, I got the same but 32 Ohms

[@gregorykellerman3876]

Absolutely no problem hearing it. Polk Audio SDA II B's

[@fredygump5578]

It's raining and thundering right now, and that's louder than the noise in the recording. I do hear it in the quiet passages, but I'm a polite person and am not in the habit of complaining about a little background noise, especially if it is, as you said, on purpose! But my speakers are 100% able to reproduce it accurately--I have 2 subwoofers in each of my main speakers, Genelec W371A style.

[@SO_DIGITAL]

Louder than the rumble?! Do you have a storm cellar? Maybe time to grab the laptop....and RUN.

[@johnstone7697]

There's a ton of infrasonic "junk" present on many recordings. My system uses dipole open baffle woofers which have to be equalized for cancellation loss. So such a low frequency signal is easily seen by looking at the woofer cones. I'd say these signals are probably below 10Hz, so nobody can hear them. But they do use up power as well as linear excursion of the woofer, causing distortion higher up in the range, that is audible.

[@dingdong2103]

My sub goes below 15hz and the low frequencies are felt as physical shake instead of sound. Open baffle gets very inefficient at sub frequencies unless you sport several 18" or larger drivers.

[@avroman100]

I heard it on my Martin Logans subwoofer :) But didn't understood what is it so ignored that sound

[@rabarebra]

I enjoy background noise - it reassembles the sound of nature.

[@scivirus3563]

that 25 hz though on my NEAR FIELED speakers stuck out like a NAIL easy ..i insist on speakers to go low to at least 20 hz ..so i made my own a pair of 8 inch car subs but they play full range with hi end tweeters never ever heard anything this good and they are supper FLAT with some help with an GEQ

[@ryansmith8782]

I’m watching on my cheep tv 🫤 I can’t hear anything. Looks great tho 👍 I really like your style. You always answer the questions I have as I’m watching.

[@xprcloud]

DanleySoundLabs DTS10 here, 2 of them 150kg each, low distortion bass

[@EricB256]

Everything that Tchad Blake mixes, sounds rather harsh on my home stereo. Is it his system or mine?

[@victorlgcarvalho]

Actually I watched the video on my PC, that's hooked to a 2.1 system with two bookshelf speakers and an 8'' sub... That means, I've heard the humble.

[@notgiven3114]

And another thing (ahem), no matter how good one's recording studio playback monitors are, one can't hear what other listeners hear on their systems. This is true for every other component or aspect of one's studio - power amps, A/D/D/A converters, acoustical properties, EVERYTHING. Even if everybody else could listen to your recordings in YOUR studio, they wouldn't hear the same thing. Their hearing is different. Their ear/brain wiring is different. Their music-to-memory mappings are different.

[@mangold81]

Very interesting and funny! With my home cinema system, I could hear it just barley, and only when it was played alone. But then the big test: Astell&Kern SP1000m + Denon AH-D9200: with that equipment I can hear it almost all the time during the film sequence. Test passed 😂

[@MostlyBuicks]

I could hear oats, wheat and rice, but not barley.

[@rafngard]

@@MostlyBuicks You just need to turn up the grain

[@christopherward5065]

Strange that the stress of working in a permanently noisy environment hasn’t been addressed say with noise cancelling DSP. Imagine. All that technology and they miss the potential impact of chronic noise…

[@AudioMasterclass]

But fortunately they've found a way of making explosions audible in the vacuum of space. DM

[@lespaul667]

I can hear it on my mains and my subwoofer. 🤘

[@richclips]

I can hear it clearly too, ATC SCM35 speakers with a pretty ancient quad 303 lol 😀

[@RudeRecording]

I have Sonar Works SoundID calibration and I clearly heard the low frequency on ATX M50X headphones. Found it annoying actually. I could still, on headphones hear the tone at the end.

[@SpeedIng80]

Almost 43 years old now: Check, +12kHz still there ;-) . And the Logitech 2.1 THX blablabla speakers play the 30Hz rumble quite well 🙂

[@spacepope69]

Wait, you got a Japanese woman with your home theatre system? Lucky dog! How did you manage that?

[@Daves2024]

I definitely want the headphones the guy has a time stamp 4:39!

[@AudioMasterclass]

Jecklin Float. There's a pair for sale on eBay right now. DM

[@doublebass5y]

Heard the rumble fine. Roland rsm 90,s £ 600 . 20 years ago.

[@steveconnor746]

I could hear the rumble quite clearly through my home built 40 litre bass reflex speakers.

[@guravi4295]

I heard both frequencies on my Sennheiser HD 201, they cost about $40

[@QuinnKallisti]

Eve sc205 producing it loud and clear. They are a nearly $2000 AUD speaker set though, so they would want to...

[@dancemusicorganisation]

The Orville is brilliant, and it also has major contributors from Star Trek personnel such as Brannon Braga & Robert Legato. Nothing controversial about this being way better than Discovery or Picard, though season 3 was pretty damn good. As for the rumble, I can hear it on my JVC party speakers just fine, more so now I'm listening for it, but the louder musical parts definitely drowned it out. What I didn't like was some of the higher frequencies especially when the trumpets were playing, but perhaps that's just me and not the equipment or sound recording?

[@SO_DIGITAL]

I actually thought the trumpets could have been a bit louder/brighter. The stereo image was a bit flat, but maybe that's more of a taste thing and the fact that the scene moved around a lot.

[@markfischer3626]

I led a bass deprived childhood. If that isn't child abuse then I don't know what is. To make up for it I live alone in a rural area where the houses are hundreds of feet apart and my main speakers are Teledyne Acoustic Research AR9. For me this is the king of the deep. For recordings that have rumble in them I've got 2 low cut filters in series and an equalizer. I was surprised that even some cds have recorded rumble, inaudible on sound systems with less extended bass.

[@andrewtaub1210]

Heard the rumble just wish I did not but have good headphones. As for what is actually the frequency response of music, it would be nice if the creator of this channel shared his thoughts on that. My guess is that outside of some harmonics about 20 to 10,000 hertz.

[@AudioMasterclass]

20 Hz to 20 kHz is normally accepted as being the range of the human ear. DM

[@rabarebra]

@Andrew Taub Common, this is basic knowledge.

[@andrewtaub1210]

@@rabarebra I actually did know the answer to this question, and I gave the actual answer not the "common knowledge". Useful human hearing is 20HZ to 10,000HZ. Maybe a few harmonics in music higher than that, but just a few.

[@adammachin]

I can hear it just about on kef q150s but very clearly on apple AirPod pro 2s.

[@meis18mofo77]

When's the last time you used headphones? My HD280s give me solid subbass easylie without pressing them on, and most consumer headphones are heaviely bass boosted, so they have even more.

[@AudioMasterclass]

I use headphones every day. What I said was "If you press them in you'll hear low frequencies more clearly". So if any of my viewers were listening on headphones and didn't hear the low frequency rumble, then pressing them in would help. Does that satisfy you cleverclogs? DM

[@meis18mofo77]

@@AudioMasterclass sry, I think I got heated there for no good reason

[@EricRosenfield]

No subwoofer option?

[@MatthewSwasta]

I find no fault in this. If I crank the volume on my Focals at 3:48, I can hear, and feel the rumble. 4:46 just hurts!

[@andrewtaub1210]

I can quote a hell of a lot of scientific studies of what is the normal hearing of humans. But I will put it this way. And that is what the retirement age of an audio engineer would be given a loss of a specific loss of frequencies, because who is going to hire someone to mix and master who cannot hear the full frequency response of music. If 17,000 HZ was musically useful, retirement age would be 25, if 13,000 HZ was musically useful retirement at about 50. But how about the great Bob Ludwig, who won a Grammy for mastering an album with the "hearing loss" of a 77 year old man. How about that.

[@AudioMasterclass]

I would say that judgement would probably improve with age. But then a counter argument could be that players of sports that are not physically demanding seem to burn out in their thirties. Might audio be the same? That's just a question. I don't have an answer. DM

[@WookieWarriorz]

thats why i use headphones, dt990's reproduce the hum with no issues.

[@nissimtrifonov5314]

Or, you could add a subwoofer to the studio 💁‍♂ just set it up correctly. Doesn't have to be a "studio" sub, those are not necessarily better that "home cinema" subs when it comes to the sound.

[@AudioMasterclass]

I’ll be covering subs in the near future. DM

[@nikosuoa]

That's why I have a subwoofer :)

[@abominabelle]

I can hear very clear interference in that first clip. Massively annoying. All next no problems, pretty realistic even if actually impossible scientifically. Ive observed those low Freq distortions in quite few another movies as well. Maybe screw-up maybe part of the plan.

[@WolfgangLindner_music]

Am I the only one who is more bothered by the clicking and popping between 00:18 and 00:32 (cuts?) than by the spaceship noise? Or in another way: Am I the only one who has discovered these clicks and pops so far?? F***, I'm an audiophile...

[@rabarebra]

Are you serious? You can't hear 12k?

[@AudioMasterclass]

If you wait long enough you won't be able to hear it either. DM

[@rabarebra]

@@AudioMasterclass I thought one started to loose it at 15-16k. I am way into my 50's and hear that 12k loud and clear as a whistle.

[@andrewtaub1210]

@@rabarebra All but the most expensive hearing aids only correct up to 8,000 HZ, the best and most expensive correct up to 10,000 HZ. I know the answer, but I think that little mind of yours needs some exercise, but good luck finding the answer to this on Google.

[@mactrek69]

you are right, the Orville is far better than those other series.

[@dingdong2103]

No, Orwille is too woke to be watched actually. I wanted to like it but I just can't manage to tolerate it.

[@cameronmacmartin5130]

Haha. I have a two Sonos play 1’s connected to a REL Storm III crossed over perfectly. I have better sound than you and spent way less money😂

[@georgeogrady449]

20 khz don't work as 18 khz tweeter

[@clubsport9118]

oh no CUT / EDIT / SPLICE yet more CUT / EDIT / SPLICE of this CUT / EDIT / SPLICE that for some CUT / EDIT / SPLICE reason... you CUT / EDIT / SPLICE do so often... it CUT / EDIT / SPLICE jarrs with me soooo CUT / EDIT / SPLICE badly. just CUT / EDIT / SPLICE why ?

[@davidfromamerica1871]

I take the blame for nothing. On the advice of my mentor. Donald J Trump..😀😀😀😀