I can't think in this place!

September 12, 2005 11:24 AM

Help me drown out the world.

Where can I find quality MP3s (or other) of nature sounds, running water, birds, etc, that I can listen to at my desk? Preferrably the recordings would be ten or more minutes long, I don't want to loop a 12 second clip over and over again.

Related question, what do you listen to at work to relax and drown out everyone else? I have the brainwave generator software, but it is not the most pleasant thing to listen to. All suggestions welcome.

posted by knave to Religion & Philosophy (14 answers total)

Best answer: Give Aire Freshener a try. I love it.
posted by Otis at 11:37 AM on September 12, 2005

I like the quiet american a lot.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 11:38 AM on September 12, 2005

I like fairly trancey, chillout electronica for this purpose. All-time favorite is a band called B12. They just blend right into the mental background.

I have a CD called 'Frog Chorus' that has a couple 20 minute recordings of frogs in a swamp. Their croakings merge into a peaceful drone.
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:39 AM on September 12, 2005

Best answer: Atmosphere Lite is a free program that lets you create your own nature soundscapes.
posted by driveler at 11:44 AM on September 12, 2005

Oooo. Sleep Machines is very good.
posted by dabradfo at 11:45 AM on September 12, 2005

I use these ear defenders which I find very comfortable to wear. Even when people are talking nearby the defenders cut out enough high frequencies that it sounds like a murmur more than distinct words. Ear plugs cut out slightly more noise but for me are a lot less convenient.

If you wear ear plugs at the same time you can chill out listening to your heartbeat!
posted by teleskiving at 12:58 PM on September 12, 2005

www.simplysamples.com
posted by jdg at 1:02 PM on September 12, 2005

I would buy this ocean sounds cd, rip to mp3 at a high bit rate and go with that.
posted by phildog at 2:01 PM on September 12, 2005

While not the ocean, Babble may interest you.
posted by scazza at 2:41 PM on September 12, 2005

if you like ambient stuff, sleepbot.com may be of interest to you.
posted by flyby22 at 3:09 PM on September 12, 2005

I'll second Sleepbot. It's been consistently good and free for years now.
posted by electric_counterpoint at 3:28 PM on September 12, 2005

Start listening to microsound musicians.

Link goes to a mailing list about the genre.
posted by xmutex at 4:19 PM on September 12, 2005

Open a window.
posted by realcountrymusic at 5:53 AM on September 13, 2005

bumping... if anyone knows of a Mac equivalent to Atmosphere Lite please let me know - they're developing one for OSX, but if anyone knows any in the meantime, let me know.
posted by rmm at 12:07 PM on May 2, 2006