This clip has been circulating online, and has even gotten traction on a local ABC affiliate in Arizona which is capitalizing on #TeamYanny and #TeamLaurel buzz.  Their explanation left a lot to be desired, considering the conclusion that if you didn’t hear ‘Laurel’ you are somehow a loser.  This is just not accurate.

Why did I decide to chime in?  First and foremost, I heard ‘Laurel’ consistently while Glen Bradley heard ‘Yanny’… most of the time.  So, I popped the clip into Adobe Audition to analyze and split it by frequency bands.

Results

The original audio contains two separate data sets from two separate frequency bands (0Hz – 2000Hz, and 2000Hz – 12025Hz). Some people are more sensitive to higher frequency bands than others.

What did you hear & when?

Also, think about what applications this can have in media…

Update

The New York Times made a tool approaching this ‘controversy’… well done.