Bass Shakers (Part 2): Motion Platforms Are Bass Shakers on Steroids

In the first part of this article, our exploration of bass shakers introduced us to haptic sensations, which add the dimension of structure-borne vibrational energy to audio reproduction. At a concert, we see the performers, hear the music, and feel the amphitheater resonate with the bass. For home theaters, this “tactile” component adds another dimension (sometimes referred to as 4-D) to reproduce the impact of explosions, engine sounds, and thunder through by use of vibration. In this article we will focus directly on those haptic components. This article was originally published in audioXpress, May 2014.

Get ready to shake! Our perception of live music and the auditory world in general includes not only airborne sound energy, but also structure-borne vibrational energy. This creative impact can be powerful, and as subtle as the anticipation created when Jurassic Park viewers first see the dinosaur’s footfall as waves in a puddle, feel the first tremor, and finally hear the thundering vibration. This article was originally published in audioXpress, April 2014.