I've heard that the bassist has found a frequency that paralyzes your butt muscle, so if you have a bad stomach at one of their concerts, too bad:)
It's called the "Brown Sound" and many a PA operator or band has had revenge on a bad nightclub/concert operator. (Everyone runs for the cans......anything will do... sinks, Urinals, garbage cans, the floor...) You need a LOT of power to do it.... 11 Hz I think it is...
I think “Brown Sound” is actually a synonym for Brownian Noise, or Red Noise, and the phenomenon you are describing is called the “Brown
Note”.
I
also think it’s a myth.
There is little doubt that sub audible frequencies at high amplitude have a physical effect on the human physiology. I’ve spent a fair amount of time at close proximity to seriously powerful sub woofer systems, run RTA’s on huge systems < 20hz. I’ve felt dizzy and a little nauseous, had my vision blurred, even had the air in my lungs effected to the point where my voice sounded like I was talking into a fan, but no “butt explosions”. The first I ever heard of the phenomenon was at dance clubs in the 70’s, when big clubs had high dollar, big watt “thump” systems for the genre. At times it seemed that better than half of the patrons were in the bathroom at any given time, the story started that the subs were making people crap uncontrollably.
The term used then was the “Disco Dump”.
Personally I think it was actually a combination of alcohol and Quaaludes, and the fact that the bathroom stalls were the only place you could pack your nose (that is; without having to share with
everybody )
Also, if it were a conscious effort by a band or a PA operator, where would they perpetrate this event
from?
It does take a serious amount of juice to
produce sub audible bass effect, but it goes
everywhere. 11hz? Kind of like flood water, it would get into every nook and cranny. How would these nefarious pranksters pull of this revenge of which you speak without falling victim to the uncontrollable bowel syndrome themselves?
Has anyone here ever actually
personally succumbed to the effects of this supposed “Brown Note”? If so, please share! Be sure to take into consideration any intoxicants that might also have caused the “incident”.