Anechoic Chambers

An anechoic chamber is a room designed to minimize sound reflections and unwanted outside noise. It's a floating room within a room. As the quietest places on the planet, they are used for sound experiments and the testing of microphones and speakers among other things.

True silence is something most people never experience. It's freaky. I've been in anechoic chambers three different times. The experience is other-worldly. The first time I visited one was during a tour of the US headquarters of a pro audio gear manufacturer. The chamber was a bit uncomfortable, but I didn't get the full effect because the tiniest noises the other people made sounded like they were amplified a hundred times.

I went back again last summer and asked to spend some time in the chamber by myself. It was nuts. I stepped into the room and onto the mesh floor, which is suspended above the real floor of the chamber. The large double doors were shut from the outside, and then there was silence. I closed my eyes. The only sounds I heard were those coming from my own body. I heard the air as I breathed in through my nose. Then I focused on the beating of my heart. Then a strange high-pitched frequency. Then the sound of the blood rushing through my veins. That was wild!

I listened to all kinds of strange noises I never knew were in me. I felt disoriented. My body started leaning from side to side. Sound reflections are necessary for human balance. I was in the reflection-free anechoic chamber for about 10 minutes, and I don't know how much more I could have taken. They opened the door, and I just wanted to get the hell out of there. I was breathing deeply as if I had to catch my breath. I was sweating. It was crazy. I highly recommend trying it. Once.

There's a cool roundup of a dozen anechoic chambers on oobject. Great photos.

Check out the somewhat fetishistic NSFW movies of fashion model Zora Star dressing and undressing in PVC pants, jacquard skirt, sequin dress, cock feather jacket and rubber top in the semi-anechoic chamber at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington on the outskirts of London. The SHOWstudio Anechoic project explores the sounds of clothes. I've recorded zippers and articles of clothing before, but they have taken it to another level here. This collection could be a great addition to my sample library.