The Cosmic Microwave Background Noise
Love Music More · hosted by Luke F. Walton · Solo episode
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Topics discussed
Host note
There's no such thing as silence. Even an empty microphone has some noise on it, and if you put a person in an anechoic chamber, a room engineered to have none at all, they start to hallucinate: hearing their own organs, freaking out. Noise isn't the enemy of signal, it's the baseline everything else has to work against, all the way back to the cosmic microwave background left over from the Big Bang.
I break down the actual types: white noise (flat power per hertz, which sounds bright to us because our hearing isn't flat), pink noise (down 3 dB per octave, less harsh), and where brown and blue noise sit relative to those. Gain staging gets real time too, part of why older records have a vibe modern ones don't is that gain staging used to be looser, less locked in, and that looseness is audible.
The bigger idea underneath all of it: music is emergent from noise, not opposed to it. Every mix decision is really a negotiation between entropy and structure, and radio interference creeping into a home studio recording is just that negotiation showing up uninvited.
Selected moments
- Introduction to Noise and Signal 0:55 I discuss the nature of noise and its omnipresence in our auditory environment.
- Anechoic Chambers and Hallucinations 1:32 I describe the effects of complete silence and how it can lead to auditory hallucinations in anechoic chambers.
- Different Types of Noise Explained 2:17 A breakdown of different types of noise including white, pink, and brown noise and their characteristics.
- Importance of Gain Staging 9:03 I emphasize the significance of gain staging in maintaining sound quality during recording.
- Radio Interference in Recording 13:34 I share experiences of encountering radio interference while recording, highlighting common issues in home studios.
- Noise and Creativity in Music Production 15:02 The relationship between noise and music creation, and the decisions involved in managing noise.
Selected excerpts
There's no such thing as silence. This microphone has a little bit of noise.
When you put a human into a space like that, they tend to hallucinate; they hear their bodily organs and it freaks them out.
White noise is flat power per hertz... it sounds really bright to us because our human hearing is not flat.
Pink noise is negative 3 dB per octave, making it feel less bright, less annoying than white noise.
It's part of the reason why older records have vibe and interest because the gain staging isn't as locked in as it is today.
Music is emergent from noise and has a very intimate relationship with it, balancing entropy versus structure.
FAQ
What is the cosmic microwave background noise?
The cosmic microwave background noise is radiation from the Big Bang that permeates the universe, and it represents a form of noise that influences various aspects of sound engineering.
What are the different types of audio noise?
Different types of audio noise include white noise, pink noise, brown noise, and blue noise, each with distinct auditory properties and effects.
How does noise impact sound recording?
Noise can interfere with sound quality during recording; understanding gain staging and managing noise is crucial for achieving the best audio results.
These pages are host notes, not a full transcript. An automatic transcript is on the Spotify episode.