Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

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KellyC
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Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

Postby KellyC » July 14th, 2016, 7:17 pm

Has anyone considered using a hypersonic sound system, also called audio spotlight, in a seance? These systems have highly directional sound. So, if such a device were pointed at one participant sitting around a table, and the volume set correctly, it might be possible for only that one person to hear a "spirit" voice. The other participants wouldn't hear it.

Another use might be mental or psychic thought projection. You set things up so that, at the right time, a message is sent to a volunteer. The message will be heard by the volunteer, but no one else in the audience. (Obviously, angles would be important.) But the volunteer would honestly say they heard a voice, a message, that no one else heard. And, since you know in advance what message you are going to transmit to them, you have can have the message written down in advance to prove you were successful.

I suppose one might also use this as a way to get an "instant confederate" without having to talk to or touch that person in any way. Transmit a message to them asking to play along or telling them what to do. More risky. Might be too confusing to the person hearing message (i.e., where's that voice coming from? why don't others act like they hear it?)

The speakers in these systems can be relatively small and flat. They don't look like conventional speakers. And they might be cleverly hidden--though I'm not certain about this. They are a bit expensive. So I would need to see a live demo and play around with it before making any purchases.

I also imagine there would be limitations...requires set up before performance and electrical access at a minimum. But I also bet you could hook a smartphone up to it to play pre-recorded mp3s. A more sophisticated system might use a secret remote to play a series of short sounds or messages.

I know of at least one company that sells small versions of hypersonic sound systems. I don't want to give the name quite yet. I'm new to this forum and don't know what's considered advertising or spam. But I will share the name if appropriate.

Just wondering what others think of the concept?

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Re: Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

Postby Richard Kaufman » July 14th, 2016, 7:45 pm

This has already been used at Disneyland in the Dead Man's Grotto Cave.
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Re: Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

Postby Brad Henderson » July 14th, 2016, 8:39 pm

Bill Dodson, friend and confident of Del Ray, was exploring this principle as it related specifically to seance/fraudulent spirit applications in the late 80's early 90's.

he described it as the ability to cause someone to hear voices in their head. not their ears. their head. and no one else
would be able to hear it.

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Re: Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

Postby Richard Kaufman » July 14th, 2016, 10:11 pm

In Dead Man's Grotto (note sure if it will survive the building of Star Wars Land) when you stood under a pin spot, directly in front of the chest which contains Davey Jones's heart, when you touched the chest you heard that character talking to you. Even a person six or eight inches to the right or left didn't hear it.
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Re: Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

Postby performer » July 14th, 2016, 10:27 pm

I hate the idea of fake seances. No matter how much you present it as "entertainment" there are always going to be people in your audience who will take it seriously and hope you can contact their deceased loved ones. I really feel uncomfortable with this kind of thing.

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Re: Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

Postby KellyC » July 15th, 2016, 11:26 am

Hi performer,

I respect your views about fake seances. I won't try to change your mind. However, I have a slightly different perspective, and I would like to offer two thoughts for reflection.

First, no matter how much you tell people that you can't really do magic or read minds, there are always a few people who believe that you do actually use supernatural or psychic powers. Go to YouTube and search for demon magicians. You will find videos where people believe that stage and street magicians accomplish their acts with the help of supernatural demons. The combination of religious beliefs and inability to figure out illusions can lead some people to think you have genuine supernatural or paranormal powers despite your strongest denials. These people might even claim that you yourself are unaware of getting help from supernatural demons. I'm sure you could find the same kind of thinking when it comes to mentalism. Some people will believe you possess paranormal or psychic powers no matter what you say to the contrary. To illustrate how little it takes for this to happen: I once did the Scotch and Soda trick for a colleague at work. My colleague then said that he believes all magicians have at least some genuinely magical powers. I did my best to assure him it was simply a coin trick involving no magical powers--that he could purchase the same trick himself at a local magic shop. He responded that being able to trick someone's mind is a form of real magical power. I switched the topic of conversation at that point.

If the possibility that some people are going to believe you really have magical or supernatural powers, despite your best efforts to explain that it's all just illusions for fun and entertainment, then you might want to consider the possibility that some people are going to believe this no matter what type of performance you give--traditional magic illusions, mentalism or seances.

Second, I believe it's highly unethical to tell anyone you can contact their deceased loved ones. I simply believe this is a lie no matter who says it. And I believe people who tell this lie are looking for personal gain at someone else's expense.

At the same time, people watch scary movies about ghosts and possessions every day. Some of the people who watch these movies believe in the reality of ghosts and possessions. But they also know that the movies are theater--imaginative stories designed to give them scares and thrills for purposes of entertainment. Also, people go to "haunted houses" during Halloween and go on "haunted rides" at amusement parks. Some of the people who go to haunted houses and ride haunted rides believe in the reality of ghosts and possessions. But they know the haunted houses and haunted rides are staged to give people scares and thrills for purposes of fun and entertainment. I believe adults have the ability to distinguish between their beliefs in the reality of the supernatural and theatrical performances designed to give them scares and thrills for purposes of entertainment. (Children and adolescents do not have the same psychological maturity as adults. I don't assume children and adolescents are mature enough to fully appreciate the distinctions between reality and theater. So I would never perform mentalism or seances with children or adolescents present.)

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Re: Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

Postby KellyC » July 15th, 2016, 11:49 am

Hi Brad,

I think social psychology can blur the distinction between hearing a sound "in my head" and hearing a sound "with my ears." There's a strong expectation that people close to you will hear the same sounds as you. When you hear a sound that others close to you deny hearing, then a situation arises where you begin to question what's going on.

The dissonance between your own experience (hearing a sound) and the claims of the people around you (not hearing anything) will put psychological pressure on you to resolve the incongruity. On the one hand, you might form a belief that the people around you are lying about not hearing the sound, that they're trying to trick you. On the other hand, you might begin to wonder if it was all your imagination, and you only thought you heard it with your ears. Neither alternative is easy to accept. The first alternative means everyone is "in on it" except you. Would they really do this? When did they plan it out? The second alternative means you're hearing things in your head, something associated with an over-active imagination or psychological disorder. So there's the possibility of going back and forth between the alternatives and ending up with a feeling of confusion.

Without giving away any secrets, one could have an mp3 of the sound (voice, knocks, etc.) saved on a smartphone, then play the sound after the show to ensure a participant knows that it was just a trick. They aren't going crazy. Their co-participants aren't lying to them. It's just a trick--and something they might have already experienced on some rides before, from what other people have said in their responses to this thread.

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Re: Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

Postby performer » July 15th, 2016, 12:24 pm

I am IN the psychic business (I am not talking about mentalism either) and I know how powerful this stuff is. The very word "seance" attracts desperate people who are still grieving. A little bit morbid for my liking and moreover, it can give the wrong impression to certain people.

Furthermore despite what you stated about people believing in magic I can assure you that only really daft people will accept that your cut and restored rope or 6 card repeat is a result of supernatural forces. Unless they come from California of course.

It certainly won't mislead grieving vulnerable people and that is what concerns me.

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Re: Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

Postby KellyC » July 15th, 2016, 4:24 pm

Hi performer,

Given that you are in the psychic business, I can see where the idea of seances crosses a line for you.

First, there's no clear way for you to separate a seance from your psychic work in the eyes of the people who come to see you. There will be some who assume that you really are contacting the dead because you are psychic--and that your denials are just winks to cover yourself legally. Second, even if people believed you when you said it's all just illusions, just about any reminder of the recent death of a loved one is painful. Even a well-intentioned comment (e.g., "They're in heaven now.") can be painful. So, if people come to see you when they have problems or feel some kind of pain in their lives, then a seance act is probably the last thing you want to invite them to attend.

I'm not in the psychic business. But I understand a bit about death and grief. I grew up in a funeral home. My grandfather, father, brother and uncle are all morticians. I have a Ph.D. in Psychology. I took courses on death and dying as an undergraduate, and I earned my masters degree at a program that focused on existential psychology. I've also lost a few of my loved ones to death.

I simply don't share the view that a seance act is always and necessarily misleading to grieving people.

This is all a hobby for me. People aren't coming to see me for the same reasons (or in the same state of mind) as they come to see you. If fact, I usually have to personally invite people to come see me or catch them during the course of my day-to-day activities.

We might still see things differently from each other. But that's fine. There's plenty of room in the world for different views. And I do respect your views even if I don't share them.

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Re: Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

Postby performer » July 15th, 2016, 5:46 pm

I should mention that I am in the psychic business but am not in the medium business. I do not contact people that have passed over into the world of spirit. I am merely saying that even if you are not in the psychic business you ARE going to get people in your audience who will misunderstand your purpose. Still, it is none of my business how you wish to entertain people. I am merely saying that there are aspects to this that make me uncomfortable. I do know that people who advertise seances attract people who do not realise that it is all a trick for entertainment purposes.

Of course I am very finicky about this. I refuse, for example, to use Tarot cards in mental effects. I consider it sacrilegious. I really should be nominated for sainthood over these matters.

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Re: Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

Postby Brad Henderson » July 15th, 2016, 6:00 pm

kelly,

perhaps you are unfamiliar with the name bill Dodson and the work for which he is known, and unknown.

if he said the voices were in their head. they were in their head.

that's the type of thing bill did.

not for magicians and pretenders - but for the psychics out there doing 'the real thing'

quotations intentional.

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Re: Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

Postby webbmaster » February 4th, 2020, 11:51 am

An idea with sound no one is using right now is using a dog whistle and training your dog to bark when hearing a toot on the dog whistle under the guise of a giant card trick or prearrangement so a person in the wings would blow the dog whistle and the dog would bard and it would seem like the dog is psychic and finds ( barks ) at the selected card.

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Re: Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

Postby Brad Henderson » February 4th, 2020, 11:57 am

Actually, chuck smith used this idea years ago. He didn’t need a dog whistle or assistant. He could make a whistle like sound by inhaling between his lips and teeth that was so faint and High no one could hear it. Well; his dog could. Who responded appropriately.

I believe this may be mentioned in one of His lecture notes.

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Re: Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

Postby Joe Lyons » February 4th, 2020, 12:12 pm

There are apps for your phone to aid in something like this. Be careful using it with children, though, they can hear pretty high frequencies. In fact I think Penn and Teller had a gag like that with children a few years ago.

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Re: Hypersonic Sound (Audio Spotlight) - thought projection or seance?

Postby Jonathan Townsend » February 4th, 2020, 2:21 pm

https://patents.google.com/patent/US6778672

Volunteer 1 hears "five of clubs" while volunteer 2 hears "seven of diamonds". ;)
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time


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