Awesome Apps
“What did Spartacus do to the cannibal who ate his nagging wife?
Nothing. He’s gladiator.”
(Is that joke really tasteless?)
Okay, it’s terrible, but living with these non-stop, unwelcome voices makes you appreciate this joke. I'm trying to lighten a serious situation with good-for-the-soul laughter. If you don’t hear “phantom voices”, imagine having to listen to nagging, degrading threatening voices every minute of your life, even in bed. When you go to the bathroom. When you’re taking a shower. When you try to pray or meditate. What if it was forever?
Here are some apps that can help reduce background noise and improve your perception of sound. Sound and light frequencies can be used to refocus your attention, while active noise cancellation can neutralize or mask certain sounds, especially when using headphones. Light can also redirect your attention and improve your sense of hearing. By using a choice app or two, you can upgrade your situation and enjoy a more pleasant headspace.
You can use these apps to “escape”, relax, meditate, sleep, and partially restore your sanity. *Winky face*
There are no cannibals involved and no wives were harmed. However, pay attention to the “BEWARE” below.
About frequencies, sound and light
BEWARE: Some of these videos may contain music, binaural, solfeggio, monaural, and Isochronic tones and beats. There may be a choice for optical illusions, flashing lights or guided/unguided meditations in some apps. These choices may have hypnotic effects on some individuals, so please exercise caution when using them. It's important to note that the views expressed in these apps are not necessarily my own, as they are designed for a broad audience. Furthermore, most of these apps are not completely free, and some are a bit pricey. Please do your own research before using these apps. These videos are here to bring awareness to the applications as suitable to the user.
Noise generator is exactly that. Choose between noise colors and frequencies: Violet, Blue-Violet, White-Blue, White, Pink-White, Pink, Brown-Pink, and Brown. You can also choose the high and low frequency filters between 20 and 2200 HZ. There’s a switch at the bottom that adjusts the sound to either centered, left, or right sound balance. A timer can be set between 15 minutes and 8 hours. It’s one of the simplest ways to mask noises, whether they be “the voices” or your neighbor.
My noise is another great sound app that allows you to personalize your favorite sound choices with adjustable sliders. It offers a variety of track options such as "Binaural Beat Machine", "White Noise & Co.", "Gregorian Voices", "Calm Office", and more. Each option has presets to choose from, and you can blend several sound choices to create your own customized sound. Additionally, you can animate the slider buttons if you’re inclined to visual aids. Clickable descriptions of each sound group are an entertaining and educational bonus. You can search several genres, including finds such as: “Eerie”, “Calibrated”, “meditation”, and more. You can download your personalized stuff and buy subscriptions that give you extra choices. Get a lifetime subscription by donating what you want to the website.
Feelsy is a visual ASMR app that offers a satisfying sensory experience by combining fun sounds, colorful imagery and haptic feedback. It allows you to select your favorite music from options like "Colorful Fireflies," "Cosmic Travels," "Healing Night," and more. You can also choose a background that you feel from images such as "kaleidoscopes," "foods," "orbs," and "slimes.” Additionally, you can choose automatic motions that match the "feels" you've chosen.
There’s even a DIY slime kit for die-hard ASMR lovers. You can create your own slimes with squishy sounds, visuals, and feels, and save them for later use. There's even a breath trainer with a visual, timed guide to help you relax further. You can also create custom sleep or meditation relaxation sessions using music and guided instructions. If you really enjoy the app, you can create a profile and keep track of your progress. Get your feel on!
I love NodeBeat. It's a music app that has a simple yet versatile concept. Unlike other music apps that use pre-recorded sounds or instruments, NodeBeat uses notes, octaves, and drum generators. It’s refreshingly unique. It’s pretty, gradient-style screen design is dotted with bright-colored nodes that can be grouped, added, or subtracted to change the sound of the music. If you’re musically inclined, this is your “fidget-app” for relaxation. If you’re not, you can still personalize the auto-play feature. You can record your own music, pick your own waveforms, or use the built-in options. You can also customize your own rhythm, tempo, beat, etc. There’s even an optional “piano” keyboard across the node screen. Record your creations and reuse them!
Portal is an “immersive experience” that allows you to select a sound accompanied by mesmerizing imagery. It transports you to a visual “happy place” rather than the one you imagine, or can’t imagine, in your head. To enhance your experience, you can mix it with other apps for pleasant “background noise”, or connect it to AirPods, other devices, and smart lighting systems. You can even use it with certain health tracking and brainwave monitors, time your sessions, and practice breathing exercises.
Refocus your brain with Endel. The app claims to help improve brain fatigue and reduce cortisol levels using sound. It utilizes pentatonic scales which are said to be the easiest for the brain to process. It also personalizes your experience in real time, based on your natural light rhythm, local weather, circadian rhythm, and time of day. There are guided meditations and unspoken visual or musical options as well. This one can work with your Apple health app settings, and is designed to sync with your individual rhythm to a degree.
You’re getting sleeeeeepyyy...
Mesmerize offers dynamic visuals with a variety of optical illusions and psychedelic landscapes which you can blend with pre-recorded voice guides, tones, sounds, or music. You can also choose from preset meditations and a variety of hypnotic and soothing voices. select a peaceful preset soundscape with or without guiding voices and connect it to AirPlay or HealthKit for more options. If you’re a skeptic, the app provides an explanation of "The Scientific Case for 'Focused-Attention Meditation'" in the settings area and lists several studies conducted over the years.
Speaking of sleepy…
Fan Noise App is a great way to unwind. Select the type of fan sound you would like to hear and the speed of the noise. “regular fan”, “wind force fan”, “electric heater”, and “jet flow fan”, are some of your several choices. Each option has three different speeds - low, medium, and high - which are all pleasantly distinct. This app doesn’t do much else, but it gives you several options to block out a range of noises that could bring peace of mind, or maybe put you to sleep. You can set a timer and adjust the volume of the sound. Great for travelling!
That’s all for now. Do you have any suggestions or helpful sources you’d like to share?