An auditory illusion

Have you ever had an experience where you walk into a room in a club (or anywhere), or you come in during the middle of tune (maybe on radio for instance) and you instinctively hear the beats as if they are at a different point in the bar than they actually are?

So for a few seconds you might think you're on a beat further ahead in the bar than you really are, and then you manage to latch on to what you're really hearing. A sort of auditory illusion in the same way that those cube optical illusions can make you think you're seeing the cube either sticking out or sticking inwards.

yeah i know what you mean

its hard to get your head to put it right, if you know wahtt i mean

i like tunes like that

one of my fave tunes ever, on earth by woob, does that, for ages it all sounds wrong then finally falls into place

I'll have to give that a listen. I was referring to any standard tune, but certain tracks have elements in them that also momentarily trick you on the bar structure. Panic Room by Breakage has a bit after the second drop that I think tries to make it seem as though the bar is ending either early or late, I can't remember which.

Yeah, this has always fascinated me, tried mixing tunes in different places to change the rhythm. Does mostly sound shit but interesting never the less.
I have been doing it with tunes, after breakdowns, drop the beat in from a different point and switch it back after a few phrases, i did this in "subtleties". I think source direct did this a lot with there ryhthms. Shuffling the loops around.

Also love tunes where you will get a breakdown and the hook comes in and you hear it in a certain place but when it drops, the timing switches from how you perceive it.

Have you ever had an experience where you walk into a room in a club (or anywhere), or you come in during the middle of tune (maybe on radio for instance) and you instinctively hear the beats as if they are at a different point in the bar than they actually are?

I had an experience like that when I was stoned and heard ICR's album for the first time. I thought: "wow, this shit is really out there" and then I listened to it again later and it sounded normal again

I get this all the time. Skipping beats when mixing and 'starting' the bar in the wrong place (usually by accident) is a good way to notice it as the beat turns round when the first tune drops out. Its something often exploited in techno and d+b as it creates a disorientating effect when the beats come back in after a breakdown.

Its a surprisingly easy effect to generate when producing as well, just start all your bars with a snare!

It happened to me just then when I put on a mix spread over several CDs.

that happens to me as im mixing cuing up the next tune and sometimes cant tell what part of the tune is the kick and the snare.

hehe yeah familiar effect when mixing, i tried to blend nasty habits' 'deep beats' with another techno-ish tune, erbanta told me that i missed the bar and i replyed instantly "no i didnt, its the techno influence in this track"

mine never makes the monitors but its something to do with instant switching between volumes and frequency ranges that must throw your ear off as far as i can figure. or too much loud music over the years has reeked havoc on the ol ears.


i remember having trouble with that nasty habit tune as well must be something with that similar beat structure haha

just start all your bars with a snare!

it can actually work when you're mixing techno - cue in a record on the offbeat and eq the kick in and out for a few bars, then cut it out, pull it back a beat and bring it back in on sequence and you can get some interesting kick roll effects if you use the right records

drum and bass - not so much

krust - 'brief encounters' () always throws me out if you listen unmixed from the very beginning...when that amazing pad finally comes in on the start of the bar, i always realise i've done it again and latched onto the groove a beat or 2 early.

find it happens easily with a lot of dnb/jungle that use that 2 step kind of 'early 2nd kick, late 2nd snare' rhythm, if you start listening at a random point. like it!

photek - ni ten ichi ryu always does the same thing to me, as does "aerosoul"