Put on those headphones and get ready for a whole new experience. During this time of social distancing and self-quarantine, there are many trends circulating through the internet. There have been none, however, like the one dubbed “8D Audio.” Now, this might sound like some clickbait video gimmick. How can audio be 8D? Nevertheless, 8D audio is no clickbait trend but instead a very real and mind-blowing experience. 

This phenomenon can only be experienced while wearing headphones, but the feeling while listening to it is quite unlike any music you’ve heard before. In the words of senior Charlotte Haggerty, “It is such a surreal experience. You feel like the singers are right next to you and the sound quality is great.” Sophomore Emily Zhu additionally comments, “It feels like you’re at a live performance and you’re much more immersed in the music. It’s more interesting to listen to than a studio version.” 

Unlike regular music that plays a song equally to both your ears, sound mixers edit pre-existing songs to make it sound like the audio is spinning around your head. As sophomore Sam Tang put it, “The sound isn’t played directly into your ear but sounds almost as if it’s around you instead.” 

In the past couple weeks, some of us have spent the extra time on our hands browsing YouTube, leading to the surge in popularity of 8D music. Almost any song you can think of has an 8D version available free to listen to on YouTube, and many from the PDS community have already come across 8D music while browsing through videos to watch. Their recommendations range from “Goodbyes” by Post Malone to “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen to “Summertime in Paris” by Jaden Smith. Don’t forget, these are all accessible and free for anyone. So the next time you find yourself a little bored after doing some asynchronous learning, throw on some headphones and go on a hypnotic journey from the comfort of your own home.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen

“Summertime in Paris” by Jaden Smith