It snowed the week we were in Hokkaido, and the forest went mute. Snow absorbs sound, so a snowfall is as close to silence as most of us will ever get.

Not quite silent

It isn't silent — it's a hush. The flakes land at 19 dB. If you listen long enough you can hear the difference between powder and wet.

Why we kept it

The quietest recordings are the hardest to make and the easiest to ruin in mastering. We barely touched this one. It didn't need it.