Reasonably Sound

A440 is not a steak sauce, nor is it a tax form. Rather, A440 hz is the standard tuning for musical pitch. Why is that? The reasons include, but are not limited to: The oboe, church versus secular music, and the difficulty of France. Mike Rugnetta explains. Special Thanks to Nicole He and Proprietous for their help with oboe details. Sources: – History of Performing Pitch: The Story of “A” by Bruce Haynes https://www.amazon.com/History-Performing-Pitch-The-Story/dp/0810841851 – A=432hz: On the Proper Concert Pitch and a New Standardization of Tempo by Brendan Bombaci https://www.amazon.com/432hz-Proper-Concert-Pitch-Standardization-ebook/dp/B009TTBOAI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1415310567&sr=8-3&keywords=concert+pitch – Why does the orchestra always tune to the oboe? http://www.rockfordsymphony.com/faqs/why-does-the-orchestra-always-tune-to-the-oboe/ – ISO 16:1975 http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=3601 – Why is A4 the standard pitch reference for tuning? http://music.stackexchange.com/questions/18969/why-is-a4-the-standard-pitch-reference-for-tuning/18973#18973 – Why are orchestras tuned differently? http://music.stackexchange.com/questions/776/why-are-orchestras-tuned-differently In a previous version of this episode, the music used was is (in order of appearance): – Walking (In Tune), Rene Hell – Swan Lake, Swan Theme, Tchaikovsky – Polovtsian Dances, Borodin – Piano Sonata 15, Beethoven (Digression Music) – Peer Gynt: Morning Mood, Grieg – Die liederliche Gesellschaft von allerley Humor: Allegro – Battalia a 10, Biber

Taylor Swift accidentally released eight seconds of white noise to iTunes, and it went to number one in Canada. Mike Rugnetta offers his take on it, as well as a helpful explanation what white noise actually is. Baseball and cooking metaphors are used.

Mike Rugnetta and Atlas Obscura‘s Dylan Thuras have a fascinating discussion on the use of sound in war and at what point sound becomes a weapon. Among the topics covered: - World War I “sound mirrors” (giant concrete parabolas that ineffectively tracked incoming planes) - Project Disperse - The Mosquito - “Tunnel chicken” - LRAD - So-called “less than lethal” technology - Humankind’s unintentional sound war on the animal population

Do you have a favorite sound? Mike Rugnetta has a few: - A Snapple bottle opening - An orchestra tuning, with a couple instruments clearly off-key - A breaking incandescent light bulb In this episode, Mike explores the phenomenon of ASMR, or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. Or, as some call it, a “head orgasm,” brought on by certain sounds, like whispering. There are even YouTube channels dedicated to triggering these responses. How does this all circle back to American telephone advertising from the 1970s and U.S. telecom infrastructure? Mike explains.

Mike would like to talk with you about snikt. And sploorp. And butcher some French while he’s at it. Today’s subject is onomatopoeia and the visual representation of sound, particularly in comics. AMONG, BUT NOT ALL, THE THINGS MENTIONED: - Proust - Magritte - Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics - http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Comics-The-Invisible-Art/dp/006097625X/?tag=infguest-20 - Roy Crane - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Crane - The fadeout on the coda of Queen’s immortal “Fat Bottomed Girls” on the band’s greatest hits collection, which Mike is correctly peeved about and I’ll just add that it is a goddamn travesty THAT SOMEONE NEEDS TO ANSWER FOR - Time is a flat circle - http://imgur.com/g9Mem06 - The Handsome Family - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4zluA60hjs - Deadpool, elephant tusks, and Zombie Teddy Roosevelt - http://imagebank.biz/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Deadpool-Wallpaper-1920x1080.jpg

On this episode of Reasonably Sound, Mike Rugnetta considers noise-canceling headphones, whether you use them for cross-country flights or to mute your Simply Red-listening neighbor. He tells you how they work (and don’t work), why the notion of neutral technology is a bunch of hooey (sorry, Chomsky), and that silence is a lie. ALSO MENTIONED: - Weird warbles - Rare factions - Oculus Rift - Weirdly racist film stock - Harvard’s anechoic chamber - John Cage’s 4’33” - Wearing noise-canceling headphones while listening to John Cage’s 4’33”

Mike Rugnetta opens the inaugural Reasonably Sound podcast with an appreciation of the ear, especially the floppy, weird-looking part of it on the side of your head. Turns out it has a purpose besides stabbing holes in it!

Why does your voice sound like your voice? A lot of reasons, but Mike's interested in the dispersive mediums that impact it. This also leads to the first Reasonably Sound special guest, musician Jason Oberholtzer, and the first Reasonably Sound Contest.