1 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:07,640 Speaker 1: Get in touch with technology with tex Stuff from Hastro 2 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: dot com. Welcome to tex Stuff. I'm your host Jonathan Strickland. 3 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 1: Today I wanted to explore a special kind of YouTube experience. 4 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 1: It's something that's been growing steadily in popularity for a 5 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,519 Speaker 1: couple of years now. In fact, you could call it 6 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:44,640 Speaker 1: a legitimate phenomenon. It's a genre that defies easy description, 7 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: though all of them have a shared goal to create 8 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:52,159 Speaker 1: a tingling sensation in the viewer. It's called a s 9 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: m R. I spoke with the popular a s MR artist, 10 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: Heather Feather, who helped me understand what this is all about. 11 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 1: As OUR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, and that 12 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: doesn't really mean anything. It's just a fancy way of 13 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: describing a sensation that some people get when they're exposed 14 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: to auditory or visual stimuli. And this kind of it's 15 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 1: called triggers when you hear the or see these things, 16 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,759 Speaker 1: and people can get triggered by tons of different things, 17 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:25,680 Speaker 1: and the triggers are very subjective. So some people are 18 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 1: triggered by hair brushing or a soft voice or a whisper, 19 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: or writing with chalk on a chalkboard, or watching someone 20 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,320 Speaker 1: do a task in a very meticulous and focused way. 21 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 1: So what does that actually feel like? What is it 22 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 1: like to experience a s MR Those really good chills 23 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: you get when you get a haircut or someone traces 24 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: your back with their finger, and a SMAR feels like 25 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: that awesome feeling that that gives you. And it just 26 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: happens when people hear something or see something in a 27 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: certain way. It's really cool. I've watched a lot of 28 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 1: a s MR videos and I'm led to the conclusion 29 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: that I no longer experienced this particular phenomenon, but I 30 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: do have distinct memories of feeling something similar when I 31 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: was a kid, particularly after listening to a certain piece 32 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: of music. I recall one section from Paul Dukas's The 33 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 1: Sorcerer's Apprentice. It never failed to give me chills. But 34 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: I didn't have a word for this sensation. It turns 35 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 1: out I wasn't the only one struggling to put words 36 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: to the feeling. Heather explains what it was like when 37 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 1: she found out the tingles she felt weren't necessarily something 38 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: other people felt. I had SMR in my whole life, 39 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:42,240 Speaker 1: and when I was little, very very little, I used 40 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:44,400 Speaker 1: to call it shocks, and I used to tell my 41 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 1: mom I had shocks, and she didn't know what that meant. 42 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 1: And I didn't know what that meant. When I got older, 43 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: and I would go out with friends to a restaurant, 44 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: let's say, and a waitress would have a really nice 45 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 1: soft voice and say, hey, guys, what can I get you? 46 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 1: I would say, my gosh, I love her voice. And 47 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: my friends would go, oh, my gosh, you're so weird. 48 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:07,240 Speaker 1: And I realized that people didn't have it it was, 49 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: but I wasn't ashamed of it. I just thought it 50 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 1: was a quirk that I had. Like I like to 51 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 1: eatch other cheese crewtons and dark chocolate. No one else 52 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: likes to do that. It is something I like, So 53 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:20,399 Speaker 1: I figured it was something weird about me. Finding these 54 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:24,079 Speaker 1: sounds or sites these triggers can be exhausting. You might 55 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:27,679 Speaker 1: encounter something that sets you off purely by accident. There 56 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:30,799 Speaker 1: wasn't really a place to go to initiate the sensation. 57 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 1: And then came YouTube and a whole new world opened 58 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 1: up for people like Heather, though people who experienced the 59 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 1: sensation weren't necessarily being catered to explicitly. In Heather's case, 60 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 1: she found very different videos that set off her triggers. 61 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 1: I used to search videos for these triggers, and a 62 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 1: lot of the times they would be makeup tutorials, but 63 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 1: they would also be fetish videos, because there's a fetish 64 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: for everything, and there is a hair fetish and a 65 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: nail fetish. So I would go onto these fetish videos 66 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 1: and watch people tap their nails or brush their hair. 67 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: And I was like, yeah, this is great, but I 68 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: didn't love going to these videos because they had other 69 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,479 Speaker 1: things in them that I wasn't into. And then Heather 70 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 1: made a discovery that literally changed her life. I found 71 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: a nurse role play by gentle Whispering and I clicked 72 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:31,359 Speaker 1: it and I was gobsmacked because everything this woman was 73 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 1: doing was triggering me. And I was like, oh, this 74 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: is great. So I read her infobox on YouTube and 75 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:40,839 Speaker 1: she mentioned a SMR and I googled it and I 76 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 1: was in it in a room with one of my 77 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:48,119 Speaker 1: friends and I yelled, this is me. And my friend 78 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: was like, I don't understand why you're even saying like 79 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:52,600 Speaker 1: they did not. They did not understand at all. But 80 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:55,400 Speaker 1: I felt like I was like I found my people. 81 00:04:56,400 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: It sounds dramatic, but it really was a euphoric moment. 82 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:05,040 Speaker 1: This odd but pleasant sensation might be caused by anything. 83 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 1: For some people, it's a particular type of sound. For others, 84 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:11,480 Speaker 1: it's the sensation that a person is moving around you 85 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: in real space while talking to you. It could be 86 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:17,240 Speaker 1: the way a person moves their hands as they speak. 87 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:21,719 Speaker 1: One trigger that seems particularly effective involves a close connection 88 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:25,799 Speaker 1: between the a s MR artist and the audience. Personal 89 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 1: attention is a big trigger for a lot of people, 90 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 1: myself included, And even though you're the person is not 91 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:34,320 Speaker 1: actually touching you or in front of you, it sort 92 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 1: of feels like they are and that I don't know 93 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:40,360 Speaker 1: if it calls back to when you were a kid 94 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 1: and you were getting attention from someone or not, or 95 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 1: if it pulls on some nostalgic heartstring, but it really 96 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: works for thousands and thousands of people, and even for 97 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 1: people who don't experience a s MR like me, these 98 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:57,520 Speaker 1: videos have their uses. It turns out I'm not the 99 00:05:57,560 --> 00:05:59,480 Speaker 1: only person who likes to watch a s m R 100 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 1: video in order to unwind. I get a lot of 101 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 1: messages and I think a lot of other ASIMER content 102 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: creators do as well. From people who don't have a 103 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: sm R whatsoever, but they like to play the videos 104 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:13,279 Speaker 1: to help them relax. Some of them play it to 105 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:16,840 Speaker 1: help them work. They play it as background noise, and 106 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:20,480 Speaker 1: a lot of gamers play as MR videos while they game, 107 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: which I think is really interesting. For some reason, they 108 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: say that it helps them focus on what they need 109 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 1: to do. While I can't imagine wiping out the covenant 110 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:32,920 Speaker 1: in Halo or planning strategy in League of Legends while 111 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 1: playing an a s m R video in the background, 112 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 1: I do see how it helps players reach a zen 113 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:43,200 Speaker 1: like state. The videos tend towards the soothing, comforting spectrum. 114 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 1: While some videos may get a little more surreal or 115 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: abstract than others, they don't tend to be fast paced, 116 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:53,520 Speaker 1: action pack narratives. There are actually lots of different styles 117 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:57,039 Speaker 1: of videos. In some an artists might simply experiment with 118 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:00,799 Speaker 1: different sound and visual triggers with no narrative structure linking 119 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:04,400 Speaker 1: them together. Other videos will focus on a specific trigger 120 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: and go for a marathon session. Each type of video 121 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: requires a different approach when I film. If I'm doing 122 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: a sound assortment, I'll just gather the props that I 123 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: want to use and I'll sit in front of the camera. No, 124 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: I'll just explore them and hang out with the viewer. 125 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 1: But if I'm doing a role play, I'll think of 126 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:21,320 Speaker 1: the triggers that I want to incorporate, and then I 127 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:24,960 Speaker 1: build a story around it, and then I hunt for 128 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:29,120 Speaker 1: anything that I could enhance the story with. So I 129 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:32,160 Speaker 1: never just do the triggers that I want to incorporate. 130 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 1: I'm always throwing in an extra voice someplace, or extra 131 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 1: sound effects someplace and complicating my life. But I think 132 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 1: that it helps the viewer become more immersed. Immersions really 133 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:49,880 Speaker 1: really important to me. UM. It's also why I'm starting 134 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: to venture into virtual reality I SMAR. This quest for 135 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,800 Speaker 1: immersion has opened up some interesting opportunities, such as pairing 136 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 1: the A S m R approach with devices like the 137 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 1: Oculus Rift. It's another journey through tech for us. We're 138 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 1: dabbling with a lot of new technology, UM, including spherical 139 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 1: video sixty degree spherical video, and that's video that captures 140 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 1: sixty degrees horizontally and vertically, and then putting it into 141 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: a gaming engine like Unreal or Unity and trying to 142 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:27,000 Speaker 1: format it for use in a head mounted display like 143 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 1: Oculus Rift or any of the other ones that might 144 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:32,840 Speaker 1: be coming out. My personal favorite a s MR videos 145 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:35,199 Speaker 1: are role plays. A role play is just what it 146 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:38,240 Speaker 1: sounds like. The artist takes on a role with you, 147 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:41,680 Speaker 1: the audience becoming part of a scene. Role Plays come 148 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 1: in all sorts of flavors. I think haircuts are very popular, 149 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:47,319 Speaker 1: and I think that's because a lot of people can 150 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:50,720 Speaker 1: enjoy them even if they don't have a SMR. Their 151 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:54,520 Speaker 1: doctor role plays are very popular, and that might sound 152 00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 1: weird because no one likes to go to the doctor. 153 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:00,679 Speaker 1: But the doctor role plays how a lot of different 154 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:03,240 Speaker 1: triggers in them. There's a lot of personal tension. There's 155 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:06,000 Speaker 1: pointing to a chart, there's following a light. There's a 156 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:08,160 Speaker 1: lot of different things involved with them, and I think 157 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 1: it makes them a versatile roleplay for people who have 158 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:16,480 Speaker 1: different triggers. It's one thing to imagine what a role 159 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:19,000 Speaker 1: play like this would be like and another thing to 160 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: experience it. Heather is a generous artist and offered us 161 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 1: some examples. This one is from her video titled a 162 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: s MR Binaral Medical role Play A Snake Oil Salesman 163 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 1: for Relaxation, and which Heather is playing a charlatan who 164 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:37,520 Speaker 1: makes some grandiose claims not to mention a geeky reference 165 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:41,480 Speaker 1: before I begin you treatment. I want to open up 166 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 1: your energy using a therapeutic course technique from a spiritual 167 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: mentor in Tagaba. So relax, okay, all you have to 168 00:09:55,000 --> 00:10:02,200 Speaker 1: do he should stilly And while a simple role play 169 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:05,079 Speaker 1: might cover a visit to the barbershop or perhaps an 170 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:08,400 Speaker 1: eye exam, a few of them can get pretty complicated. 171 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:12,080 Speaker 1: Heather is known for pushing herself by incorporating multiple characters 172 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:14,720 Speaker 1: in a role play. She plays all of them, often 173 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:20,559 Speaker 1: appearing as two characters on screen simultaneously. It's not necessarily easy, 174 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:24,880 Speaker 1: and if you hit the camera it ruins everything and 175 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:28,599 Speaker 1: you have to redo it and it's terrible. Here's a 176 00:10:28,679 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 1: quick excerpt from a barbershop roleplay featuring Heather as both 177 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:36,640 Speaker 1: herself and her goofy goth alter ego sister, dubbed Dark 178 00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:42,319 Speaker 1: Feather by her fans. Nice thing about this is there. 179 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:47,079 Speaker 1: It's a cold daily because I went shopping for some 180 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 1: striped sweaters. I love striped sweaters. The best time to 181 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:57,040 Speaker 1: wear striped sweaters all the time. One was the collar turtleneck. 182 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 1: That's the kind because when wearing that one special so 183 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:06,679 Speaker 1: that's enough small talk. But how much work can an 184 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:09,600 Speaker 1: a SMR video really be? Well, it turns out, if 185 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:11,640 Speaker 1: you want to do it right, it can take a 186 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 1: long time. For a sound slice, which is just usually audio, 187 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:20,160 Speaker 1: and it's a much shorter audio clip, that'll take a 188 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:24,840 Speaker 1: couple of hours, maybe five or six, maybe a little 189 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:27,280 Speaker 1: bit more, depending on what I'm doing. If I'm doing 190 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:33,000 Speaker 1: on a sound assortment, that would take probably around ten hours, 191 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:35,840 Speaker 1: maybe depending how many takes I have to do, and 192 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:41,080 Speaker 1: then a role play at least twenty hours, at least 193 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:44,960 Speaker 1: twenty hours, but sometimes they'll take weeks or even months 194 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:48,880 Speaker 1: to complete. Putting in that time requires a lot of dedication, 195 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:51,559 Speaker 1: and artists like Heather will often publish more than one 196 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:55,520 Speaker 1: video per week. Any setback could require several hours of 197 00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:58,640 Speaker 1: work to set things right. So what sort of technology 198 00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:01,680 Speaker 1: did Heather have when she decided to make our own videos? 199 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:05,880 Speaker 1: I was using a very old point and shoot camera 200 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:08,560 Speaker 1: that had a ton of white noise, and I was 201 00:12:08,679 --> 00:12:11,360 Speaker 1: using seven cans of cat food to balance it on. 202 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:13,920 Speaker 1: I didn't have a tripod and that was it, and 203 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:16,360 Speaker 1: I used UM I think I was using a super 204 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:20,560 Speaker 1: old software from Adobe, but it was like seven point 205 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:24,720 Speaker 1: oh for Premiere, it was very old software to edit with, 206 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:28,640 Speaker 1: and I got a lot of feedback from people saying 207 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:31,240 Speaker 1: that they liked the videos, but the white noise was 208 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:33,640 Speaker 1: too much for them. So then I started exploring other 209 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:38,600 Speaker 1: audio options. While technique is at least as important as 210 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:41,559 Speaker 1: technology when trying to trigger an A S m R response, 211 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:45,000 Speaker 1: it certainly helps to have better gear. Here's what Heather 212 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:49,280 Speaker 1: uses to make videos today. Today, I'm using a three 213 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:53,840 Speaker 1: D O free Space Pro and a Zoom H four 214 00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:57,360 Speaker 1: and as my recorder for that microphone, and I'm using 215 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:03,440 Speaker 1: the JVC a Ario HD camera um. I also sometimes, 216 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:06,560 Speaker 1: depending on the audio that I'm going for, we'll use 217 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:10,079 Speaker 1: an in ear binoral mic in addition to the three 218 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:12,800 Speaker 1: D O and sometimes I'll use the yetti that I'm 219 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:15,960 Speaker 1: talking to you on now. It just depends on the 220 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:19,600 Speaker 1: field that I'm going for with the audio. Those binaral 221 00:13:19,679 --> 00:13:23,160 Speaker 1: mics play a big part in current A S MR productions. 222 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:26,360 Speaker 1: The binarial microphone is meant to mimic the way sound 223 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:30,000 Speaker 1: enters our ears. Ideally, listening to a recording made on 224 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 1: a binaral mic makes it seem like you are actually 225 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 1: in the same space as the A S mr Artist, 226 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:38,240 Speaker 1: and the mic comes with other benefits to the artist 227 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:42,040 Speaker 1: as well. It's opened up a lot of possibilities, especially 228 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:45,640 Speaker 1: with role playing in storytelling, because I can use this 229 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:49,040 Speaker 1: sound to create an atmosphere to immerse my viewer in, 230 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:53,000 Speaker 1: and it's it's really interesting. I can incorporate a ton 231 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:56,200 Speaker 1: of different sounds. And I can also use the mic 232 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 1: itself as a prop to make sounds because the microphone 233 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:03,040 Speaker 1: that I use as ears, and I can use the 234 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 1: ears and manipulate them to create sounds and it really 235 00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:09,840 Speaker 1: sounds like I'm touching your ears, or I can breathe 236 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:12,440 Speaker 1: into them and it'll sound like I'm breathing right into 237 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:15,319 Speaker 1: your ears. And it's really cool, and it's a really 238 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: neat kind of way to touch someone that I'm never 239 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:25,200 Speaker 1: actually touching. The traditional binaral microphones don't look like your 240 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:29,840 Speaker 1: average condenser or dynamic mike. They look well, they look 241 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:32,800 Speaker 1: like a mannequin head. You can even take the do 242 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 1: it yourself approach. But neural mikes they typically used to 243 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:39,880 Speaker 1: have a dummy head that they would be placed in 244 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:44,320 Speaker 1: or built into, and that was too make it so 245 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: that the sound sounded like it was traveling across you. 246 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:51,560 Speaker 1: Across your heads, called head shadowing. So if it would 247 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:53,560 Speaker 1: sound would go into one ear, you would also hear 248 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 1: in your other ear a little bit, but it would 249 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 1: be diminished and different. And using a dummy head is 250 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:04,320 Speaker 1: really hard to do, especially if you are a novice 251 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:06,920 Speaker 1: like me and you're making your own out of starro 252 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 1: foam and stuffing it with things, and and you can't 253 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:12,280 Speaker 1: just use a star foam head. You have to give 254 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:15,880 Speaker 1: it weight because the human head has weight and thickness 255 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:20,440 Speaker 1: that sound moves past, so it travels through. So the 256 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:23,120 Speaker 1: microphone that I use doesn't have a dummy head, which 257 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:26,320 Speaker 1: is weird, and I think that people who have experienced 258 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:29,960 Speaker 1: with by neural microphones um sometimes question, well, hey, that 259 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:32,040 Speaker 1: can't be a real by neural microphone because it doesn't 260 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:35,080 Speaker 1: have a head. But the way that the three do 261 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:39,440 Speaker 1: is made is there's discs in it that position the 262 00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 1: mics so that they're like your ears, and then the 263 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:45,960 Speaker 1: ears themselves helped create that shape and give it that 264 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:49,120 Speaker 1: head shadowing without actually having to have the head there. 265 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:54,840 Speaker 1: It's really neat. As for editing, Heather's upgraded that as well. 266 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:58,600 Speaker 1: Now I'm using the Creative Cloud, the Adobe Creative Cloud 267 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 1: and that has everything that has premiere pro and as 268 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:04,320 Speaker 1: after effects, so I incorporate both of those regularly into 269 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:07,000 Speaker 1: the videos, and there's humor is one of the qualities 270 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:10,200 Speaker 1: I find most appealing with a s MR videos. Since 271 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:14,080 Speaker 1: I don't personally experience this tingling sensation, I tend to 272 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:16,480 Speaker 1: focus more on the content of a video than the 273 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:20,120 Speaker 1: individual sounds. And let's face it, a role play video 274 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:23,760 Speaker 1: in which you're playing an important but ultimately passive art 275 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:27,560 Speaker 1: can feel a little silly, but some as MR artists 276 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: embrace that and make it part of their presentation. That 277 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:33,960 Speaker 1: became clear when I asked Heather which videos she was 278 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:36,440 Speaker 1: most proud of. The ones that I'm most proud of 279 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 1: are the ones that I've been most afraid to put out, 280 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:43,920 Speaker 1: like Candy Queen, which would probably not be a great 281 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 1: introductory video, but um, I was very nervous about putting 282 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 1: that out, and um the Sleep Police, the brain pause 283 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:58,320 Speaker 1: away after the battle, Uh, it's dangerous to go alone, 284 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 1: the Video Game one. And I think the one that 285 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:05,159 Speaker 1: I'm most most proud of is the one that wasn't. 286 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:08,240 Speaker 1: It's not my most popular video whatsoever. It doesn't have 287 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:10,919 Speaker 1: the most views, but it was a story that I 288 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:15,560 Speaker 1: wrote specifically for my channel and drew little pictures too 289 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:19,400 Speaker 1: and created sound effects for and that one. Um, it's 290 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:21,760 Speaker 1: very dear to my heart, and it's actually we're working 291 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:25,080 Speaker 1: on making it into a children's book now, which is 292 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:28,680 Speaker 1: really cool that parents might one day be reading something 293 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:31,199 Speaker 1: that came from an Asmar channel to their children to 294 00:17:31,359 --> 00:17:34,159 Speaker 1: help them sleep. Here's a quick listen to part of 295 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,879 Speaker 1: Heather's Sleep Police episode, in which he plays a helpful 296 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:40,520 Speaker 1: officer who assists you as you try to drift off 297 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:45,800 Speaker 1: into deep sleep. I've been doing this job for a 298 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:54,520 Speaker 1: long time, thousands of years, and sitting at a desk 299 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:59,920 Speaker 1: and filling at all those papers, huh, ten tho years 300 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:02,359 Speaker 1: of that will give you such a drank in the fact, 301 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:08,159 Speaker 1: have you been having a rough time too? That short 302 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:11,119 Speaker 1: excerpt is another example of how Heather likes to incorporate 303 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:13,919 Speaker 1: Easter eggs and her videos by mentioning or quoting the 304 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:16,920 Speaker 1: stuff she loves. If you listen to her videos carefully, 305 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:21,840 Speaker 1: you'll hear references to Disney films, science fiction, fantasy, song lyrics, 306 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:24,800 Speaker 1: and more. I don't think if any people get to 307 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:27,440 Speaker 1: interact with people and and just share things that they 308 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:30,280 Speaker 1: love all the time, and a summer videos let me 309 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:33,000 Speaker 1: do that. So I hide some lyrics that I like 310 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:34,919 Speaker 1: or shows that I loved when I was a kid, 311 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:38,280 Speaker 1: or like now in my videos, and when people catch 312 00:18:38,359 --> 00:18:41,320 Speaker 1: those Easter eggs, it's kind of like, ah, I see 313 00:18:41,359 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 1: you moment. You know, I get you, and I get 314 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:47,600 Speaker 1: to share that with people, and it's very important to 315 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:49,720 Speaker 1: me and it's very special to me. This brings us 316 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:52,439 Speaker 1: to another interesting fact about the a s MR movement. 317 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:56,439 Speaker 1: It's a real community. Artists collaborate with one another and 318 00:18:56,480 --> 00:19:00,159 Speaker 1: interact with their fans. Fans spend time watching videos and 319 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:04,159 Speaker 1: making recommendations and requests. It's a community that's been growing 320 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:07,639 Speaker 1: steadily and yet is really close knit, even though there 321 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:10,359 Speaker 1: are thousands and thousands and hundreds of thousands of people 322 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:15,320 Speaker 1: in it now who are consumers and content creators. Everyone's 323 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:19,879 Speaker 1: very mostly everyone's very friendly and understanding and sympathetic with 324 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:22,639 Speaker 1: each other. And I think it's because every single person 325 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:25,840 Speaker 1: has felt like they were the only one who had 326 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 1: a sm R at one point, and then you find 327 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:31,159 Speaker 1: this community who's making this stuff to make you feel 328 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:35,480 Speaker 1: that way, and it's kind of it's just an awesome feeling, engaging, 329 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:38,440 Speaker 1: in a creative activity can be really rewarding, but it 330 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:40,560 Speaker 1: also requires a lot of effort on the part of 331 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:43,320 Speaker 1: the artist. So I asked Heather where she finds the 332 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:46,840 Speaker 1: inspiration to make her videos. At this point, there is 333 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:51,000 Speaker 1: very little that doesn't inspire me. I'm inspired by a box, 334 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:54,880 Speaker 1: it can be agreekly bag. I'm inspired by other as 335 00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:59,720 Speaker 1: artists all the time because they're always producing creative content 336 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:04,520 Speaker 1: and trying new things. Um, I'm inspired by television shows 337 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:10,000 Speaker 1: and commercial I'm inspired by commercials that make me mad. Um. 338 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:14,080 Speaker 1: I was um my snake my snake oil salesman roleplay 339 00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:17,960 Speaker 1: that I did. I was inspired by eyelashed commercials, my 340 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:20,919 Speaker 1: scare commercials because I didn't like that they use policies 341 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:25,879 Speaker 1: and to see people in their commercials all the time. So, Um, 342 00:20:26,119 --> 00:20:29,480 Speaker 1: Candy Queen came from just looking at candy and thinking 343 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:31,800 Speaker 1: I wanted to use candy in a video, and then 344 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:35,520 Speaker 1: I made a whole story around candy. Ask for which 345 00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:38,399 Speaker 1: artists she finds inspiring. It might have been easier for 346 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 1: her to name the ones who don't. It would certainly 347 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:44,120 Speaker 1: be a shorter list. Heather's not just a content creator, 348 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:47,040 Speaker 1: She's an avid consumer. If you want to check out 349 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 1: the work of other people in a s m R. 350 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:52,119 Speaker 1: She's got some suggestions for you. They're all different and 351 00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:55,200 Speaker 1: they all have something unique to offer. UM. Some people 352 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:58,480 Speaker 1: that I regularly go to it would be just a 353 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:05,199 Speaker 1: whispering guy a SMR requests Kiwi whispers are Daniela. I'm 354 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:07,520 Speaker 1: trying to keep it even with men and women. Uh 355 00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:13,240 Speaker 1: A massage as Mr Gentle whispering, a mall visual sounds, 356 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:17,080 Speaker 1: calming escape I could. I think I'm subscribed to over 357 00:21:17,119 --> 00:21:21,480 Speaker 1: four hundred a sm artists and that's for I didn't 358 00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:24,000 Speaker 1: just subscribe to them to subscribe. I subscribe to them 359 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:28,280 Speaker 1: each for their own reason. And there's people of all 360 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:30,800 Speaker 1: ages from all over the world making these videos. If 361 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:33,399 Speaker 1: you like accents, you can find someone with an accent 362 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:36,360 Speaker 1: you like. UM, if you're more comfortable with someone older. 363 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:38,280 Speaker 1: There are lots of older people making videos and young 364 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:42,240 Speaker 1: people making videos, and it's really diverse and versatile, and 365 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:45,800 Speaker 1: it's I think that's part of what makes some of 366 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:48,879 Speaker 1: the sm R community kind of beautiful, because there's a 367 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:52,480 Speaker 1: whole bunch of people who are so different trying to 368 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:55,720 Speaker 1: do the same thing. And a s MR artists work 369 00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:59,639 Speaker 1: relies heavily on creating interesting sounds, which prompted me to 370 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:02,240 Speaker 1: ask other if that meant she explored the world of 371 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:06,120 Speaker 1: sound and unusual ways. Does she test pretty much everything 372 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:08,400 Speaker 1: she comes into contact with to find out what kinds 373 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:11,040 Speaker 1: of sounds that might make That is my life now? 374 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: That not even joking. Everywhere I go, I if i'm 375 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:19,200 Speaker 1: especially even a store, I'm picking up everything and holding 376 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:21,560 Speaker 1: it next to my ear. And a lot of times 377 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:23,840 Speaker 1: people will say, hey, I think I saw you, and 378 00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:26,640 Speaker 1: they didn't see me. And but if you do see 379 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:28,720 Speaker 1: a girl that looks like me holding something next to 380 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:31,080 Speaker 1: her ear and tapping it in a store, that's probably me. 381 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:35,680 Speaker 1: It mortifies my family when we're out in public, especially 382 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 1: my sister. She's seven years younger than me. I like 383 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:42,840 Speaker 1: to go shopping with her, um, and we've been in 384 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:45,919 Speaker 1: stories before when I picked stuff up and she'll just 385 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:48,440 Speaker 1: walk away from me, or yell at me or say 386 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:51,240 Speaker 1: something like wait till I'm out of the aisle before 387 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:52,680 Speaker 1: you do that, because I don't want to be seen 388 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:57,000 Speaker 1: with you. Um. One time, I was looking for teapots 389 00:22:57,160 --> 00:22:59,439 Speaker 1: for an upcoming role play that I'm doing, and I 390 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:03,439 Speaker 1: wanted when musicle looking teapots, so I had her helping 391 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:06,879 Speaker 1: me and she was yelling across aisles is this whimsical 392 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:10,399 Speaker 1: enough for you? And it was. It's just so funny 393 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:12,959 Speaker 1: because she doesn't have it and she doesn't really understand it, 394 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:15,359 Speaker 1: but she tries to. And then when she tries to, 395 00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:18,000 Speaker 1: she gets embarrassed by me and ends up leaving or 396 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:21,040 Speaker 1: yelling at me. And which of Heather's video should you 397 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:23,800 Speaker 1: watch first? If they were coming for the first time, 398 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:27,080 Speaker 1: I would suggest the cranial r of examination because that 399 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,080 Speaker 1: has a ton of different triggers in it, or any 400 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:33,639 Speaker 1: of the medical role plays, or just some sound assortments 401 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:36,239 Speaker 1: that they can the top ten triggers. I think that 402 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:38,639 Speaker 1: one is a really good one for people to have 403 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:42,280 Speaker 1: an introduction with. Let's say you're an a S M 404 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:45,560 Speaker 1: R addict, You've subscribed to dozens of artists, and you 405 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 1: have a killer idea for the next tingle inducing video. 406 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:52,200 Speaker 1: What should you do next? I think it's really important 407 00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:56,720 Speaker 1: to not invest a lot of money upfront into equipment. 408 00:23:57,080 --> 00:23:59,520 Speaker 1: I would say to use what you have and get 409 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:03,639 Speaker 1: a feel for how difficult making videos can be. And 410 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:06,000 Speaker 1: if you find that you like it and you like 411 00:24:06,119 --> 00:24:10,479 Speaker 1: the process and you enjoy that kind of tedious nature 412 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:14,960 Speaker 1: that comes with adjusting volume levels very meticulously. Then go 413 00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:19,880 Speaker 1: into looking at other kinds of equipment. But for your 414 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:23,040 Speaker 1: own enjoyment, I would say to do what makes you happy. 415 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:27,359 Speaker 1: Don't worry about catering to requests in the beginning, or 416 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:30,879 Speaker 1: or trying to please everyone, because you can't. So do 417 00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:33,880 Speaker 1: what makes you happy and enjoy it, because then you'll 418 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:36,320 Speaker 1: find people who enjoy what you do, and you'll have 419 00:24:36,359 --> 00:24:40,080 Speaker 1: the audience that you want instead of kind of bending 420 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:42,520 Speaker 1: to everybody and trying to please everyone, and you'll burn 421 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:51,720 Speaker 1: out so fast. A SMR videos continue to grow in 422 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:55,200 Speaker 1: popularity and complexity. If you haven't checked one out, I 423 00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:58,680 Speaker 1: recommend giving him a trin. To the uninitiated, they probably 424 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:02,560 Speaker 1: seem weird, perhaps even off putting, and the scientific community 425 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:06,359 Speaker 1: has little to say about the phenomena. It's a subjective experience. 426 00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:10,080 Speaker 1: It's difficult and maybe even impossible to quantify, but that 427 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:13,119 Speaker 1: won't stop artists like Heather Feather from chasing the feeling 428 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:16,119 Speaker 1: and producing videos. You would like to learn more about 429 00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:19,679 Speaker 1: Heather's work, Her YouTube channel is called Heather Feather. You 430 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,639 Speaker 1: can follow her on Twitter at the handle Heath Beev 431 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:25,639 Speaker 1: a s m R h E A t h f 432 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:28,760 Speaker 1: e A t h A s m R and keep 433 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:31,159 Speaker 1: an eye out for her work with pixel Whipped. I 434 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:34,040 Speaker 1: can't thank Heather enough for a generosity at a time, 435 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:37,240 Speaker 1: and that wraps up this episode of tech Stuff. Remember 436 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:40,000 Speaker 1: to send us feedback at tech stuff at how stuff 437 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 1: works dot com, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumbler, 438 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:45,920 Speaker 1: where we use the handle tex stuff H s W. 439 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:48,840 Speaker 1: Let me know if you like this new format that 440 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:52,480 Speaker 1: I'm trying out, and feel free to suggest future topics, guests, 441 00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:56,000 Speaker 1: and interview subjects. We'll talk to you again really soon 442 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 1: for more on this in thousands of other topics. Is 443 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:12,440 Speaker 1: it how stuff works dot com m