A dark cave. This is where one will most likely hear ambience sounds.
Ambience (sometimes called cave noises) is a set of sounds that occasionally plays when the player is in close proximity to a dark cave. 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 roars, vehicles, ringing bells, or bass sounds.
Ambient sounds require that a space at least 3×3×3, entirely less than light level eight (with lower light levels being more likely to play the sound), and with no lighting contribution from the sky, be positioned ten to twenty blocks away from the player in any direction. 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 near the clouds.
As of 1.2, ambience may now be heard in multiplayer.
The Sounds
Ambient sounds are found in the resources/newsound/ambient/cave from the .minecraft folder. They can appear in low pitches.
- Cave 1 - Ghostly train whistle
- Cave 2 - Angelic singing
- Cave 3 - Low pitch orchestra
- Cave 4 - Demonic roar / Wind echoing in a tunnel
- Cave 5 - Ringing
- Cave 6 - Engine
- Cave 7 - Gong ringing quietly
- Cave 8 - Devilish whiff / Blaze breathing / Zombie pigman dying
- Cave 9 - Airplane flying in distance
- Cave 10 - Echoing bang & violin screech
- Cave 11 - Subway
- Cave 12 - Loud bell
- Cave 13 - Demonic grunt
- Cave 14 - Zombie breaking down door
Bugs
- The sounds can play in smaller spaces than 3x3x3.
- It doesn't matter how far the player is from the space.
- As of 12w08a, building height is increased. Skylight does not work above the old 128 block limit without blocks, causing cave ambience to play.
Trivia
- Ambience is not an indicator of nearby ore, underground structures, or mobs. Following them can still lead the player to such things indirectly, since they emanate from unlit caves.
- Ambient sounds were created by C418, who also composed Minecraft's music.
- Ambient sounds can be played in any dimension, including The Nether and The End.
- Since the new map format "Anvil", these sounds can now be heard in Multiplayer (12w07b onwards).
- Although these sounds can be scary to some players, there is nothing dangerous about the sounds. They only play in deep darkness. If you do not want to hear the sounds, place torches in the cave.