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Though I don’t always need actual music, certain sounds can make a world of difference.
I fall asleep to the Solitudes albums because their natural sounds and calming music are wonderful and help coax me into a peaceful, meditative state to sleep.
But I’ve always thought, wouldn’t it be wonderful if the ambient noise, music, and sounds I listen to could be from the places that make my inner fangirl come to life? I mean, if I could write my articles sitting in the Gryffindor common room, or spend time reading while listening to the sounds of the Normandy’s ship buzzing around me, I’d be in heaven.
Sounds are a major part of my existence. It is those ambient sounds and extra noises within the shows, movies, and games I love that help transport me into their worlds. Those worlds light the fire of inspiration in my heart. They are my muses.
Recently, a friend sent me a link to a place that made all my dreams come true: ambient-mixer.com.
Not only does this website allow you to create your own ambient mixes, but it gives you access to a whole library of user-made ones, including hundreds to indulge your fangirl needs in.
Depending on what you are looking for, there are a range of options for each setting. Some include music, some are just ambient noise. Each mixer also contains sliders for the different ambient noises contributing to the atmosphere, allowing you to increase or decrease different aspects to suit your desires.
Although I’ve only been using it for a few weeks now, these are some of my favourites:
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There are a number of options for the common room, but I like this one in particular because of the addition of the Harry Potter theme music in the background. Sometimes I’ll turn that portion up a bit, other times I’ll turn it down. When I really need to get my concentration focused, I will close my eyes for a moment and imagine that I am really there, hanging out in front of the fireplace, curled up with a good book, just listening and taking it all in.
Often, I will play this track while at work, drowning out the awful music and sounds of the dealership around me. It brings a bit of nerdiness into my every day life, making me feel a little less frustrated with living in the real world.
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This is one I find super inspiring. It’s kind of like a mix between a Solitudes track and sitting in an actual port. Not only is this one great when I need something incredibly calming, but it also doubles as a great mix for doing meditation, deep thoughts, or just doing breathing exercises. Plus, it’s not too difficult to imagine you’re about to chill in Atlantis when you let the sounds carry you away.
The ambient backing track is beautiful, soft yet sharp sounds encouraging peacefulness and clarity. The sounds of the chains clanging together in the port are just frequent enough to carry you away. Everything about this one screams calming and focus, and although it is a little less peppy than one might expect for something inspired by Disney, I feel like it fits quite beautifully with what I would imagine the actual sounds of their Atlantis world to be like.
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Need something to put you in a more somber mood? Or maybe you just feel like taking yourself to a place of mystery, dragons, and epic battles? This mix is fantastic for that. Part of the reason this one appeals to me so much is that, as a writer and an author, sometimes I need something to take me to a darker place. If I’m in a particularly good mood, I can often forget just how dark a scene needs to be. This is the kind of ambient sound that is great to send me there.
The deep, soulful music carries a sadness to it--you just know something dark and devastating is going on. The sword-fighting keeps your mind active. You can’t just disappear into the sadness with battles going on around. It drives that deep feeling of the need to take action, to push forward with a relentless rage, channeling all your hurt and sorrow into the task at hand.
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If you’re a fellow Disnerd, this particular track probably doesn’t require much explanation. I am one of those weird people who says that Disney World is my happy place. There are literally times I have become so overwhelmed with the desire to be in Disney that I have broken down in tears. It is the one place where I truly feel at home.
There are a number of places to listen to sounds and music from Disney World, with plenty of playlists that include tracks from the rides, clips from different areas of the parks, and more. What makes me love this ambient mix so much is that it’s a single, ongoing track putting you directly on Main Street USA. You can play it all day, soaking in the magic and joy those sounds give you when you’re truly there. It’s like sprinkling pixie dust on your day, no matter where you are.
What places would you love to listen to ambient mixes from to take you away from everyday life?
