
Show HN: Increase your productivity with ambient noise - hangoverhammers
http://www.coffitivity.com
======
neya
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>

2) 3d Rain - <https://www.box.com/s/feoczntidb4rkppz1fa7>

3) 3d forest - <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>

2) Virtual 3d Haircut - <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnNEJfokpWU>

~~~
phreeza
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?

~~~
ScottBurson
For a headphone with a particularly "live" sound that's not too awfully
expensive, let me recommend the German Maestro GMP 8.300 D
([http://www.amazon.com/German-Maestro-
GMP-8-300-Professional/...](http://www.amazon.com/German-Maestro-
GMP-8-300-Professional/dp/B002LVUKFG/)) or 8.35 D
([http://www.amazon.com/German-Maestro-
GMP-8-35-Headphone/dp/B...](http://www.amazon.com/German-Maestro-
GMP-8-35-Headphone/dp/B002LVUKFQ)). The 8.35 is a 35Ω model but otherwise
identical -- it will play louder and is intended for use with portable players
(but I just tried my 300Ω unit with an iPod and it gets pretty loud, just not
into ear-damage territory).

When listening to well-recorded jazz with these 'phones, I find it easy to
close my eyes and imagine I'm in the room with the musicians -- more so than
with anything else I've found in the price range.

~~~
neya
Beware of heavily marketed expensive headphones! I'm not saying the one you
suggested is bad, but you gotta make sure you don't fall for the Psychological
marketing that is heavily abused in the world of headphones, where you end up
paying more for the brand than the headphone components themselves. For
example, when they say "You will hear sounds you've never heard before" you
will suddenly almost always feel that way, because of how psychology works. I
can suggest you two excellent, professional, accurate, inexpensive,
comfortable headphones that are better than even the most popular Sennhs:

1)[http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-RPHTF600S-RP-
HTF600-S-Stereo...](http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-RPHTF600S-RP-
HTF600-S-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B004MMEI8W)

2)[http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V6-Monitor-Series-
Headphones/...](http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V6-Monitor-Series-
Headphones/dp/B00001WRSJ)

Cheers

------
lukev
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
Any recommendations on specific music that helps you (artist/album)? I find
that Radiohead/In Rainbows is good for me

~~~
fumar
It depends on my mood. I find productive music to almost always lack vocals. I
will list some artists and their respective albums, of the top of my head.
(subgenres) Many of these artists have great discographies.

Electronic

1\. Glenn Underground - Atmosfear (house)

2\. Aphex Twin - Ambient Works 85-92

3\. Moby - 18

4\. Space Dimension Controller - The Pathway To Tiraquon6 (soul-house)

5\. Boards of Canada - Music has the right to Children

6\. Ulrich Schnauss - Far Away Trains Passing By

Post-Classical

1\. Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians

2\. Ólafur Arnalds - ...And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness

3\. Max Richter - Memoryhouse

4\. Nico Muhly - Speaks Volumes

Pop/Indie/Jazz

1\. Royksopp - Melody AM

2\. The Album Leaf - In a Safe Place

3\. Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun

4\. Miles Davis - In a Silent Way

5\. Benoit Pioulard - Lasted

~~~
jerf
"I find productive music to almost always lack vocals."

Languages you don't speak also work.

~~~
face7hill
I'll echo this sentiment. Been listening to a lot of music from Mali and being
really productive with it on. Highly recommend Khaira Arby, Ali Farka Touré
and Amadou & Mariam.

------
cullenmacdonald
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.

~~~
allsystemsgo
... 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
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
I dig. Congrats to them both. Excellent small project.

------
pivo
"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
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.

------
instakill
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
Perhaps a better version would have independent sound tracks of each ambient
noise, so that you could adjust each individual part.

~~~
thetrumanshow
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
Busy Airports reminds me of Brian Eno's Music for Airports.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfKcu_ze-60>

~~~
peterwwillis
Brian Eno + "3d Rain" link above = Blade Runner. Now I want to nap.

------
DerKommissar
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.

~~~
cowpewter
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
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.

------
wyck
<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
They have some great stations.

I would recommend <http://www.zenradio.fm> too. It features a mix of light
instrumentals and ambient music.

MP3 : <http://flux1.zenradio.fr:8800>

OGG: <http://flux2.zenradio.fr:8000>

------
doktrin
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).

------
Myrmornis
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&...](http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.1086/665048?uid=3739560&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21101773001311)

~~~
adeaver
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
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.

------
duiker101
<http://www.rainymood.com> is my background noise of choice.

~~~
NuZZ
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.

------
lenazegher
Goes very nicely with the fragrance of dark coffee [1]

[1] <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMnrl0tmd3k>

~~~
fumar
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> [2]
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUOGehr-4CA> [3]
[https://soundcloud.com/modernlove/sets/deepchord-presents-
ec...](https://soundcloud.com/modernlove/sets/deepchord-presents-echospace-
liumin)

------
alec
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>

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

------
backwardm
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).

------
deepGem
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 :).

------
david_shaw
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
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.

------
glenjamin
This is very similar to <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.

------
moultano
<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>

------
plg
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/>

------
Havoc
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>

~~~
stephengillie
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.

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

------
baby
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.

------
Inufu
For arbitrary ambient sounds, <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>

------
Aga
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/>

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

~~~
anigbrowl
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.

------
lt
I ran into a similar thing today, focus@will:

<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.

~~~
tellarin
Well, I know it's anecdotal, but this is not how it works for me. Music I
enjoy, with lyrics, works pretty well.

------
codequickly
Some interesting music/audio for coding: 1\. ambient sounds of star trek lcars
(<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>)

------
toddrew
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.

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

------
erinaceous
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)

------
mitchi
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.

------
joshrotenberg
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.

------
ajb
(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
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
I think they are probably referring to <http://focusatwill.com/beta> mentioned
elsewhere in the comments.

~~~
ajb
Yes, that is what I was looking at.

------
rm999
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>

------
crynix
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> 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>

------
eoinmurray92
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
Did nobody else notice it's a link to JSTOR? Aren't they evil or something?

------
pyre
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.

~~~
logn
Spice up your noise a bit:

<http://archive.org/details/ApplPi>

~~~
n2j3
beautiful! but how does it work? can we look at the source without
decompilation?

~~~
logn
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>

------
j45
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.

------
b1daly
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.

------
pkhamre
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/53KjzBtdxdGmPZ...](http://open.spotify.com/user/pkhamre/playlist/53KjzBtdxdGmPZy0azSlAF)

------
jph
Focus@Will is a startup doing music to boost productivity:
<https://www.focusatwill.com/>

Lifehacker did a related post abiut choosing music for focus:
[http://lifehacker.com/5987019/choose-unfamiliar-work-
music-f...](http://lifehacker.com/5987019/choose-unfamiliar-work-music-for-
better-productivity-and-focus)

(The founder's a friend)

------
awjr
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.

------
vignesh_vs_in
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
acecallwood worked on this with justin, and ramzyIS is their friend. no
rigging involved!

~~~
vignesh_vs_in
My bad. Anyway, site has nice UI.

------
robmcm
I use ambiance (<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.

------
phatbyte
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
Bonobo is fantastic. Based on what you've listed, I think you'd enjoy
Emancipator as well.

------
rhubarbcustard
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=gR8KGam3m9Q> (ignoring the intro)

------
flux_w42
Bugfixing is fun with Mozarts Requiem - Dies Irae :) It feels like saving the
world with every commit :D

------
stuaxo
I heard someone I know used white noise, so trying this one I found

[http://cantonbecker.com/music/white-noise-sleep-
sounds/mp3s....](http://cantonbecker.com/music/white-noise-sleep-
sounds/mp3s.php)

A bit crazy they want to charge nine quid for it, but can just play it in the
web player

------
codezero
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.

------
ewoutkleinsmann
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?

------
akx
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).

------
ehmuidifici
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.

------
hboon
(If you use iTunes)

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

------
brianobush
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.

------
marvwhere
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

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

------
josephjrobison
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
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!

------
pkfrank
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.

------
honopu
I always listen to this on loop in itunes:
<http://www.sonicstudios.com/pptwaves.mp3>

It works for me.

------
nollidge
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?

------
leoplct
You right. It works!

------
hozae
I mixed it with some Claude Debussy radio on Spotify.

------
realdlee
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').

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

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

------
lefinita
Well, that women at left are so talkative.

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

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

------
br0nerd
For the love of coffee.. this is money!

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

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

------
saltcod
Really, really useful. Thank you!

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

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

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

------
arbuge
There are some strange noises in that soundtrack...

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

------
cthackers
This works very well for me. Thank you!

------
emrebey
man, are you just kidding? is this a joke project?

this "ambient noise" is the reason why I have open offices.

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

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

------
McUsr
I liked this webservice! :)

------
acecallwood
Clean.

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

------
webandy
s/Eurika/Eureka/

------
paromi
site is slow

