(Part 2) Top products from r/asmr

I agree with what is said here. I think switching to Mac is a must for any serious audio/visual work. I use iMovie and Final Cut Pro but I think iMovie (free for mac users) is fantastic and still choose to use it over final cut for some projects because of speed and ease of use. I also use logic audio but garageband comes free with mac too and these are both better than audacity.

It is not hard to get a binaural mic setup, you already have a recorder, 2 mics and a dummy head won't set you back much (see my video about it posted here today). The mics I show you in the video are these - http://www.amazon.co.uk/APEX-185-PAIRE-Stereo-stereo/dp/B000S5MW7Q
*edit - I am not sure the Zoom H1 can accommodate 2 active mics, you may need a cheap AI (audio interface) or I suggest the Tascam DR-40 over the Zoom H4N. The industry hates the H4N as it takes ages to turn on and eats batteries.

You will also need to think about upgrading your camera - the iPhone has a variable capture rate over long recordings and this will mean you can't sync sound and video easily. I think this is the problem you are currently having. The best camera option on a budget I found is this http://www.goodluckbuy.com/sj6000-hd-2-0-hd-12mp-dv-outdoor-sport-wifi-camera-170-degree-wide-angle-30m-waterproof.html - basically an original GoPro 1 for a great price. This will fit easily to a dummy head too.

This is the cheapest set up I can think up. Of course, if money is no object, there are better mics/cameras but then there is a lot of choice out there and different pros/cons.

As for a green screen, iMovie can handle the editing work really easily. You just need a cheap green screen (check amazon) or a roll of paper or even a tin of paint. The important thing is you select 'chroma green' (or blue) - I use a roll of paper. It is cheap and versatile. You can get these from photographic or A/V stockists.

I use photoshop to make thumbnails.

With all technical questions, always check out the discussions on https://www.gearslutz.com/board/ for reviews, opinions and answers. They cater for the high end and the entry level too.

I was fortunate enough to take a foundation degree in media studies and I think that the thing most ASMR artists miss at first is that weather it is ASMR or a cooking show, we are in media production. Low budget bedroom production, sure, but still media production. Any courses, learning or information you can gather about this field, from lighting, shot composition, light temperature, to editing techniques or audio treatment will be invaluable.

Hope this helps.

Scott

(True Binaural & ASMR)

Pseudoscience fascinates me, not least because of the ASMR, but also the idea that someone could believe this claptrap. I mean, EFT...holy god what boldfaced abominable bullshit that is! But it has still managed to develop a decent following. There are people out there who swear it's helped change their lives. That is amazing to me.

Reading was my first experience of ASMR. Not until youtube did I realize that I could get it by visual stimuli. There's a scene in the Star Trek novel Unification in which Picard gets a haircut. I would read and reread that scene over and over. It got to the point that I knew the scene too well and would anticipate the next sentence, and in my experience, this kills the ASMR. I had to ration my reading.

I also get significant ASMR triggers from reading about massage therapy, which has lead to me building a small library of massage books. This has the added benefit of making me rather knowledgeable in the ways of bodywork. I give pretty awesome massage if I do say so myself. This was the first book that brought the correlation to my attention, and it's a great trigger even today, because it's a first-person description of what it's like to receive certain kinds of massages. I highly recommend it to anyone who triggers from reading.

I really like REAPER personally. While it's not technically free, the trial never expires. It also comes bundled with a bunch of basic-but-decent plugins that can do things like noise removal.

I have two suggestions regarding microphones - one "traditional" for asmr and the other less so. The "traditional" option is just buy a USB blue yeti mic, it's the simplest option that requires the least know-how.

The more flexible option is to buy a digital audio interface with at-least 2 XLR inputs (like a used scarlett 2i2), two xlr cables, some sort of mic stand, and a pair of cheap pencil condenser mics like the Behringer C-2 kit. The biggest reason I'd consider it better is that it lets you play around with different stereo mic setups, like AB, XY, ORTF, etc, all of which sound different for the purposes of ASMR (i.e. you can mimic some aspects of a binaural setup if you want to). That said, if you're not into learning more about mics and stuff, keeping it simple and enjoyable is likely going to be much better than getting burred in technical issues and lingo you don't care about. You want it to be a fun thing you can do easily, not an over-complicated thing you regret buying.

I can absolutely recommend the audiobook version of Nelson Mandela's "Long Walk to Freedom" read by Danny Glover. Check out the following Amazon.com page...on the left-hand side of the page, beneath the picture of Nelson Mandela is an audio sample. Great stuff! http://www.amazon.com/Long-Walk-Freedom-Autobiography-Mandela/dp/1586216880

For ear to ear type things you're going to really want 2 separate mics, a normal stereo mic just won't give you really noticeable stereo sound.

Assuming that you're recording on a computer, something like 2 of these would be better in my opinion.

In the future, something like this would be good before stepping up into something more professional.

There are platy of them that focus on the detail. If you want the overall I totally recomend you this book (https://www.amazon.com/ASMR-Idiots-Guides-Julie-Young/dp/1615648186) it really helped me to understand WHY we feel the ASMR. Best of lucks :)

For me at least the sound is way more important than the video quality. Laptop mics have an unfortunate tendency to pick up fan and hard drive noise, especially when you're trying to record something like whispering.

I'd HIGHLY recommend a USB condenser-style mic. You can get a good one for under $100 (right now I see that the classic Samson CO1U is discounted on Amazon, MSRP is over $200, it's listed for $77. Or the CAD U37 is under $50 and comes with a (cheap) mic stand.

Having said all that, I'd say just try it with what you have and see how it sound/looks before spending money.

I'm currently reading his book 'Nonviolent Communication' and it's profoundly changing my life. The cover promotes as one of the most useful books you'll ever read and for once that's not at all bullshit.

Also check out this workshop of his on YouTube if you're interested.

Sure!

Cryptonomicon

Snow Crash

The Electric Church

Neuromancer

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

That should get you started. :)

So I found this awhile ago and only now thought that it might be relevant to people in this subreddit. It's an audiobook version of Stephen King's The Mist but done with some of the earliest (as far as I know) 3D microphones. It's from 1993 and is a great story that's pretty damn scary as well. To find the audiofile download you have to click the picture of Stephen King at the bottom of the blog post in the link. Or you can buy here on amazon

Hi, reddit! I'm pleased to hear about those tingles!

If you liked my video, perhaps try my new book: Memetics: Memes and the Science of Cultural Evolution.

...or my Memetics web site.

...or my Memetics blog.

I'm a bit late to the party but Altered Carbon and the rest of the trilogy is really good too.

qtips are quite awful for your ears honestly, you'll shove earwax down into your ear canal where it can become impacted. Do what nvader suggested. My personal method is to use olive oil eardrops (earwax is soluble in oil and it's also good for your skin) then flush with something like this. As orchestral_design mentioned be careful because your ears are more vulnerable to infection for a few days.

This is the most expensive video you've ever seen.

It easily costs more than a portable http://www.amazon.com/TASCAM-DR-05-Portable-Digital-Recorder/dp/B004OU2IQG/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1393995752&sr=1-3

or Microphone http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT2020-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B0006H92QK/ref=sr_1_17?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1393995840&sr=1-17

> Maybe it depends on your definition of dense in this context?

Dense has a meaning. Either something meets that meaning or it does not.

> Perhaps they mean more dense in character space, not necessarily meaning.

Have you ever seen a Japanese translation of an English novel compared to the original? They're huge. To use a random example, the English version of Angela's Ashes is 364 or 368 pages, depending on if you have hardcover or paperback. The Japanese version is 574 pages. There is even a two-volume set of Angela's Ashes. (I only linked the first volume)

> For example, I know that speedrunners will frequently use the Japanese version of games because there is less text to scroll through

I have no idea what a "speedrunner" is.

> They are able to convey the same amount of story with less characters. By definition, that would seem to suggest that the language is more dense (in terms of carrying across more meaning with fewer characters).

No and no.

I use bluetooth earphones and I always seem on my back(unsure if you do) I've had some for a year+ but recently a pair of mine got fucked so I had to get new ones, https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07N8RYGC4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

those are the sort I use