I’ve spent years working from home with family life going on in the background. When I feel I need to reduce that background soundscape, I need an alternative. Whilst I love music, it can too easily become the object of my attention; particularly great lyrics, an evocative moment or an emotional passage. And any music that features pauses or diminuendos lets in external sounds too easily. So, I prefer a solid, consistent wall of sound between me and the sounds of the city outside or the babblings, cries and generally fascinating noises of a baby.
Having had quite a lot of experience playing about with white noise and aircraft sounds, I now find myself off the deep end with YouTube videos of soundscapes – sometimes under the hashtags of #asmr or #ambient. Whilst I don’t experience that tingling autonomous sensory meridian response, I find myself enjoying these soundscapes alongside a diverse range of fellow travellers, including former military personnel, insomniacs, revising students and Star Trek fans.
I now listen to certain soundscapes depending on what work I need to get done. Here’s a small selection of my favourites and why and when I use them. Enjoy!
WHEN DESIGNING
Relaxing Sounds of Cafe in Japan 3hours – for Studying, Relaxation, Concentration, ASMR
By Tomicci
The YouTube channel is in Japanese and most of the comments under this film are in Japanese which is useful for avoiding getting sucked into another distraction.
My entry level for café sounds is; no conversations in English, no blasting milk frother and no coffee shop jazz in the foreground (otherwise I may as well be listening to just the music)
In this soundscape there’s very low-key music in the background. The most-repeated track playing sounds like the Mama’s and Papas singing Anything Goes, which I have no idea if they ever did. I didn’t know if it’s the high-low/low-high pitch accent of Japanese but I find not being able to identify words very useful for focus. Also, mercifully free of too many atonal baristas calling out customers’ names.
I prefer tables that aren’t too close to me – you always feel a tension that someone is going to ask you to stand up so they can get past. Plus, I think that table over in the back is talking about me.
WHEN DOING ADMIN
OFFICE NOISES • When working from home feels too quiet!
By myNoise
Yes, hands up, I’m one of those people.
The quality of the looping is such that I never feel that this office is stuck in Groundhog Day. That impression is helped by the lack of ringing phones. The conversations are kept so far in the back that I can’t truly tell if they are speaking, as I feel they are, English. The alternative is hearing “But I’m not there right now” over and over again.
A whopping ten-hour running time.
WHEN WRITING
Star Trek: TNG Warp Core Ambience / Engineering NIGHT SHIFT
By ender4life
There are a number of brilliant film and tv ambient soundscapes on YouTube and ender4life is one of my favourite sources. The throbbing starship engine embeds in your head but it’s on the periphery – with its computer sounds and the soft automatic doors beloved of every Star Trek series – that the suggestion of industry pushes you into focusing on your own work.