Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Everyone is familiar with capillary waves. They are the ripples on the surface of water. Normally ripples are silent. Water only emits sound when its splashing or bubbling, right?
Capillary waves are governed by the natural forces of surface tension and gravity. They have nonlinear properties like frequency dispersion, which makes them act very different from sound waves in air.
This video shows some ways to produce and manipulate capillary waves for sound effects. We captured the audio with an optical audio sensor, the OCM-2 Stereo Photophone. Its new for 2025, made in USA by Rare Waves (rarewaves.net). Available from rarewaves.net
Everyone is familiar with capillary waves. They are the ripples on the surface of water. Normally ripples are silent. Water only emits sound when its splashing or bubbling, right?
Capillary waves are governed by the natural forces of surface tension and gravity. They have nonlinear properties like frequency dispersion, which makes them act very different from sound waves in air.
This video shows some ways to produce and manipulate capillary waves for sound effects. We captured the audio with an optical audio sensor, the OCM-2 Stereo Photophone. Its new for 2025, made in USA by Rare Waves (rarewaves.net). Available from rarewaves.net
