Ambience

Ambience (sometimes called cave noises) is a set of sounds that occasionally play when the player is in close proximity to a dark cave. They were made by C418, who also composed Minecraft's music. Ambient sounds can be played in any dimension, including the Nether and the End and can be heard in both singleplayer and multiplayer. Despite their name, they are not sounds that one would expect to hear inside of a cave, such as falling pebbles or dripping water, but rather supernatural noises frequently likened to demonic or ghostly moans, vehicles, ringing bells and instruments.

Ambient sounds can play in a space of any size, but they seem to play much more likely in larger spaces positioned 10 - 20 blocks away from the player in any direction, and completely filled with a light level less than eight without any lighting from the sky (the ambience will more likely play from the direction of lower levels because of a lower light level). The space does not need to be sealed off - a sound can even play from a space that the player can actually see - nor does the player need to be underground to hear it. The sounds can also come from player-created spaces, even if that space is a box above the clouds.

The Sounds
Ambient sounds are found in the resources/newsound/ambient/cave from the .minecraft folder. They play randomly in different pitches, like other sounds of Minecraft do. There are 13 sounds (Cave 1 - 13) in total:


 * 1) A loud, spooky bell or a whistle, like a train horn.Cave1.ogg
 * 2) A fascinating echoing sound, like angelic singing.cave2.ogg
 * 3) A low-pitched hum, perhaps a bass.Cave3.ogg
 * 4) A loud echoing noise, like a demonic roar or a stream.Cave4.ogg
 * 5) Spooky ringing.Cave5.ogg
 * 6) A rough noise that fades in and out, like a motor vehicle passing by.Cave6.ogg
 * 7) A short, silent gong ring.Cave7.ogg
 * 8) Sinister whiff.Cave8.ogg
 * 9) A sweeping hum, like an airplane flying in the distance.Cave9.ogg
 * 10) A loud whistle, violin screech, or door creaking with a booming backround noise.Cave10.ogg
 * 11) A swhoosh with a rhythmic backround noise of machinery running, likely a train passing by.Cave11.ogg
 * 12) A loud boom.Cave12.ogg
 * 13) A loud swhoosh that trembles in the end, like wind or a ghostly moan.Cave13.ogg

History
As of snapshot 12w07a, the map format was updated to the Anvil format, which now allows ambience to be heard in Multiplayer.

Ambience was known to play only in 3x3x3 spaces or larger, but they've been heard playing in spaces of smaller size.

Issues

 * Ambience may trigger even if the player is less than 10 blocks away from the source.
 * Ambience can play anywhere in Superflat worlds.

Trivia

 * Ambience is not an indicator of nearby ore, underground structures, mobs, etc. Following them can still lead the player to such things indirectly, since they emanate from unlit caves.
 * Ambience can be used to detect areas where hostile mobs are able to spawn, since both require a light level of less than eight.
 * Due to the unsettling atmosphere of ambience, these sounds can be frightening to some players. However, they do not represent any immediate danger. They only play in deep darkness. If you do not want to hear the sounds, keep the caves you find well lit.
 * Ambience can be disabled by turning off Ambient/Environment sound.
 * If the fifth sound is listened closely, presumably at loud volume, sounds of thumping can be heard, like someone walking.
 * If the seventh sound is listened closely, a short creak or a sizzle can be heard near the beginning.
 * Ambience can play anywhere in The End.
 * On rare occasions ambient noises can be heard if the player is standing by an ocean or deep body of water, regardless of light level outside the water. This is because deep bodies of water have very low light levels making this possible.

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