A unique experience and a walk through musical history. Hear about artists that recorded hits in the studios, sit in the quietest place on earth, and learn about sound testing on this interesting tour. Mike will share stories of artists and music that came through the studio as he walks you through the collection of art the owner has assembled and displayed throughout the building. Participants will walk into soundproofed rooms and rooms designed for reverberation as he describes some of the work Orfield Laboratories does for its clients. Everyone also gets to spend time in the anechoic chamber - a foam-encased room suspended in a room suspended in a third room that absorbs sound, and holds the record as being the quietest place on earth. There, all outside sound is blocked, and the only thing you hear are the sounds from the people inside. If everyone is quiet enough, you can hear your breath and maybe your heart. Mike also dropped a pin to prove that it is possible to hear a pin drop. Things to know: the building is a little run down so don't expect a modern state of the art structure. The tour is a bit pricey - it's a little cheaper through the community education programs. You can also pay $600 for one person to spend an hour in the anechoic chamber (includes a certificate of achievement at the end). read more

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According to Uberfacts: "The world's quietest room is located at Orfield Labs in Minneapolis. The chamber is so quiet, you can hear your own organs; after thirty minutes, you'll begin to hallucinate. The longest anyone has lasted inside is 45 minutes." read more

Orfield Laboratories - Minneapolis, Minnesota

We went there as part of a community ed tour. There were ten people and we split into two groups of four. One part of the tour is in the anechoic chamber. He explained some of the history and said he'd leave us in there for 15-20 minutes. 40 minutes later, he opened the door. Being in complete darkness and silence for that long is like a Zen retreat on steroids. I was a little fidgety at first and then pretty calm. One guy had a raincoat, which wasn't such a good choice for that place, because every noise in there is exaggerated when the outside world is shut out. The other part of the tour is where he goes through all the other rooms there, including a room that's almost the opposite, set to high reverberation. There's also a room that's more of a laboratory they can run tests on what sounds people prefer, what appliance is quieter, etc. They do some visual work, too, and they gave us a demo of what a poorly-designed carpet looks like with various visual impairments. There are also a couple of recording studios. One of them is where Funkytown is recorded. We asked about the story that claims that you hallucinate after a half-hour, especially since we'd already been in there longer and didn't. He said it was a newspaper reporter who exaggerated a discussion of a phone call with the founder. He said after an hour or so, his eyes will start to see a purple haze, which is an effect of the eyes trying to find something to see. It's possible to buy time in the chamber. Occasionally people go in there for an hour or two. Overall, a very interesting place in an unassuming looking building over by Memory Lanes. read more