I am older now. We all are, but for some reason, age obviously matters more to me than you or I wouldn't be writing about it. Right? About two weeks ago I found the following short video on Youtube. Please watch.
Needless to say, if you watched it and you are over the age of 30, you are probably quietly lamenting your youth in the back of your head. "Maybe I should have avoided the second The Monkeys reunion tour." Yes, you probably should have, but not because it was loud.
So, I watch this video. I realize that things are going to start failing on me soon enough, but no "14khz?" I love "14khz." My background in audio engineering hinged on my ears and even though it is not how I make a living, it still hurts. The brain started spinning, "What event could I have avoided? What should I have not done? I hate you, Tears for Fears." I was seriously, and literally, at a loss.
So what does a good nerd with and audio background do? I know enough about how audio compression works that there was a possibility that these sounds did not exist in the recording. Digital compression can take away either "unnecessary" frequencies or, for the sake of space, snip the "tops" and "bottoms" off of sound. And that is what I think happened here. 14khz was the upper level of Youtube's audio compressor. At least, I hoped so.
For more proof, go to site in the video, which has compressed and uncompressed sound files of the tones.
http://www.freemosquitoringtones.org/
I can hear them ALL. Your results will probably improve as well. Now we can breathe.
As you cycle up the sounds, you may notice that some get softer as they get higher and that's perfectly normal for this to happen more and more over time. But, depending on your computer sound setup, you should be able to get a better idea as to where you are in the spectrum.
Of course, if you think you have a real problem after going through this, please find a Doctor of Audiology local to you.
So as the book says, "I'm OK, You're OK". Back to the relaxing weekend.
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