when an artist suddenly features one of five auditory cues indicating closeness, resulting in listener chills when combined effectively with a Structural Pattern
“After that whisper thing at 1:09 my hairs were about to run off my body.”
How It Works
When artists use the Proximity pattern, they trick our brain’s object localization system. This system distinguishes between objects in our peri-personal space (~6 inches around our body) and extra-personal space (> 6 inches). Our brain always prioritizes and urgently processes sounds in, or about to cross into, our peri-personal space. The more abruptly artist introduce close or approaching sounds, the more likely we are to experience chills. Researchers have confirmed that “looming” sounds are correlated with increased skin conductance, a well-known marker of frisson.
Proximity and Harmoniciity cues share many technical features and tend to appear together.
Top Structural Pattern pairing:
Genre that most uses pattern:
Technique 1: Non-linear loudness
Certain abrupt or accelerating changes in loudness. Loudness is a reliable indicator of distance because the sound waves of close sounds have less space to cover. As a result, the same acoustic energy is spread over a smaller area (i.e. close sounds are louder). Some of the ways artists implement this technique are:
— Sudden transitions from muted to unmuted sounds (e.g., turning a compressor off)
— Changing distance from recording device (e.g. normal vs. close mic’d vocals)
Genre
Song
Artist
Frisson Reported by Listeners
Technique 2: Non-linear brightness
Abrupt or accelerating changes in overtone resonance at higher frequencies (“brightness”). Brightness is a reliable indicator of distance because as sound travels through the air, it loses acoustic energy faster at higher vs. lower frequencies (i.e. close sounds are brighter). When artists feature sudden bright sounds or rapid transitions from low to high brightness, this can often trigger listener chills. Some of the ways artists implement this technique are:
— Repeated rising lines (e.g. motif sounded quickly multiple times, up third or octave on each repetition)
— “Noisy” timbres that bring out upper frequencies (e.g. white noise risers, wind chimes, piano with pedal)
Genre
Song
Artist
Frisson Reported by Listeners
Technique 3: Voicelessness
Intimate vocalizations produced without using the vocal chords, which we can only hear if we are close to the sound source. When artists feature sudden voiceless sounds, or rapid transitions from normal to voiceless vocals, this can often induce listener chills. Some of the ways artists implement this technique are:
— Close mic’d vocals with limited reflectors in the studio
— Certain entrances of reed instruments that produce an “airy” sound (e.g. flute, oboe, saxophone)
Genre
Song
Artist
Frisson Reported by Listeners
Technique 4: Inter-ear variation
Sounds that vary in arrival time and intensity across the left vs. right ear. Inter-ear variation is a reliable indicator of proximity because distant sounds hit our ears at roughly the same time vs. close sounds hit one ear (closer to the sound source) noticeably sooner. Some of the ways artists implement this technique are:
— “3D” recording techniques (e.g. binaural records, multiple mic positions across studio for one sound)
Genre
Song
Artist
Frisson Reported by Listeners
Technique 5: ASMR Triggers
A set of sound effects that trigger a sensation called autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR). While these quiet sounds are diverse, they share in common an ability to make listeners feel close to the source producing the sound. Some of the ways artists implement this technique are:
— Irregular clicking or fluttering sounds (e.g. scissors closing, fingers tapping, vocal tk sk ch sounds)
Genre
Song
Artist
Frisson Reported by Listeners