{
 "schema_version": "1.0",
 "page_kind": "article",
 "pack_kind": "generate",
 "slug": "hear-it-for-yourself",
 "title": "Hear It for Yourself",
 "dek": "Every clip the house adapter’s run produced — eighty-four renders, each as the raw render, the copy the blind sitting played, and a listening master with one constant gain — with the answer sheet unsealed. One of us sat thirty-six blind presentations, twenty-four pairs of the untouched model against the adapter and twelve where both sides were the same file, and every answer is printed beside its trial, as typed. This page is where you check that verdict.",
 "published": "2026-09-09",
 "series": [
  "guide"
 ],
 "licence": "CC BY 4.0",
 "status": "pending-judge",
 "pack_note": "bullets withheld by ruling (2026-09-09): a listening page's figures are per clip — one clip's loudness is true of one file and false as a summary of eighty-four players; the page-level tally lives in its short version",
 "notice": "items with published:false are held and are not this page's published words",
 "source": {
  "url": "https://research.strata2signal.com/hear-it-for-yourself/",
  "md_url": "https://research.strata2signal.com/hear-it-for-yourself/index.md",
  "md_sha": "02ba1dc4520cc2d4f247291d929e1b4a9538211fa00b3b8bf2f897388d0ca702",
  "html_sha": "8111ebec843c4f491bdfcd9e414da7117c2f54e86dc5488dc1cfc2df94a7c5a5",
  "anchors_sha": "fde26917d12e52101c6618ee2ca3025d40a6e08fc9e49c96ed89e924a863cc00"
 },
 "short": {
  "paragraph": "Eighty-four thirty-second clips from one training run - twelve written requests, two seeds each, the untouched model beside the adapter at half and full strength and beside its name tag alone - labelled, with the blind answer sheet unsealed and every answer printed as typed. One of us sat thirty-six presentations without labels - twenty-four pairs and twelve sentinels - and on the pairs: eleven for the untouched model, four for the adapter, nine with no preference, against the eighteen of twenty-four the adapter needed to clear. Every player fetches a listening master with one constant gain and nothing else, and every clip prints three fingerprints - the raw render, the copy the sitting played, and the master the player plays - so you can tell which bytes you are hearing.",
  "from_dek": false,
  "counts": {
   "words": 7561,
   "minutes": 34,
   "tables": 12,
   "kit": false
  },
  "bullets": []
 },
 "sections": [
  {
   "id": "what-you-are-hearing",
   "heading": "What you are hearing",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    1774,
    3784
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     1774,
     3784
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 2010,
   "digest": "every clip was rendered by ACE-Step 1.5's fast variant at eight steps, thirty seconds each, A minor throughout, with the engine's output normalisation at −1 dB. the clips include untouched model output and forty-eight clips made by an adapter at half strength, full strength, or via a name tag with no adapter loaded.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "how-to-listen",
   "heading": "How to listen",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    3784,
    5528
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     3784,
     5528
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 1744,
   "digest": "listeners are encouraged to play two clips from the same request sequentially without touching the volume. worth listening for are whether the adapter's clip has a floor, beat presence, name-tag content, and how the clips are built regarding section changes and movement.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "the-blind-sheet-unsealed",
   "heading": "The blind sheet, unsealed",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    5528,
    8609
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     5528,
     8609
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 3081,
   "digest": "the sitting consisted of twenty-four scoring pairs and twelve sentinels. the listener expressed preference on five of eight house pairs, choosing the untouched model every time. one sentinel was heard as not identical, though it was the same file on both sides.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "the-twelve-requests",
   "heading": "The twelve requests",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    8609,
    9517
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     8609,
     9517
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 908,
   "digest": "twelve requests are presented in order: six techno, four house, one breaks, and one trance. each request includes the primary seed's four clips and the second seed's three, with the name tag rendered at the primary seed only.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "p01-minimal-techno-128-bpm",
   "heading": "P01 — minimal techno, 128 BPM",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    9517,
    11975
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     9517,
     11975
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 2458,
   "digest": "this section contains minimal techno clips at 128 BPM. it includes data for nothing added, the adapter at full strength, the adapter at 0.5, and the name tag alone for seeds 4001 and 5001, alongside the listener's notes for trials 26, 24, and 25.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "p02-dub-techno-122-bpm",
   "heading": "P02 — dub techno, 122 BPM",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    11975,
    14441
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     11975,
     14441
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 2466,
   "digest": "this section features dub techno at 122 BPM. it provides renders and metadata for seeds 4002 and 5002, including the listener's notes for trial 32, trial 19, and the sentinel trial 5.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "p03-detroit-techno-132-bpm",
   "heading": "P03 — Detroit techno, 132 BPM",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    14441,
    16974
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     14441,
     16974
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 2533,
   "digest": "this section covers detroit techno at 132 BPM. it lists renders for seeds 4003 and 5003, with the listener's notes for trial 20, trial 10, and the sentinel trial 18.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "p04-melodic-techno-124-bpm",
   "heading": "P04 — melodic techno, 124 BPM",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    16974,
    19352
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     16974,
     19352
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 2378,
   "digest": "this section presents melodic techno at 124 BPM. it includes renders for seeds 4004 and 5004, with the listener's notes for trial 33, trial 16, and the sentinel trial 2.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "p05-hard-techno-145-bpm",
   "heading": "P05 — hard techno, 145 BPM",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    19352,
    21619
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     19352,
     21619
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 2267,
   "digest": "this section details hard techno at 145 BPM. it contains renders for seeds 4005 and 5005, with the listener's notes for trial 29, trial 21, and the sentinel trial 22.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "p06-acid-techno-130-bpm",
   "heading": "P06 — acid techno, 130 BPM",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    21619,
    23980
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     21619,
     23980
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 2361,
   "digest": "this section features acid techno at 130 BPM. it provides renders for seeds 4006 and 5006, with the listener's notes for trial 8, trial 6, and the sentinel trial 34.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "p07-deep-house-122-bpm",
   "heading": "P07 — deep house, 122 BPM",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    23980,
    26501
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     23980,
     26501
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 2521,
   "digest": "this section covers deep house at 122 BPM. it includes renders for seeds 4007 and 5007, with the listener's notes for trial 4, trial 13, and the sentinel trial 27.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "p08-tech-house-126-bpm",
   "heading": "P08 — tech house, 126 BPM",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    26501,
    28838
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     26501,
     28838
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 2337,
   "digest": "this section presents tech house at 126 BPM. it contains renders for seeds 4008 and 5008, with the listener's notes for trial 7, trial 9, and the sentinel trial 12.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "p09-disco-house-124-bpm",
   "heading": "P09 — disco house, 124 BPM",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    28838,
    31182
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     28838,
     31182
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 2344,
   "digest": "this section details disco house at 124 BPM. it lists renders for seeds 4009 and 5009, with the listener's notes for trial 30, trial 15, and the sentinel trial 23.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "p10-progressive-house-128-bpm",
   "heading": "P10 — progressive house, 128 BPM",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    31182,
    33611
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     31182,
     33611
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 2429,
   "digest": "this section features progressive house at 128 BPM. it provides renders for seeds 4010 and 5010, with the listener's notes for trial 31, trial 35, and the sentinel trial 11.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "p11-electro-breaks-130-bpm",
   "heading": "P11 — electro breaks, 130 BPM",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    33611,
    35951
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     33611,
     35951
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 2340,
   "digest": "this section covers electro breaks at 130 BPM. it includes renders for seeds 4011 and 5011, with the listener's notes for trial 1, trial 3, and the sentinel trial 28.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "p12-uplifting-trance-138-bpm",
   "heading": "P12 — uplifting trance, 138 BPM",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    35951,
    38507
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     35951,
     38507
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 2556,
   "digest": "this section presents uplifting trance at 138 BPM. it contains renders for seeds 4012 and 5012, with the listener's notes for trial 14, trial 36, and the sentinel trial 17.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "three-sets-of-bytes-and-which-one-the-player-fetches",
   "heading": "Three sets of bytes, and which one the player fetches",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    38507,
    41827
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     38507,
     41827
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 3320,
   "digest": "the page provides three sets of bytes: raw renders, the sitting's copies, and the listening master. the listening master uses one constant gain and no other processing, ensuring no limiter is used.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "how-to-check-these-clips",
   "heading": "How to check these clips",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    41827,
    43686
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     41827,
     43686
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 1859,
   "digest": "every file in audio/ and audio/master/ can be verified against the run's own sha256. the article's data kit contains request payloads, render records, the sealed blind key, and the listener's timestamped answers.",
   "digest_skipped": null
  },
  {
   "id": "who-ran-this-and-thanks",
   "heading": "Who ran this, and thanks",
   "level": 2,
   "span": [
    43686,
    44452
   ],
   "chunks": [
    [
     43686,
     44452
    ]
   ],
   "chars": 766,
   "digest": null,
   "digest_skipped": "credits"
  }
 ],
 "chips": [
  {
   "id": "c-daebf86f",
   "q": "how were the audio clips on this page rendered?",
   "a": "Every clip was rendered by ACE-Step 1.5's fast variant at eight steps. They are thirty seconds each, in A minor, with the engine's output normalisation at −1 dB, and were created from a written request and a fixed seed.",
   "cites": [
    "what-you-are-hearing"
   ],
   "published": false,
   "publish_state": "held",
   "quote": "",
   "quote_cite": ""
  },
  {
   "id": "c-88850200",
   "q": "what should a listener focus on when hearing the clips?",
   "a": "Listeners are encouraged to listen for whether the adapter's clip has a floor, beat presence, or the characteristics of the name-tag clips. A fourth point involves observing how the clips are built, such as where sections change or whether elements arrive or leave.",
   "cites": [
    "how-to-listen"
   ],
   "published": false,
   "publish_state": "held",
   "quote": "",
   "quote_cite": ""
  },
  {
   "id": "c-96664e4f",
   "q": "how many scoring pairs were in the blind sitting?",
   "a": "The sitting consisted of twenty-four scoring pairs, which were the same request at the same seed, once by the untouched model and once with the adapter at full strength, alongside twelve sentinels.",
   "cites": [
    "the-blind-sheet-unsealed"
   ],
   "published": false,
   "publish_state": "held",
   "quote": "",
   "quote_cite": ""
  },
  {
   "id": "c-dd4134fe",
   "q": "what genres are included in the twelve requests?",
   "a": "The twelve requests comprise six techno, four house, one breaks, and one trance.",
   "cites": [
    "the-twelve-requests"
   ],
   "published": false,
   "publish_state": "held",
   "quote": "",
   "quote_cite": ""
  },
  {
   "id": "c-3e698878",
   "q": "what was the listener's preference for the tech house request?",
   "a": "For the tech house request at seed 4008, the listener picked side A, which was nothing added, noting that it way better and actually resembles house.",
   "cites": [
    "p08-tech-house-126-bpm"
   ],
   "published": false,
   "publish_state": "held",
   "quote": "",
   "quote_cite": ""
  },
  {
   "id": "c-2ee09caf",
   "q": "how many sets of bytes are provided for comparison?",
   "a": "The page provides three sets: the raw renders, the sitting's copies which the listener actually heard, and the listening master which the players on the page fetch.",
   "cites": [
    "three-sets-of-bytes-and-which-one-the-player-fetches"
   ],
   "published": false,
   "publish_state": "held",
   "quote": "",
   "quote_cite": ""
  },
  {
   "id": "c-ff17fb8b",
   "q": "how can the integrity of the audio files be verified?",
   "a": "Files can be verified byte for byte using sha256. The page prints the raw render's fingerprint and the master's beside every player, and manifest files carry the full sha256 for every file.",
   "cites": [
    "how-to-check-these-clips"
   ],
   "published": false,
   "publish_state": "held",
   "quote": "",
   "quote_cite": ""
  }
 ],
 "related": [
  {
   "slug": "listen-for-yourself",
   "why": "shares ground with § How to listen · § What to listen for"
  },
  {
   "slug": "the-ceiling-is-not-the-corpus",
   "why": "shares ground with § The blind sheet, unsealed · § The blind sitting"
  },
  {
   "slug": "ten-minutes-with-living-artists",
   "why": "shares ground with § How to listen · § Twelve requests, four ways"
  }
 ],
 "thanks": "## Who ran this, and thanks {#who-ran-this-and-thanks}\n\nThe same small team and fleet of AI agents as the article, on the same machines, and the credits are [The Ceiling Is Not the Corpus](/the-ceiling-is-not-the-corpus/)'s: the four hundred and sixteen tracks, their ninety-five artists and the licences they chose, the dataset that catalogued them, the engine, the trainer and the tools beneath are all named there in full, track by track and deed by deed, because on this run the credits are not a courtesy but the licence — [how that works](/how-we-work/) is next door, and the [licence ledger](/licences/) carries the engine's row. Every clip on this page is AI-generated, the engine's own model card asks that it be said, and it is said here as well as there.",
 "kit": null,
 "seat_class": {
  "writer": "gemma-class",
  "judge": null,
  "writer_runtime": "vllm"
 },
 "bench": {
  "bullets_written": 3,
  "bullets_kept": 0,
  "digests_written": 18,
  "digests_kept": 18,
  "chips_written": 7,
  "chips_kept": 7,
  "chips_grounded": 0,
  "chips_published": 0,
  "dropped_by": {
   "new_noun": 0,
   "figure": 1,
   "length": 0,
   "cite": 0,
   "judge": 0,
   "quote": 0,
   "directive": 0,
   "redaction": 0,
   "profanity": 0,
   "hand-edit": 2
  },
  "new_noun_tokens_checked": [
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  "new_noun_tokens_withheld": 0,
  "figure_definition": "v3",
  "drops": [
   {
    "kind": "bullet",
    "reason": "figure",
    "item": "the engine's output normalisation is set at −1 dB",
    "detail": "terminal token carries no figure"
   },
   {
    "kind": "bullet",
    "reason": "hand-edit",
    "count": 2,
    "item": null,
    "withheld": "two bullets removed from this pack by hand",
    "detail": "removed from this pack by hand on 2026-09-09, after the writer ran and after the gates had counted; not a gate drop, and recorded here so the ledger adds up"
   }
  ]
 },
 "generated_utc": "2026-09-09T05:09:35Z",
 "meta_refreshed_utc": "2026-09-10T10:17:36Z"
}