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Topic: What frequencies are in this weird sound that I am forced to endure? (Read 11408 times) previous topic - next topic
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What frequencies are in this weird sound that I am forced to endure?

This is a recording I made a few weeks ago outside of the sound(s) that have destroyed my sleep for over two years!
It is recorded with a Zoom H4n, 96kHz 24-bit.
This file is sped up 5 times, to change the pitch to hear the noise easier!
The original 1x recording isn't anywhere near as loud as it is INSIDE the house!
I guess if you slow it down to 20%, it would be 19.2 kHz 24bit.
Could someone help me identify what the sound frequencies are, although they sped up 5X.
The problem is, these low frequency sound(s) cannot be escaped, with ear plugs etc.
[attachment=6338:HUM_Bran...peedup5X.flac]

What frequencies are in this weird sound that I am forced to endure?

Reply #1 –
Its probably easier to measure the frequencies if you provide the actual recording, not a modified version of it.

What frequencies are in this weird sound that I am forced to endure?

Reply #2 –
At which time point of the recording is the annoying sound particularly prominent? I am asking because there is a lot low-frequency noise in the recording. What seems to be prominent to me is a component at 90.5 Hz, and another one at approx. 179.5 Hz. First I though these were directly related, the second one being an overtone of the first one, but this is most likely not the case. There are also quite clear components at 60,  120 and 240 Hz, likely related to power frequency (unless you live in country with 50Hz AC frequency, but from the file name I infer that you live in the US). 75 Hz is also visible, as is something at approx. 62.5 Hz and 46 Hz.  And yes, unaltered original recording would be more suitable.
Ceterum censeo, there should be an "%is_stop_after_current%".

What frequencies are in this weird sound that I am forced to endure?

Reply #3 –
if the sound is much louder in the house, it probably propagates through the ground. I once heard a loud hum, that was caused by a Water pump nearby.

it is also possible that traffic noise excites room resonaces, creating a loudness varying hum.

What frequencies are in this weird sound that I am forced to endure?

Reply #4 –
There is some strange waveguide?/resonance? property here that provides a sound in my house that originates with the neighbor’s heating-air conditioning unit. It just happens to be strongly concentrated about the same place as the head of my bed. It can be heard in some, but not all, other rooms, but at a much lower volume. I speculate it is associated with the air circulation fan since it comes and goes.

Fortunately, in my case, ear plugs are effective. I just report this to provide something for contemplation. Are you in an apartment or condo where there is a physical continuity between your place and some other? Heating and air conditioning ducts can be good conductors of sound from place to place.

What frequencies are in this weird sound that I am forced to endure?

Reply #5 –
Quote from: saratoga on
Its probably easier to measure the frequencies if you provide the actual recording, not a modified version of it.

The per-file upload limit is 8 MB, the original 1x wav is 60-something megabyte.
(Even this 5x file as a WAV was 13.5 MB , I used FLAC to losslessly compress it to 7.3 MB.)
I don't see how I can post it!
I could split it, but what is the total MB limit for a member's uploads?
I would also like to post an "inside the house" recording, but at 96kHz 24 bit, it's big too!
Thanks!

Quote from: pawelq on
At which time point of the recording is the annoying sound particularly prominent? I am asking because there is a lot low-frequency noise in the recording. What seems to be prominent to me is a component at 90.5 Hz, and another one at approx. 179.5 Hz. First I though these were directly related, the second one being an overtone of the first one, but this is most likely not the case. There are also quite clear components at 60,  120 and 240 Hz, likely related to power frequency (unless you live in country with 50Hz AC frequency, but from the file name I infer that you live in the US). 75 Hz is also visible, as is something at approx. 62.5 Hz and 46 Hz.  And yes, unaltered original recording would be more suitable.

It is pretty well "constantly" annoying, and it's funny that you mention power lines, because I basically know what the noises are, even if is hard to accept.
In the last two and a half years I have suffered with first, jolting vibrations in July 2008, then by December 2008 loud noises, becoming more and more frequent. Originally I thought it was a factory, but over a year after it started I found the "first" offender: a cell tower miles from my home, generating low frequency sounds from the top that have created a torment that I would wish only on terrorists at Guantanimo! Until I had a High-Fi recorder I had no proof at all, only "crazy" accusations. I have found more than one tower too, different nights, different directions, same inhuman misery that only myopia could design.
An accompanying feature of this noise is dirty electricity that affects household appliances with motors like the fridge, creating a buzzing noise that others can hear! I figure that a possible explanation is that the strong wireless signals are "dirtying" the household current. And yes, it's still noisy even when EVERYTHING is unplugged.

Also, please read my other reply about posting difficulties.
I would upload the original file(s) if a workaround is suggested.
 

What frequencies are in this weird sound that I am forced to endure?

Reply #6 –
If you can hear these sounds, 16/44.1 will have the identical information. Quite possibly 16/22050 is more than adequate. Resample to the lower bitdepth and sample rate. Listen. If it sounds the same, you now have a much smaller file.

Is it two channels? is there really anything different between the two channels. Quite possibly in your circumstance, a mono file is enough. You now have reduced file size another 50%.

Do you need to transmit the entire duration? Is it possible that a smaller segment of the recording will contain everything necessary? If so, you now have a smaller file.

Encode to mp3. If you are paranoid, use LAME V0. However, V2 is quite possibly more than adequate. Listen. If it sounds ok, you now have a pretty small file to upload.

What frequencies are in this weird sound that I am forced to endure?

Reply #7 –
And if you identify the noise, then what? Do you think you can eliminate it? Best solution is to move to someplace you can tolerate the background noise.

G²

What frequencies are in this weird sound that I am forced to endure?

Reply #8 –
UPDATE

Here is the 1x speed version in 44.1, 16bit, MONO in FLAC format.
I hope that it is easier to analyze.
(It is slightly trimmed on each end to fit under 8 MB.)

[attachment=6339:BrandonF...NO441_16.flac]

What frequencies are in this weird sound that I am forced to endure?

Reply #9 –
Attached a high-frequency resolution spectrogram of your last upload, section starting at second 20. The interesting parts are

- a constant rumbling noise between 40 and 100 Hz, probably from a motor.
- periodic "thumping" sounds of very low frequency (below 20 Hz), about every 0.95 seconds (the other sporadic very low-frequency sounds are probably microphone wind noise).

Do oil or gas wells produce such noises? Just a guess, I don't have experience with them, I don't live in the U.S. (I assume FL stands for Florida?)

Edit: http://www.sounddogs.com/results.asp?Categ...D=38&Type=1

[attachment=6340:brandon_fl2011.png]

Chris
If I don't reply to your reply, it means I agree with you.

What frequencies are in this weird sound that I am forced to endure?

Reply #10 –
I take it from the file name that you live in Brandon, FL. There are quite some businesses there looking at Google Maps. Maybe check some of them out? If you find the source that way I bet there are means to deal with it through the authorities in case the owners do not comply. Sometimes these things can be fixed quite easily and cheaply, but sometimes not and thus the people responsible might resist.

Well, it could be coming from anywhere, since it is low frequency and it is louder in the house, my guess is that it propagates through the ground. Interferences and echos makes it especially hard to locate. Low frequency sounds can be reflected by many things in the ground as can it be cancelled out or intensified by echos. The wavelength of these sounds may be several meters. That's why you might hear it loud and clear at your home, but your neighbour might not.

Speaking for myself, for example when there is a truck motor idly running outside my house, I can hear it humming in the bathroom, but in the next room it is quiet. Sometimes it is the other way around.

Also where I live there's a big river nearby with a lot of commercial ship traffic, about 10km away, sometimes at a quiet night I can hear the ship engines or rather the propeller(s) faintly stomping.

What frequencies are in this weird sound that I am forced to endure?

Reply #11 –
Quote from: Fandango on
Also where I live there's a big river nearby with a lot of commercial ship traffic, about 10km away, sometimes at a quiet night I can hear the ship engines or rather the propeller(s) faintly stomping.


That sounds about the right class of sound: very large machine. Could be a vehicle, but the sound is constant and stationary, so I'd wager it's a factory/plant of some sort nearby.

Some very large air ducts, with fans to match, are known to cause weird vibrations in the environment. A big fan would also explain C.R.Helmrich's sub-20Hz thumps.

Quote from: C.R.Helmrich on
Edit: http://www.sounddogs.com/results.asp?Categ...D=38&Type=1


Heh.
Menacing.

What frequencies are in this weird sound that I am forced to endure?

Reply #12 –
Quote from: HumAndBeing on
In the last two and a half years I have suffered with first, jolting vibrations in July 2008, then by December 2008 loud noises, becoming more and more frequent. Originally I thought it was a factory, but over a year after it started I found the "first" offender: a cell tower miles from my home, generating low frequency sounds from the top that have created a torment that I would wish only on terrorists at Guantanimo! Until I had a High-Fi recorder I had no proof at all, only "crazy" accusations. I have found more than one tower too, different nights, different directions, same inhuman misery that only myopia could design.

If you haven't given up and moved, you might consider hiring someone with a spectrum analyzer...

If you can't find anyone like that,  you could rent one, hook it to a 12VDC-to-110VAC inverter to make it portable so you could drive it around and possibly locate the source.

e.g.
Agilent 8560E (refurbished)
30Hz to 2.9GHz Spectrum Analyzer
$6,995 (rental - $641/month)

Agilent E4440A-115-266
3Hz to 26.5GHz Spectrum Analyzer
$66,314 (rental - $2,321/month)

I just googled 'spectrum analyzer rental'...
so you might find some with a wide enough frequency range for less, somewhere else.
The only spectrum analyzers I own personally are specifically for the WiFi bands  and plug into a laptop's USB port, leveraging its CPU and display to drastically lower the cost.