“Finally, an instrument that never plays the note you want it to~
Ghost Tones is a simple synth that doesn’t ignore you, even though it seems like it is.
Ghost Tones takes a MIDI input, so you can play it like a normal synth, but instead of sounding the note you play, it plays two random notes that create a third note that only happens in your ear: the note that you wanted to play. Do a spectrum analysis and you’ll see that it never plays the note you’re playing, but you’ll hear it anyways.
This technique is quite sensitive – it only works at loud volumes, high frequencies, and if there aren’t other sounds happening. It’s very fragile, and exists primarily at the threshold of pain. But, it’s real, it’s fascinating, and it reveals something about how we listen and how our bodies work.
This phenomena is called Otoacoustic Emissions or Combination Tones. Maryanne Amacher called it The Third Ear. Its actually your ears singing~ Learn more about it here.”
