Ambient Noise

[Mercurygirl]

Ambient noise, atmospheric sounds, etc., I've really come to dig them. My bf and I live in an apartment building and sometimes the neighbors can be loud, have their music up, noise off the street, etc,. and all I have to do is hook my computer up to our speaker system, go to Youtube and find, say, ocean sounds, rainstorm, or celestial white noise, and I'm instantly in my own private bubble. Unlike some music which may have words that can make it difficult to concentrate ambient sound just frees the mind for thought. At one time I used classical music but found that it tended to influence mood whereas ambient sound just drowns out everything. An emotional vanilla. I find it's great for studying/reading, writing, relaxing, meditation, and sleeping.

Does anyone else like it? What's your favorite sounds?

Share some links to your favorites I'd love to try them. =]

 

[Almost40]

Hope u r doin good.
I dont know if these ones are close to your likes but give them a try (some of my all time favourites, if you like them I have thousands of simillar titles). Dig in.

Shogun Spy
Shogun Spy - Falling Slowly Falling Deeply | Cold Tear Records

Heights of Abraham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejLksdzFDRY

Salt Tank
Salt Tank – Sargasso Sea – Listen and discover music at Last.fm

Respect.

 

[bigred0818]

I used to use it to sleep. When I lived in America, my partner, at the time, had a SleepMate next to the bed. It took me a couple of days to get used to it but, now, I can't do without it. Since being back home in the UK, I have changed to wearing ear plugs. The dull sounds that it produces is kind of like a SleepMate but, no matter how hard I try, I can't find a SleepMate for sale in the UK, and I've been looking for over 10 years!

I also use it for studying. Has anyone heard of ASMR? It's kind of hard to explain but, it's described as experiencing pleasant tingles and/or a sense of deep relaxation when exposed to sound or certain activities. Here are some links that I use for either sleep or study that keep me relaxed, focused, and when needed, sleepy. It's advised to wear earphones when listening to these in order for them to have a good effect.

http://youtu.be/t7UN3o2tDcc

http://youtu.be/SEra1dQzJwo

http://youtu.be/knZpJimeQnE

http://youtu.be/BR1WH6CpvRk

 

[Brisler]

I don't listen to those kinda new-age-relaxation-recordings of ambient noise. But I do listen to ambient music. I know that isn't what this topic is about, but I cannot recommend Music to play in the dark I & II by Coil enough.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u8oal_1_YUk

To approach a more on-topic response, I have, like every healthy boy in the world, sacrificed a substantial part of my youth trying to find the best field recordings out there. I stopped doing so when I found it: El tren fantasma by Chris Watson. The sheet amount of completely insignificant field recordings made the journey tiresome. But I found the best, and it's amazing. It's not the ambience that makes El tren fantasma worthwhile for me in itself, but it's how much the ambience resembles music, somewhere between minimalistic techno and avant-garde classical music.

It's a recording of a trip across Mexico by train. The recording starts with station speakers announcing that it's last call for the ghost train, and the travel starts. It consists mainly of sounds made by the train, occasionally mixed with ambient sounds from other travelers and the landscape surroundings of the train. It should be heard in its entirety, but El Divisadero is the culmination of the travel. Give it a listen, it's fucking awesome:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VjzUXN10_Ao

 

[Perados]

This may be something you like, its from a guy i know
Http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZucy0-P9qxFoNaAK9YoqmMwF-Y_OX5i4

And cafe del mar is something i like to hear
http://youtu.be/l8VRaL27qoY

 

[EllieP]

We have a lanai at the back of the house. It's a common thing in Florida - a large screened in area with a pool. We have a spa with a waterfall that empties into the pool.

When I come home from the office this is my home office: a steamer chair on the lanai, laptop, glass of ice tea and the gurgle of the waterfall. No music except when Cap is home and making his own.

 

[kenny233]

Thanks for sharing these; I like ambient noise as well, and usually sleep with a box fan to generate noise. There are also cell phone apps that generate ambient or "white" noise.

I am going to try some of the links posted here. This is a good topic for a thread, OP.

 

[Mercurygirl]

Hope u r doin good.
I dont know if these ones are close to your likes but give them a try (some of my all time favourites, if you like them I have thousands of simillar titles). Dig in.

Shogun Spy
Shogun Spy - Falling Slowly Falling Deeply | Cold Tear Records

Heights of Abraham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejLksdzFDRY

Salt Tank
Salt Tank – Sargasso Sea – Listen and discover music at Last.fm

Respect.

Very cool however I find voices distracting. I'm a notorious people watcher, study of human behavior, and when I can't make out what someone is saying in public I try to single out their voice from the crowd. I find myself doing the same with a couple of these recordings, as in, "what did they just say?" which would immediately pull me away from what I was trying to focus on.

May I ask do you meditate to these?

Thanks btw.

I used to use it to sleep. When I lived in America, my partner, at the time, had a SleepMate next to the bed. It took me a couple of days to get used to it but, now, I can't do without it. Since being back home in the UK, I have changed to wearing ear plugs. The dull sounds that it produces is kind of like a SleepMate but, no matter how hard I try, I can't find a SleepMate for sale in the UK, and I've been looking for over 10 years!

I also use it for studying. Has anyone heard of ASMR? It's kind of hard to explain but, it's described as experiencing pleasant tingles and/or a sense of deep relaxation when exposed to sound or certain activities. Here are some links that I use for either sleep or study that keep me relaxed, focused, and when needed, sleepy. It's advised to wear earphones when listening to these in order for them to have a good effect.

ASMR Tingles with No Talking - YouTube

http://youtu.be/SEra1dQzJwo

http://youtu.be/knZpJimeQnE

http://youtu.be/BR1WH6CpvRk

A doctors office visit, alien abduction, etc., are unnerving and uncomfortable to me. I don't think I fully understand how these can be relaxing? Can you please explain to me how these work for you?

I don't listen to those kinda new-age-relaxation-recordings of ambient noise. But I do listen to ambient music. I know that isn't what this topic is about, but I cannot recommend Music to play in the dark I & II by Coil enough.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u8oal_1_YUk

To approach a more on-topic response, I have, like every healthy boy in the world, sacrificed a substantial part of my youth trying to find the best field recordings out there. I stopped doing so when I found it: El tren fantasma by Chris Watson. The sheet amount of completely insignificant field recordings made the journey tiresome. But I found the best, and it's amazing. It's not the ambience that makes El tren fantasma worthwhile for me in itself, but it's how much the ambience resembles music, somewhere between minimalistic techno and avant-garde classical music.

It's a recording of a trip across Mexico by train. The recording starts with station speakers announcing that it's last call for the ghost train, and the travel starts. It consists mainly of sounds made by the train, occasionally mixed with ambient sounds from other travelers and the landscape surroundings of the train. It should be heard in its entirety, but El Divisadero is the culmination of the travel. Give it a listen, it's fucking awesome:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VjzUXN10_Ao

To be honest the first one was a little too scary for me. I try and stay clear of anything that evokes moods. The train one I liked, mostly the repetitive train track sounds.

Thanks.

This may be something you like, its from a guy i know
Http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZucy0-P9qxFoNaAK9YoqmMwF-Y_OX5i4

And cafe del mar is something i like to hear
http://youtu.be/l8VRaL27qoY

Those were beautiful.

We have a lanai at the back of the house. It's a common thing in Florida - a large screened in area with a pool. We have a spa with a waterfall that empties into the pool.

When I come home from the office this is my home office: a steamer chair on the lanai, laptop, glass of ice tea and the gurgle of the waterfall. No music except when Cap is home and making his own.

One day I too shall have a waterfall Ellie ... or perhaps one day you'll find a strange women sitting in your lanai.

Thanks for sharing these; I like ambient noise as well, and usually sleep with a box fan to generate noise. There are also cell phone apps that generate ambient or "white" noise.

I am going to try some of the links posted here. This is a good topic for a thread, OP.

Same, I just love a fan or the AC running when I sleep. Normally I wake up at every single noise but a fan or AC drown everything out nicely. The only thing I like more was when my family and I use to vacation at a house on the beach. The sounds of the ocean are a natural lullaby.



I didn't fully discover ambient noise's effectiveness till I moved into the dorms during my freshman year of college. I just couldn't concentrate what with all the people in the halls talking, yelling, the loud music and general noise pollution. So one day I put on my headphones and started listening to music on my CD player because I couldn't focus. I was tired of the CD music I had so I switched over to my radio and was trying to find a station when I hit a patch of white noise and quickly realized how effective it was. I found my personal bubble and was able to study. I continued this practice throughout college and began adding other ambient sounds in order to shut out the world and focus. It's been a godsend.

 

[Almost40]

Wassup.
I wouldnt call these tunes the best background when it comes to meditation. These sounds are best described as urban-ambient-sonic illusions rather than meditation tunes. You may also want to check the follwing for some strictly non verbal cuts https://archive.org/details/TexturalBeingMixedByDeepgoa

I bet you already tried the art of Noise
Welcome to The Art Of Noise Online authorised website
Even though they are using more abstract or subconscious everyday sounds or nature sounds mixed into fine melodies the result is magnificent.

I dont know if you are into downtempo dub tech, but you can try the ST. Petersburgh based radio station Anima Amoris 256 Mp3 [Minimal Dubtechno]. Live streamng through radiotuna.com Killer non verbal waxings, along with ungerground techno.

Checkitout!

 

[Mercurygirl]

Wassup.
I wouldnt call these tunes the best background when it comes to meditation. These sounds are best described as urban-ambient-sonic illusions rather than meditation tunes. You may also want to check the follwing for some strictly non verbal cuts https://archive.org/details/TexturalBeingMixedByDeepgoa

I bet you already tried the art of Noise
Welcome to The Art Of Noise Online authorised website
Even though they are using more abstract or subconscious everyday sounds or nature sounds mixed into fine melodies the result is magnificent.

I dont know if you are into downtempo dub tech, but you can try the ST. Petersburgh based radio station Anima Amoris 256 Mp3 [Minimal Dubtechno]. Live streamng through radiotuna.com Killer non verbal waxings, along with ungerground techno.

Checkitout!

Thanks for all the info and links, very cool of you. =]

 

[Hoss]

Rain falling...on a tent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH-kj6rkQWc

Train sounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oVTXSntnA0

Train sound (shorter version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m_avyMjcL8

I also check out various weather things like wind or blizzards. Quite soothing to me.

 

[Penis Aficionado]

I'm not really knowledgeable about "ambient music," but I know the music on Bowie's Low and Heroes albums is sometimes described that way, and I love those records. They're a mix of instrumentals and songs with vocals. Some of the more "ambient" tracks are really haunting and beautiful.

 

[CurseOfCurves]

I tend to go for the ocean or rain sounds when meditating. I tried using classical and music meant for meditation and it was super distracting.
Also, That's not a bad idea using ambient sounds for noisy neighbors. Mine sound like baby elephants.

 

[Mercurygirl]

Rain falling...on a tent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH-kj6rkQWc

Train sounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oVTXSntnA0

Train sound (shorter version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m_avyMjcL8

I also check out various weather things like wind or blizzards. Quite soothing to me.

Just love rain on a tent. Yep, blizzards, storms, etc., are fantastic too.

I'm not really knowledgeable about "ambient music," but I know the music on Bowie's Low and Heroes albums is sometimes described that way, and I love those records. They're a mix of instrumentals and songs with vocals. Some of the more "ambient" tracks are really haunting and beautiful.

Vocals are right out for me, too distracting if I need to concentrate on something. If I just want music that I can study to or drown people out lately it's been Jean Michel Jarre.

Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlBIQqIPaGg

I tend to go for the ocean or rain sounds when meditating. I tried using classical and music meant for meditation and it was super distracting.
Also, That's not a bad idea using ambient sounds for noisy neighbors. Mine sound like baby elephants.

Word. Ocean or rain are my favs.

I'd take the baby elephants. I've have a family with four kids between the ages of 3 and 9 on one side and a couple who are apparently near deaf if the volume on their TV is any indication to the other side of our apartment. We also have another couple just down the hall who argue constantly. The wife is lunatic, always screaming.

 

[french_toast]

I absolutely love these kinds of sounds. They are great while working and studying or simply to add a bit of sound to a very quiet room or to keep your mind off of unwanted noise distractions.

Some of my personal favorites are :
- rain drops (Hoss' link to rain falling on a tent is just perfect !)
- wave sounds
- creaking boat sounds (I tend to mute the seagulls on that one)
- rustling leaves in the wind
- tibetan bowls (there are different tones and they sound so clear, I don't meditate but I'm sure they would be perfect for that)
- very neutral musics such as this one (bonus points for rustling leaves sound)

White noise is a little too agressive to me (for lack of a better word) but pink noise and grey noise are great. This is a cool white noise generator. You can set it yourself to your liking or click on a preset on the right. Watch out for the "infra noise"... it makes me feel really uneasy, makes my heart beat faster and makes me want to flee to a safer place for some reason. It's actually quite interesting, before finding out about these noises I didn't know sounds could have such an impact on me.

bigred0818 put up some interesting links as well. I don't think I could realy relax to those sounds (except maybe the first one) but ASMR is really interesting. For me, the sounds that work are those I hear at the hairdresser's. When the clippers come close to the back of my head, I get shivers all the way down my spine and I'm pretty sure that's my brain having an orgasm. Used to hate the feeling as a kid but now it's the main reason why I even go to get my hair cut ! :biggrin1:

(sorry if I talked too much, I got inspired from listening to all of these sounds hehehe)

 

[Mercurygirl]

I absolutely love these kinds of sounds. They are great while working and studying or simply to add a bit of sound to a very quiet room or to keep your mind off of unwanted noise distractions.

Some of my personal favorites are :
- rain drops (Hoss' link to rain falling on a tent is just perfect !)
- wave sounds
- creaking boat sounds (I tend to mute the seagulls on that one)
- rustling leaves in the wind
- tibetan bowls (there are different tones and they sound so clear, I don't meditate but I'm sure they would be perfect for that)
- very neutral musics such as this one (bonus points for rustling leaves sound)

White noise is a little too agressive to me (for lack of a better word) but pink noise and grey noise are great. This is a cool white noise generator. You can set it yourself to your liking or click on a preset on the right. Watch out for the "infra noise"... it makes me feel really uneasy, makes my heart beat faster and makes me want to flee to a safer place for some reason. It's actually quite interesting, before finding out about these noises I didn't know sounds could have such an impact on me.

bigred0818 put up some interesting links as well. I don't think I could realy relax to those sounds (except maybe the first one) but ASMR is really interesting. For me, the sounds that work are those I hear at the hairdresser's. When the clippers come close to the back of my head, I get shivers all the way down my spine and I'm pretty sure that's my brain having an orgasm. Used to hate the feeling as a kid but now it's the main reason why I even go to get my hair cut ! :biggrin1:

(sorry if I talked too much, I got inspired from listening to all of these sounds hehehe)

Talk too much, are you kidding? Keep it coming. Those two ambient sound mixer sites you turned me on to are awesome. I love the fact I can personalize my own sound. I never knew there were pink and grey noises. Hell, I loved everything you linked me to and I'm so stoked right now to experiment and make my own sounds. Cool beans dude!

Seriously, what a fantastic post and education on the subject. How long have you been a fan (pun pun) of ambient noise? Thank you so much for the info and links. =]



P.S. At the moment I'm under the sea listening to "whale songs". :wink:

 

[french_toast]

Talk too much, are you kidding? Keep it coming. Those two ambient sound mixer sites you turned me on to are awesome. I love the fact I can personalize my own sound. I never knew there were pink and grey noises. Hell, I loved everything you linked me to and I'm so stoked right now to experiment and make my own sounds. Cool beans dude!

Seriously, what a fantastic post and education on the subject. How long have you been a fan (pun pun) of ambient noise? Thank you so much for the info and links. =]



P.S. At the moment I'm under the sea listening to "whale songs". :wink:

Whale songs are really beautiful and inspiring. I also love the sound of fire. :yup:

I think I really started listening to ambient noises just a few years ago. Three years maybe ? I had been listening to music (without lyrics) for a long time when I needed to concentrate to study for school and uni. Then I started living with loud (but so loveable) housemates and I ran out of music to listen to. Once I knew all the songs pretty much by heart they didn't work for me anymore so I switched over to ambient sounds because they aren't predictable and I can't sing along to them. They don't distract me and they cover other sounds.

I don't listen to them all the time because I now live in a pretty quiet place, but when I need to work on something and I need help concentrating, they are great. I worked in a lab for six months and ambient noises helped me work without being distracted by all the machine noises while at the same time keeping me alert so I would notice if a machine suddenly made weird sounds, which I had to look out for.

The sound mixers are really great, but to be honest I have never really made my own sounds yet. I guess I'm too lazy and there are so many to choose from anyways, I never felt the need to make my own. I just mute or change te volume of some sounds that would distract me and keep the rest the way they are.

 

[Mercurygirl]

Whale songs are really beautiful and inspiring. I also love the sound of fire. :yup:

I think I really started listening to ambient noises just a few years ago. Three years maybe ? I had been listening to music (without lyrics) for a long time when I needed to concentrate to study for school and uni. Then I started living with loud (but so loveable) housemates and I ran out of music to listen to. Once I knew all the songs pretty much by heart they didn't work for me anymore so I switched over to ambient sounds because they aren't predictable and I can't sing along to them. They don't distract me and they cover other sounds.

I don't listen to them all the time because I now live in a pretty quiet place, but when I need to work on something and I need help concentrating, they are great. I worked in a lab for six months and ambient noises helped me work without being distracted by all the machine noises while at the same time keeping me alert so I would notice if a machine suddenly made weird sounds, which I had to look out for.

The sound mixers are really great, but to be honest I have never really made my own sounds yet. I guess I'm too lazy and there are so many to choose from anyways, I never felt the need to make my own. I just mute or change te volume of some sounds that would distract me and keep the rest the way they are.

Isn't that just a complete ambient experience? Sight, sound, smell, the warmth, etc.. Just being near a fire is rooted to some ancient, ancestral, subconscious bridge that leads to freeing the mind, safety, an inner peace. :redface:

 

[simplotic]

I like to listen to thunderstorm or any white noise really. As some may know I also like to take dxm extracts , put on thunderstorm or techno. This allows me to find inner peace within my mind, helping me with stressful situations, or a problem i ran into at work.

 

[willow78]

I love the sound of rain. Not too heavy and not stormy, but just a light to moderate shower - even on a tin roof. I hate thunder, but a light/rolling 'rumble' in the distance can be quite soothing.

I had a sticky-beak around the NoiseMachines website that french_toast linked to (thanks f_t, it's awesome!). As a cat-lover (and future Crazy Cat Lady, LOL)* I found this one comforting and just too damn cute! Cat Purr | Your Furry Friend's Noise, Online & Free

(although the real thing is still preferred) >(^x^)<

*what's the male equivalent of a CCL called? :redface: :tongue: