Interview: The ASMR Series — GentleWhispering

GentleWhispering Remix by Author

Building on the questions we posed to Dmitri the Massage ASMR, we dive even deeper with arguably the most popular ASMRtist out there. Maria, aka GentleWhispering, took some time to speak with us, in her natural voice, about what exactly ASMR means to her and how she goes about creating content for this field.

GentleWhispering’s 3d-sound ASMR Video:

Maria, the Russian ex-pat and now fully-fledged American citizen based in Baltimore, has racked up as many, if not more, hits than the largest indie rock band you can think of. That’s where we want you to imagine. Imagine having half a million YouTube subscribers and nearly 30,000 Facebook followers. Her most popular video, the one you see above, has been seen over 14 million times as of this post’s publishing. That’s the sizable audience that she engages with, relaxes, promotes, and produces content for. And what she creates for them is something she popularized: it’s introducing to the world a unique style of video, one focused on quiet whispers.

garrison keillor’s “News from Lake Wobegon” Excerpt:

There have been earlier strains of this kind of entertainment before. Bob Ross, the famous public television landscape painter, knowingly softened his tone to get his audience primed on a certain mindset. Others like Verne Lundquist or Garisson Keillor, whether in televised golf broadcasts or in public radio storytelling, would by voice modulation hit a certain volume that would allow their audiences to either engross themselves further in the placid action… or to knowingly tune in to tune out and zonk out.

Unbeknownst to all of them, they had an audience looking not just tuning in for whatever they were introducing but looking for something else — a trigger they couldn’t easily find elsewhere. For Bob, Verne, or Garrison, the difference was that at the end of the day whether it was through painting, golf, or some mercurial Folk Americana, the topics themselves were their focus. This isn’t the case for ASMRtists. They’d focus on that trigger.

Verne lundquist’s commentary for the Masters:

This makes what Maria is doing very interesting. Its something she has acknowledged before. For her, certain sensations like feeling goosebumps when someone would lightly tickle her, or hearing a schoolteacher whisper instructions would put her in a certain state of euphoria. Around 2009, when she was going through a period of depression, she’d tune in to YouTube and comb through numerous “relaxing” videos. One day she hit on a “whispering” video that gave her a new feeling. As she told the Washington Post “And as soon as I heard the lady’s voice, I just got showered with tingles,” Maria says. “It was so great.”

Maria GentleWhispering (ASMR) at YouTube's Headquarters.

Maria aka GentleWhispering at YouTube’s Headquarters. Source: GentleWhispering’s Facebook.

Those videos came to her at an opportune time in her life. Whenever anxiety crept in, she’d strike one up and feel a certain relief. She herself would speak in gentler tones to others as a method to relax herself. Little by little, in due time, she’d notice people IRL (in real life), at work, would ask her to read back magazines or catalogs in that voice and knowingly zone out to her for a bit.

However, those same videos she clicked on before were no longer having the same effect on her. That’s when, around 2011, she decided to create her first videos. In a way, these early videos serving both as a way to pay it forward, perhaps triggering something for other people who shared the same experience, and in another way to spur others to create new content that she herself could experience as well. What started out as a video shot on a cellphone with only two views shot up to nearly 30,000 subscribers by the end of the year.

Gentlewhispering’s first video:

As her viewership started to increase she started to shift the paradigm. Rather than giving a wink and a nod to a viewership that was looking for content to trigger these sensations, she along with a few others, started to experiment and own this content as its own thing. ASMR then didn’t have a term, but now people like Maria were focusing intently on the audience that was looking for it. That’s where these ideas of brushing, role-playing, soft-whispering start to evolve and expand alongside a creative process that is allowing them to better flesh out what exactly people want to feel.

Holly herndon’s “lonely at the Top” from Platform:

Binaural recordings have existed nearly since the creation of recorded sound itself, but the way we interact with sound itself seems to be changing. Deadmau5 may jokingly integrate a sample of Maria’s voice into “Terrors in My Head“, but far more interesting musicians, musicians like Holly Herndon for one, are using this kind of sound recording to both dissect and recreate what makes this phenomenon so interesting and, knowingly, to some people creepy or misophonia. In the hustle and bustle of modern e-life, ASMR might be one of the new types of digital meditation being created from the ground up. Witness something like Helm reimagining one of popular ASMRtist Christian Noel’s videos into a pitched-down, ambient mood piece on his “Strawberry Chapstick”:

Helm’s “Strawberry Chapstick” from Olympic Mess:

It’s what makes something like the Berlin Community Radio’s “You’re Worth It” radio series, hosted by Claire Tolan, who lends her voice to “Lonely at the Top” so engaging as well. On her radio show she reimagines sampled YouTube sounds and various audio ephemera outside their video context. Can those same sounds, if rearranged in a different or askew way, still fit their original purpose? Can they exist, in the same way, outside of where they are normally encountered?

Composer NEELE HÜLCKER‘s ASMR-influenced “Copy!”:

In “Lonely at the Top” there’s a very quiet, yet overt dig at the 1% who fall for certain kinds of self-help mantras and therapies — things that if you repeat long enough become self-fulfilling — and it does so by using this new pseudo-technique to chill out. It’s with Claire’s radio show that treats the process itself with a certain respect and acknowledgement, where we sense some kind of enlightenment. It’s accepting that this type of content has some kind of importance and process behind it. That’s exactly what Maria helps us uncover today. For that let’s pick up the conversation trying to explain the difference between what musicians might induce through music and what others may feel when experiencing ASMR.

Interview

What is ASMR?

What’s the difference between frisson and ASMR? I’ve heard music that puts you in a certain emotion. But, there’s a difference between that and what you experience with ASMR on YouTube. What’s the difference in experience? It seems like there’s a different body feel.

 

 

When you saw those comments was there an actual term for what you were feeling?

 

 

Sometimes there is criticism leveled at ASMRtists stating that there’s no such thing as triggers or no such thing as ASMR. How do you handle such criticism?

 

 

This might be a tangent. I noticed that the community itself is mostly led by female artists. Do you think there’s a role males could play? Do you think there’s a bigger issue with the way ASMR is considered a different form of therapy, because its mostly female-run at the moment?

 

 

When someone is whispering to someone else, it denotes intimacy. It's something you don’t see in real life happen that often unless you know that other person. But in the video world you can put on a pair of headphones and experience something that takes a certain amount of work in real life. Does that play a big role: the way you can portray intimacy itself?

 

 

Do you think the voice itself, the voice and the visual, is the most important part?

 

 

Is there anything you’ve recently heard or something that you’ve seen in the ASMR community that has really astounded you? I don’t know if you still feel the same triggers that you’ve felt before. Is there anything out there that you wish you’d had done yourself?

 

 

Maria’s History in ASMR

 

What made you, as a viewer, become somebody who makes those videos themselves?

 

 

Did you already have triggers in mind, that you didn’t see anyone else do?

 

 

 

How did you gauge your success then? You said you tested out experimental triggers. On stuff that no one else did before. Was it yourself noticing that if this is stuff that works on me… it will work on someone else?

 

 

 

I noticed that the first video consisted mostly of tapping and gentle whisperer. It seems like night and day to what you’re doing now. Through the transcurrence of time what made you go from going from a webcam to a more professional setup? Were you learning things from other ASRMtists or just through pure experimentation?

 

 

 

Do you try to follow ASMR trends or do you try to create new experiences that you wouldn’t find in other channels?

 

 

Making ASMR videos

 

A lot to the videos tend to be 10 minutes long. Is there a reason behind the length of these videos?

 

 

It seemed that when I was watching these videos, that as I would tabulate away from the videos, it was hard for me to get into the flow of like you said, meditation or calmness. However, once you tabbed onto the video it demanded your attention, in a way other videos don’t. Is that the way you imagine that most viewers could get the maximum effect from these videos?

 

 

When you’re making a video, if you make a mistake once you’ve gotten into a certain flow does that make you have to start all over? What’s the process behind creating a video for YouTube?

 

 

 

Is it very trying to speak in that GentleWhispering voice, something you’re quite known for?

 

 

 

Is it relaxing for you, when you’re doing the recording itself?

 

 

And, I’m trying to make you relax to get from you better details…

 

 

You mentioned a script. Is that script based on the things that you think will be relaxing to other people? Or is it just you wanting to say certain things, in a certain way, that will trigger certain responses?

 

 

In an actor’s day they would take a whole day to maybe say two lines in a script. Is that what you think of yourself doing sometimes? Having to prepare for the day ahead.

 

 

It’s good that you feel that you are yourself at the end of the video.

 

 

You say YouTube has allowed you to be a better producer of the actual content itself. Is there a certain aspect about YouTube that you wish was better for you as the content producer?

 

 

Do you see yourself doing something else outside of YouTube? There’s a market for Blu-Rays and Amazon downloads…

 

 

You’ve probably heard of MassageASMR, Dmitri, he has a SoundCloud page that’s separate from his YouTube video channel. Do you ever see yourself, if the opportunity was good enough, creating your album of recordings? Anything that would provide a different aspect of content that somebody might look into, just in case they want to get the GentleWhispering somewhere else.

 

 

So we won’t see Maria on Spotify?

 

 

Do you get feedback from people that say that you sound way better in this video? Is there feedback that you get that makes you want to stay the course or get something better?

 

 

I know that there’s 4K and that everyone wants to see high-definition, is that something you grapple with? How best to make it the most well-produced video out there?

 

 

What’s your own vision of where you intend to take this, what seems like a career now? Or do you not feel that it's a career?

 

 

Do you think what you’ve done has changed a certain part of history, the way we interact with the computer itself?

 

 

There are all these other kinds of sound therapies (not just ASMR, but bowl therapy) that aren’t exactly music related, do you think ASMR isn’t part of this greater movement that’s a little different of what people consider music, what people normally listen to?

 

 

I think that’s a good way to end this interview. Any final thoughts?

 

 

Recording Process/Gear

MARIA’S RECORDING SETUP

 

Let’s try to get a bit more technical. Can you describe what a normal shooting day would be for you? Do you already have microphones set up or a certain setup?

 

 

Let’s me ask you about what you described a moment ago. A lot of your recordings seem to be of very soft sounds. Normally, what people in the music world would care about big ol' loud amplifiers. Is there something you’re looking for when you’re setting up your microphones or video cameras? What you’re basically recording is a lot of sounds lower in volume.

 

 

I noticed that certain people comment that they actually enjoy hearing things that people often don’t want to hear, like lip-smacking and certain percussive sounds that come from a person’s voice when they do those videos. You say you try to avoid doing those same popping sounds…

 

 

That requires a lot of audio know-how; did you learn this along the way or did you already know how to do all of that correction?

 

 

Is it basically yourself doing all of this production work? Do you consider yourself belonging to a league of artists that are doing a different kind of art form?

 

 

 

Just to go back to what you used to record. I’m looking at the list of all the equipment you use. You have a list of real high-end equipment, that if anyone wanted to invest in, they could have the same setup you have. For instance, you have a BLUE condenser microphone, but you use it in a different way than someone else would use in different art forms. What are you looking for when you’re buying something that you’re going to integrate in your own setup?

 

 

You brought up the point of binaural recording. In your neck of the woods it seems like you have to place somebody in that position. That they have to be part of what they’re seeing. Do you position your microphones in a way that places them in the perspective of the person viewing the video?

 

 

Do your recordings not work outside of what or where normally people usually listen to your videos, like on their speakers or headphones?

 

 

Is this the case? That you shouldn’t play your videos on a cell phone or a Bluetooth speaker…somewhere where it isn’t so intimate.

 

 

One of your videos was filmed in 3D. It plays with the idea of how nothing is just left and right, but down and all-around. Is that something you’re exploring? Ways you can evolve your own craft a bit further?

 

Gear Used by Maria
Name Instrument
Nikon D3300 and Nikon AF-S DX Video Camera and Lens

Maria’s take: Used for up-close recording of detailed objects. (show and tell etc.)
Sony HDR-PJ10 High-Definition HandyCam Camcorder with Built-in Projector

Maria’s take: Used for all the videos that I create movement in (role play, ear-to-ear, tutorials etc.)
Audio-Technica at803 Clip-On Lavalier Microphone

Maria’s take: Small mic I use for tutorial type videos.
Zoom H4n Portable Media Recorder

Maria’s take: Used as a stereo microphone sometimes, but mostly as a recorder. I have two of these for 4-channel audio recording.
BLUE Spark Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone (Matched Pair)

Maria’s take: I use a set of these microphones in most of my ear-to-ear videos and role plays. My main and my favorite microphones. They pick up just enough of my voice without picking up too much of wet mouth sounds and popping.
Rode NT5 Small Diaphragm Condenser Microphone

Maria’s take: Used rarely, they’re more detailed-kind of sound microphones, I find they distort my voice in low frequencies but they have super clear audio.
Mogami Gold Studio XLR Cable

Maria’s take: These are the best cables I found to provide the clearest audio for me and have the least buzz possible.

Let’s go back to your recording process. As technology evolves is it getting easier to get to the ideas that are flowing in your head?

 

 

Musicians all the time want to upgrade to the latest and greatest. Do you think you’re at a point where you don’t want a different piece of equipment?

 

 

What’s something that you’re normally a big fan of upgrading?

 

 

It seems like you’re doing what a lot of people in the audio world are doing. This whole idea of analog-vs-digital, some prefer that not-so-clean sound. You don’t want to break the 4th wall too much, is that the case?

 

 

If someone is starting out what kind of setup would you recommend for them begin with?

 

 

Bonus Track: Listen to the author attempt to convince Maria to listen to Lou Reed’s “Street Hassle”. In this author’s opinion, a recording where Bruce Springsteen was used as a cipher to create one of the first ASMR-like binaural sound recordings. Note: He's still waiting to hear back from Maria to see whether she enjoyed this track...

 

Find GentleWhispering on:

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Diego
8 years ago Artist Interviews

Since starting on classical guitar around 2000, Diego has become a multi-instrumentalist at heart, but specializes in keyboards and electronic instruments. A sometimes member of various At the Drive-in-adjacent El Paso-based bands, Diego fell out with the scene/sound and does his own things now. He's worked as a staff writer for the zZounds Blog and a product specialist at zZounds for well over 10 years. If you ask Diego's significant other, his true talent is cooking.

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