Nico - Induction of Sonic Distance: Difference between revisions

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Induction of Sonic Distance

Nico Daleman

The proliferation of audio technologies that digitally alter acoustic environments constitute an affront to the perception of sonic distance. Noise reduction algorithms induces a sonic distance, a parallel perception of reality, contingent to the biases imposed by the algorithm. Active Noise Canceling (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.

Cecile Malaspina proposes a reconceptualization of noise form 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. (Malaspina 2016, 154). As disturbance of transmission, noise is an act of violence and disruption manifested in interruption and disconnection (Attali 1979, 26). 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 (Hagood 2011, 574).

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 (Simondon 2020, 15). Listening as an exploratory activity is then a fundamental transductive act: a process of intuition and individuation that “discovers and generates the heard” (Voegelin 2010, 4).

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 its 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 (Hagood 2019, 22), 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 (cf. Hosokawa’s Walkman Effect, 1984), 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 distancoing between the listener and other sonic agent of the soundscape. 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.

References

Attali, Jacques. 1985. Noise: The Political Economy of Music, Translated by Brian Massumi. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Hagood, Mack. 2019 Hush: Media and sonic self-control. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

Hosokawa, Shuhei. 1984. “The Walkman Effect.” Popular Music 4: 165–80.

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.

Malaspina, Cécile. 2018. An Epistemology of Noise. London: Bloomsbury.

Simondon, Gilbert. 2020. Individuation in light of notions of form and information. Translated by Taylor Adkins. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Voegelin, Salomé. 2010. Listening to Noise and Silence. Towards a Philosophy of Sound Art. London: Continuum.

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-=== Comments ===
-'''[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.
-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.
-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.
-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.
-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.
-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.
-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.
-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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