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Homemade Subliminal CDs

Posted by michael on Thu Apr 01, 2004 10:14 AM
from the real-submissions-unedited dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Hello Slashdotters, I am totally stumped on how to do this. I would like to create custom subliminal CDs for my own use. I don't trust the CDs for sale in the stores, after all, who regulates that industry and ensures there actually is a message on them, and if so, what is the message? I would like to create positive motivational CDs, or even recite text from study guides/trivia, you name it, and lay it underneath tracks from a custom CD of my favorite bands. What is the best software to use to create such a beast on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems? And conversely, has anyone used any of the music software on these platforms to actually analyze the contents of commercial subliminal CDs? Any advice would be of use...thanks!"
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  • Subliminal Messaging (Score:5, Interesting)

    by dolo666 (195584) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:14AM (#8736640) Journal
    Apparently, subliminal messages have little effect [snopes.com]. Maybe you're just looking for the placebo [wikipedia.org] effect, in which case it likely doesn't matter *how* you record your subliminal tape, just as long as *you* beleive!
    • by Dun Malg (230075) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:23AM (#8736757) Homepage
      Here's [rapidnet.com] something explaining that the notion of subliminal anything is hogwash. April 1st or not, slashdot should remain a place of learning...

      OK, I couldn't say that without laughing either

      • Yes. What works better is superliminal messaging. On my website [dasmegabyte.org] I sell a series of superliminal CDs that will help you lose weight fast. Here's a sample from the transcript:

        [soothing new age music plays]
        [Das speaks] Welcome to the superliminal weight loss tape. I will provide you with the gentle encouragement you need to lose weight and be a better you. Are you ready? Sit someplace comfortable, close your eyes, and turn up your headphones. We're ready to begin.
        [Das screams] HEY FATTY! GOD YOU ARE FAT! SMALLER PEOPLE ORBIT YOU! EAT LESS FOOD YOU FAT FUCK!

        Etcetera. We also have a tape that will make YOU less wishy washy and indecisive and more attractive to girls.
        • I had a great business plan to sell superluminal CD's to help people lose weight, but since the customers would lose weight before buying the CD's, they wouldn't bother to order in the first place.

          I'm afraid if I go through with it, the causality paradox might cause the universe to explode.

        • And on that note, let me point out that what this guy wants isn't exactly best described by "subliminal messages". I think he meant "self-suggestion messages". The difference is that you don't have to be tricked by it. You know it's there, you want it to work, you just let it slip out of your immediate attention, and that's where it makes its effect.

          As for the technical means, you just have to record a message and simply mix it with audio tracks. For best results: the message should be spoken by the perso

    • by sketerpot (454020) <sketerpot&gmail,com> on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:27AM (#8736795)
      Don't tell him that! You may ruin the placebo effect!
    • by wass (72082) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:37AM (#8736903)
      I actually did a research project back in high school (1992) where I made up a bunch of fake vocabulary words and flashed them on the computer screen for varying durations. While at the longest durations the flashing was somewhat noticeable, it was still too quick to read the words.

      I told the students they were being tested on the ability of typing in words to help them remember their meanings. Meanwhile other words and definitions were being flashed on the screen. At the end of the session (10-15 mins i think) they were given a test with both sets of words, and only the subliminal words were counted.

      I tested 3 varying durations of the messages, and one of the durations actually had noticeable score above the statistical average for guessing. I was getting psyched. Then I realized I needed a control group too, where I didn't flash anything on the screen. It turned out the control group got nearly the same score as that one above-average group.

      I did statistical ANOVA analysis, and basically there was no significant correlation between the group scores and the flashing duration.

      It was still a fun project to do. And I got to present the project at the Monmouth Junior Science Symposium [monmouth.edu] too, which ironically happens to be running today and tomorrow.

      • by Jerf (17166)
        I actually did a research project back in high school (1992) where I made up a bunch of fake vocabulary words and flashed them on the computer screen for varying durations. While at the longest durations the flashing was somewhat noticeable, it was still too quick to read the words.

        You can't flash words any faster then the computer screen updates. Back in the Commodore 64 days, I was able to read up to 10-digit sequences, no matter how "quickly" you flashed the digits, because the television works on a 24
          • Bunk. Most people don't even see the 1/24th second flash unless they've practiced at it.

            I don't know about that... In the movie "Fight Club" I found out what those "cigarette burns" (to use fight club's words) mean... I had noticed them long before.

            And, although it would be flattering to think of myself as "quick", my reflexes are pretty normal... I remember mentioning them to several of my friends and they saw them too.

            Although I will admit that I play a lot of FPS's, so maybe I have "trained" mysel
      • > Ya, thats what the subliminal Massages want you to think!

        Where can I find a subliminal masseuse?
        • by cluke (30394) on Thursday April 01 2004, @11:26AM (#8737579)
          > Where can I find a subliminal masseuse?

          One is giving a subliminal massage right now.. but don't realise it!!

          I guess this is a good point as any to insert my probably untrue friend-of-a-friend story. This guy went to Thailand and went to a massage parlour. Anyway, he got this great sensual massage and at the end he's pretty excited, and the woman notices and says to him "you want masturbate?"
          So, he eagerly agrees, and she disappears for a while. He thinks she's getting ready, washing her hands or something, so he waits. And waits. And waits.
          Eventually she sticks her head back round the door and says "You finish yet?"
  • by grub (11606) <slashdot@grub.net> on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:14AM (#8736645) Homepage Journal

    I don't trust the CDs for sale in the stores, after all, who regulates that industry and ensures there actually is a message on them, and if so, what is the message

    April 1, 2004: Aluminium foil sells record amounts worldwide. History will refer to it as "The Slashdot-Bauxite Phenomena" which seems to predominately strike teen->30ish single male geeks.
      • by Psmylie (169236) on Thursday April 01 2004, @11:26AM (#8737575) Homepage
        "It must be tin! Aluminum is powerless!"

        This is not true. Many of the government's newer brain-scanning and subliminal suggestion waves are designed to have an impact through traditional tin foil. Aluminum foil, while not as effective overall, is quite effective against these newer control beams.
        The proper foil hat to prevent mind control and reading is comprised of two layers, one of aluminum and one of tin foil. Just be sure to press the two sheets together very tightly, as there is some evidence that a control beam getting through the first layer might be reflected back by the second, causing a resonance that can build up in the gap between the layers. This resonance can cause massive headaches and occasional head-explody.
  • I don't trust the CDs for sale in the stores, after all, who regulates that industry and ensures there actually is a message on them, and if so, what is the message?

    You have nothing to worry about, because subliminal advertising is not effective. [snopes.com]

    • Yes, but conditioned responses and visual association aren't hokum.

      When you are driving down the road and you see the big golden M, do you suddenly get hungry?

      When asked for a beverage do you ask for a "Coke" or a "Pepsi" or a "Sprite"? (For giggles I ask for a cola, around my parts people look at me funny.)

      When you are buying something at the store, and are presented with 3 options, do you automatically assume the most expensive is the best?

      When you need to blow your nose, do you ask for a "Kleenex?"

        • Subliminal == bullshit in any context.

          Anyone in the UK see the program where someone (Derren Brown?) asked a load of advertising people to design a logo and a catchphrase? They made pretty much the exact one that he had put in an envelope before they started. And how? He got the taxi that they came to the office in to drive a certain route, and he planted certain things, logos, words, and images along the way. It all goes in. Everything that you experience is in your subconscious somewhere - that's why you can get it back out under hypnosis. Anyway, back to my circular-breathing Zen chanting back-slapping.

          • "Anyone in the UK see the program where someone (Derren Brown?) asked a load of advertising people to design a logo and a catchphrase? They made pretty much the exact one that he had put in an envelope before they started.

            Derren Brown is a magician. This is a magician's trick. I've seen it done at least a dozen times, by a dozen different people. It has nothing to do with subliminal messages!

            "Everything that you experience is in your subconscious somewhere - that's why you can get it back out under h

  • Next Head Line - I would like to package my own Breakfast cerial. I am worried that the US Goverment is trying to draft me to war with my sugar smacks!
  • by Doesn't_Comment_Code (692510) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:17AM (#8736682)

    I would like to create custom subliminal CDs for my own use.

    Anybody else creeped out?
    • Yes, those RIAA employees are creepy!

      I wonder if this one is really going to use them for personal reasons though... Sounds to me like it's just the next logical step in their War against Piracy.
  • Subliminal messages? (Score:5, Informative)

    by lavalyn (649886) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:17AM (#8736683) Homepage Journal
    ... You will get naked and horny ... ... You want sex now ... ... vi is superior to emacs ...

    Okay, seriously. You want Audacity. It's multi-track sound-editing software, so you can prepare your subliminal messages and just add them into another waveform. Then you save the results.
  • So far none of them have been remotely amusing and neither is this one. Surely someone can come up with something better than this, you have a
    whole year to prepare after all!
    • by bluGill (862) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:50AM (#8737073)

      Remember last year when every story (almost twice the normal amount it seemed like) was obviously completely false? I have to say that the stories this year a much better. Likely false, but there is enough behind them that they could be true. Slashdot is doing a much better job this year, I'm enjoying the stories.

    • because otherwise you're just lame. Anyway, I did a variation of this joke [snopes.com] on my users. Here is the email I sent out yesterday 15 minutes before leaving:

      Tomorrow night our network and phone system will be "cleaned". This will be done by forcing air through the wiring to blow out any debris that may be blocking the system from functioning correctly. Please help us out by brining in a small plastic sandwich bag in the morning. These bags will be placed over your headsets to prevent the dust and debris

  • Just spped it up (Score:5, Interesting)

    by MajorDick (735308) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:18AM (#8736691)
    Tests have shown subliminal messages in audio are for the most part useless, HOWEVER if you increase the speed you retention goes up significantly. Years ago there was a tape recorder (does anyone remeber who sold these they sold the Bone Phone also, Demco or something like that) My dad gfot one and swore like hell it worked, several studies I have read since seem to confirm this.
  • BS (Score:5, Funny)

    by FortKnox (169099) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:18AM (#8736692) Homepage Journal
    You don't want to make subliminal positive motivation CDs... you want to make subliminal CDs convincing hot chicks to sleep with you!

    Umm... hey hottie... nice iPod... here, listen to THIS mp3 I have...
  • by BigFlirt (632867) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:18AM (#8736693) Homepage Journal
    I think the best (send me money) way to make some custom (send me money) subliminal CDs would be to (send me money) go to your local record shop and (send me money) ask around for help. I know that I've bought some CDs (with your money) that really motivated me to learn (how to send subliminal messages) material for school and I got those by (send me money) just asking around
  • Dear God (Score:2, Insightful)

    Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. April 1st again. I'm going to go and cower under the covers until tomorrow...
  • by k3v0 (592611) <k3v0@@@k3v0...net> on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:20AM (#8736711) Homepage Journal
    Wired [wired.com] has this article describing the hidden pictures on the Windowlicker EP.
  • Why worry? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Bull999999 (652264) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:21AM (#8736726) Journal
    Why worry about subliminal message on store bought CDs? I'm pretty sure a caring and well respected RIAA would never do anything other can put the artists' and customers' best interests. In fact, I welcome our new RIAA overlords... That reminds me, I need to go to the store and buy high quility CD's full of equally high quility songs (without any fillers) endorsed by high quility RIAA directors.
  • by shiafu (220820) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:22AM (#8736741)
    As we all know from the Simpsons, the Navy is quite skilled in this art:

    Lisa: But you have recruiting ads on TV. Why do you need subliminal messages?

    Smash: It's a three-pronged attack. Subliminal, liminal, and superliminal.

    Lisa: Superliminal?

    Smash: I'll show you. [opens the window, and shouts at Lenny and Carl, who are standing on the corner] Hey, you! Join the Navy!

    Carl: Uh, yeah, all right.

    Lenny: I'm in.

  • by Feathers McGraw (180980) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:22AM (#8736748)
    Kevin Nealon has already patented this technology. Fortunately, the licensing fees are really quite reasonable .
  • Begone! (Score:3, Funny)

    by CharAznable (702598) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:22AM (#8736749)
    Subliminal messages are the work of Satanists and Commie Pinko bastards trying to corrupt America's Christian youth!
    Once I learned the TRUTH I BURNED all my Pat Boone and Mandy Moore CD's! MUSIC IS EVIL!
    Stop what thou are doing now unless you want to Burn in a Lake of Fire!!!!
  • Simple. (Score:5, Funny)

    by American AC in Paris (230456) * on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:25AM (#8736773) Homepage
    1. Record thirty minutes' worth of an industrial-strength air conditioning unit from five feet away. Use a unidirectional microphone.
    2. Purchase/download a copy of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". Chop it up into ten-second segments, chain them together starting with the last and ending with the first, and reverse the entire file.
    3. Overlay the two audio loops and decrease their speed by a factor of eight. This should leave you with a low-pitched rumble.
    4. Loop this clip so that it will fill an entire CD to the last bit.
    5. IMPORTANT:Toggle every bit that corresponds with a number in the Fibonacci sequence (i.e. if the fifth bit on the track is a '1', make it a '0'.)
    6. Burn this track to a CD.
    7. Get ready for bed.
    8. Put on a pair of headphones (use a noise-cancelling pair with gold-plated cables for best effect) and start playing the CD.
    9. EXACTLY TEN SECONDS into the track, think very hard about the subliminal message you want to convey to yourself.
    10. Fall asleep.

    Behold, the power of suggestion.

  • Multitrack editor (Score:4, Interesting)

    by SavoWood (650474) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:31AM (#8736842) Homepage
    Basically all you need is a simple multitrack editor. If you want the information to be subliminal, you'd mix it to the point where you just can't hear it. That would mean, push up the (virtual) fader until you can just barely hear it at all, then come back a "notch" to where you don't hear it.

    DO NOT make it an mp3/aac/ogg or any other compressed format as that will drop the "unheard" information from the file. That would defeat the purpose. You need to save the file as aiff or any other PCM format.

    Studies on whether or not this actually works are inconclusive. It may depend on your receptiveness to the method. Good luck.
  • by flinxmeister (601654) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:34AM (#8736875) Homepage
    Great things can be achieved
    if you use subliminal tools that are proven to be
    very effective by people with the
    experience in the areas of consciousness,
    memory and mental capacity. If you just believe
    every quack out there there's no telling the
    mess you can get into. So don't trust every
    offer by every amateur with a web page.
    Nobody will tell you the bad results. In fact,
    everyone will say they have good results.
    You need to do your research well.
  • by lorcha (464930) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:40AM (#8736936)
    What is the best software to use to create such a beast on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems?
    Translation: I'm going to do this on Windows, but if I don't mention OSX and/or Linux, I'll never get this story posted.
  • by ch-chuck (9622) on Thursday April 01 2004, @10:43AM (#8736971) Homepage
    We had some of those on cassette tape and one time I played it 'fast fwd' on a cheap player, basically you hold the play button down part way where it doesn't fully latch, and the hub would pull the tape past the head real fast w/o the capstan regulating the tape speed. Anyway, we could definitely hear a voice in there then, like a faint chipmonk type speech.

    Subliminal messaging definitely does work, but maybe not in this format of sub-audible talk under a soundtrack. It's used all the time in visual print advertising.

    To answer the question: just record a message track, mix it in with your music track and adjust the volumn so it can't be consciously heard. Use cooledit. A five yo child could do it.

  • by neildiamond (610251) on Thursday April 01 2004, @11:04AM (#8737275) Homepage
    Cool Edit Pro/Adobe Audition actually has a feature for this type of thing. You can make biofeedback type of things with it.
  • Use Cool Edit! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 01 2004, @01:40PM (#8739351)
    your looking for "binural beats". google it..

    This is a real way of influencing your state of mind, not necessarily exact content, but being able to train your brain's rhythms (alpha, beta, theta) at a certain frequency where the effect your meditation or excitement is most useable.

    Not bullshit: Take two tones, one at 700 hz, the other 705 hz, and play them in stereo headphones, left/right configuration. What you perceive is the classic 'beat note' you might hear while say, tuning a guitar. This beat note is a FIVE hz tone (the difference), which under normal circumstances is waaay to low to hear. What ends up happening (this has been studied) is that your brain unconsciously begins to train itself at the frequency of that note you 'hear'. so if you want meditational frequencies (theta: 1-3 hz?) you set it to that and then put those tones behind some listening material. You can also do something like change the tone from a 3 hz seperation up to a 17 hz one over the course of 15 miunutes --- listening to this can 'move'' your state of awareness from a deep mediation to a state of extreme awareness. or vice versa, if you just got off of work and want to relax. anyway, all this talk of subliminal messages; this is the real thing.

    njoy.
  • Mini-mini-HOWTO (Score:3, Interesting)

    by code_monkey_steve (651206) on Thursday April 01 2004, @01:59PM (#8739614)
    O.k., I know it's April 1, but I could use the karma. ;)

    A few years back I ran across patent #5,159,703 [uspto.gov], which claims a method for subliminal audio. The jist of the method is to frequency- or amplitude-modulate the "message" with a carrier wave sufficiently higher than the range of hearing (for me, about 16KHz, YMMV). You then mix this with the music track.

    CDDA supports up to 22KHz, and most speakers/headphones claim a frequency response up to 20KHz, so this gives about 4KHz of bandwidth for the message, which is roughly the same bandwidth as voice telephony.

    I never got around to actually seeing if it actually worked (just because it's patented, doesn't mean it's valid), but you're welcome to try ...

  • Subliminal... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by malachid69 (306291) on Thursday April 01 2004, @04:43PM (#8741478) Homepage
    Ok, let's ignore the question of whether they work or not and actually answer the question that was asked.

    Subliminal messages are in the range above conscious hearing. This is generally agreed to be 20KHz. Therefore, you would take the spoken portion, and boost it by 20KHz, then add in the music at the normal frequencies.

    Now, the real trick here isn't how you record it, but how you play it back. If your audio goes up to say, 25KHz -- you better make sure your speakers/headphones go that high, or it will be a completely useless excersize.

    Now, depending on what you are trying to achieve, you might try something else instead. Look into doing binaural audio beats. They are very simple to produce (20 lines of Java, for example). To work correctly, they would require headphones and for best results you do NOT mix it with any other sounds.

    The goal behind the binaural audio beats is to cause your brain to resonate at the same frequency as the sounds, thus putting you in a different mental state (alpha, beta, theta, etc) which could result in a hypnogogic state (between sleep and awake) which might help achieve whatever results you are looking for.