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The “432 Hz vs. 440 Hz” conspiracy theory

jakubmarian.com

331–332 of 332 posts

Re: The “432 Hz vs. 440 Hz” conspiracy theory

#331

I have been following this for years, being both a sound engineer and a bit of a hippie who knows a lot of other hippies. The basic issue is that 432 is a numerologically interesting number compared to 440. So if it's more interesting it should be better for artistic purposes, goes the argument. However this falls flat as soon as you consider that the 432 is only interesting relative to the completely arbirtrary dura…

This isn't entirely true…… You're basically saying that because our measurement system is arbitrary, the numbers that are yielded as a result of our measurements are irrelevant. Sure, the exact numbers assigned to said measurements might be arbitrary, however the relationship between values still exists. As proportions, percentages, whatever. However you choose to measure, things still relate to each other in some way. My understanding of the 432Hz conspiracy doesn't rely so heavily on the number "432" vs "440", so much as it relies on the correspondence between our vibration, the earth's vibration, and the vibrations coinciding with 432Hz. Again, rearrange these numbers any way you like, but there is still a relationship between the earth, us, sound, etc.

Re: The “432 Hz vs. 440 Hz” conspiracy theory

#332
post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was some psychology behind the choice of sounds when you tag the transit card. Just like visual "affordances" in UI design, there may be certain audio characteristics that people will associate with "good" vs. "error," for example. I recall one study showing that people almost universally feel certain shapes and word sounds are "friendlier" than others (albeit by very subtle margins).…

Yeah, there's quite a lot of this but I can't think of any good references offhand. When doing audio logos I've always looked to catchphrases and famous movie quotes and tried to emulate the underlying intonation/cadences. I'm not aware of this knowledge being systematized anywhere though.

"Audio logos" - that's a fascinating concept I've never really thought about. Any recommended reading about that field?
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