Posted on December 23, 2025
Over the years, as I’ve read articles related to audio, conversed with other audio enthusiasts, and browsed the audio Internet, I’ve often encountered folks saying that sonic memory is either not very good or that it is nonexistent. While I suppose this may certainly be the case for some folks, my own experience suggests otherwise.
Musicians know the sound of certain models of the same type of instrument. The sound a Steinway grand piano makes is distinctive, as is the sound of a Les Paul guitar. Experienced audio engineers are familiar with the sound of certain microphones, and many choose specific models precisely for their sound on given instruments or voices. Many audiophiles can describe (and agree on) the sound of certain models of audio gear. On another note, what about remembering the melody of a song? Perhaps not as specific as the above, but isn't that sonic memory?
Color may be another story. For example, I doubt, having seen it, I could remember a very specific shade navy blue. But sound? If sonic memory is so poor or even nonexistent, why then, even via the inferior transmission quality of a telephone, in the days long before caller ID, even when she had a bad cold that altered her voice, did I never have to ask who it was when my mother called?
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