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| | Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) headphones present an example of a sonic interface that isolates the user into a preestablished sonic profile. Nevertheless, their digital manipulation of sonic environments constitutes an affront to the perception of sonic distance. Noise reduction algorithms ''induce'' a sonic distance, a parallel perception of reality, contingent to the biases imposed by the algorithm. ANC headphones employ a miniature microphone to capture, process and reproduce surrounding soundscapes. The result comprises the “desired signal” (e.g. music, speech) and the environmental information in its negative (denoised) form. |
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| | Cécile Malaspina proposes a reconceptualization of noise from a quantitative measure of information in relation to noise to a qualitative measure of sound, where the first measures a relation of probability, while the latter considers an object of perception.<ref>Malaspina, Cécile. ''An Epistemology of Noise''. London: Bloomsbury, 2018. (154).</ref> As disturbance of transmission, noise is an act of violence and disruption manifested in interruption and disconnection.<ref>Attali, Jacques. ''Noise: The Political Economy of Music'', Translated by Brian Massumi. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1985. (26).</ref> As a perceptual phenomenon, noise is socially constructed and situated in hierarchies of race, class, age, and gender and is often coded as ''othered sound''.<ref>Hagood, Mack. "Quiet comfort: Noise, otherness, and the mobile production of personal space." ''American Quarterly'' 63.3 (2011, 574): 573-589.</ref> ANC headphones have the potential to reconfigure noise’s socially constructed demarcations as sensorial experiences. Yet, the compulsory modification of quotidian sounds that are perceived as noise becomes itself an act of violence and disruption. |
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| | In audio technology, noise manifests as unwanted signals generated within a system, which could appear by means of electromagnetic induction, a changing magnetic field generates an electrical current. Based on this principle, microphones and speakers transduce energy, from acoustic to electrical and vice versa. For Gilbert Simondon, induction is a unidirectional process that generates plausible realities derived from individual observations and totalizing generalizations and therefore cannot content with heterogeneity. Conversely, transduction provides the basis for an explorative form of thought which is not necessarily teleological or linear, and which allows for reconfigurations of new structures without loss or reduction.<ref>Simondon, Gilbert. ''Individuation in light of notions of form and information.'' Translated by Taylor Adkins. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2020. (15).</ref> Listening as an exploratory activity is then a fundamental transductive act: a process of intuition and individuation that “discovers and generates the heard.”<ref>Voegelin, Salomé. ''Listening to Noise and Silence. Towards a Philosophy of Sound Art.'' London: Continuum. 2010. (4).</ref> |
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| | The unidirectional inductive process takes place in the transformation of environmental sound into a re-production of a sonic generalization, implying a loss of information in the listening act. The acoustic outcome is pre-predetermined by the previous observations of the embedded algorithm, and it is therefore contaminated with the implicit biases of its inductive functioning. The creation of a new signal presented as a re-creation of virtual sonic environments invisibilizes not only the medium, but also the content itself, thus creating a perceptual absence<ref>Hagood, Mack. ''Hush: Media and sonic self-control.'' Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2019. (22). |
| | </ref> an an-aesthesia, a deaf trust in the algorithm’s definition of noise, which is not accessible by the subject’s perception''.'' |
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| | The transductive exploration of the listening act itself is violently removed from agency of the listener, interrupting a process of individuation by acoustically isolating and socially alienating the individual. Instead of negating its surroundings by passively masking it acoustic content<ref>Hosokawa, Shuhei. "The walkman effect." ''Popular music'' 4 (1984): 165-180. |
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| | </ref>, ANC induce sonic distance not despite their active awareness of its surroundings, but because of it. The strategies through which ANC headphones are marketed, position them in a social dynamic of ''othering'' through sonic distancing between the listener and othered profiles of the soundscape's sonic agents. The promise of soothing experience is only archived by the simultaneous imposition of algorithmic mediation, which replaces exploratory listening with synthetic experience, thus alienating the individual from its embodied sensorial experiences. |
| The current text examinates the concept of induction, both from a technical and a theoretical perspective. This inquiry stems from a personal interest in noise reduction algorithms– such as those found in Active Noise Canceling (ANC) headphones– and their increasing prevalence in our everyday lives. Unlike conventional headphones, noise-canceling algorithms employ a miniature microphone to capture ambient sound, which is then processed and “removed” from the desired signal. This requires a two-step process of transformation: first capturing an environment sound and converting it into digital data, and later reproducing the processed digital data into sound. The resulting signal comprises the “desired signal” (e.g. music, speech) and the environmental information in its inverse negative “denoised” form.
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| The central argument of this project is that by artificially ''reducing'' acoustic noise and cleansing sonic environments, ANC algorithms are ''inducing'' a different kind of noise into our perception of reality, manifested in a parallel sonic reality, a sonic distance, which, although sensible, is contingent to the biases imposed by the algorithm. In order to develop this argument, it is necessary to introduce a few (re)definitions.
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| First, noise refers to a broader categorization that goes beyond the acoustic and the informational and encompasses social and cultural dimensions. Cécile Malaspina differentiates between noise as a qualitative measure of sound and a quantitative measure of information in relation to noise, where the first measures noise as an object of perception, the latter measures a relation of probability. (Malaspina 2016, 154). As a perceptual phenomenon, noise is always culturally and historically contingent, as Mark Hagood notes: “Noise is ''othered'' sound, and like any type of othering, the perception of noise is socially constructed and situated in hierarchies of race, class, age, and gender.” (Hagood 2011, 574). Consequently, noise-cancelling algorithms have the potential to reconfigure our sensory experience of noise’s socially constructed demarcations. For Jacques Attali, noise is an act of violence, disruption and disconnection, an interruption of a transmission (Attali 1979, 26). Within ANC algorithms, the violence and disruption is found in the compulsory modification of the inherent environmental sounds of our everyday life (crowds, traffic, soundscapes, etc), which might or might not be ''perceived'' as noise.
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| Second, induction is considered within the context of Gilbert Simondon’s theories of individuation. This in contrast to a more technical definition, of electromagnetic induction, which nevertheless also relates to technical functionality of audio technologies such as speakers and microphones. Technically, induction refers to an electromagnetic phenomenon in which a changing magnetic field generates an electrical current. This form of induction is also the underlying principle through which unwanted signals (i.e. noise, disturbance) are generated into an electromagnetic system (c.f. electromagnetic interference). Conversely, Simondon considers induction within his philosophical theories of individuation, a process which is afforded by a transductive method (Simondon 2020). For Simondon, induction is a unidirectional process: it generates plausible realities for individual observations and cannot content with heterogeneity. In ANC, the unidirectional inductive process is exemplified by the transformation of environmental sound into a simulacrum of reality. The outcome of this process is pre-predetermined by the algorithms’ embedded observations and presented afterwards as a virtual reality.
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| The inductive algorithms that process the noisy environment introduces noise into the resultant reproduced listening signal, by negating the processes of ''transduction,'' defined by Simondon as “a physical, biological, mental, or social operation through which an activity propagates incrementally within a domain.” (Simondon 2020, 13). Transduction provides the basis for an explorative thought which is not necessarily teleological or linear, and which allows for reconfigurations of new structures without loss or reduction (Simondon 2020, 15). In Simondon’s words: “the veritable limit of induction is plurality in its simplest and most difficult form to cross: heterogeneity. As soon as inductive thought is faced with this heterogeneity that it must resort to transductive thought.”(Simondon 2005, 127)
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| Finally, the induction of sonic distance the refers to a form of alienation, and the imposition of an inductive sonic reality, which is already determined by technology, and is one that carries over the implicit biases of its teleological functioning. Withing this framework, listening could be considered as a fundamental transductive act: not in the actual transformation of from acoustic energy to electric neuronal signals, but also a process of individuation. If listening as a transductive process is understood as cognitive labor, noise canceling algorithms reduce this process to an inductive one, where validating the algorithm’s mechanism of signal processing becomes the objective. Like so, this kind of inductive listening removes the agency of the listener and alienates the subject from the product of its own labor, i.e. the transductive exploration of the listening act itself, interrupting the process of individuation by generating acoustically isolating and socially alienating the individual.
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| Mark Hagood considers noise canceling technologies as mechanisms through which personhood is created and reinforced, enclosing the self and protecting it from the increasing sources of environmental noise (Hagood 2019). Hagood also differentiates between traditional narrative media that entertain or inform, and current forms of media that not only try to make the medium invisible, but also try to invisibilize the content itself creating a perceptual absence. (Hagood 2019, 22) Concretely, the signal processing of environmental sounds as an act of content creation through re-synthesis is deemed to be invisible.
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| Ultimately this noise is induced by the complex dynamics of the creation of the sonic distance through isolation and alienation and its invisibilization and naturalization, as a re-representation of reality of which the used is not actively aware. Listening as a transductive process of intuition, discovery and becoming, affords an exploration which “discovers and generates the heard” (Voegelin 2010, 4). This conflicts with the inductive method imposed by ANC, which implies a loss of information: there is a deaf trust in the algorithm’s consideration of noise, which is not accessible by the subject’s perception.
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| ANC algorithms are distinguished by their active awareness of its surroundings and the digital transformation that make possible its re/synthesis and actualization of a parallel reality to create a virtual personal sonic space. Instead of by negating its surroundings by reemploying its acoustic content as with headphones for media reproduction (Hosokawa, 1984), the listening process the process of transduction and individuation is relegated to the algorithm’s contingent biases. The promise an expreienece of individual calm, is only archived by the simultaneous violenent and disrruptive imposition predetermined biases of algorithmic mediation. i.e. the induction of noise. By replacing exploratory listening with synthetic experience, this induced sonic distance not only alters our relationship with our surrounding soundscapes, but also induces “noise” in the form of alientaion of our senses.
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| === References ===
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| '''Attali, Jacques'''. 1985. ''Noise: The Political Economy of Music'', Translated by Brian Massumi. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
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| '''Hagood, Mack.''' 2019 ''Hush: Media and sonic self-control.'' Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
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| '''Hosokawa, Shuhei.''' 1984. “The Walkman Effect.” ''Popular Music'' 4: 165–80.
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| '''Klett, Joseph.''' 2016. “Baffled by an Algorithm.” In ''Algorithmic Cultures: Essays on Meaning, Performance and New Technologies''. Edited by R. Seyfert and J. Robberge. New York: Routledge.
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| '''Malaspina, Cécile.''' 2018. ''An Epistemology of Noise.'' London: Bloomsbury.
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| '''Simondon, Gilbert.''' 2020. ''Individuation in light of notions of form and information.'' Translated by Taylor Adkins. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
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| '''Voegelin, Salomé.''' 2010. ''Listening to Noise and Silence. Towards a Philosophy of Sound Art.'' London: Continuum.
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| === Comments ===
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| '''[Ruben]''' It's a very nice framework that you develop here. I've always been intrigued by Simondon's induction and transduction and it's nice to see them applied here. If anything, as a reader, the first part of your text left me wondering whether you already intend this section as point of technology critique or whether you merely want to (re)define the aims of ANC in terms of your conceptual framework. For, it seems to me that "listening ... as cognitive labor" and "generating acoustically isolating and socially alienating the individual" are often precisely the aims and claims of ANC products -- i.e. to isolate oneself at work by instituting a sonic cubical.
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| As a possible way to expand, I'd be curious to hear more about the difference between ANC and playing music, or brown/white/purple noise on your headphones as a means to isolate oneself? Is there a particular characteristic that is different from locking oneself out with ANC than what these forms of noise also do?
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| Moreover, your text made me think of "I'm Sitting in a Room" by Alvin Lucier. It would be great to hear the ANC edition. For example, I can imagine different brands/tech have a different effect on the audio, as they have different filters for what counts as noise. Such a media take would not see them as pristine filters, but exploit their glitches/failures as a means to explore their normative effect.
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| '''[Megan]''' I thoroughly enjoyed reading your text—it's both well-written and exceptionally clear! I was particularly impressed by how you balanced such denseness with clarity (a hard tightrope to walk). Your exploration of ‘noise’—its absence, its relationship to signal-to-noise, and its connection to ‘ambience as distance’—is both intriguing and original. Given the brevity of the piece (1000 words), I understand that some details and descriptions had to be omitted. However, I wonder how you conceptualize and historicize this notion of "ambience." Including a definition or a citation related to your use of this term could add depth and context to your theory.
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| I also found your reflections on the ‘everydayness’ of ANC particularly compelling. They brought to mind Henri Lefebvre’s rhythmanalysis and Deleuze and Guattari’s discussions of rhythm. Both explore the monotony, urban hum, and constancy embedded in everyday experiences. Are these frameworks part of your consideration? If not, they might offer useful parallels to expand on this theme.
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| Regarding your discussion of ‘noise as othered sound’ and the violence inherent in its reconfiguration within the ‘(hereto)normative’ soundscape, I feel this concept could benefit from more explicit articulation. Specifically, the connection to ‘probability’ is somewhat underdeveloped at present. With that being said, your phrasing of ‘pre-predetermined’ is very clever and shows promise in helping to encapsulate this complexity. Clarifying this could strengthen your engagement with Simondon’s notions of transduction and individuation—a section I found particularly informative and thought-provoking.
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| On a related note, I would suggest adding citations for terms like ‘simulacrum’ (for readers who may not be familiar) and ‘alienation.’ For the latter, references to thinkers like Max Weber or Yuk Hui could be helpful. These additions could ensure accessibility while encouraging readers to explore these ideas further. Your linkage of ‘alienation’ to noise is highly promising, and I would encourage a deeper exploration of this connection.
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| Finally, I noticed a potential tension in your framing of Simondon’s induction as a ‘unidirectional process’ generating ‘plausible realities’ of non-heterogeneity. You contrast this with the ANC algorithm’s creation of ‘non-noise’—a pre-predetermined and virtual reality—arguing that it induces a heteronormative and fixed sound environment. This raises intriguing questions about how induction and the virtual relate to the infinite potential of non-heterogeneous realities. Untangling this tension could yield rich theoretical insights and further enhance your argument.
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| Overall, your examination of induction and reduction, signal and noise, and the reframing of sonic desire is fascinating. I especially appreciate how you categorize the ‘absence of sound’ as an emergent concept shaped by the recognition of undesired sounds and their transformation into ‘new sound.’ This reminded me of Gordon Pask’s [https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=5e6627303ab2162a1f98dfb9bcf311d458a19eee 'To Evolve an Ear'] experiment, where electrochemical devices with emergent sensory capabilities were used to distinguish between environmental stimuli.
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| P.S. Although not directly related to your text, I highly recommend [https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517907693/hungry-listening/ 'Hungry Listening'] by Dylan Robinson. Robinson critiques the (colonial) archivist’s insatiable desire to collect more sounds (‘hungry listening’) and advocates for ‘non-listening’ as an act of radical respect and solidarity with Indigenous communities. While it takes an inverse approach, I think its themes resonate with your exploration of sonic frameworks and could inspire further insights.
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| Thank you for sharing your work—it was a pleasure to read, and I look forward to seeing how these ideas develop!
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| [[Category:emd]] | | [[Category:emd]] |
Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) headphones present an example of a sonic interface that isolates the user into a preestablished sonic profile. Nevertheless, their digital manipulation of sonic environments constitutes an affront to the perception of sonic distance. Noise reduction algorithms induce a sonic distance, a parallel perception of reality, contingent to the biases imposed by the algorithm. ANC headphones employ a miniature microphone to capture, process and reproduce surrounding soundscapes. The result comprises the “desired signal” (e.g. music, speech) and the environmental information in its negative (denoised) form.
Cécile Malaspina proposes a reconceptualization of noise from a quantitative measure of information in relation to noise to a qualitative measure of sound, where the first measures a relation of probability, while the latter considers an object of perception.[1] As disturbance of transmission, noise is an act of violence and disruption manifested in interruption and disconnection.[2] As a perceptual phenomenon, noise is socially constructed and situated in hierarchies of race, class, age, and gender and is often coded as othered sound.[3] ANC headphones have the potential to reconfigure noise’s socially constructed demarcations as sensorial experiences. Yet, the compulsory modification of quotidian sounds that are perceived as noise becomes itself an act of violence and disruption.
In audio technology, noise manifests as unwanted signals generated within a system, which could appear by means of electromagnetic induction, a changing magnetic field generates an electrical current. Based on this principle, microphones and speakers transduce energy, from acoustic to electrical and vice versa. For Gilbert Simondon, induction is a unidirectional process that generates plausible realities derived from individual observations and totalizing generalizations and therefore cannot content with heterogeneity. Conversely, transduction provides the basis for an explorative form of thought which is not necessarily teleological or linear, and which allows for reconfigurations of new structures without loss or reduction.[4] Listening as an exploratory activity is then a fundamental transductive act: a process of intuition and individuation that “discovers and generates the heard.”[5]
The unidirectional inductive process takes place in the transformation of environmental sound into a re-production of a sonic generalization, implying a loss of information in the listening act. The acoustic outcome is pre-predetermined by the previous observations of the embedded algorithm, and it is therefore contaminated with the implicit biases of its inductive functioning. The creation of a new signal presented as a re-creation of virtual sonic environments invisibilizes not only the medium, but also the content itself, thus creating a perceptual absence[6] an an-aesthesia, a deaf trust in the algorithm’s definition of noise, which is not accessible by the subject’s perception.
The transductive exploration of the listening act itself is violently removed from agency of the listener, interrupting a process of individuation by acoustically isolating and socially alienating the individual. Instead of negating its surroundings by passively masking it acoustic content[7], ANC induce sonic distance not despite their active awareness of its surroundings, but because of it. The strategies through which ANC headphones are marketed, position them in a social dynamic of othering through sonic distancing between the listener and othered profiles of the soundscape's sonic agents. The promise of soothing experience is only archived by the simultaneous imposition of algorithmic mediation, which replaces exploratory listening with synthetic experience, thus alienating the individual from its embodied sensorial experiences.
- ↑ Malaspina, Cécile. An Epistemology of Noise. London: Bloomsbury, 2018. (154).
- ↑ Attali, Jacques. Noise: The Political Economy of Music, Translated by Brian Massumi. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1985. (26).
- ↑ Hagood, Mack. "Quiet comfort: Noise, otherness, and the mobile production of personal space." American Quarterly 63.3 (2011, 574): 573-589.
- ↑ Simondon, Gilbert. Individuation in light of notions of form and information. Translated by Taylor Adkins. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2020. (15).
- ↑ Voegelin, Salomé. Listening to Noise and Silence. Towards a Philosophy of Sound Art. London: Continuum. 2010. (4).
- ↑ Hagood, Mack. Hush: Media and sonic self-control. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2019. (22).
- ↑ Hosokawa, Shuhei. "The walkman effect." Popular music 4 (1984): 165-180.
