Greetings. I use Windows 7, on Audacity 2.0.2. I’m new to this technology. I am asking for what simple steps I must use to record silent subliminal messages without background, either by adjusting the frequency, or lowering the volume to a lower level that is inaudible. If you could give me some steps on how to do both of these things, I would be deeply grateful. Thanks!
Regards,
Raphael
Effect → Amplify and adjust somewhere between -40dB & -80dB. The bigger the negative number, the quieter it will be. Note that if you go below about -93 or -96 dB in 16-bits you will have digital zero (true digital silence) and MP3 also throws-away very-quiet sounds that you can’t hear.
Effect → Change Pitch will change the pitch /frequency.
…without background
Without background, there is no control over the playback volume, and the listener may be able to boost the volume to the point where he/she can actualy hear the “subliminal” audio. If you are controlling the playback volume, there’s no need for a special file… Just turn down the volume to the point where you can no longer hear it.
P.S.
I’m not sure what you want to do with frequency shift, but there are also digital limits if you go too far above the human hearing range. For example, at a sample rate of 44.1kHz (audio CD) the signal is limited to 22,050Hz. There are no limits if you shift down to subsonic frequencies. (A digital file can have frequencies down to zero Hz, which is “DC”.) Normally, it takes a powerful amplifier and a big subwoofer to reproduce subsonic frequeicies, but maybe with subliminal it doesn’t matter since you don’t want to hear it anyway. Similarly, it may take a special tweeter to reproduce supersonic frequencies.
Thanks. I have a question: In adjusting the amplifying: Is the final result (from -40 to -80 db). Should that final result be amplification or new peak amplitude? If so, can I do this more than once? It seems when I go down just to a certain degree. Regards,
Raphel
To adjust the volume below that which is audible, you need do nothing to the recording - just turn down the playback volume until you can’t hear it.
What’s with all the subliminal messages posts lately?! 
Wonder if they are trying to tell us something…
Damien
Thanks. I have a question: In adjusting the amplifying: Is the final result (from -40 to -80 db). Should that final result be amplification or new peak amplitude?
That’s up to you, and I suggest you experiment. I assume you want the sound as “loud” as possible without actually hearing it???
If you originally have peaks of -6dB and you reduce the volume by -40dB, your new peaks will be -46dB. If your original file has peaks of 0dB, it wont make a difference. Most files are normalized for 0dB peaks, but it depends on how the file was made/processed.
If so, can I do this more than once? It seems when I go down just to a certain degree. Regards,
Raphel
Yes. You can change the volume more than once. If you reduce the peaks TO -40dB twice, nothing will happen the 2nd time. If you reduce the level BY -40dB a 2nd time, you’ll have a total reduction of 80dB. You might want to reduce BY 10db at a time 'till you can’t hear it.
You can also lower the volume, then increase it. As long as you do this before you save, you won’t loose anything. However, if you reduce the signal by 80dB, export to 16-bit WAV, re-open the file and boost by 80dB, you will notice a quality loss.
What is the point of doing that?
The original message specified “without background”, so why not just turn down the playback volume?
The German Forum is even more floated with this kind of questions. There can also some plug-ins and snippets be found.
Maybe we could incorporate the trend and replace dithering with the message “Donate to Audacity”… 
If the donations will increase drastically, the first scientific proof will be made that it works.
is “playback volume” in the upper right corner, or somewhere else? thanks. 
It’s on your MP3 player, or iPod, or whatever you are using to listen to the tracks.
LOL
Damien
Raphael, I think you may be referring to the patented Lowery “Silent Subliminal” process. There are many knock-off scripts floating around but I don’t believe that you’ll be able to create your tracks with audacity (someone correct me if I’m wrong). Most are written for Adobe Audition and I haven’t seen ones that are a perfect match (we hold a license so we use the original script).
There is a plug-in for Audacity that is based on the Lowery technique here: https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/silent-subliminals-solved/20100/1
I have a plugin for adobe audition to make silent subliminal audios like andrew corentt, which one is better?? this plugin for audacity or the plugin for adobe audition??
No idea. It depends on what you want. I don’t use Adobe Audition. Use whichever works best for your needs. Audacity is free so it will cost you nothing to try it.
(Running Audacity 2.0.1 on Windows XP)
Hello all, Newbie here
I’ve read a few historic threads from 2011 on the details of creating subliminals on Audacity, including using Nyquist for creating frequencies above human hearing ( https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/silent-subliminals-solved/20100/1) and the other post using the Lowery method https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/silent-subliminals-solved/20100/1 - having never used Nyquist before, some of it’s a bit confusing.
I’m interested in creating subliminals just below or on the threshold of hearing, many people suggest simply adjusting the amplitude by around -17 db. What are the benefits of using Nyquist over basic wave / amplification reduction (the Nyquist codes appear to adjust frequency rather than peak amplitude)??
It would be really helpful if someone with more knowledge in this area can also explain how I would edit the following Nyquist code (posted previously by steve) to one that would give a below hearing frequency message, along with what each parameter is used for?
(highpass8
(lowpass8
(mult
(lowpass8 (highpass8 s 300) 7000)
(hzosc 45000)
(hzosc 59500))
20000)
14000)
I also found when I tried to get this to work after resampling to 19000Hz, I got the error “Nyquist did not return audio”.
The Nyquist script appeared work without prior resampling.
Also what is the advantage of resampling beyond the default setting?
All help is most welcome!
Nyquist is a versatile programming language, primarily for audio. It allows creating processes and effects that are not included in the standard Audacity release. If a task can be accomplished with the standard Audacity effects, then it is often quicker to use the standard Audacity effects.
The code that you refer to is creating sounds that are almost too high (frequency) to hear. The process is similar to how AM radio waves are created.
If that is “without” background (as per the topic title) then all you need to do is to turn down the volume on your audio player until you can barely hear it.
The code that you refer to is creating sounds that are almost too high (frequency) to hear. The process is similar to how AM radio waves are created.
yeah I had figured that out that already and acknowledged my own understanding of that in the beginning of my original post , if you look at the beginning of my post, you will see I was asking whether it was possible to use Nyquist for doing the exact opposite… What I asked was
It would be really helpful if someone with more knowledge in this area can also explain how I would edit the following Nyquist code (posted previously by steve) to one that would give a below hearing frequency message, along with what each parameter is used for?- messages below threshold.
Basically what I am asking here is - what frequency ranges to plug into the Nyquist module for optimal sub-threshold?
If that is “without” background (as per the topic title) then all you need to do is to turn down the volume on your audio player until you can barely hear it.
Simply turning the audio down on my audio player - come on - you’re trying to having a laugh right!! Hardly a go-to technical /permanent solution is it ?? What if I eventually want to create professional level subliminal messages for other people on a website I’ve also designed? Sending them a recorded script loop along with some instructions to turn the volume down so they hardly hear it is no business model for success. Anyway, barely audible means repeated message strings which eventually irritate the conscious mind and block the subconscious processing/adaptation/learning cycle - rendering the whole thing pointless.
If you are can’t help with using Nyquist for sub-threshold sound frequencies, then I’ll just use wave amplitude reduction to around -17.3b. You obviously know a fair bit about Nyquist Audacity and probably about the underlying software architecture, consider being a bit more generous with your knowledge next time. Otherwise, all you have is technical secrets.
End of
andy_p, I’m not employed by Audacity, I’m an Audacity user like yourself and my “thank you” to the people that created such great open source software is the get involved and help others. That does not extend to taking abuse, so please lighten up
That code cannot be modified to encode to low frequency.
Transmitting information of any sort (a “message”) requires that there is sufficient data to describe that message. The minimum amount of data required to transmit intelligible speech messages with today’s technology is around 2000 bits per second. In the analogue realm that can be roughly equated to a frequency of about 500 Hz, meaning that the minimum frequency that can carry a meaningful speech message must be at least 500 Hz, which is well into the audio spectrum. Low frequency sound can simply not carry sufficient data to transmit a meaningful speech message in real time. The only way to transmit enough data for the message at low frequency is to send the “message” over a longer period of time - effectively “slowing down” the speech, but in such a way that the frequency range does not extend below what humans can detect.
No. I am assured by proponents of subliminal messaging that this method works. In fact it was the first method to be used commercially and is the most widely researched form of subliminal messaging with the greatest weight of scientific evidence supporting it.
If this is a commercial venture then perhaps you should be looking to hire someone for the technical development.
Which is essentially the same as “turning the volume down” isn’t it?
You can do that very easily with Nyquist:
(mult s (db-to-linear -17.3))
The subliminal level is achieved by moving the audio to a frequency into the upper portion of human hearing range. We don’t want to hear it audibly but we still want it to vibrate the inner ear so our brain can still decode it. So by moving our messaging voice up to 16.5KHz then apply a filter to filter out anything above or below 16.5KHz we can end up with a recording that is still playing very loud but the person will not hear the messages, well at least you think you’re not hearing anything but in fact you really are.
If anyone knows how to do this in Audacity could you please help?