Binaural ASMR Ear Massage & Ear Brushing

2014-08-04
20m

A sleep-inducing ASMR video of ‘ear’ massage and brushing, utilising the 3Dio binaural microphone.

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or ASMR, is a calming, tingly sensation that is often triggered by auditory or visual cues. Emma Smith of WhispersRed ASMR first experienced this sensation as a child, nicknaming it “The Golden Feeling” with her brother. As an adult, she found an online ASMR community and finally had a name for her tingles.

When ‘whisper channels’ started popping up on YouTube to help people access their ASMR response to help with meditation, sleep and relaxation, Smith decided to create her own channel in 2013. She proceeded to be an innovator of many styles of ASMR still used today, building an audience of over 1 million subscribers since her channel’s inception.

This video showcases the first time an ASMR creator placed the 3Dio binaural microphone in frame and used its silicone ears to create ‘massage’ sounds. Smith’s intention was to experiment with the microphone's ear attachments to help the listener imagine that their own ears were being massaged, in order to trigger the tingly ASMR feeling. The 3Dio microphone, although originally built for field recordings and capturing immersive soundscapes, is now a popular choice among ASMR channels, and has been nicknamed the ASMR microphone.

Whispers Red is one of the leading ASMR artists in the UK and also a founder of the UK ASMR community. A note from the creator, Emma Smith: "This the first video where an ASMR creator placed the binaural microphone in camera and made sounds with the ears and around the microphone. My idea was to experiment with the ears, massage them, touch them and make sounds. So that the listener would feel like it was their ears."

Online Video

From viral memes to video essays, discover highlights from a new BFI National Archive collection...

First came the Cinema Age, then the TV Age, and now the age of Online Video. Digital film created for distribution online is today’s most dynamic, influential screen form. Encompassing much that’s new, from ASMR and Unboxing Videos to Twitch streaming and TikTok twerking, it’s also breathed new life into older film forms, filling our screens with fresh takes on advertising, journalism, satire, public information, campaigning, training and much else that’s been with us since time immemorial, and variously taking the forms of comedy, drama, documentary and animation. It’s become embedded into every aspect of UK (and world) society.

This unique collection of 50 online videos combines iconic highlights of British online video with other examples chosen to illustrate that sheer diversity. All were acquired by the BFI National Archive as part of the Lottery funded Our Screen Heritage programme. Our thanks to the Lottery, and lottery ticket buyers nationwide. for their support of this vital collecting and preservation work.