Meet Harry, A Rare 70s Psychedelic Mic Head

Binaural Recording is a fascinating technique: it offers a unique stereo experience on headphones that can be trippy and scary. When I met Harry, AKA the AKG D99c binaural head microphone from 1974, I just had to ask him to work with me. Turns out, he is a bit of character, adding his own grain and grit to any signal. Whether its music, ASMR, field-recordings, everything sounds uniquely lofi. It is even rumored that he was used on Froese's "Aqua" album for effect sounds, but he does not remember much of his past. It was the 70s, dude.
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[@Hainbach]

Binaural Recording Soundpacks + Music: patreon.com/hainbach

[@lo-firobotboy7112]

My father started his career as an Audiologist. I used to go to his offices after school, circa 1981, where they had a workshop filled with bits of hearing-aids, audio test equipment, and odd looking foam heads. I remember putting on headphones and listening to myself talk through the ears of their version of Harry. My father used to bring home bits of test equipment for me to play with including big old audiometers. 40 years later, I still have a giant Grason-Stadler GS-1701 audiometer here in the studio. I think its why I enjoy synthesizers so much. As a child I used to imagine it was the control console for a flying saucer. I loved all the weird pulses and tones it makes. One of these days I want to find a way to integrate it into my music making setup.

[@oldunclemick]

I liked Harry's capture of the piano. We don't need 20Hz to 20 kHz all the time.

[@neonrecording]

Yes!! Especially on piano! Sometimes cutting a bit off the top really softens it up nicely

[@El-Burrito]

Sounded really normal to me!

[@Animal_lives_matter]

I would like to emulate the sound of older recording equipment used in Hollywood movies in the 70s and 80s. I suppose it is similar to Harry, but still quite different. Then there is another quality of audio where there is something like a treble boost combined with a strong compression, with a lofi quality underneath it all. Hard to explain.

[@brianspenst1374]

That ASMR section was pretty damn creepy and yet oddly alluring.

[@angaudlinn]

Hainbach out in the open with Harry on a stick - instant 1970's matched in both hairdo and clothes. That section should be filmed on VHS for the ultimate experience! :)

[@yournuts687]

harry would be perfect for analouge horror btw

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

“Harry, get in the piano”

[@mrKozmoz]

I love how Harry hears, quite a unique limited range but strangely, I feel it has more life and character than modern solutions. Also has a strangely nostalgic vibe to the whole deal.

[@Ancaja123]

As someone who loves true binaural ASMR, I would actually kill for a video like this for like an hour. Turns out vintage asmr is perfection to my ears...

[@theelvenarcher4232]

05:02 You're walking in the park, and suddenly... Hainbach behind a tree...

[@stupidnamegenerator]

Harrys head against the piano made me lol while waiting in line at the store! 😂

[@swagmaster12321]

Me too besides at school 😂

[@benbowland]

That jam was so gorgeous. That subtle pulsing beat with the wavering guitar and eerie but pretty piano. I could listen for hours

[@DavidHilowitzMusic]

i felt a kinship with the head, feeling low energy with forehead pressed up against the piano

[@beastyyblue]

This is both terrifying and fascinating at once

[@iNerdier]

There's something mildly disorienting about seeing the head have audio come into its left ear but hearing it in my right one. I know that it makes sense for the visuals but it still hits something in my head saying that it's off!

[@06madmartin]

When Harry met hainbach now there's a true love story ❤

[@paulriggs42]

I found this really interesting as I started using the Head Acoustics BinAural heads back in the late 1990’s at Ford, the original Head systems used DAT tape and then we migrated to Zip/Jaz drives and then digitally direct to PC….. love this lo-fi version…. It’s a really beautiful sound…

[@alisondefrenne3608]

I always thought you had such a soothing voice perfect for ASMR. Sometimes if I can't sleep all night I'll put on a playlist of your videos, the calm voice and ambient music is perfect

[@Metamerist625]

I really liked when you and your apprentice were jamming with the rotating head...... that sounded really really good indeed!

[@psmaulehlien]

Of all the KZbin synth dudes, you make the best actual music, brother. Always a pleasure to listen.

[@HiLoMusic]

A lot of them are surprisingly… lacking in this department weirdly

[@aldodocarmo]

Harry is styled as if Fritz Lang's "machine-human" (Maschinenmensch - Metropolis) meets Walter Gropius' Bauhaus.

[@workinprogress9483]

Yes i love the design it looks so cool!

[@TwoThreadsAhead]

" Oops, I think I'm a little peck-ish " This absolutely sent me. As someone who is a fan of both your music production content and ASMR, This was quite the treat for me

[@AndyKing1963]

the Kunstkopf dummy head was 100% used on the track 'NGC 891' on Edgar Froese’s first solo album 'Aqua' which uses a combination of mono, stereo, and dummy head recordings - I'm not sure if it was the D99C model, but it was certainly the same one used later by Conrad Schnitzler

[@envisiotube]

The fact that you are funny made it much more easy to bear the swapped channels. Great product introduction!

[@flintmonz]

Hainbach, that was enjoyable, especially listening through my relic AKG headphones Harry did a great job, too !

[@Gr8Success]

please do more and longer ASMR videos with head !! IT WAS FANTASTIC !

[@kiosk7658]

soooo coool hainbach thank you for another great video!!!!

[@mterry7377]

Hainbach ASMR patron goal when? :P Fr tho fascinating stuff. Cool to see the forerunners for binaural microphones.

[@Ichneumonxx]

I love that jam, especially the background rhythm, so eerily unfitting of the slow piano notes. Btw because of you I went to a secondhand in Berlin today and came back with an M-audio Midi keyboard I plan to use for my basses. The more you dive in, the more stuff there is to explore. Oh no...

[@mattwillis3219]

Love this! Hainbach you have clearly shown why a binaural recording "head" is worth having bravo, especially loved him leaned in to the piano, definitely something that a sheet of MDF and a CNC router could be turning out cheaply for DIY audio heads :)

[@paulkhimasiamorgan631]

That's a lovely piece of music you both made at the end of the video

[@doomsdaydanceparty7646]

This is so fascinating, its so dead on, I feel the sound of this thing in every crevasse of my headphones, what an interesting mic

[@Fkay007]

👆👆👆He sells the best psychedelic products..... Ships discreetly to your address.

[@mycorrhizae86]

Great video and I loved the jam.

[@NathanWainwrightdotca]

You have, some of the coolest and STRANGEST stuff I’ve ever seen. Love it. 👌🏼🎉

[@VirtualModular]

Sounds great with headphones. I have a binaural setup which is basically a pair of earbud headphones with mics built in, so your own head is the dummy and they're recording exactly what your ears hear. Unfortunately the mics are total crap, but it does create a very realistic and wide stereo image!

[@greenie2600]

That guitar and piano jam was lovely.

[@int.21]

I personally loved the recordings outside. And thanks for the Edgar Froese tip. Love it too!

[@idj20]

While watching your video, I kept thinking about Edgar Froese and how he used the "artificial head" in his solo recordings . . . and then you mentioned it at the end! Good job!

[@hexdragon_]

too inspiring, brings too many ideas, thank you

[@alairlibreinsfreie5785]

Mr Frederic has got himself the probably best intern job imaginable... congratulations... the asmr part realy made my day today.

[@Mikkowave]

It definitely was a very fun week haha!

[@Sadsoft]

Ooops lol this is such a treat Hainbach

[@tomahzo]

4:58: - "Yes, police?" - "There is a strange man in my local park hiding in the bushes with a head on a pole - please come quick!" ;D ;D. Seriously, though, that sound quality is pretty amazing.

[@laurensvisser7623]

Would be pretty awesome to hear the siren approach through the dummy head microphones though!

[@deedd4401]

all i can think of is the superb sound of Big Finish productions :) they got lovely binarual sound design

[@distractionpool]

This is the funniest Hainbach video to date

[@simoantere7283]

Edgar Froese’s Aqua is one of the best electronic recordings on earth and beyond infinite.

[@idj20]

Agreed! I have it on vinyl LP.

[@jonmackenzie]

CH has a fancier cousin of one of these and he made a pretty cool little piano library with it, I imagine a piano library made with harry would be quite interesting

[@soepil]

That walk in the park gave me Conrad Schnitzler-vibes! ;-)

[@nigelprice4799]

Mad, impish, love it!...yet another facet of Hainbach... head reminds me of the mega-race from the film Prometheus....but maybe that was modelled on classic sculpture, who knows from where the inspiration comes for these? .....

[@laurenf.7922]

I can legitimately see this being a development for visual and interactive media. Easier to get a more natural feeling, might be good in Foley work. Yes I know it's existed for quite a while. Not stupid lol.

[@zintzcalibration]

an absolutely incredible piece of equipment, wowzers

[@seankeef9838]

The mix down on piano was an excellent idea. Such character Harry added.

[@sspiderandbee]

For those of you who don't have access to a 1974 head mic or don't want to be seen with one, you can achieve a similar effect with a baffled omni setup!

[@frenchtrace9862]

WOW I haven't seen one of these in at least a decade, I know people still put mics in fake heads, but this specific design is something I remember from a sound design class.

[@summerlaverdure]

omg the piano part was PEFECT

[@resonance1321]

Wooow, just Love it!

[@shpongled587]

I would love to 3D print that... eventually.

[@platypus8135]

Danke dir das du uns den Kollegen vorgestellt hast. Schau ja schon lang gerne deine Videos, aber auf das hier bin ich über paar Umwege gekommen. Suche grad nach Schallplatten mit Geräuschen, weil Geräusche auf Schallplatten flashen, und dann bin ich irgendwie über eine 7" von Sennheiser gestolpert, "Kunstkopf-Stereofonie / Dummy Head Stereo", die war schön kurios, also hatte ich Lust auf mehr und voila, bei dir gelandet.

[@platypus8135]

Upsi, voll verpeilt warum ich eigentlich kommentieren wollte, hihi. Im Teil wo ihr beide jäamt ist Links und Rechts vertauscht.

[@Hainbach]

Diese Geräuschplatten sind wunderbar! Bruel & Kjaer habe auch ein set, leider meist immer sehr teuer

[@user-yk9jw1lq3e]

Fantastic!

[@QuirqUK]

I would listen to Hainbach & Harry ASMR, I've long thought he has the voice for it

[@ThePurityControl]

If you like this sort of thing it's worth checking out the 2nd Psychic TV album Dreams Less Sweet which was recorded with a similar device IIRC called Ringo.

[@Circadianarrhythmia]

Hehehe i get very strong ASMRs and I really love the idea of using these for demos of things and experimental recording! Also, what was that synth-looking Rhodes thingy in the jam with your intern? It looks very neat like all your stuff!

[@Hainbach]

Wersi Pianostar 2000 - a failed German Rhodes alike

[@Circadianarrhythmia]

@@Hainbach Ohhhh yes! Apparently I’ve looked for one before? Thanks so much! I love your work!

[@russian1sackboy]

best ASMR, honestly! =)

[@aptudo]

Important tip! Wear your headphones backwards at the beginning!!! Hainbach switched the left and right channels for better viewing, but the shape of our ears (and the dummy head's ears) are how front and back sounds are differentiated! Also, Hainbach reversing the left and right makes no sense for the first piano playing part of the video because the high notes should be more in your right ear and the low notes should be more in your left ear, but they are the opposite. The second piano part is presented correctly, so you can switch your headphones back to normal for that part, and then briefly back to reversed for the ASMR stuff. Finally, for the park segment and everything after, you can wear your headphones normally. Or you can just enjoy the video and ignore my OCD, lol. Enjoy!

[@Hainbach]

That was a very nice PSA, thank you! There is no playbook for this, glad you took the time

[@aptudo]

@@Hainbach Cheers. I love your work and originality as an artist. Also, I’m sorry for misspelling your name; I hopefully have corrected it now.

[@hellf.o]

Ultimate asmr level!🖤

[@SoundsMick]

This sounds great, so grainy!

[@Hainbach]

It’s odd right? I am so happy about it

[@toi_techno]

great video

[@adamthies1627]

Harry is truly a masterpiece when put into your hands

[@alexcepile1420]

that was great! :)

[@foorje]

I've been listening to this on some time period accurate headphones (Realistic Nova 16) and their flawed signatures combined makes for a very interesting listen.

[@h2o1969]

That would be a fun set to use as an axillary mic, that you could use to mix in.

[@Hainbach]

Yes, absolutely!

[@astrojazzman]

Amazing 🎧

[@fleshtonegolem]

I have REALLY good spatial perception and the creepiest feeling is the sound moving up and over your head. I can see positioning very easily with my eyes closed.

[@loopinnerthe]

Harry needs a nose job but maybe that adds to his character, he is a delight. Thanks for sharing him with us. Are you going to keep him or is he too hard on your drinks cabinet?

[@hellomeatrobots]

100% awesomeness.

[@jeanbonnefoy1377]

4:59 reminds me some 12 years ago when I crossed Pierre Henry during one of his famous wandering-recording sessions near his home in Paris 22th arrondissement, along the green promenade traced on the decommissionned old Bastille-Vincennes railway line.

[@Hainbach]

Oh wonderful! What an experience that must have been

[@nanothrill7171]

asmr with people whispering doesn't generally work for me but holeee sheet this head does it

[@omninuss6847]

Its just Heinbachs sultry voice

[@cletusyesk]

I can't believe the high sound quality. It's like I never heard a piano before today

[@jalen8r]

Hainbach asmr was the last thing I was expecting tbh

[@PraiseTracks]

Brilliant fun!

[@PeachyPixel28]

"...Oops I'm a little peckish" I lost it LMAO

[@michaelkonomos]

Hilarious performance! I have a question - why did they make a head at all? Why not just have the mics spaced out a certain number of inches instead? Do the ears affect the acoustics? Then why not just ears? Was there something about having an actual head that was beneficial for sound design? Or was it just fun? Such an oddity to me!

[@aktimane249]

yeah the way the sound travels sround your head and ears affects the frequencies and phase slightly and differently depending on where it comes from. your brain then automatically analyzes it in real time and can tell if a sound comes from behind or above you although it only gets a stereo signal

[@lifeline7371]

lovely

[@IanWaugh]

Ha! Ha! Absolutely wonderful demo. Every home should have a Harry. Quite likely to scare the kids, though - or the cat 😱😁

[@lachlanlau]

Binaural ftw

[@DaJesuts]

Gettin steamy!

[@c13rmusic]

Everybody loves a little head

[@KotleKettle]

There's actually a 360 sound regime in KZbin you can upload your videos in.

[@mrinvader]

this is way too awesome to be allowed by law!!!!!

[@waltmodul7948]

He looks like ZDF TV studio Dekor

[@santinogonzales3720]

magnificent

[@yahoograbo]

that mic is beautifull

[@santiagos4290]

That head has a lot of patience xD

[@aliotard]

Binaural, Surreal, Magical!

[@myHorribleMusic]

The jamming section at the six minute mark reminds me of early Pink Floyd a bit.

[@HeckADeadly]

Mmmmmm this is amazing

[@clamage]

2:01 sad Harry

[@markhammer643]

Do you remember the "image enhancers" that came out in the late ''70s and early '80s, like the Carver Sonic Hologram? I have a couple that were made by Omnisonic., and also built a project that appeared in Radio Electronics magazine. These devices attempted to mimic, electronically, what the binaural head does physically. In the real physical world, any sound that is off-axis arrives at the *near* ear a tiny bit sooner, a tiny bit louder, and with more of its spectral content intact, than what arrives at the far ear. So what these circuits would do is: 1) extract what is unique or differentially found in each channel; 2) crossfeed that extracted "unique" signal to the opposite channel with a tiny bit of delay (

[@battoisoutto6657]

We need to get look mum no computer to look at the magazine one. Would love to see him break it down and show us the circuits.

[@GizzyDillespee]

I have what I think is an 80s Haas effect processor. It's called a Sci-acoustics IMX-100 Dimensional Expander, or something like that. At the time, my dad called it a "reverb", but it's really more like you describe. I have a Boss DC-2w pedal that's sort of in the same ballpark, but murkier, closer to chorus on the reverb-chorus spectrum of smearage.

[@markhammer643]

@@GizzyDillespee The IMX-100 is probably within the ballpark, but the DC-2W is somewhere on a shuttle bus in the secondary parking lot. Different kettle of fish. That said, the DC-2 is the king of chorus, IMHO. Where most chorus pedals produce a second slightly-delayed voice that lags behind and catches up (more or less) to the real-time signal, the DC-2 employs two counterswept delay chips, such that when one is going slightly sharp, the other is going slightly flat. The result is that, not only does the circuit generate three voices (dry and two different wets), but the countersweeping means that the wet copies are never perceived as decidedly flat or sharp. In other words, it sidesteps the audible pitch-wobble that turns off so many when it comes to chorus. Image expanders don't aim for any sort of doubling, but rather employ delays short enough that they simply yield a "sound shadow" of off-axis sources. If I stand 4 feet in front of you and 2 feet to the side, there will be a difference between what each ear receives when I speak, but the arrival-time difference is *so* small that there is no perception of any sort of reflection, only an ear-to-ear difference, that we (and many other species) use to encode direction. Moreover, unlike the DC-2, the delay-difference is not modulated in any way. Image expanders tended to disappear from the horizon when Q-Sound came in (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QSound). And some might remember the Hughes SRS (sound retrieval system). Initially a hardware effect, it eventually migrated to software and was included as an option in older versions of Windows Media Player. Though they did not simply mimic how the image-enhancer circuits/devices operate, nevertheless they served to improve spatial location of a sound source within the mix, such that a two-speaker (and two ear) system could still provide the sense that sound-source A is over "here" and B is over "there" Lou Reed recorded several albums using a binaural "head", albeit with better mic capsules. I'm sure some other artists must have as well. Of course, where what one records with a binaural head yields a fixed spatial location, applications like Q-Sound and SRS allow for spatial location to be manipulated in post-production.

[@Mayowithadot]

i always knew hainbach was secretly an asmr artist

[@discophone_6214]

Oddly beautifull

[@DJ_Cthulhu]

Nice 🎧

[@demogorii]

What was the wood box with a brass colored plate on it? Like the 3rd item?

[@Brendan-Black]

It's a Tocante Karper.

[@satsubatsu347]

I would love to see IRs for this.