TINTINNABULATION
(Computer synthesized)
The ENVIRONMENTS concept is far broader than the mere simulation of
natural sounds. The effect of sound on our abilities and thought processes is
a little understood, mysterious phenomenon. As an illustration of the
possibilities currently under examination, SR decided to experiment with
bell sounds as an environmental sound source.
The effect we created, based on an oriental theory of musical harmonics, has
never been heard before. The sound is bells, but bells so dulcet and beautiful
that they affect the subconscious in totally unexpected ways. As a long
duration environmental sound source, they are truly superb.
Imagine five different bells, each as big as an average room, which are
sounded very, very softly and reverberate for minutes afterwards. The sound
seems to float in the air, slowly moving around the room as a physical
presence.
Tintinnabulation can be played at any speed, trom /8 to 16rpm, in Tull
stereo. At different speeds, the sounds change in tone and apparent size,
although the harmonics remain unchanged. The effect, unlike real bells, is
fully controllable by the use of your volume, bass, and treble controls.
A creation of extensive research into computer acoustics, the sound Is
ourposely random, rather than taking the form of a musical composition.
We think you will find Tintinnabulation highly useful for both meditation
and relaxation, unlike side two of this disc, which is primarily intended for
more active activities. Many people report that they become completely
relaxed within the first few moments of play.
DAWN AT NEW HOPE, PENNSYLVANIA
June, 1969
The dawn sounds superbly preserved on this disc are sounds which are
gradually vanishing from the North American countryside.
Totally different in mood and concept from the sounds of Disc One of this
series, Dawn at New Hope recreates the aural environment of a beautiful
morning in late spring, complete with owls, crows, doves, insects, dogs, and
geese. Our objective was not to make an artificially ‘beautiful’ recording,
but a real sound, which seems to get better each time you listen to it.
So many people had written us asking for this specific environmental sound
that we felt obligated to give them the finest recording of a North American
dawn ever made. In full stereo. On a good high-fidelity system, the sounds
produced are so realistic that most people soon forget they are listening to a
phonograph record.
The usefulness of the recording is a subtle thing, as you can see by a
sampling of our listening tests printed above. Walk into a room where it is
playing and you may feel the city had suddenly vanished—replaced by
serene, verdant countryside. If played in the morning, we think you will find
the sounds influence your entire day.
Unlike the ‘‘opaque”’ sounds of disc one, Dawn at New Hope |s a transparent
sound which does not neutralize other environmental sounds. Thus,
conversations are gentle in tone, and the sound seems to appear and
disappear, dependant on your activities of the moment.
We hope you will enjoy Dawn at New Hope as much as our staff and the
participants of our listening tests.
Q. What are Environments, exactly?
A. Environments are not like any other
phonograph discs ever released before. In
essence, they are psychological sound,
designed to help people do things, rather
than provide them with aural entertain-
ment. Since they are sounds, rather than
music, a person can enjoy hearing them
for very long periods of time, as the
sounds have subtle structures which are
difficult to subconsciously memorize. Un-
like playing a song over and over again, an
Environments disc becomes more effec-
tive the more it is repeated.
O. How do Environments work ?
A. The need for pleasant sound is directly
relatable to intelligence, sensitivity, and
work requirements.
Environments discs are designed to be
heard rather than listened to. The brain
hears the sounds with both ears simulta-
neously, and, since they are pleasant,
familiar sounds, attention, concentration
and relaxation potentials increase. Of
course, certain sounds are much more
effective than others for certain activities,
due to factors far too complex to be
discussed here, hence the need for a series
of environmental sounds, to be selected
as the needs arise.
The sounds can actually help you do
things, if you let them. For example, The
Psychologically Ultimate Ocean on Disc
One and Tintinnabulation on Disc Two
were designed as thought enhancers.
Q. How does one utilize an Environments
disc?
A. Utilization is very simple once you
understand the concept. The sounds are
meant to be heard, rather than listened
to. This requires the person to become
familiar with the sounds and to modify
them in terms of his own reactions. The
only other thing to keep in mind is the
need for low volume settings—unlike a
record with music, Environments are
most effective when they are played at
extremely low volume settings, so that
they can become a part of the room,
rather than sounds coming out of a
speaker.
Unlike a phonograph record, an Envi-
ronments disc has no “flat” setting for
optimum fidelity, although it contains a
range of sounds seldom found on a
“hi-fi” disc. We expect the purchaser to
experiment with the sound until he
achieves an environmental effect which
pleases him or suits his requirements of
the moment. Volume, tone, and even the
speed control can be utilized to this end,
and the effect one person achieves on his
phonograph may be totally different
from his neighbor’s with an_ identical
set-up.
Q. Why is there a difference in reaction
to the sound over a period of time?
A. In many instances, a person s response
to the sounds changes with familiarity.
Coming back to an Environments disc
after playing music is often a totally new
experience, even if the person has owned
the disc for a considerable period of time.
The sound is deceptive—it seems
simple on first hearing because it has little
or no apparent structure. The sound is
not simple, however, when analyzed by
physical or psychological means. One
look at a stereo oscilloscope will bear this
out.
People sensitive to sound, such as
musicians and artists, are constantly
amazed at the new things they hear in our
Environments discs after hundreds of
playings.
©. Are Environments “head music’ ?
A. Yes and no. Environments are psycho-
logically-based sound, and this would put
the series in the category of “‘head music”
but unfortunately, ‘head music” today is
synonymous with “trip music” and “drug
music”, which infers that a person can
best appreciate the sound when he is
“high” or “tripping”, which usually isn’t
the case. Many of the reply cards packed
with the first album were returned to us
with the notation that the ocean sound
was the best “natural high” the person
had heard. Sound can be a powerful tool,
if a person can learn to use it, instead of
subjecting himself to it in a passive
manner.
QO. Why werent Environments available
sooner?
A. Ten years ago, it would have been
impossible to reproduce these sounds
with any clarity or effectiveness on an
average phonograph. In the time since
then, stereo and high fidelity standards
have been raised to the point where an
Environments disc has now become fea-
sible. Many of the sounds have never been
heard on a phonograph disc before, and
are still probably not reproduced with
sufficient clarity on today’s average
machine.
Another factor is playback time—an
average album plays for fifteen to twenty
minutes per side. Some of our Environ-
ments discs are designed to be played for
over an hour (at 16 2/3 rpm). In full
stereo! This feature has resulted from
significant improvements in disc cutting
technology, as well as a desire to give the
consumer as much value for his money as
we could possibly provide.
Even so, many of our most interesting
effects are playable on only the highest
quality equipment, thereby limiting their
effectiveness as mass produced items.
Nonetheless, the phonograph has al-
ways been capable of far more than the
reproduction of music, and the ease with
which the phonographic disc can be
utilized makes it a prime media for
Environments at this time.
Q. Why aren't there dozens of Environ-
ments?
A. To be perfectly frank, it takes a
tremendous amount of time, effort, and
money to produce an Environments disc
which will meet our requirements. Our
first disc was an experiment, produced to
ascertain whether there did exist a market
for this concept. The overwhelming
enthusiasm of users was not exactly
unexpected, but far beyond our mini-
mum expectations.
However, it is our wish to innovate
with each disc, rather than giving people
exactly ‘what they expect. This is a
difficult thing at best, and a costly,
time-consuming task, requiring basic
research, extensive location recordings,
experimentation with new technology,
and many listening tests to produce each
side of an Environments disc. It would be
an easy thing to just go out with a
portable tape recorder and “capture”
environmental sounds at random, but,
unfortunately, people would not be able
to utilize the sounds the way they are
able to utilize Environments.
QO. Why all the “hype” on the back cover?
A. It takes imagination and knowledge to
utilize a new concept. What we did was
select quotes from our listening tests
which illustrated the utilization of the
sound.
We have received quite a few com-
ments that the “hype’’ on the back cover
of disc one wasn’t “hype” once the
album was experienced. Environments are
new concepts in sound and we want to
make certain people know what to
expect.
Q. What about Quadrasonic Environ-
ments?
A. We do most of our location recording
in four track at present. Our computer
synthesized sound can be tailored to any
number of individual tracks; Quadrasonic,
Octasonic and Millisonic. Of course, the
idea of quadrasonic stereo Environments
would be superb. Bright as the future
looks, however, our stereo sound at pre-
sent is more than sufficient for most
usage, if the speakers are properly placed.
Q. What are SR's plans for the future?
A. We have a long-range plan, to design a
series of discs which can be stacked on an
automatic turntable in various sequences,
each capable of sonic phenomena, so that
owners of a complete set of Environ-
ments discs can “‘program’’ several hours
of environmental sound to suit their
needs or purposes. The complete set will
have a synergistic effect—that is, the sum
will be greater than the individual parts.
The beautiful thing about the concept is
that the user of the discs will be in
complete control—he (or she) will know
the effect of each side of each disc
through continual exposure to the sounds
as they are purchased.
What each disc will contain, we really
can’t say for sure at this time. There'll be
the obvious and the unexpected, with
emphasis on the unexpected.
WARNING:
Tintinnabulation, side one of this disc, ts
intended for playback at low volume
settings only, as are all discs in the
Environments series. The low frequency
sounds produced by the disc, especially at
fairly high volume settings and slow
turntable speeds, can damage certain
types of amplifiers and speakers. Exercise
extreme caution when playing this side
for the first time. If buzzing or rattling in
the speakers or overheating of the ampli-
fier occurs, reduce volume setting
immediately.
Tintinnabulation represents a very inter-
esting psychological effect, as well as an
effort to experiment with sounds seldom
reproduced on phonographic equipment.
The sound, especially at slow speeds, may
be either totally inaudible or highly
distorted on certain types of inexpensive
equipment. If this is the case with your
phonograph, we recommend that you
play this disc at 45 or 78 rpm only. We
think you will find the sound both
pleasant and highly suitable for the
purpose intended, even at the highest
turntable speeds, although we would
recommend seeking out a quality stereo
system at least once to ascertain the
unusual quality of the sound at slow
speeds.
Syntonic Research, Inc., its affiliates or its
representatives, cannot be held responsible
for damage to a purchaser’s equipment
resulting from the misuse of this disc.
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