Is 8D Audio dangerous? (Explained)

Have you heard about 8D audio? 8D audio is an innovation in sound that creates an immersive experience for the listener.

8D audio is more of a 3D effect with a binaural effect added to create a more immersive experience. Apart from these effects, 8D audio doesn’t have any adverse effects on humans. That said, as long as you’re listening to the song using the right sound levels, the 8D music isn’t in any way dangerous.

Is 8D music bad for your brain?

According to some people, 8D audio is the next big thing in the music industry. However, this might not be true, as music doesn’t use modern technology. Instead, it’s more of a binaural recording effect added to audio to trick the human brain into believing that the sounds are coming from different places in 3D space.

The concept isn’t new, as it has been used in different experiments to get the human brain to believe the 8D sound is coming from different places. Matter of fact, the 8D sound concept has been in existence since the 70s.

One of the frequently asked questions by concerned people about 8D audio is; can the music cause damage to the human brain?

The straightforward answer to the question is no; 8D music is not dangerous for your brain. As previously mentioned, it doesn’t have any adverse effect on humans. So, like other music, it’s pretty much safe for you to listen to.

For you to get a better understanding of why the 8D audio wouldn’t harm your brain, let me quickly share with you a couple of things about the latest music effect.

Here’s what you need to know about 8D audio

So, what exactly is 8D audio and what does it include? According to an average person’s definition, 8D audio is a type of music that continuously moves from the left ear to the right one. And when it does that, it keeps on moving around the listener.

8D music doesn’t have 8 dimensions

However, you need to understand that there’s more to the music than just the continuous moving of it from one ear to another. Furthermore, if you’ve ever listened to 8D music, you’ll notice that the name “8D” is more of a play on words. It’s not exactly that the music is 8-dimensional. You can get the music on YouTube and the name “8D” is what the YouTubers used to attract you and me to listen to their music.

As previously mentioned, the 8D music is soundly engineered in a way that tricks the human brain into believing that the sounds are coming from different places. Although it’s not 8-dimensional, the music is designed to make you feel like you’re in an entirely different dimension.

How does the 8D music work & what effect does it have on the brain?

8D audio is possible because of the combination of three different factors; effects, panning, and equalization techniques.

First, according to sound experts, the equalization (EQ) technique is the technical process of modifying or adjusting the balance of several different frequency components in an audio signal. Don’t get it twisted; equalizing a sound doesn’t mean it’s creating new frequencies. Instead, the process works on certain frequencies, boosting them and provides a better way to balance the frequencies.

Panning is another process utilized in the creation of 8D audio. It helps to place sounds in the left to right spectrum of a stereo image. Simply put, panning is the technical process of distributing stereophonic sound or monaural audio signals into various sound channels.

So, to produce 8D music, sound engineers make use of a mix of panning and EQ techniques. That’s not all; they also soundly engineered the mix with the appropriate effect. That’s what makes it possible for the brain to get tricked into thinking the sound is coming from different places.

Now, let’s go back to the burning question of whether or not the 8D sound is harmful to the brain. The answer remains no. As you now know, 8D music only utilizes a mix of three different music factors; the EQ technique, panning, and effects.

Bottom line: like every other music, 8D audio won’t pose any adverse effect to your brain. But you also have to be pretty careful and avoid listening to the music loudly. This will certainly cause troubles in the long run to your ear.

Is 8D audio dangerous?

Now, you already have a clearer understanding of how the 8D audio works. But here’s a quick question, is 8D music dangerous in any way?

There are two answers to the burning question. The first one is yes; 8D audio could cause severe harm to your ear. However, this will only be true if you fail to stick to the normal standards of listening to music. According to sound experts, the proper way to listen to music is to keep your audio range or sound levels at somewhere between 60 decibels and 85 decibels.

Anything above 85 decibels for any type of music could cause severe damage to your ear, especially if you’re going to be listening to the music for a longer period. Furthermore, experts also advise that going above 85db is doable if you’re only going to be spending a couple of minutes listening to the music. The longer you listen to music at, say 100 decibels, the higher your chances of damaging your ear.

That’s also true for 8D audio. The second answer to the burning question is that the music will do you no harm if you listen by keeping your sound levels below 85 decibels.

Why does 8D audios make me dizzy?

Here’s another frequently asked question regarding listening to 8D audio; why exactly does the 8D music cause dizziness for people?

The answer to the question is that not everybody feels dizzy listening to 8D music. Only a few people feel this way. According to researchers at the University of Utah, most people experiencing this issue might be suffering from semicircular canal dehiscence. The researchers further mentioned that the syndrome rarely happens. Only 1 in 100 people experience this type of ear issue.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, Superior canal dehiscence syndrome or SCDS is a congenital inner ear condition caused by the abnormal opening that exists in between the brain and the uppermost semicircular canal in the inner ear.

Furthermore, the ear condition can result in several different ear issues; one of them is that the patient will experience hearing loss. Other common results of the superior canal dehiscence syndrome include the following:

• Distortion in sound.
• Balance issue as a result of loud noise.
• The congenital inner ear condition could also cause the patient to hear several internal sounds, including their voices and the pulses, in the ear affected by SCDS.

Here’s a simpler explanation of how semicircular canal dehiscence occurs in humans:

In a normal condition, the human inner-ear balance, as well as the organs responsible for hearing, are all covered by solid bone.

However, people with congenital inner ear conditions often have a pathological hole in the solid bone, at the semicircular canal of the upper part of the inner ear, encasing the hearing organs and inner-ear balance. That’s exactly what brings about the semicircular canal dehiscence.

What brings about the dizziness?

As you now know, people suffering from the inner ear condition called SCDS have pathological holes somewhere inside their ears.

In case you don’t know, certain acoustic sounds tend to create pathological fluid mechanical waves in the upper part of the inner ear. Unfortunately, that causes a pump to the inner ear fluid. When it happens, the ear will send the wrong signal to the brain – that’s what causes some people to feel dizziness and vertigo while listening to loud music, such as 8D audio.