How Loud Can Sound Physically Get? 

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One thing that really struck me about this video is what an amazing job you did recording your voice so that it sounds consistent in different environments. The first few scenes were quite jarring as I was trying to figure out if you'd recorded your voice indoors and were miming outdoors, but then decided that was silly. Super interesting video - thanks for making it.

In some dreams (or actually more dream-like experiences like sleep paralysis and DMT trips) I've heard some incredibly loud sounds, it felt like somebody was tearing the world apart. Somewhat terrifying when it happened, but also wonderful to be able to experience such extreme sounds without destroying your ears :D

The “loud distorted voice with noise” vs “soft voice with no bg noise” bit was really cool. Great video!

Man, the sound science content on this channel is always so fascinating and super interesting, amazing as always Benn

Stumbled across this channel, now I'm glad I get to watch all your other videos!

Just found this…. And subscribed. Probably less interested in “synth stuff” but the deep dive into science was so done much better than most media outlets…. You handle technical issues without dumbing them down OR getting boring… pretty rare… keep it up!

Thank you for taking the time to do this video, Benn!

My favorite sound factoid has to do with rocket launches. The pads at Cape Canaveral have these MASSIVE water pump systems on them that flood the launch pad with thousands of tons of water as a rocket takes off. Not because the heat from the exhaust of the rocket might melt the concrete, but because the "sound" is so loud that it would actually liquefy the concrete just from sheer pressure waves if there wasn't that much water present.

I’ve never seen this channel before. YT just decided to recommend it to me today. I was quite impressed with the combination of quality, scientific skepticism, and clear explanations… right up until about 11:15. Then there was a duck and all of a sudden, I’d somehow hit the subscribe button without realising that I was doing it. I’m not even mad.

You have some of the best science videos out there. Really excellent content. Thank you for taking the time to explain these things.

I got into audio as many of us do, through music. But stuff like this is what keeps me interested. It’s so endlessly fascinating, and I could (and do) get stuck in the scientific minutia for hours. Great video, Benn!

"Whever try to I break free from the pro audio or synth stuff[...]" it is always freaking amazing! Please keep doing these great videos! But also make sure not to die out on sea.

I studied audio engineering for 2 years in college, but we never went into the physics deeper than enough to know how a microphone works. This was really fascinating!

Love this video. Always love watching informative videos that broaden perspective on subjects taken for granted like sound.

Hey Ben this was super cool and I love that you have almost hyper-fixated on such an overlooked aspect of life and the world around us. I wish I understood the physics associated with some of these principles in greater detail.

Just casually holding a duck 😅 Amazing video, Benn! Thank you for an entertaining and well informed video!

clarification I thought would be helpful: "decibels" is a generic magnitude term, the typical implication and I think the one benn meant through most of the video was decibels of sounds pressure level, dB SPL. sound pressure level is a formally defined measurement of pressure amplitude. another you see a lot is decibels full scale, dB FS - that's what's in your DAW; 0 means "maximum displacement" in that context.

This has been one of the more fascinating video's I've watched in a while. Thank you so much.

That was an awesome video man and super interesting topic, thank you!

This is the first time I have seen any of your videos and I am mesmerised. I was raised like this. My father was a math and physics teacher, so he always explained the simplest things in a way that after the answer we were even more confused, but still we thought, he is omniscient. Subscribed.

Please please please, do more science stuff, it's fascinating and you explain things really clearly!

Very cool video!!! Awesome explanations !! Loved it!!

I love this type of video. The science behind audio is just as interesting to me making music. Keep up the good work

7:24 - 7:49 is quite an experience. Always love watching your science vids!!

The duck at the end made my day ❤ I absolutely love these type of videos, ever since you made the video on sonic weapons, I've been hooked on these topics and your brand of presentation. Hope there'll be more in the future!

I just found this video. And I have to say, I absolutely LOVE how creative you are with your videos. Earned my sub instantly!

My first benn jordan video and it was pretty awesome! Love the mix of down-to-earth and science, and of COURSE I loved the duck.

So, on Earth, with typical means of sound propagation, there's definitely a limit to how loud things can be, but, I mean, if you try hard enough you can always cram more air molecules into a finite amount of space... until it becomes a black hole.

Benn is an extraordinary person. I've been trying to be more productive and learn new things and pursue new goals but when I look at Benn it seems like he's accrued 80 years of knowledge. The dude makes incredible music, makes incredibly well produced videos, built his own studio, writes his own programs, knows a butt-load of science, and travels the world. I find myself wondering how a person can be so intensely focused and productive and what I can do to be a fraction of that.

Great info Benn!!

11:20 that was a weapon swap!

As a sound engineer appreciate your efforts mate, before answering the question explaining the basics of sound to make every person to understand who ended up seeing this video by accident. Only few youtube channel can be recommended to childrens to gain knowledge in simple terms and you nailed by doing it 👏👏👌👍

This video just popped up in my recommended list and is the first time I have come across this channel. Superb explanation with an intriguing blend of philosophy, science, and history that could easily have been twice as long and gone into more depth. I especially appreciated the emphasis on how our perceptions are only approximately connected to reality. You have a new subscriber!

First video of yours that I've seen. Loved it. Great stuff man

Great video! Thank you very much. I have always been confused about decibels and now I realize that decimals are extremely complicated and very, very confusing. Made me feel much better!

The two loudest sounds I've heard were the Concorde at Heathrow Airport in the UK and the SR71 at Paine Field in Everett in Washington state. I was inside a plane on the taxiway when the pilot announced that Concorde would be taking off next. I plugged my ears and felt my chest and the plane rattling. I'm thankful I wasn't outside like I was for the SR71 years later. Not only did it take off, but it did a "dirty" fly-by with the gear down and then a faster one with gear up. My whole body was rattling and it felt like someone was standing on my chest. I could barely breathe, but I still screamed with the enthusiasm of a little kid.

Man, I loved this so much 💚 Thank you for everything that you do. And the duck killed me, iconic move.

This is one of my fav videos of urs love it

Unbelievably well done - thanks Ben!

This was possibly the most interesting video I have seen in a really long time. I have an understanding of dB's from my job and this still really opened my eyes, or ears as it pertains to this video. Excellent work a pleasure to watch.

You didn't mention anything about frequency. Having personally listened to bass frequencies approaching 170dB without losing my hearing (yet, lol), I can tell you frequency matters.

Never saw your channel before but the way you delivered information has me curious for more! I enjoyed the way you explained the various ways we measure the sun. I'm subbed now!

I found your video fascinating, thanks and please keep on with these science topics!

That was very interesting. I would love to hear more about sound science. Hope the algorithm agrees :)

I'd love to hear more about the future of bionic hearing. As a mixing engineer and producer with hearing loss this is something I pray will be possible at a reasonable price some day.

I just found your channel today, and will say that I've quite enjoyed the few science/(non-audio) tech videos I've found and look forward to more.

You have a gift in explaining complex topics, very impressive stuff.

Absolutely brilliant introduction to measurement, perception, and scientific thinking in general!! This should be taught in school to everyone

Is that your duck? Or did you just pick up a random duck?

Yo no 🧢 this is one of the most entertaining yet informative video I’ve seen in a long time

A year later and this is still my favourite video of yours.

The bit at 7:25 reminds me of how guitarist refer to distortion as "gain," when it's really something more like "attempted gain" or "failed gain" on the part of the device.

So, I kinda work with acoustics in this scientific sense for a living. Let me know if you ever want to talk about beamforming and sound localization. Anyway, the visualization illustrating logarithmic perception starting at 5:31 is brilliant. Also, update about the anechoic chamber: it looks like you're using a photo of the lab in Minneapolis. If I recall correctly, the quietest place on Earth record has been moved to a lab at Microsoft in Washington state. It holds the record at -20.3dBA (Not sure about unweighted.) But Minneapolis is probably the best most people can hope to experience, as it is open to the public (or at least was. Not sure about anything anymore thanks to COVID.)

Thorough explanations without condescension or meandering. Rare indeed. Thank you sir. Please continue the fine work.

This is an awesome video! You explained everything so well. Thanks for the really dope science video

This kind of stuff is absolutely my favorite stuff on this channel! I don't dislike the audio/synth stuff, but the science stuff is what really makes your work stand out to me, so thanks for that!

I found this very fascinating! I learned a lot in such a short video and it's great how well you explained complex concepts in a simple way. I'm glad you took the time to make something different from your usual content because then I've found your channel! Liked, commented, and subscribed. Please keep it up 👍

Fascinating, and instructive, and also amusing! Thank you

Benn, paused @ 8 minutes cause laughing so much can't 'hear' the vid anymore. My new, NEW favorite channel.

This was so well done and I love how much thought there was in it! Thank you!

Keeping it simple while hinting at the complexity, love it.

Always love the science. Great format. Subbed

That is some interesting science. Your explanation of these complex ideas is captivating and easy to grasp. Thanks for another kick ass video. Hi Lucy!

That was quite a trip for me, definitely wasn't expecting that haha. Awesome content sir, now I'm going to binge watch your Chanel. Keep it up!

I don't remember ever learning so many things i had never heard of before in one short video. Thank you! Curious what your take on human tech emited waves creating heat and does angle of incidence between them affect that at all?

This was a very interesting answer to a question I had never thought of, thank you.

You make very educational and fascinating videos! Keep it up!

3:12 I literally had a jaw drow, this is the coolest visual representation of a sound I ever have seen! Amazing content!

dude this was really cool, I get if you dont like doing these things because youtube kinda sucks but I think this was really cool to watch, really appreciated how passionate you were about the topic too.

That was genuinely fascinating. Cheers.

Best RU-vid content I’ve found in a very long time …. And you’re a must too… my kind of inquisitor!

It's wild that I've been in love with music and noise for so damn long yet never entertained this question. I'm only a minute in and I already agree with him. His explanation is going to be very interesting.

Subbed for future scientific style vids. Since I’m in the RDT&E industry this video came as a high interest and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

great video man . Very entertaining and informative.

This is the first video from you and I subscribed this was great and please keep making more videos

This was dope as hell. I love the continued realization that EVERY specialization and profession is incredibly complex, and gets more so the more you look into it. Well done on blowing my brain up.

I don’t know how you came into my feed but, very interesting stuff! I love to learn especially when it comes to nature and animals. It helps to understand the tech when you’re referencing animals. Some of this was a little too technical for me, but it’s late Friday night, end of the week so no surprise lol😉 thanks for the share! 🕊🇨🇦♥️🕊

Im so glad i clicked the ‘ something new’ button. This is the first video of yours i have seen and it was so interesting that i subbed. Since it was your science content that brought me here then i would love you to do more. Thanks mate.

this is just awesome xD love that humour of yours

as a science undergrad who's learning music production this channel feels like it was made for me

11:03 cool duck

This is excellent. Thanks very much for making this.

I really enjoyed this. Thanks ❤️

Since sound is pressure waves, it's really interesting to think that the pressure waves generated when you're recording your voice for this video, is then actually recreated (to the best of all the technology between you speaking and my speakers recreating the pressure waves abilities) in the room I am in. I hadn't thought of that until now and it kind of blows my mind. 😶

Very interesting. A warning at 7:24 that the sound will be (perceived) louder would have been nice. Shocked me a little bit.

I’m a new subscriber and bloody loving your content. 👍 nice work mate. 👍

First video I saw for you, props to the science algorithm mambo jambo! 😂❤ and the content, in-depth explanation made me subscribe and comment. Cheers keep it up !

Absolutely fascinating video, very well done. A pity that the algorithm tends to punish you for this sort of work. (Thanks to Tom Scott for sharing this in his newsletter, I'd probably never have found it otherwise!)

Awesome so informative

The loudest sound, is the awkward silence on your first date😂

Man, seriously… you have, by far, the best RU-vid channel I ever watched. And I’m not only talking about music.. kudos!’n

I had this as a test question in college. The author of that test got it wrong as well. I'm glad to see a few of the commenters are thinking outside of this box. Those solar flares you mention at 2:10 are WAY louder than 194 decibels. And for that matter, so is the typical ambient noise on the surface of the sun. And that is definitely not the loudest source of sound in our universe.

Another sound science topic I'd love to see covered: Why does music sometimes sound slower when running?

I needed this to keep going for like an hour

Fantastic the way you build in the practical demos, like a great chem or physics high school teacher. The distorted yelling vs whisper in particular, and reminds me of how a 70dB clock radio sounds deafening and yet on good headphones you have to be very careful because no matter the volume, they never sound loud/harsh.

This is both informative and hilarious. When you did the experiment of the sound getting "louder" I heard my tinnitus (or what sounded like it) flare up for a second and had to pause and cover my ears only for myself to play the video and explain how my perception of volume is dogshit. I knew the first one with distortion was really quiet so I knew it was going to be an experiment, but it still kind of hurt a little bit. Just a thought here maybe this is a part of your point, but at some point when you keep adding energy to the source or the pressure wave, eventually it will convert into heat energy, and eventually light energy. As the energy increases, it enters new fields, which change it from sound to heat to light, but everything from the smallest lepton to the most complex black hole is all the same thing of differing degree, and we are somewhere in the middle of all these waves, surfing on a giant ocean we call the universe. Did I get that right?

You definitely don’t lose hearing at 150db. There’s spl systems that have demos of many people sampling 40-60hz that are upwards of 165+db that people have sat in (at the ear not the source).

Just wow, I have no ideea how you managed to explain this topic so well. Great job! ❤🎉

Hi Benn, been watching your channel for about a year now, and love your aesthetic and attention to detail. Fun to watch and very informative. I have an idea for a future video: tinnitus! I have it in one ear after an unfortunate accident with feedback and have found little information about possible cures. I see on reddit that there is a bunch of research being done but haven't found anyone that can do an up to date synthesis of all of this information. I always thought of it as a "modern" ailment, but this video made me realize that humans have been exposed to loud noises for much longer than the modern era.