SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD 2011 — Five minutes on the show floor at Moscone West and the florescent lights, flashing cameras and jostling crowd have got me wanting to bolt.
So I put on some headphones for a demo of Naturespace, an app that billed as “holographic audio” that promises to help users “relax, meditate, escape and sleep.”
Gary Goldstein tells me the “aha” moment that started the company came by accident. A group of sound engineers left a high-end mic recording in a forest by accident and came across the recording months later.
Transported back to the idyllic scene, they realized there was a huge difference in sound quality between studio recorded nature sounds and those captured outdoors with optimal equipment.
There are currently six free tracks for your iPad, iPhone and iPod and another 80 available ranging from $0.99 to $3.99.First timers at Macworld, they came to show off an iPad version of the app launched late 2010.
Although some of the tracks (“Peyote” and “Loki” ) might do a little more for you than soothe, as will the incredibly powerful lightning storms. As a fan of computer assisted meditation, I liked the app — especially since the sound has been optimized for Apple earbuds — great if you are an insomniac (like me) who never goes to bed without an iPod loaded up with some droning audio books handy.
Goldstein says he doesn’t have a favorite, but frequently uses the app for a quick mental escape. His current winter favorite is the soothing sounds of warm Hawaii.
