Noise Machine

Noise Machine is the component of Vitamin-R that can flood your space with one of twenty-nine soundscapes to help drown out the sounds of co-workers, rush hour traffic, or the construction site across the street.

Noise can lend a pleasant social feel to your workspace, but it can also be highly disruptive to your concentration. Some people require a very quiet environment to reach good concentration levels, while others thrive on working in noisy environments. Much depends on both the individual and the nature of the noise. For example, some kinds of noise are easily and unconsciously “filtered out”; others, such as the wailing of an infant, are all but impossible to ignore.

When a quiet environment is not available or not desired, it can be beneficial to “block out” disruptive noise by superimposing noise that is easier to filter out. This is called “sound masking,” and there is some evidence that this technique of replacing ambient noise with specially chosen “soundscapes” can be used effectively to bring about particular states of mind. The Pomodoro Technique, for instance, advocates the use of a continuously ticking clock to improve concentration and focus. The idea behind this technique is to condition your mind to associate the ticking sound with the need for productive focus. Engineered soundscapes, urban environmental noise, and natural ambient sounds (e.g., waterfall, rainstorm, wildlife) can all be used to create a more pleasant, relaxing, or energizing atmosphere.

Some people like listening to music while working, but the unfortunate truth is that most music is not very well suited for this purpose. Pauses between tracks and quiet parts of songs allow environmental noise through, and lyrics and interesting musical themes are hard for our auditory system to ignore.

“White” noise, “pink” noise, and “brown” noise are often used for “noise canceling” or “noise blocking” purposes, because they consist of a constant “wall” of noise that effectively drowns out most normal environmental sounds. The fact that it is completely random means that the brain is not expending fruitless effort by trying to find patterns within it. Some natural, industrial, and human sounds, such as waterfalls, air conditioning, or indistinct conversational chatter, are easily ignored, and can provide a more “organic” working environment.

Finding the right background noise for yourself is largely a matter of experimentation, so Vitamin-R leverages integration with another of our applications to help you find just the right aural experience for you. Noise Machine, available as a separate application at publicspace.net, but free for registered Vitamin-R users, provides a wide variety of soundscapes to help you drown out unfavorable or distracting environmental sounds.

To help you find the best solution for you, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Start with a low volume setting. You need to give your brain time to get used to the new sound. Starting at a low volume, and only going up in volume once you no longer consciously perceive the noise, is a good way of acclimating yourself to this technique.
• Beware of headphone volume settings. Obviously, constantly listening to a barrage of loud noise is not a good idea, as this could damage your hearing. Using headphones amplifies this effect. If environmental noise is a big issue for you, you might want to invest in a pair of isolating earphones.
• Try “pink” noise first. Most people find “white” noise to be annoying, and many of those who can tolerate it find that it takes a lot of getting used to. “Brown” noise seems easier to get used to than “white” noise, while “pink” noise is preferred by many. Experiment to find what works best for you!
• Use background noise only when you have to. There is little point in training yourself to ignore white noise if you have a quiet workplace or do not find the noise around you distracting.

To use Noise Machine:

Vitamin-R 3 ⇒ Tools ⇒ Noise Machine

A minimal audio playback interface appears, from which you can browse available soundscapes by selecting Sound. To preview a track, click it. The track will play for a few seconds, allowing you to choose another loop at its end, or you can continue your chosen loop by clicking the Play button (the button will darken to indicate activation). After clicking the Play button to begin playback, click it again to stop playback (the button will lighten to indicate deactivation).

Your audio experience can be further customized in Vitamin-R’s preference panes. For example, you can configure playback of a soundscape that begins and ends with a time slice, or select your own notification sounds for time slice events.

Due to file size concerns, the full range of sounds offered by Noise Machine isn’t included with Vitamin-R by default unless you own the Mac App Store version. If you don’t see twenty-nine sound choices in Vitamin-R’s Sound menu, download Noise Machine (free for all registered Vitamin-R users) from publicspace.net. Install Noise Machine in the standard Applications folder, and Vitamin-R will automatically detect and register the newly available sounds that come with Noise Machine. Noise Machine does not have to be running to play the sounds it provides; playback is handled by Vitamin-R.