Sunday Review: Naturespace iPhone App

Here at Writerly Life we talk a great deal about concentration aids and other things that can help close out distractions and help you write. This Sunday I’m reviewing an application for iTunes or for your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. It’s a great addition to the tools writers have to fight distractions, and it’s called Naturespace.

Naturespace uses a technology they call “holographic audio” to deliver a surround-sound experience of natural sounds. When you download the iphone app, which is what I’ve used, you’re given five free tracks that are unending loops of different natural environments, including “morning songbirds”, “night at lake unknown”, “endless shore”, and others. When you first listen to these tracks, you’re able to tell the difference between these natural soundscapes and other run-of-the-mill nature tracks. Naturespace really does give you an immersive sound experience, and can be optimized for use with earbuds or with traditional headphones. The sounds in these tracks are not intrusive bird calls or gimmicky wind whooshes or babbling brooks; they mostly give the impression of the ambient sound of a normal outdoor experience.

The iphone app includes a sleep timer, so that you can drift off to sleep with these tracks, and there is a large catalogue of other tracks you can purchase separately, usually for 99 cents or $1.99. There is also a free demo available at the website for download.

I find the sound of rain very helpful for my creative process, so I purchased a rain track that I find soothing and also focusing. If you use concentration aids and would like to be immersed in a high quality soundscape, Naturespace is a great app to try.

Link: Naturespace