Miscellaneous Perception of sound while tripping.

[Azed]

Hey all, me and a couple of buddies of mine have both experienced a similar audible sensation when taking psychedelics. The sensation is that of hearing different frequencies both high and low that one would not ordinarily hear if not under the influence. We noticed this audio fluctuation while taking both LSD and 25E-NBOH. Is it possible that these substances alter our consciousnesses to the point that the filter through which we perceive life is changed? Does this have applications for people that suffer from mild to moderate hearing loss? Is this an isolated occurrence? Let me know what yall think!

 

[blistersinthedark]

On most tryptamines and very noticeably on LSD and other lysergamides my tinnitus turns into an intricate stream of Shepard tone-like oscillations that's quite unlike what I normally hear. It's very musical and sometimes I like to get lost into it.

But I don't think psychedelics allow us to hear real sounds we normally can't perceive. In other words, while your perception of sounds is altered to a certain degree, I highly doubt you're picking up otherwise measurable sounds beyond the normal human audible spectrum. Just like psychedelics make your vision seem sharper, I can imagine the same happening with sound seeming brighter or more defined. Maybe try to run a hearing test while tripping next time? There's a bunch online (although because of audio compression they're often not quite accurate!)

 

[Skorpio]

It's interesting you talk about compression, that is a very good analogy of how I think drugs effect perception of hearing. Normally quieter background sounds get less attention (especially constant repetitive sounds), but when tripping your brain doesn't tune them out as much.

 

[G_Chem]

The carrier wave is a unique characteristic that comes with a DMT experience but also other psychedelics at high doses.

I’ve heard folks talk about DMT as a water spirit and how it seems to work best when used around water. For years I experimented with this theory but it took awhile until I found the connection.

One trip the summer of 2020, I smoked some next to a flowing river and it became apparent finally where the connection lie. The trickling sound of the water over the rocks synergized with the carrier wave and intensified it as well as the experience itself.

I thought back to a time where I smoked near a waterfall with similar increased intensity. I then thought of how much DMT friendly music artists, like old Tipper, has very wet drippy soundscapes.

I believe there’s something to these frequencies and their effect on our consciousness that we’ve yet to figure out.

-GC

 

[pupnik]

I get a ticking sound
it turns to an insistent mechanical ticking on very strong halucinogens

i think it is a side effect of framestacking, but audio frames not visual frames or tactile positional frames, though at the same time these are prevalent as well.

the ticking starts early in the being stoned process for me, (I do have tinnitus normally, it is a hissing sound 100% of the time - also I use hearing aids if going to meet family or business etc.)

If I hear ticking I know something is working and it aint an old windup analog clock, they are extinct! (but it sounds like that - ask not for whom the watch ticks, it ticks for you)

 

[Jabberwocky]

I sometimes get pretty amazing auditory effects (I guess you could call them hallucinations) when I also express time distortions. I’ll never forget this one time I once went on a 20 km car trip across town while I was peaking and just as we rolled out of my street that weird mainaical laugh from ‘Speak to Me’ on Dark Side of the Moon came on the radio and I would swear it was still playing and totally spinning me out 30 minutes later when we arrived at our destination. For the whole whole drive i perceived no other sound whatsoever.

I also sometimes get tinnitus after very very big trips but since they’ve always had some other ingredient in the mix I’m not sure it’s specifically an LSD thing.

 

[simstim]

The only psychedelic I've gotten really noticeable auditory distortions on was a pretty hefty dose of insufflated 25i-NBOH.

Passing cars went wha-wha-wha-wha-wha rather than whoosh! Also the cicadas outside sounded insane!

The only drug I've gotten real auditory hallucinations on was ether. I've heard stuff like a voice repeatedly saying "an i is an e, is an i, is an e, is an i, is an e..." I also often here a phrase repeated, but can never quite make it out. It starts out "Don't you think.." and then trails off. I can hear the sounds of the words from that point but cannot ever make them out. Ether is insane.

Creepy stuff!

Sometimes when I'm up all night doing MDMA and listening to drum and bass I can still hear D'n'B all day the next day. I'll be dancing to it even. I think that's common though. Someone made a thread about hearing music all day the day after MDMA awhile back and lots of people seemed to experience it.

 

[RhythmSpring]

I don't care what anyone else tells you, there is absolutely an improvement in hearing that can come with taking psychedelics. First of all, these substances are known to increase neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, and guess what, the ears are connected to the brain!

Second of all, I can tell you I've had numerous experiences on psychedelics where I've heard things that are actually there that I just had not heard before. For example, on Iboga, I was able to perceive the reflections of a single percussive sound off of walls until it died out. I could distinguish between each echo as it bounced off of each wall.

Third of all, as an audio engineer, I can tell you that my ability to perceive frequencies as it relates to EQ has grown significantly since taking psychedelics. If I had more time I'm sure I could come up with a dozen more examples.

It's kind of a no-brainer, to tell you the truth, that psychedelics improve one's ability to perceive through the 5 senses.

 

[pupnik]

while you are on them - of course, subjectively - absolutely!!!
neuroplasticity is mostly irrelevant, unless the improvement is persistent and testable.

eg,

we can't fix this with shrooms realistically.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I don't care what anyone else tells you, there is absolutely an improvement in hearing that can come with taking psychedelics. First of all, these substances are known to increase neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, and guess what, the ears are connected to the brain!

Second of all, I can tell you I've had numerous experiences on psychedelics where I've heard things that are actually there that I just had not heard before. For example, on Iboga, I was able to perceive the reflections of a single percussive sound off of walls until it died out. I could distinguish between each echo as it bounced off of each wall.

Third of all, as an audio engineer, I can tell you that my ability to perceive frequencies as it relates to EQ has grown significantly since taking psychedelics. If I had more time I'm sure I could come up with a dozen more examples.

It's kind of a no-brainer, to tell you the truth, that psychedelics improve one's ability to perceive through the 5 senses.

I tend to agree with this (although I still think everybody’s trips are different in different ways). When I walk around my high-rise neighbourhood at night while tripping I often get kind of spooked by suddenly being in the middle of a dinner party or BBQ conversation while standing in the middle of a dark empty street. Then I realise it’s people on a 5 story balcony 300 yards down the street.

My hearing (and attention) is pretty ordinary usually and I have a little deafness in one ear. I often have to turn my good ears towards people to hear them properly in conversation.

I kind of like it tripping - it adds to the feeling of mystery you get wandering around in the dark.

 

[Nas47]

I don't care what anyone else tells you, there is absolutely an improvement in hearing that can come with taking psychedelics. First of all, these substances are known to increase neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, and guess what, the ears are connected to the brain!

Second of all, I can tell you I've had numerous experiences on psychedelics where I've heard things that are actually there that I just had not heard before. For example, on Iboga, I was able to perceive the reflections of a single percussive sound off of walls until it died out. I could distinguish between each echo as it bounced off of each wall.

Third of all, as an audio engineer, I can tell you that my ability to perceive frequencies as it relates to EQ has grown significantly since taking psychedelics. If I had more time I'm sure I could come up with a dozen more examples.

It's kind of a no-brainer, to tell you the truth, that psychedelics improve one's ability to perceive through the 5 senses.

Ibo always come with a buzzing sound.Very distinctive like a high voltage cable.Think heard this sound once time when the shrooms start to kick in.No experience with other psychedelics

 

[porkstock]

I’ve felt that my hearing was improved on LSD before. I got spooked my something coming up behind me and it was a squirrel gently hopping through the grass! But that’s kinda subjective. I would not go as far to say that we are hearing additional high or low frequencies that are normally outside our range of hearing...but I also wouldn’t say that it’s impossible

I heard some wacky stuff on a record player with 4-ho-mipt this weekend. And the record sounds relatively normal today.
Has anyone on the thread tried 4-ho-DiPT? That one is supposed to be well known for audio effects

 

[PsychedelicSummer]

I once heard a story of an old psychonaut with some hearing loss tripping on muchrooms at his home in the Big Sur. For the first time many years he could hear - I've forgott if it was ants, cicadas or the ocean - but he was amazed and had his younger trip mate to promise to report this on. I think I've heard the story on one of the Psychedelic Saloon podcasts. Too bad I've forgotten with home.

 

[ToriTransmundane]

I appreciate this thread so much because whenever I peak on LSD I tend to hear a really loud pinging sound and I'm always so curious about it! A friend of mine told me they've experienced the same thing and they think it's supposedly your heart stopping or something like that, but I write that off as a half baked anecdote.