I don’t know if this is normal, and I’ve never discussed it before in any capacity, so I figured I’d bring it up now. When I’m listening to music, or mixing music, or recording music, or whatever, I see it. Sometimes even during films I see the sound effects in my head. Or I see the dialogue. I’m not sure how to describe it. If I put on a pair of headphones and throw on an album I see each individual instrument in a distorted type of mind map in my head. Like if a guitar is panned to the right I see the mushy kind of shape in the left side of my head, different colors depending on what it sounds like.
Depending on how loud something is in a mix it sits below or above other shit in my mind’s eye. When I hear a vocalist, if see a black and white type of distorted view of a person mouth down to their throat, and if there’s a delay on the vocal, I see it lower down in the mix and further back. If there’s a delay in the left speaker and a quieter one in the right I see an image imprint of the voice on the left side and a slightly lower vertical position on the right. This voice mouth images changes depending on the singer, how clean they’re singing, how gravelly they’re singing, the types of effects on their voices, etc. If there’s flange on a voice, the image is wavy like inconsistent water. As far as drums the snare is a circle that’s wider if the snare sound is thick, and thinner if it’s narrow. If it’s distorted it’s not solid it’s several circles grouped together. It’s generally the color white. The kick is an oval, generally black and it’s different depending on the EQ. If there’s more definition (treble) it’s more defined, if it’s sludgy it’s hard to make out. Hi-hats are yellow, and more metallic looking and their look changes depending on sound as well. Everything is very fine tuned, if there’s even a minute change in sound the image changes, whether it’s shape, position or color. This isn’t something I TRY to think of. I literally cannot listen to anything without seeing this, and sometimes during conversation I can see this when someone hits a very pronounced “S”. An incite into my mind, what do you think? Does anyone see it no matter how hard they try not to? WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!!
I think one said 5% of the population, and another said 1 in 10,000. I guess whether it is a disorder or not depends on if it gives you (or people around you) problems. It’s certainly unusual, though some research was done in the 60’s when many users of LSD reported such experiences when ‘tripping’. I think it has something to do with serotonin levels in the brain.
Believe it or not I’ve never tried it. Thanks for the links homeboy. I’ll have to read it after sleep. I have to wake up in four hours and twenty five minutes. Night night.
I think most, if not all people have that to some degree. Most people are not very aware of how they perceive things because their personal perceptions so normal and constant, that they rarely take full notice of it.
I see colours, sizes, shapes, textures and have physical feelings from every kind of sound, whether it’s music or not. I love complete silence…It’s so peaceful. I love when the birds stop chirping at night and I often feel irritated when they start yapping in the morning. Silence and darkness are heavenly.
Mine is music. I hear music in my head all day long, It never stops. My days are a long list of different songs and styles usually in sync with what is happenning around me. Very difficult to turn it off. I haven’t turned on a radio (even on a long drive) for years. Yesterday I did some work on one of my songs and I couldn’t sleep afterwards because the music was rolling around in my head. Great guitar riffs. gotta try that one. next thing I know it’s morning and I’m still goingover the music. OMG I’m at University doing class and I’M still listenning to songs. I have to manage through this world with music in my thinking. A blessing and sometimes not so much.
It’s not just music either. If I hear people talking or any kind of sound. Anything at all. Those links are cool, I’ll have to let people study me for an assload of money.
I have come to cherish silence also. When I was younger and pounding Rock all the time, I didn’t get irritated by noise pollution and random sounds nearly as much as I do now. I have come to realize the world is a very noisy place. Silence Is Golden.
Same here. Every once I awhile I get the “earworm” thing from something I have heard, but most of the time an old song just starts randomly playing in my mind. Though many times I realize it connects with something going on or has some purpose to inspire me towards something.
