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Show HN: Increase your productivity with ambient noise

Aga 14y ago
Very nice idea! This is strangely compelling and I almost forgot it to the background despite having radio on... :-) For those moody evenings and nights a nice choice is "You are listening to" It combines ambient tracks from Soundcloud and police/fire department/etc. radios: http://youarelistening.to/ http://youarelistening.to/
eoinmurray92 14y ago
The link to the research paper at the bottom is the bomb, because no matter what it says I should get an hour or two of placebo filled awesomeness from this.
- web007 14y ago
  Did nobody else notice it's a link to JSTOR? Aren't they evil or something?
cullenmacdonald 14y ago
Just so every one knows, the guy that made this started learning to code from nothing about a month ago. Great job, man. I'm impressed that you conceived of, built, and then launched something in your first month.
- RamzyIS 14y ago
  Bad ass to that guy - must be a VCU guy or something
- allsystemsgo 14y ago
  ... Seriously? Link to bio? I'm really impressed. This is why I love coding. Someone can dive in, create something out of nothing, in virtually no time. I personally can't work with that kind of noise. I prefer classical music or something like that. But, I know people do thrive in this kind of environment. Really neat idea. Surely the creator had a background in UI/UX design??
  - cullenmacdonald 14y ago
    well the UI/UX was done by another friend of mine who has a background in interior design. This is also HER first project. i think they'll be ok with me posting their twitters.. @nicoleehorton - design @jkauszler - Coding
    - allsystemsgo 14y ago
      I dig. Congrats to them both. Excellent small project.
    - StacyC 14y ago
      Well done all around!
- afandian 14y ago
  Did I miss something? Where's the code? Isn't this just a sound file player embedded in a webpage?
  - cullenmacdonald 14y ago
    justin didnt understand html or css a month ago
    - afandian 14y ago
      Aha. Well, congratulations to him. Not being snarky, I just don't consider HTML or CSS 'code' (I always considered 'code' to be executable).
      - cullenmacdonald 14y ago
        and you're right! snakiness, forgiven
      - bduerst 14y ago
        Gotta start somewhere :)
tomasien 14y ago
I'm using it on soft combined with music, and I'm into it! Helping me out.
acecallwood 14y ago
Clean.
lenazegher 14y ago
Goes very nicely with the fragrance of dark coffee [1] [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMnrl0tmd3k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMnrl0tmd3k
- acecallwood 14y ago
  Well played. This is awesome. I usually throw on some Explosions in the Sky or This Will Destroy You, but this track is feeling good right now.
- fumar 14y ago
  Nice track. I do enjoy some jazz/chillout stuff while working. I really like Ryo Fukui's Early Summer [1]. But, one can never go wrong with Miles Davis' In Silent Way [2]. I am also a big fan of electronic ambient stuff like Liumin [3]. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaVVdkVbYfA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaVVdkVbYfA [2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUOGehr-4CA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUOGehr-4CA [3] https://soundcloud.com/modernlove/sets/deepchord-presents-echospace-liumin https://soundcloud.com/modernlove/sets/deepchord-presents-ec...
br0nerd 14y ago
For the love of coffee.. this is money!
jph 14y ago
Focus@Will is a startup doing music to boost productivity: https://www.focusatwill.com/ https://www.focusatwill.com/ Lifehacker did a related post abiut choosing music for focus: http://lifehacker.com/5987019/choose-unfamiliar-work-music-for-better-productivity-and-focus http://lifehacker.com/5987019/choose-unfamiliar-work-music-f... (The founder's a friend)
awjr 14y ago
Have to say I was skeptical, but after about 20 minutes of this, I think I'm sold. I do think this would be nice as a downloadable soundtrack/app though but the concept works very very well in an open plan office. Not sure where this urge for cake is coming from and I swear if you listen closely enough, once in a while, you can hear a sheep bleating just briefly.
lukev 14y ago
Very interesting, but I find I get much the same effect with the right types of music (which are also more aesthetically pleasing, to me). Also, recorded environmental sounds always have a certain degree of annoyance for me. There's nothing on earth I love more than the sound of rain or a crackling fire, but recorded versions just don't cut it (for me). This seems to fall into the same category.
- duncanmcdowell 14y ago
  Any recommendations on specific music that helps you (artist/album)? I find that Radiohead/In Rainbows is good for me
  - littledot5566 14y ago
    Relax Daily. Good for coding, reading and sleeping. http://relaxdaily.net/relaxation-music-instrumentals/ http://relaxdaily.net/relaxation-music-instrumentals/ Here's a mix of most of his previous works. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qycqF1CWcXg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qycqF1CWcXg
  - gknoy 14y ago
    I find myself going between Digitally Imported's "Epic Trance", "Vocal Trance", and "Hands up" stations [1], but as soon as I can find my Tron Legacy soundtrack I'll be listening to the "Sea of Simulation" track on infinite loop. 1: http://di.fm/ http://di.fm/
    - peterwwillis 14y ago
      I like some ambient drum&bass for a similar sound, but a little more energy to keep me focused. http://www.last.fm/listen/group/Atmospheric%2520Drum%2527n%2527Bass http://www.last.fm/listen/group/Atmospheric%2520Drum%2527n%2... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzoY_eEnnac http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzoY_eEnnac http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ziP7iMCAok http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ziP7iMCAok
  - jmduke 14y ago
instakill 14y ago
It's alright but there's way too much dish hitting. The talking is good but the kitchen cleaning staff is not only distracting but angering.
- pavel_lishin 14y ago
  Perhaps a better version would have independent sound tracks of each ambient noise, so that you could adjust each individual part.
  - thetrumanshow 14y ago
    Or, at least different "flavors". I'd like to try "Busy Airport Terminal" and "Mall Scene". For working parents, maybe a recording of your kids playing/fighting in the background. :)
    - fumar 14y ago
      Busy Airports reminds me of Brian Eno's Music for Airports. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfKcu_ze-60 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfKcu_ze-60
      - peterwwillis 14y ago
        Brian Eno + "3d Rain" link above = Blade Runner. Now I want to nap.
  - Kerrick 14y ago
    Like http://www.ambient-mixer.com/ http://www.ambient-mixer.com/ ? I've long used that website to give some atmosphere to my tabletop RPG sessions.
- rschmitty 14y ago
  also, people with annoying laughs :/
- alistairSH 14y ago
duiker101 14y ago
http://www.rainymood.com http://www.rainymood.com is my background noise of choice.
- NuZZ 14y ago
  Uh, didnt that site have a volume slider at one point? And shouldn't OP's have one in Firefox? This is getting quite annoying.
- prisonguard 14y ago
  rain makes me feel drowzy
DerKommissar 14y ago
My brain must be wired differently. I listened to that for about three minutes before I wanted to pull my hair out. The only ambient sound I've ever been productive listening to is rain. I've tried to work in coffee shops before. Every few minutes I realize I've been listening to my neighbor's conversation and not doing work. I really dislike working in noisy places.
- gknoy 14y ago
  Rain sounds are like lullabies to me. I love them, but can't listen to them for background music. =/
- cowpewter 14y ago
  Not just you, this made me want to scream and throw something after a few minutes too. I program best listening to music I've heard a million times before, preferably something a little bit technical, like progressive rock or metal. It has to be familiar enough that my brain can anticipate every sound that's coming and not be surprised by anything, yet complex enough to give the idle parts of my brain that are prone to distraction something to 'chew' on, so I'm not off to HN every time the actual problem solving part of my brain gets stuck for 30 seconds. I tend to listen to the same album or two on repeat for a few weeks until I get sick of it, then switch to a different album or two.
  - DerKommissar 14y ago
    Music is even worse for me than chatter. I think it's because I'm a musician, I can't help but concentrate on it. One other thing I've noticed about myself in this regard is that annoying noise irrationally enrages me when I'm trying to concentrate. For example when I'm working in my cube and a manager or maintenance guy walks by whistling, I really want to scream at them. Even if it's only for a few seconds. I ignore the feeling because I know it's totally irrational, it goes away and I don't actually feel any ill will towards people. I've heard others talking about this kind of thing before so I'm pretty sure it's not just me. It's annoying because I'd like to be able to work around noise better, and I don't like being angry.
rm999 14y ago
I listen to "binaural beats for a more creative mind" or "binaural beats for concentration and alertness" on spotify while working sometimes. I'm not convinced on the actual science behind binaural beats' affect on the brain, but it very much helps my productivity. At the least it drowns out ambient sound and doesn't distract me with familiar music or lyrics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_beats http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_beats
Gotttzsche 14y ago
it's down. :( what is it? just drowning out distracting sounds or magic productivity noise?
stuaxo 14y ago
I heard someone I know used white noise, so trying this one I found http://cantonbecker.com/music/white-noise-sleep-sounds/mp3s.php http://cantonbecker.com/music/white-noise-sleep-sounds/mp3s.... A bit crazy they want to charge nine quid for it, but can just play it in the web player
ajb 14y ago
(edit: I was confused, it's not restricted. Sorry for the noise) "not yet available outside the US" .. fair enough, and kudos for saying up front. How about adding a way of telling me when it is available? Specifically, that is. I'm not going to subscribe to your normal feed because enthusiastic messages about a service which I can't get yet are just irritating. Indeed, the better they sound, the more likely I am to search for alternatives! This goes for anyone else who is rolling a service out slowly..
- cullenmacdonald 14y ago
  Is this the comment intended to be on this thread? I just talked to the guys that made this and they arent aware of any location restrictions
  - benwoodward 14y ago
    I think they are probably referring to http://focusatwill.com/beta http://focusatwill.com/beta mentioned elsewhere in the comments.
    - ajb 14y ago
      Yes, that is what I was looking at.
- singular 14y ago
  Works for me in UK.
- ewoutkleinsmann 14y ago
  No problems here in The Netherlands.
porker 14y ago
I like, save for the bits around 4-4:30 where spoken word is too clear and disturbing.
hboon 14y ago
(If you use iTunes) Along the same lines, I'm a fan of this https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/people-sound-effects-2/id582685672 https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/people-sound-effects-2/id5... Track 21.
honopu 14y ago
I always listen to this on loop in itunes: http://www.sonicstudios.com/pptwaves.mp3 http://www.sonicstudios.com/pptwaves.mp3 It works for me.
webandy 14y ago
s/Eurika/Eureka/
mike_ivanov 14y ago
Doesn't work for me, I find it highly distracting.
nollidge 14y ago
Chrome on Windows 7, clicking play button does absolutely nothing. EDIT: started working after like a minute of sitting. Maybe it had to wait to download the audio file?
vignesh_vs_in 14y ago
I know people want their posts to be on HN front page, but rigging the upvotes is not the right way. (users RamzyIS,acecallwood)
- cullenmacdonald 14y ago
  acecallwood worked on this with justin, and ramzyIS is their friend. no rigging involved!
  - vignesh_vs_in 14y ago
    My bad. Anyway, site has nice UI.
robmcm 14y ago
I use ambiance (http://ambianceapp.com/iphone http://ambianceapp.com/iphone) a lot when working, you can record your own sounds or download lots of free ones. I find airplane noise quite good, or low frequency humming. I think half the effect comes from people thinking twice about bothering you if you have earphones in.
pivo 14y ago
"Research shows it's pretty hard to be creative in a quiet space." I'm sure that research is accurate for some people, but it's definitely not accurate for me. Quiet, aside from any noise I make myself, is the only way I can be truly productive.
- blindhippo 14y ago
  Ditto, although it depends entirely on my mood, environment and what I'm trying to do. But for working in an open office that fluctuates from high activity to periods where you can hear a pin drop, I'm finding this type of thing to be incredibly focussing when trying to code. For actually planning that code (the creative part), I tend to find as quiet an environment as possible - people are disruptive to intense thought.
- jasonkostempski 14y ago
  I make gross noises, which is exactly why I like background noise.
ewoutkleinsmann 14y ago
I didn't read the whole research, but a quick glance at it told me that moderate ambient noise boosts creativity. The research doesn't mention productivity, though. EDIT: And neither does your website, I see now. Why did you use it in the HN title?
paromi 14y ago
site is slow
brianobush 14y ago
I would rather go to my favorite coffee shop. Comes with great coffee too! Lately, this has been my routine a few times a week in the afternoon. The change of environment has been quite effective.
pkfrank 14y ago
As getting the precise volume is so critical, it would be nice if the volume-slider on the widget were wider, making it easier to find the right balance.
hozae 14y ago
I mixed it with some Claude Debussy radio on Spotify.
baby 14y ago
I see lots of people talking about it not working for them. I find the idea Genius! I haven't got anything done today, I'm going to start now with your product + the pomodoro technique and see if I can get things done. EDIT : Okay I really can't focus while having this on the background. But I'm sure it's because I'm doing math. A task that would require less focus would be better with that kind of background. I need silence right now.
deleted 14y ago
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josephjrobison 14y ago
I can't tell, is it the same track over and over again or a new one? By the way, I absolutely love this. I'm 4x more productive in coffee shops compared to everywhere else and I never knew why.
- stef25 14y ago
  Some days I get more done on the 30 min train ride home and then I do all afternoon at the office I also didn't know why. Love this!
codezero 14y ago
I like this, it would be even cooler if there were a way to scale the density of the conversation/background noise. As it is, for me, this sounds a bit too cluttered and makes me feel a bit anxious, besides that, it's pretty cool, and a great idea.
backwardm 14y ago
I'm trying this out now and am really enjoying it. I work at home and usually just have my noise canceling headphones on with no music playing, so having the ambient coffee shop sounds plus music is a nice change. So far, I'm still able to concentrate on my work. Not sure if I'm being more productive or not, but it is a nice change. I just need a coffee to complete the illusion. The loud dish clanks don't really bother me yet. (I am using my beloved Bose Q15 headphones, listening to KCRW Eclectic 24 + the ambient soundtrack both volume levels are very low).
ccleve 14y ago
Anyone ever heard of the Hawthorne Effect? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect
lefinita 14y ago
Well, that women at left are so talkative.
antihero 14y ago
Does anyone else's brain get distracted trying to pick out conversation from the ambience? Perhaps it's an ADHD thing.
- anigbrowl 14y ago
  Yeah, I prefer not hear this kind of thing. I'm not that impressed with the linked paper, which is from a consumer research journal and aims to identify environments that are likely to lead to higher purchasing levels.
antihero 14y ago
Does anyone else's brain get distracted trying to pick out conversation from the ambience? Perhaps it's an ADHD thing.
pyre 14y ago
I've always enjoyed the whitenoise of HVAC systems. It was always pleasant in college to find empty classrooms after-hours, with just the whirr of the HVAC.
- LVB 14y ago
  Me too. I found this pack of high-quality recordings of various fans and blowers: http://www.freesound.org/people/Stomp/packs/990/ http://www.freesound.org/people/Stomp/packs/990/ I loop my favorite samples which makes for a nice background.
- brittohalloran 14y ago
  You want a Marpac 980 white noise maker. It's a little fan in a box with tone adjustments (no speaker involved). Amazing white noise.
- logn 14y ago
  Spice up your noise a bit: http://archive.org/details/ApplPi http://archive.org/details/ApplPi
  - n2j3 14y ago
    beautiful! but how does it work? can we look at the source without decompilation?
    - logn 14y ago
      No unfortunately not. Maybe I'll put it on my GitHub soon. I was thinking maybe I'd find some way to make money on this, so I haven't released the source yet. As to how it works, internally there's a modular data processing pipeline. I wrote a number of modules that serve a specific purpose (sine wave, square, etc, and reverb, gain, etc). They all get connected together in a driver class. Each driver makes heavy use of random numbers. Those in turn decide the notes played and durations. The durations are extremely short, leading to a granular synthesis of sorts. The notes are chosen from classes I structured around standard chord theory and classical modes. I have an unreleased version that processes mic input, but it's not ready for prime time yet. Edit: I decided to release it, probably under AGPL license. Keep an eye on this page: https://github.com/hollingsworthd/ApplPi https://github.com/hollingsworthd/ApplPi
saltcod 14y ago
Really, really useful. Thank you!
neya 14y ago
If I'm correct, this is a type of Binaural recording, where they use a stereo microphone combination separated approximately at the distance of our ears while recording. I used to be a Binaural hobbyist sometime back and I recorded some (unprofessional) stuff along the way. I'd be glad to share it with the community: 1) 3d Sea - https://www.box.com/s/krtxx1tejeftffaegh4v https://www.box.com/s/krtxx1tejeftffaegh4v 2) 3d Rain - https://www.box.com/s/feoczntidb4rkppz1fa7 https://www.box.com/s/feoczntidb4rkppz1fa7 3) 3d forest - https://www.box.com/s/35p4vpn4t6rdc2p8ok39 https://www.box.com/s/35p4vpn4t6rdc2p8ok39 (This is a Binaural music track composed by me :D) Please use headphones to listen to these tracks (and not your speakers, because binaural stuff sounds good only on headphones) EDIT: Here are two more professional recordings (not by me) that will (possibly) blow you away! :D 1) Amazing 3d Matchbox - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYdIidUIbAs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYdIidUIbAs 2) Virtual 3d Haircut - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnNEJfokpWU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnNEJfokpWU
- phreeza 14y ago
  I think there is a lot of space for improvement left in binaural recordings and presentation. For me the suspention of disbelief required to hear a sound from my headphones as actually being remote is really hard. I still mainly hear it as being right at my ears, or maybe somewhere between my ears. Does anyone feel the same?
  - neya 14y ago
    Maybe my recordings are shitty mate, but in general they're REALLY good. There is another one called Holophony, which is a patented technique of recording binaural audio, (by some guy named Hugo) which is multitudes better than plain binaural recordings! I want you to check out if you feel the same way for these PROFESSIONALLY recorded holophonic recordings too: 1) Amazing 3d Matchbox - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYdIidUIbAs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYdIidUIbAs 2) Virtual 3d Haircut - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnNEJfokpWU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnNEJfokpWU >Does anyone feel the same? It varies from person to person, a lot of variables are involved: Your age, your headphones' type, brand, closed/open, etc.
rolleiflex 14y ago
I am not seeing a volume slider on Firefox 19 Stable, OS X. Is this something that can be added?
Inufu 14y ago
For arbitrary ambient sounds, http://www.ambient-mixer.com/ http://www.ambient-mixer.com/ is great. You can create your own mixes or just listen to premade ones. And you can individually adjust each 'effect' on mix board: http://weather.ambient-mixer.com/light-thunderstorm http://weather.ambient-mixer.com/light-thunderstorm
lt 14y ago
I ran into a similar thing today, focus@will: https://www.focusatwill.com/about/ https://www.focusatwill.com/about/ More than specific patterns they offer, I found interesting that they they claim unfamiliar music is better for productivity: "And the single most important factor to consider when choosing a genre is what kind of music you usually listen to for fun and entertainment when you are not trying to be productive. And then, counter-intuitively, it's best to select the very opposite kind of music when using focus@will. Why? Because your brain gets pleasure, releasing dopamine when it hears music you like and listen to a lot, and music that is associated with good times or strong memories of any kind will reduce the focus enhancing effects when used as a productivity tool." Unfortunately, I can't try them out because I'm not in the US.
- kintamanimatt 14y ago
  VPN! I'm trying them out right now. Seems interesting.
- tellarin 14y ago
  Well, I know it's anecdotal, but this is not how it works for me. Music I enjoy, with lyrics, works pretty well.
Havoc 14y ago
I favour trance (e.g. Armin van Buuren). They usually have dreamy female vocals & the electronic feel makes all the notes sound the same, so it doesn't distract (OCD style). The mixes are often 1hr+ long so need to worry about track selection. I find it offers a good mix between not boring & easy to tune out (flow). Example: Ana Criado & Omnia No One Home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOSgtpbnCeI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOSgtpbnCeI
- stephengillie 14y ago
  These are great. I also like listening to Tiesto's Club Life -- both his and Armin Van Buuren are actually BBC radio shows recorded into podcasts.
McUsr 14y ago
I liked this webservice! :)
j45 14y ago
Interesting. I find I get a ton done with ear plugs but it might be due to some traffic noise right outside my window. I've also tried white noise which works pretty well. I'll give this a go, but I'm not sure any music will work, the music itself can't be too enjoyable or engaging or it can become a distraction. Somafm.com is a great station for this kind of music that you can leave running in the background where the music is good, reasonably unfamiliar,etc.
alec 14y ago
I like "Star Trek TNG Ambient Engine Noise (Idling for 24 hrs)" for drowning out everything else: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPoqNeR3_UA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPoqNeR3_UA
- jcfrei 14y ago
  I'm currently running coffitivity and the idling engine noise at the same time. Feels like I'm in the cafeteria aboard the enterprise.
moultano 14y ago
http://soundtracker.com/ http://soundtracker.com/ is what I use for this. He makes binaural nature recordings. They are as effective as white noise at blocking out my surroundings, but because of the feeling of space and the variety of sound, I don't get tired of listening to them the way I do listening to noise. Here's an article on his search for quiet places and the movement to preserve them. http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/3627 http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/3627
mitchi 14y ago
I just work in a public place like a college cafeteria and I fall in love 100 times in a day watching beautiful women. That's even more disturbing than the noise. I still get work done.
WayneS 14y ago
Anyone else hear an occasional goat bleating in the background of that cafe?
- flux_w42 14y ago
  Exactly what I was thinking to :D You can hear it clear on 4:15
joshrotenberg 14y ago
This was pretty good for getting work done. The real benefit came when my homemade lunch tasted like it was made in a cafe and cost me like $13.27 before tip. I bussed my dishes.
leoplct 14y ago
You right. It works!
Myrmornis 14y ago
Silly idea, backed by "research" from the world of business-studies pseudo-academia. Do you trust the results of a paper that starts with the sentence "Creativity is ubiquitous in the realm of consumption"? http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.1086/665048?uid=3739560&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21101773001311 http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.1086/665048?uid=3739560&#38...
- adeaver 14y ago
  It's not a silly idea as it actually works, and works quite well, for some people. I'm one of those people. While this particular site's ambient noise doesn't suit me (too many sharp, distracting sounds) there are many sounds that do help. I typically find I get far more done and am able to focus better when i have my headphones on playing music that has few words. Many others are the same way. While the paper you link to might not be 'research' (don't know, not paying the $14 to read it) it's not a silly idea by any means.
  - Myrmornis 14y ago
    Didn't mean that noise/music doesn't help some people work. But I do contend that creating a web page with the sole purpose of playing noises that sound like a cafe, is silly.
wyck 14y ago
http://somafm.com/ http://somafm.com/ Old site, still amazing broadcasts direct to VLC. Real people , not an algorithm "learning" what you like. Don't forget to donate:)
- twentysix 14y ago
  They have some great stations. I would recommend http://www.zenradio.fm http://www.zenradio.fm too. It features a mix of light instrumentals and ambient music. MP3 : http://flux1.zenradio.fr:8800 http://flux1.zenradio.fr:8800 OGG: http://flux2.zenradio.fr:8000 http://flux2.zenradio.fr:8000
doktrin 14y ago
Interesting. I honestly would never have thought this type of erratic ambient noise would be a productivity boon. I like to get in the zone, which is trickier when having to worry about the world around me. I don't consider myself paranoid, but I guess I subconsciously maintain spatial awareness when out in public. Maybe I'm just not well acclimated to working in public spaces, but I find a lot of the background activity distracting (like the dishes, for instance).
deleted 14y ago
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codequickly 14y ago
Some interesting music/audio for coding: 1. ambient sounds of star trek lcars (http://www.lcarscom.net/ http://www.lcarscom.net/) and the repetitive beeping noise. 2. classic video game music on NES, like Super Mario Bros., Zelda 3. ASMR (search youtube) works wonder for those are affected by it. It puts the listener into a super-relaxed state, which can only be described as tingling or extreme pleasure for the brain. 4. Office Sound Effects (http://www.amazon.com/Offices-Sound-Effects/dp/B008HKONNA http://www.amazon.com/Offices-Sound-Effects/dp/B008HKONNA)
david_shaw 14y ago
I've got to say that as skeptical as I was--noisy environments tend to annoy me--coffitivity is working very well for me. Coffitivity plus Soma.FM's Groove Salad station (Soma.FM is great in general) has made me bang out more work in the last hour or so than in the several hours before it. It could be the placebo effect, but so far, I'm loving it! Thank you!
- catharsis 14y ago
  Soma.fm is my go to for internet radio. I personally find Mission Control the perfect thing to relax my mind and just zone out. For the uninitiated, it's a blend of down tempo atmospheric ambience and real recordings of astronauts talking to mission control.
arbuge 14y ago
There are some strange noises in that soundtrack...
deepGem 14y ago
Man, this reminds me of a relatively unknown movie 'pushpak' - a silent Indian movie. The lead actor's house would be next to a movie theater but he will be forced to move out. He moves to a quieter place but can't sleep in the quiet zone. So he goes back, records all that movie theater noise and manages to get a good night's sleep listening to that recorded noise :).
swah 14y ago
If this helped me focus then my colleagues talking would also make me focus - that is not the case though..
deleted 14y ago
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realdlee 14y ago
I like EDM (Avicii station is a favorite). I also sometimes like the sound of rain, so picked up a mp3 for a buck off Amazon ('The Sound of Summer Rain').
pkhamre 14y ago
I created a playlist with soundtracks from indie games. Initially it was created as background music for playing StarCraft II, but I use it as background music when working instead. It includes soundtracks from Bastion, Machinarum, Braid, Dustforce, Dustforce, Fittest, and Limbo. http://open.spotify.com/user/pkhamre/playlist/53KjzBtdxdGmPZy0azSlAF http://open.spotify.com/user/pkhamre/playlist/53KjzBtdxdGmPZ...
jmd_akbar 14y ago
I dunno if anyone recommended this or not, but these days i'm into "Two Steps From Hell", especially their album "Invincible"
toddrew 14y ago
For me, I find long periods of time spent working in front of a screen can lead to anxiety. When I start getting distracted in many directions the feeling starts to come on. Listening to this ambient noise for the past half hour has calmed down that anxious feeling and made me feel more focused. I am however used to spending lots of time working in public spaces in the past, and have spent the past six months in a more isolated work environment. (On an off the grid property 50m up the side of a volcano that you need to take a boat to access) Maybe this is just putting me back in my comfort zone.
b1daly 14y ago
I'm listening to Souxsie and The Banshees right now while I'm trying to work, I can tell you it is not helping my concentration. Though it is very cool.
glenjamin 14y ago
This is very similar to http://raining.fm http://raining.fm which I'm a big fan of. Rainfall seems to be a nice approximation to pure white noise while having enough randomness to not be noisy. The pomodoro style timer is also very handy.
marvwhere 14y ago
most of the time when i'm programming from my home office, i'm not listening to any music. but since i'm working in an office, with 10 other people most of the time we listen to music over some speakers. when its rock or metal i'm not very productive - but when listen to some good chillstep tracks with the right volume i notice for my self i get more shit done. so i totally agree, right sounds/music in the correct volume and everything is fine. p.s.: people talking around me distrect me totally, because my scumbag brain want to listen all the time...so i do not prefer coffee shops
guynamedloren 14y ago
I personally find ambient noise to be distracting, but I have to say I love the simplicity and cleverness of this idea. Well done!
emrebey 14y ago
man, are you just kidding? is this a joke project? this "ambient noise" is the reason why I have open offices.
- emrebey 14y ago
  I kill my ears day by day with loud music to stop hearing this shit.
dtf 14y ago
* dons evil hat * How much would you charge to insert subliminal adverts?
ehmuidifici 14y ago
Well, let's give it a try, although I prefer Dave Matthews Band discography (and my wife likes programming with Bach, Beethoven or other soundtracks). But that's a good idea, this should work better on very almost-dead quiet spaces.
flux_w42 14y ago
Bugfixing is fun with Mozarts Requiem - Dies Irae :) It feels like saving the world with every commit :D
chookrl 14y ago
After 3 minutes I had to close it. Maybe if I wasn't aware that this is synthetic I would benefit from it.
phatbyte 14y ago
What I like to listen while coding: Aes Dana - Memory Shell Aes Dana - Season 5 Black Sands - Bonobo Carbon Based Lifeforms - Interloper I also find jazz and post-rock pretty good for ambient noise
- scep12 14y ago
  Bonobo is fantastic. Based on what you've listed, I think you'd enjoy Emancipator as well.
erinaceous 14y ago
This doesn't work on me. Even with the volume down low, I couldn't help trying to listen to the coffee shop conversations the instant it started playing. All the voices were somewhere in front of me in space, and after a few seconds I felt pretty overwhelmed. Completely lost my ability to focus on anything else, unfortunately. This could be due to the fact I get sensory overload easily (and I'm somewhere on the broad autism phenotype). It was a jarring experience. Plus the coffee shops I frequent are usually quieter than that - that sounded more like a busy canteen than a coffee shop to me! Needed less echo, more muffling, less voices, and some ambient background coffeeshop music, in my humble opinion of small-coffee-shop patron-hipster :) If I want to focus on stuff, often I have to completely block out people talking and ambient noise and stick music on. The best kind of music is lyricless (or at least, no coherent words - Sigur Røs' english-icelandic gibberish mix is a good example of that), usually long movements, lots of prolonged chords and repetitive segments and a steady rhythm. That stuff helps with my sequencing ability and I find I flit between tasks less. I've also tried white noise / "binaural beats" (those audio signals that use gentle modulation to supposedly alter your brainwaves), but those are pretty overwhelming too. I do wonder if it would have a better on me had they used binaural recording (two microphones where the ears would be on a fake head, plus some algorithms to create a 3-dimensional sense of space from the signals) - which to me sounds more natural. I can't read the whole paper on this, but I'm wondering if they took account of the spectrum of different neurotypes when studying this "coffee shop creativity" effect? Also, since I've seen other people doing it, here's the artists/bands I listen to like 24/7 when in work to help me concentrate: Godspeed You! Black Emperor (favourite <3), Set Fire To Flames, Explosions In The Sky, Lovett's "Ghost of Old Highways" album, Sigur Røs, Ludovico Einaudi, Philip Glass, Massive Attack, Portishead, Liquid Stranger, Radiohead, DJ Shadow, RJD2, Kid Koala, Hybrid, Deadmau5, Hans Zimmer soundtracks, Nine Inch Nails' "Ghosts I-IV", 65daysofstatic (some stuff anyway, some of their stuff is crazy loud and overwhelming)
byjess 14y ago
Thanks... its a great pairing with Songza. Particularly, http://songza.com/listen/jazz-for-reading-songza/ http://songza.com/listen/jazz-for-reading-songza/
rhubarbcustard 14y ago
If I'm having trouble concentrating I listen to some Brandt Brauer Frick. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrOVaqdYxuM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrOVaqdYxuM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR8KGam3m9Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR8KGam3m9Q (ignoring the intro)
cthackers 14y ago
This works very well for me. Thank you!
plg 14y ago
from the actual paper (linked at the bottom of the coffitivity post): "A total of 188 ideas were generated, for an average of 4.48 (SD = 2.09) ideas per person. The noise level did not affect the number of solutions generated" "ideas generated by participants in the moderate- (vs. low-) noise condition were rated as more original (M = 3.87 vs. 3.66; F(1, 40) = 4.76, p < .05)." Ratings were on a 7-point scale (1 = not at all, 7 = very much)... so ... a difference in originality of (3.87-3.66)/7 = 3% (i.e. not actually particularly significant (in the usual use of the word) even though the 3% difference was statistically reliable) "... a significant effect of noise on this appropriateness index, such that ideas generated by respondents in the moderate-noise (vs. low-noise) condition were rated as more appropriate (M = 4.48 vs. 4.20; F(1, 40) = 5.34, p < .05)." again, (4.48-4.20)/7 = 4% difference... not exactly impressive, although apparently it was statistically reliable It always pains me to see scientific research reported in the media in such a way as to inflate the significance of the work ("significance" used here in the layperson sense of the word, not the statistical sense of the word). PS the statistical significance was only reported as "p < .05", which means there is a 1 in 20 chance of getting a difference that large or larger due to random sampling alone (i.e. in the absence of an actual effect). This XKCD cartoon is worth a look: http://www.xkcd.com/882/ http://www.xkcd.com/882/
deleted 14y ago
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vicks711 14y ago
what an idiotic effort!
akx 14y ago
This is excellent! Well done. :) I'd consider making it more procedural, to slowly mix and match different sources (akin to ambient-mixer) for a less static experience (that, by side effect, would also happen to be infinitely long).
crynix 14y ago
Explosions in the Sky is fantastic for getting things done. I've written some of my best code to their music. http://open.spotify.com/track/5uWzSBJKqdSKJ3uMrYYUIT http://open.spotify.com/track/5uWzSBJKqdSKJ3uMrYYUIT is one of my favorite songs by them. The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place is my favorite album from them. http://open.spotify.com/album/1JU4XTyTzADBQE1KpM0Wtx http://open.spotify.com/album/1JU4XTyTzADBQE1KpM0Wtx
koof 14y ago
Great, but the one sample of the woman going "I shouldn't!" over and over is pretty distracting.

Aga 14y ago

Very nice idea! This is strangely compelling and I almost forgot it to the background despite having radio on... :-) For those moody evenings and nights a nice choice is "You are listening to" It combines ambient tracks from Soundcloud and police/fire department/etc. radios: http://youarelistening.to/ http://youarelistening.to/

eoinmurray92 14y ago

The link to the research paper at the bottom is the bomb, because no matter what it says I should get an hour or two of placebo filled awesomeness from this.

web007 14y ago
Did nobody else notice it's a link to JSTOR? Aren't they evil or something?

cullenmacdonald 14y ago

Just so every one knows, the guy that made this started learning to code from nothing about a month ago. Great job, man. I'm impressed that you conceived of, built, and then launched something in your first month.

RamzyIS 14y ago
Bad ass to that guy - must be a VCU guy or something
allsystemsgo 14y ago
... Seriously? Link to bio? I'm really impressed. This is why I love coding. Someone can dive in, create something out of nothing, in virtually no time. I personally can't work with that kind of noise. I prefer classical music or something like that. But, I know people do thrive in this kind of environment. Really neat idea. Surely the creator had a background in UI/UX design??
- cullenmacdonald 14y ago
  well the UI/UX was done by another friend of mine who has a background in interior design. This is also HER first project. i think they'll be ok with me posting their twitters.. @nicoleehorton - design @jkauszler - Coding
  - allsystemsgo 14y ago
    I dig. Congrats to them both. Excellent small project.
  - StacyC 14y ago
    Well done all around!
afandian 14y ago
Did I miss something? Where's the code? Isn't this just a sound file player embedded in a webpage?
- cullenmacdonald 14y ago
  justin didnt understand html or css a month ago
  - afandian 14y ago
    Aha. Well, congratulations to him. Not being snarky, I just don't consider HTML or CSS 'code' (I always considered 'code' to be executable).
    - cullenmacdonald 14y ago
      and you're right! snakiness, forgiven
    - bduerst 14y ago
      Gotta start somewhere :)

tomasien 14y ago

I'm using it on soft combined with music, and I'm into it! Helping me out.

acecallwood 14y ago

Clean.

lenazegher 14y ago

Goes very nicely with the fragrance of dark coffee [1] [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMnrl0tmd3k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMnrl0tmd3k

acecallwood 14y ago
Well played. This is awesome. I usually throw on some Explosions in the Sky or This Will Destroy You, but this track is feeling good right now.
fumar 14y ago
Nice track. I do enjoy some jazz/chillout stuff while working. I really like Ryo Fukui's Early Summer [1]. But, one can never go wrong with Miles Davis' In Silent Way [2]. I am also a big fan of electronic ambient stuff like Liumin [3]. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaVVdkVbYfA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaVVdkVbYfA [2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUOGehr-4CA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUOGehr-4CA [3] https://soundcloud.com/modernlove/sets/deepchord-presents-echospace-liumin https://soundcloud.com/modernlove/sets/deepchord-presents-ec...

br0nerd 14y ago

For the love of coffee.. this is money!

jph 14y ago

Focus@Will is a startup doing music to boost productivity: https://www.focusatwill.com/ https://www.focusatwill.com/ Lifehacker did a related post abiut choosing music for focus: http://lifehacker.com/5987019/choose-unfamiliar-work-music-for-better-productivity-and-focus http://lifehacker.com/5987019/choose-unfamiliar-work-music-f... (The founder's a friend)

awjr 14y ago

Have to say I was skeptical, but after about 20 minutes of this, I think I'm sold. I do think this would be nice as a downloadable soundtrack/app though but the concept works very very well in an open plan office. Not sure where this urge for cake is coming from and I swear if you listen closely enough, once in a while, you can hear a sheep bleating just briefly.

lukev 14y ago

Very interesting, but I find I get much the same effect with the right types of music (which are also more aesthetically pleasing, to me). Also, recorded environmental sounds always have a certain degree of annoyance for me. There's nothing on earth I love more than the sound of rain or a crackling fire, but recorded versions just don't cut it (for me). This seems to fall into the same category.

duncanmcdowell 14y ago
Any recommendations on specific music that helps you (artist/album)? I find that Radiohead/In Rainbows is good for me
- littledot5566 14y ago
  Relax Daily. Good for coding, reading and sleeping. http://relaxdaily.net/relaxation-music-instrumentals/ http://relaxdaily.net/relaxation-music-instrumentals/ Here's a mix of most of his previous works. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qycqF1CWcXg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qycqF1CWcXg
- gknoy 14y ago
  I find myself going between Digitally Imported's "Epic Trance", "Vocal Trance", and "Hands up" stations [1], but as soon as I can find my Tron Legacy soundtrack I'll be listening to the "Sea of Simulation" track on infinite loop. 1: http://di.fm/ http://di.fm/
  - peterwwillis 14y ago
    I like some ambient drum&bass for a similar sound, but a little more energy to keep me focused. http://www.last.fm/listen/group/Atmospheric%2520Drum%2527n%2527Bass http://www.last.fm/listen/group/Atmospheric%2520Drum%2527n%2... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzoY_eEnnac http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzoY_eEnnac http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ziP7iMCAok http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ziP7iMCAok
- jmduke 14y ago

instakill 14y ago

It's alright but there's way too much dish hitting. The talking is good but the kitchen cleaning staff is not only distracting but angering.

pavel_lishin 14y ago
Perhaps a better version would have independent sound tracks of each ambient noise, so that you could adjust each individual part.
- thetrumanshow 14y ago
  Or, at least different "flavors". I'd like to try "Busy Airport Terminal" and "Mall Scene". For working parents, maybe a recording of your kids playing/fighting in the background. :)
  - fumar 14y ago
    Busy Airports reminds me of Brian Eno's Music for Airports. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfKcu_ze-60 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfKcu_ze-60
    - peterwwillis 14y ago
      Brian Eno + "3d Rain" link above = Blade Runner. Now I want to nap.
- Kerrick 14y ago
  Like http://www.ambient-mixer.com/ http://www.ambient-mixer.com/ ? I've long used that website to give some atmosphere to my tabletop RPG sessions.
rschmitty 14y ago
also, people with annoying laughs :/
alistairSH 14y ago

duiker101 14y ago

http://www.rainymood.com http://www.rainymood.com is my background noise of choice.

NuZZ 14y ago
Uh, didnt that site have a volume slider at one point? And shouldn't OP's have one in Firefox? This is getting quite annoying.
prisonguard 14y ago
rain makes me feel drowzy

DerKommissar 14y ago

My brain must be wired differently. I listened to that for about three minutes before I wanted to pull my hair out. The only ambient sound I've ever been productive listening to is rain. I've tried to work in coffee shops before. Every few minutes I realize I've been listening to my neighbor's conversation and not doing work. I really dislike working in noisy places.

gknoy 14y ago
Rain sounds are like lullabies to me. I love them, but can't listen to them for background music. =/
cowpewter 14y ago
Not just you, this made me want to scream and throw something after a few minutes too. I program best listening to music I've heard a million times before, preferably something a little bit technical, like progressive rock or metal. It has to be familiar enough that my brain can anticipate every sound that's coming and not be surprised by anything, yet complex enough to give the idle parts of my brain that are prone to distraction something to 'chew' on, so I'm not off to HN every time the actual problem solving part of my brain gets stuck for 30 seconds. I tend to listen to the same album or two on repeat for a few weeks until I get sick of it, then switch to a different album or two.
- DerKommissar 14y ago
  Music is even worse for me than chatter. I think it's because I'm a musician, I can't help but concentrate on it. One other thing I've noticed about myself in this regard is that annoying noise irrationally enrages me when I'm trying to concentrate. For example when I'm working in my cube and a manager or maintenance guy walks by whistling, I really want to scream at them. Even if it's only for a few seconds. I ignore the feeling because I know it's totally irrational, it goes away and I don't actually feel any ill will towards people. I've heard others talking about this kind of thing before so I'm pretty sure it's not just me. It's annoying because I'd like to be able to work around noise better, and I don't like being angry.

rm999 14y ago

I listen to "binaural beats for a more creative mind" or "binaural beats for concentration and alertness" on spotify while working sometimes. I'm not convinced on the actual science behind binaural beats' affect on the brain, but it very much helps my productivity. At the least it drowns out ambient sound and doesn't distract me with familiar music or lyrics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_beats http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_beats

Gotttzsche 14y ago

it's down. :( what is it? just drowning out distracting sounds or magic productivity noise?

stuaxo 14y ago

I heard someone I know used white noise, so trying this one I found http://cantonbecker.com/music/white-noise-sleep-sounds/mp3s.php http://cantonbecker.com/music/white-noise-sleep-sounds/mp3s.... A bit crazy they want to charge nine quid for it, but can just play it in the web player

ajb 14y ago

(edit: I was confused, it's not restricted. Sorry for the noise) "not yet available outside the US" .. fair enough, and kudos for saying up front. How about adding a way of telling me when it is available? Specifically, that is. I'm not going to subscribe to your normal feed because enthusiastic messages about a service which I can't get yet are just irritating. Indeed, the better they sound, the more likely I am to search for alternatives! This goes for anyone else who is rolling a service out slowly..

cullenmacdonald 14y ago
Is this the comment intended to be on this thread? I just talked to the guys that made this and they arent aware of any location restrictions
- benwoodward 14y ago
  I think they are probably referring to http://focusatwill.com/beta http://focusatwill.com/beta mentioned elsewhere in the comments.
  - ajb 14y ago
    Yes, that is what I was looking at.
singular 14y ago
Works for me in UK.
ewoutkleinsmann 14y ago
No problems here in The Netherlands.

porker 14y ago

I like, save for the bits around 4-4:30 where spoken word is too clear and disturbing.

hboon 14y ago

(If you use iTunes) Along the same lines, I'm a fan of this https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/people-sound-effects-2/id582685672 https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/people-sound-effects-2/id5... Track 21.

honopu 14y ago

I always listen to this on loop in itunes: http://www.sonicstudios.com/pptwaves.mp3 http://www.sonicstudios.com/pptwaves.mp3 It works for me.

webandy 14y ago

s/Eurika/Eureka/

mike_ivanov 14y ago

Doesn't work for me, I find it highly distracting.

nollidge 14y ago

Chrome on Windows 7, clicking play button does absolutely nothing. EDIT: started working after like a minute of sitting. Maybe it had to wait to download the audio file?

vignesh_vs_in 14y ago

I know people want their posts to be on HN front page, but rigging the upvotes is not the right way. (users RamzyIS,acecallwood)

cullenmacdonald 14y ago
acecallwood worked on this with justin, and ramzyIS is their friend. no rigging involved!
- vignesh_vs_in 14y ago
  My bad. Anyway, site has nice UI.

robmcm 14y ago

I use ambiance (http://ambianceapp.com/iphone http://ambianceapp.com/iphone) a lot when working, you can record your own sounds or download lots of free ones. I find airplane noise quite good, or low frequency humming. I think half the effect comes from people thinking twice about bothering you if you have earphones in.

pivo 14y ago

"Research shows it's pretty hard to be creative in a quiet space." I'm sure that research is accurate for some people, but it's definitely not accurate for me. Quiet, aside from any noise I make myself, is the only way I can be truly productive.

blindhippo 14y ago
Ditto, although it depends entirely on my mood, environment and what I'm trying to do. But for working in an open office that fluctuates from high activity to periods where you can hear a pin drop, I'm finding this type of thing to be incredibly focussing when trying to code. For actually planning that code (the creative part), I tend to find as quiet an environment as possible - people are disruptive to intense thought.
jasonkostempski 14y ago
I make gross noises, which is exactly why I like background noise.

ewoutkleinsmann 14y ago

I didn't read the whole research, but a quick glance at it told me that moderate ambient noise boosts creativity. The research doesn't mention productivity, though. EDIT: And neither does your website, I see now. Why did you use it in the HN title?

paromi 14y ago

site is slow

brianobush 14y ago

I would rather go to my favorite coffee shop. Comes with great coffee too! Lately, this has been my routine a few times a week in the afternoon. The change of environment has been quite effective.

pkfrank 14y ago

As getting the precise volume is so critical, it would be nice if the volume-slider on the widget were wider, making it easier to find the right balance.

hozae 14y ago

I mixed it with some Claude Debussy radio on Spotify.

baby 14y ago

I see lots of people talking about it not working for them. I find the idea Genius! I haven't got anything done today, I'm going to start now with your product + the pomodoro technique and see if I can get things done. EDIT : Okay I really can't focus while having this on the background. But I'm sure it's because I'm doing math. A task that would require less focus would be better with that kind of background. I need silence right now.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

josephjrobison 14y ago

I can't tell, is it the same track over and over again or a new one? By the way, I absolutely love this. I'm 4x more productive in coffee shops compared to everywhere else and I never knew why.

stef25 14y ago
Some days I get more done on the 30 min train ride home and then I do all afternoon at the office I also didn't know why. Love this!

codezero 14y ago

I like this, it would be even cooler if there were a way to scale the density of the conversation/background noise. As it is, for me, this sounds a bit too cluttered and makes me feel a bit anxious, besides that, it's pretty cool, and a great idea.

backwardm 14y ago

I'm trying this out now and am really enjoying it. I work at home and usually just have my noise canceling headphones on with no music playing, so having the ambient coffee shop sounds plus music is a nice change. So far, I'm still able to concentrate on my work. Not sure if I'm being more productive or not, but it is a nice change. I just need a coffee to complete the illusion. The loud dish clanks don't really bother me yet. (I am using my beloved Bose Q15 headphones, listening to KCRW Eclectic 24 + the ambient soundtrack both volume levels are very low).

ccleve 14y ago

Anyone ever heard of the Hawthorne Effect? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect

lefinita 14y ago

Well, that women at left are so talkative.

antihero 14y ago

Does anyone else's brain get distracted trying to pick out conversation from the ambience? Perhaps it's an ADHD thing.

anigbrowl 14y ago
Yeah, I prefer not hear this kind of thing. I'm not that impressed with the linked paper, which is from a consumer research journal and aims to identify environments that are likely to lead to higher purchasing levels.

antihero 14y ago

Does anyone else's brain get distracted trying to pick out conversation from the ambience? Perhaps it's an ADHD thing.

pyre 14y ago

I've always enjoyed the whitenoise of HVAC systems. It was always pleasant in college to find empty classrooms after-hours, with just the whirr of the HVAC.

LVB 14y ago
Me too. I found this pack of high-quality recordings of various fans and blowers: http://www.freesound.org/people/Stomp/packs/990/ http://www.freesound.org/people/Stomp/packs/990/ I loop my favorite samples which makes for a nice background.
brittohalloran 14y ago
You want a Marpac 980 white noise maker. It's a little fan in a box with tone adjustments (no speaker involved). Amazing white noise.
logn 14y ago
Spice up your noise a bit: http://archive.org/details/ApplPi http://archive.org/details/ApplPi
- n2j3 14y ago
  beautiful! but how does it work? can we look at the source without decompilation?
  - logn 14y ago
    No unfortunately not. Maybe I'll put it on my GitHub soon. I was thinking maybe I'd find some way to make money on this, so I haven't released the source yet. As to how it works, internally there's a modular data processing pipeline. I wrote a number of modules that serve a specific purpose (sine wave, square, etc, and reverb, gain, etc). They all get connected together in a driver class. Each driver makes heavy use of random numbers. Those in turn decide the notes played and durations. The durations are extremely short, leading to a granular synthesis of sorts. The notes are chosen from classes I structured around standard chord theory and classical modes. I have an unreleased version that processes mic input, but it's not ready for prime time yet. Edit: I decided to release it, probably under AGPL license. Keep an eye on this page: https://github.com/hollingsworthd/ApplPi https://github.com/hollingsworthd/ApplPi

saltcod 14y ago

Really, really useful. Thank you!

neya 14y ago

If I'm correct, this is a type of Binaural recording, where they use a stereo microphone combination separated approximately at the distance of our ears while recording. I used to be a Binaural hobbyist sometime back and I recorded some (unprofessional) stuff along the way. I'd be glad to share it with the community: 1) 3d Sea - https://www.box.com/s/krtxx1tejeftffaegh4v https://www.box.com/s/krtxx1tejeftffaegh4v 2) 3d Rain - https://www.box.com/s/feoczntidb4rkppz1fa7 https://www.box.com/s/feoczntidb4rkppz1fa7 3) 3d forest - https://www.box.com/s/35p4vpn4t6rdc2p8ok39 https://www.box.com/s/35p4vpn4t6rdc2p8ok39 (This is a Binaural music track composed by me :D) Please use headphones to listen to these tracks (and not your speakers, because binaural stuff sounds good only on headphones) EDIT: Here are two more professional recordings (not by me) that will (possibly) blow you away! :D 1) Amazing 3d Matchbox - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYdIidUIbAs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYdIidUIbAs 2) Virtual 3d Haircut - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnNEJfokpWU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnNEJfokpWU

phreeza 14y ago
I think there is a lot of space for improvement left in binaural recordings and presentation. For me the suspention of disbelief required to hear a sound from my headphones as actually being remote is really hard. I still mainly hear it as being right at my ears, or maybe somewhere between my ears. Does anyone feel the same?
- neya 14y ago
  Maybe my recordings are shitty mate, but in general they're REALLY good. There is another one called Holophony, which is a patented technique of recording binaural audio, (by some guy named Hugo) which is multitudes better than plain binaural recordings! I want you to check out if you feel the same way for these PROFESSIONALLY recorded holophonic recordings too: 1) Amazing 3d Matchbox - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYdIidUIbAs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYdIidUIbAs 2) Virtual 3d Haircut - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnNEJfokpWU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnNEJfokpWU >Does anyone feel the same? It varies from person to person, a lot of variables are involved: Your age, your headphones' type, brand, closed/open, etc.

rolleiflex 14y ago

I am not seeing a volume slider on Firefox 19 Stable, OS X. Is this something that can be added?

Inufu 14y ago

For arbitrary ambient sounds, http://www.ambient-mixer.com/ http://www.ambient-mixer.com/ is great. You can create your own mixes or just listen to premade ones. And you can individually adjust each 'effect' on mix board: http://weather.ambient-mixer.com/light-thunderstorm http://weather.ambient-mixer.com/light-thunderstorm

lt 14y ago

I ran into a similar thing today, focus@will: https://www.focusatwill.com/about/ https://www.focusatwill.com/about/ More than specific patterns they offer, I found interesting that they they claim unfamiliar music is better for productivity: "And the single most important factor to consider when choosing a genre is what kind of music you usually listen to for fun and entertainment when you are not trying to be productive. And then, counter-intuitively, it's best to select the very opposite kind of music when using focus@will. Why? Because your brain gets pleasure, releasing dopamine when it hears music you like and listen to a lot, and music that is associated with good times or strong memories of any kind will reduce the focus enhancing effects when used as a productivity tool." Unfortunately, I can't try them out because I'm not in the US.

kintamanimatt 14y ago
VPN! I'm trying them out right now. Seems interesting.
tellarin 14y ago
Well, I know it's anecdotal, but this is not how it works for me. Music I enjoy, with lyrics, works pretty well.

Havoc 14y ago

I favour trance (e.g. Armin van Buuren). They usually have dreamy female vocals & the electronic feel makes all the notes sound the same, so it doesn't distract (OCD style). The mixes are often 1hr+ long so need to worry about track selection. I find it offers a good mix between not boring & easy to tune out (flow). Example: Ana Criado & Omnia No One Home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOSgtpbnCeI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOSgtpbnCeI

stephengillie 14y ago
These are great. I also like listening to Tiesto's Club Life -- both his and Armin Van Buuren are actually BBC radio shows recorded into podcasts.

McUsr 14y ago

I liked this webservice! :)

j45 14y ago

Interesting. I find I get a ton done with ear plugs but it might be due to some traffic noise right outside my window. I've also tried white noise which works pretty well. I'll give this a go, but I'm not sure any music will work, the music itself can't be too enjoyable or engaging or it can become a distraction. Somafm.com is a great station for this kind of music that you can leave running in the background where the music is good, reasonably unfamiliar,etc.

alec 14y ago

I like "Star Trek TNG Ambient Engine Noise (Idling for 24 hrs)" for drowning out everything else: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPoqNeR3_UA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPoqNeR3_UA

jcfrei 14y ago
I'm currently running coffitivity and the idling engine noise at the same time. Feels like I'm in the cafeteria aboard the enterprise.

moultano 14y ago

http://soundtracker.com/ http://soundtracker.com/ is what I use for this. He makes binaural nature recordings. They are as effective as white noise at blocking out my surroundings, but because of the feeling of space and the variety of sound, I don't get tired of listening to them the way I do listening to noise. Here's an article on his search for quiet places and the movement to preserve them. http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/3627 http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/3627

mitchi 14y ago

I just work in a public place like a college cafeteria and I fall in love 100 times in a day watching beautiful women. That's even more disturbing than the noise. I still get work done.

WayneS 14y ago

Anyone else hear an occasional goat bleating in the background of that cafe?

flux_w42 14y ago
Exactly what I was thinking to :D You can hear it clear on 4:15

joshrotenberg 14y ago

This was pretty good for getting work done. The real benefit came when my homemade lunch tasted like it was made in a cafe and cost me like $13.27 before tip. I bussed my dishes.

leoplct 14y ago

You right. It works!

Myrmornis 14y ago

Silly idea, backed by "research" from the world of business-studies pseudo-academia. Do you trust the results of a paper that starts with the sentence "Creativity is ubiquitous in the realm of consumption"? http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.1086/665048?uid=3739560&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21101773001311 http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.1086/665048?uid=3739560&#38...

adeaver 14y ago
It's not a silly idea as it actually works, and works quite well, for some people. I'm one of those people. While this particular site's ambient noise doesn't suit me (too many sharp, distracting sounds) there are many sounds that do help. I typically find I get far more done and am able to focus better when i have my headphones on playing music that has few words. Many others are the same way. While the paper you link to might not be 'research' (don't know, not paying the $14 to read it) it's not a silly idea by any means.
- Myrmornis 14y ago
  Didn't mean that noise/music doesn't help some people work. But I do contend that creating a web page with the sole purpose of playing noises that sound like a cafe, is silly.

wyck 14y ago

http://somafm.com/ http://somafm.com/ Old site, still amazing broadcasts direct to VLC. Real people , not an algorithm "learning" what you like. Don't forget to donate:)

twentysix 14y ago
They have some great stations. I would recommend http://www.zenradio.fm http://www.zenradio.fm too. It features a mix of light instrumentals and ambient music. MP3 : http://flux1.zenradio.fr:8800 http://flux1.zenradio.fr:8800 OGG: http://flux2.zenradio.fr:8000 http://flux2.zenradio.fr:8000

doktrin 14y ago

Interesting. I honestly would never have thought this type of erratic ambient noise would be a productivity boon. I like to get in the zone, which is trickier when having to worry about the world around me. I don't consider myself paranoid, but I guess I subconsciously maintain spatial awareness when out in public. Maybe I'm just not well acclimated to working in public spaces, but I find a lot of the background activity distracting (like the dishes, for instance).

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codequickly 14y ago

Some interesting music/audio for coding: 1. ambient sounds of star trek lcars (http://www.lcarscom.net/ http://www.lcarscom.net/) and the repetitive beeping noise. 2. classic video game music on NES, like Super Mario Bros., Zelda 3. ASMR (search youtube) works wonder for those are affected by it. It puts the listener into a super-relaxed state, which can only be described as tingling or extreme pleasure for the brain. 4. Office Sound Effects (http://www.amazon.com/Offices-Sound-Effects/dp/B008HKONNA http://www.amazon.com/Offices-Sound-Effects/dp/B008HKONNA)

david_shaw 14y ago

I've got to say that as skeptical as I was--noisy environments tend to annoy me--coffitivity is working very well for me. Coffitivity plus Soma.FM's Groove Salad station (Soma.FM is great in general) has made me bang out more work in the last hour or so than in the several hours before it. It could be the placebo effect, but so far, I'm loving it! Thank you!

catharsis 14y ago
Soma.fm is my go to for internet radio. I personally find Mission Control the perfect thing to relax my mind and just zone out. For the uninitiated, it's a blend of down tempo atmospheric ambience and real recordings of astronauts talking to mission control.

arbuge 14y ago

There are some strange noises in that soundtrack...

deepGem 14y ago

Man, this reminds me of a relatively unknown movie 'pushpak' - a silent Indian movie. The lead actor's house would be next to a movie theater but he will be forced to move out. He moves to a quieter place but can't sleep in the quiet zone. So he goes back, records all that movie theater noise and manages to get a good night's sleep listening to that recorded noise :).

swah 14y ago

If this helped me focus then my colleagues talking would also make me focus - that is not the case though..

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realdlee 14y ago

I like EDM (Avicii station is a favorite). I also sometimes like the sound of rain, so picked up a mp3 for a buck off Amazon ('The Sound of Summer Rain').

pkhamre 14y ago

I created a playlist with soundtracks from indie games. Initially it was created as background music for playing StarCraft II, but I use it as background music when working instead. It includes soundtracks from Bastion, Machinarum, Braid, Dustforce, Dustforce, Fittest, and Limbo. http://open.spotify.com/user/pkhamre/playlist/53KjzBtdxdGmPZy0azSlAF http://open.spotify.com/user/pkhamre/playlist/53KjzBtdxdGmPZ...

jmd_akbar 14y ago

I dunno if anyone recommended this or not, but these days i'm into "Two Steps From Hell", especially their album "Invincible"

toddrew 14y ago

For me, I find long periods of time spent working in front of a screen can lead to anxiety. When I start getting distracted in many directions the feeling starts to come on. Listening to this ambient noise for the past half hour has calmed down that anxious feeling and made me feel more focused. I am however used to spending lots of time working in public spaces in the past, and have spent the past six months in a more isolated work environment. (On an off the grid property 50m up the side of a volcano that you need to take a boat to access) Maybe this is just putting me back in my comfort zone.

b1daly 14y ago

I'm listening to Souxsie and The Banshees right now while I'm trying to work, I can tell you it is not helping my concentration. Though it is very cool.

glenjamin 14y ago

This is very similar to http://raining.fm http://raining.fm which I'm a big fan of. Rainfall seems to be a nice approximation to pure white noise while having enough randomness to not be noisy. The pomodoro style timer is also very handy.

marvwhere 14y ago

most of the time when i'm programming from my home office, i'm not listening to any music. but since i'm working in an office, with 10 other people most of the time we listen to music over some speakers. when its rock or metal i'm not very productive - but when listen to some good chillstep tracks with the right volume i notice for my self i get more shit done. so i totally agree, right sounds/music in the correct volume and everything is fine. p.s.: people talking around me distrect me totally, because my scumbag brain want to listen all the time...so i do not prefer coffee shops

guynamedloren 14y ago

I personally find ambient noise to be distracting, but I have to say I love the simplicity and cleverness of this idea. Well done!

emrebey 14y ago

man, are you just kidding? is this a joke project? this "ambient noise" is the reason why I have open offices.

emrebey 14y ago
I kill my ears day by day with loud music to stop hearing this shit.

dtf 14y ago

* dons evil hat * How much would you charge to insert subliminal adverts?

ehmuidifici 14y ago

Well, let's give it a try, although I prefer Dave Matthews Band discography (and my wife likes programming with Bach, Beethoven or other soundtracks). But that's a good idea, this should work better on very almost-dead quiet spaces.

flux_w42 14y ago

Bugfixing is fun with Mozarts Requiem - Dies Irae :) It feels like saving the world with every commit :D

chookrl 14y ago

After 3 minutes I had to close it. Maybe if I wasn't aware that this is synthetic I would benefit from it.

phatbyte 14y ago

What I like to listen while coding: Aes Dana - Memory Shell Aes Dana - Season 5 Black Sands - Bonobo Carbon Based Lifeforms - Interloper I also find jazz and post-rock pretty good for ambient noise

scep12 14y ago
Bonobo is fantastic. Based on what you've listed, I think you'd enjoy Emancipator as well.

erinaceous 14y ago

This doesn't work on me. Even with the volume down low, I couldn't help trying to listen to the coffee shop conversations the instant it started playing. All the voices were somewhere in front of me in space, and after a few seconds I felt pretty overwhelmed. Completely lost my ability to focus on anything else, unfortunately. This could be due to the fact I get sensory overload easily (and I'm somewhere on the broad autism phenotype). It was a jarring experience. Plus the coffee shops I frequent are usually quieter than that - that sounded more like a busy canteen than a coffee shop to me! Needed less echo, more muffling, less voices, and some ambient background coffeeshop music, in my humble opinion of small-coffee-shop patron-hipster :) If I want to focus on stuff, often I have to completely block out people talking and ambient noise and stick music on. The best kind of music is lyricless (or at least, no coherent words - Sigur Røs' english-icelandic gibberish mix is a good example of that), usually long movements, lots of prolonged chords and repetitive segments and a steady rhythm. That stuff helps with my sequencing ability and I find I flit between tasks less. I've also tried white noise / "binaural beats" (those audio signals that use gentle modulation to supposedly alter your brainwaves), but those are pretty overwhelming too. I do wonder if it would have a better on me had they used binaural recording (two microphones where the ears would be on a fake head, plus some algorithms to create a 3-dimensional sense of space from the signals) - which to me sounds more natural. I can't read the whole paper on this, but I'm wondering if they took account of the spectrum of different neurotypes when studying this "coffee shop creativity" effect? Also, since I've seen other people doing it, here's the artists/bands I listen to like 24/7 when in work to help me concentrate: Godspeed You! Black Emperor (favourite <3), Set Fire To Flames, Explosions In The Sky, Lovett's "Ghost of Old Highways" album, Sigur Røs, Ludovico Einaudi, Philip Glass, Massive Attack, Portishead, Liquid Stranger, Radiohead, DJ Shadow, RJD2, Kid Koala, Hybrid, Deadmau5, Hans Zimmer soundtracks, Nine Inch Nails' "Ghosts I-IV", 65daysofstatic (some stuff anyway, some of their stuff is crazy loud and overwhelming)

byjess 14y ago

Thanks... its a great pairing with Songza. Particularly, http://songza.com/listen/jazz-for-reading-songza/ http://songza.com/listen/jazz-for-reading-songza/

rhubarbcustard 14y ago

If I'm having trouble concentrating I listen to some Brandt Brauer Frick. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrOVaqdYxuM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrOVaqdYxuM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR8KGam3m9Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR8KGam3m9Q (ignoring the intro)

cthackers 14y ago

This works very well for me. Thank you!

plg 14y ago

from the actual paper (linked at the bottom of the coffitivity post): "A total of 188 ideas were generated, for an average of 4.48 (SD = 2.09) ideas per person. The noise level did not affect the number of solutions generated" "ideas generated by participants in the moderate- (vs. low-) noise condition were rated as more original (M = 3.87 vs. 3.66; F(1, 40) = 4.76, p < .05)." Ratings were on a 7-point scale (1 = not at all, 7 = very much)... so ... a difference in originality of (3.87-3.66)/7 = 3% (i.e. not actually particularly significant (in the usual use of the word) even though the 3% difference was statistically reliable) "... a significant effect of noise on this appropriateness index, such that ideas generated by respondents in the moderate-noise (vs. low-noise) condition were rated as more appropriate (M = 4.48 vs. 4.20; F(1, 40) = 5.34, p < .05)." again, (4.48-4.20)/7 = 4% difference... not exactly impressive, although apparently it was statistically reliable It always pains me to see scientific research reported in the media in such a way as to inflate the significance of the work ("significance" used here in the layperson sense of the word, not the statistical sense of the word). PS the statistical significance was only reported as "p < .05", which means there is a 1 in 20 chance of getting a difference that large or larger due to random sampling alone (i.e. in the absence of an actual effect). This XKCD cartoon is worth a look: http://www.xkcd.com/882/ http://www.xkcd.com/882/

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vicks711 14y ago

what an idiotic effort!

akx 14y ago

This is excellent! Well done. :) I'd consider making it more procedural, to slowly mix and match different sources (akin to ambient-mixer) for a less static experience (that, by side effect, would also happen to be infinitely long).

crynix 14y ago

Explosions in the Sky is fantastic for getting things done. I've written some of my best code to their music. http://open.spotify.com/track/5uWzSBJKqdSKJ3uMrYYUIT http://open.spotify.com/track/5uWzSBJKqdSKJ3uMrYYUIT is one of my favorite songs by them. The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place is my favorite album from them. http://open.spotify.com/album/1JU4XTyTzADBQE1KpM0Wtx http://open.spotify.com/album/1JU4XTyTzADBQE1KpM0Wtx

koof 14y ago

Great, but the one sample of the woman going "I shouldn't!" over and over is pretty distracting.