Glossary

The words ASMR listeners and artists use, explained in plain English. New to ASMR? Start here.

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3Dio

A brand of binaural microphone shaped like a pair of human ears. Its name became shorthand for close, ear-to-ear ASMR recordings.

A

Ambience

Background sound of a place or weather, such as rain, a café or a train, often with no voice at all.

ASMR

Autonomous sensory meridian response: a calm, tingling feeling some people get from gentle sounds and slow, careful attention.

ASMRtist

A creator who records ASMR. A blend of "ASMR" and "artist".

B

Binaural

Recorded with two microphones spaced like ears, so sounds seem to move around your head when you listen on headphones.

Binaural beats

Two slightly different tones played in each ear. Despite the similar name, they are unrelated to binaural ASMR recordings.

Brushing

Soft brushes moved over a microphone, hair, fabric or skin. One of the gentlest, airiest triggers.

C

Crinkles

Sounds of paper, foil, plastic wrappers and packaging being slowly handled.

E

Ear-to-ear

Sound or whispering that moves from one ear to the other, usually recorded with a binaural mic.

Eating sounds

Close-up sounds of food, from crunchy to sticky. Loved by some listeners, disliked by others.

F

Face touching

A visual and sound trigger where the artist gently touches the camera or microphone, as if touching your face.

Focus and follow

A visual trigger where the artist asks you to follow a light, a finger or simple instructions.

H

Hand movements

Slow, graceful hand gestures in front of the camera, often paired with soft sounds or whispering.

I

Inaudible whispering

Whispering so soft that it sounds like breath and texture more than speech.

L

Layered sounds

Several recordings played on top of each other, so you hear more than one trigger at a time.

Light triggers

Soft lights moved slowly in a dark room on camera. A visual trigger, best on a dim screen.

Loopable

A track that can repeat seamlessly, with no audible jump between the end and the beginning.

M

Mic brushing

Brushing directly on the microphone or its foam cover, which creates a soft, rushing texture.

Mic scratching

Gently scratching the microphone or its cover with fingertips or nails.

Misophonia

A condition in which specific sounds, often chewing or breathing, cause strong negative reactions such as anger or distress.

Mouth sounds

Soft clicks, breaths and other small mouth noises. A divisive trigger: loved by some, disliked by many.

Mukbang

A video format from South Korea in which a host shares a meal on camera. Eating ASMR grew partly out of it.

N

No talking

ASMR with no voice at all, just the sounds of objects, textures or places.

P

Page turning

The sound of books, maps or old paper being slowly leafed through.

Personal attention

ASMR in which the artist speaks or acts as if caring for you directly: a check-in, a haircut, a makeover.

Pillow speaker

A thin, flat speaker placed under a pillow, an alternative to headphones for falling asleep.

R

Roleplay

A calm acted scene, like a library visit, a spa appointment or a gentle check-up, recorded as if you are there.

S

Scratching

Slow scratches on textured surfaces and fabrics, from soft to crisp.

Sleep-safe

A tag for sounds with no sudden or loud moments, so they will not wake you up.

Slow cleaning

A visual trigger where small objects are cleaned carefully and slowly, with satisfying close-up sounds.

Soft spoken

Calm, quiet speaking, louder than a whisper. Good for people who find whispering hard to follow.

Sound assortment

A track that moves through many different triggers, useful for discovering what you like.

Sudden sounds

Sharp noises or volume jumps in a recording. Creators tag them so you can filter them out.

T

Tapping

Fingertips or nails tapping on wood, glass, plastic or ceramic.

Tingle immunity

When a favorite trigger temporarily stops working, usually after listening to it a lot. Variety and breaks often help.

Tingles

The light, shivery sensation many listeners feel on the scalp, neck or spine.

Trigger

A sound, sight or situation that sets off the ASMR response.

U

Unintelligible

Whispering where the words cannot be made out. Popular for sleep because there is nothing to follow.

V

Visual triggers

Triggers you watch rather than only hear, such as hand movements, light triggers or slow cleaning.

W

Whispering

Close, soft speech without using the vocal cords. The classic ASMR trigger.

White noise

An even, hissing sound across all frequencies. Related to ambience, but usually not considered ASMR on its own.

Wood tapping

Tapping on wooden surfaces and objects, which gives a warm, hollow sound.