Sep 21, 2009
Thundergod app now available!
Naturespace is proud to announce the release of Thundergod, the ultimate Thunderstorm experience for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Click here to go to the app store. We’ve been through many nasty storms all across the United States to make this app. The addition of the Naturespace blog allows us to communicate directly with Thundergod users, and for those who may have questions before they buy it. So check it out in the iTunes app store and let us know what you think by commenting here. We will also be issuing an update to the free Naturespace player soon, we are just waiting for Apple to put it through. Check back often for the latest updates.
I downloaded Thunder God last night. Truly amazing, guys! I really feel the storms! Keep up the great work!
I love the free Naturespace iPhone app and I am looking for more soundscapes. I saw this, Thundergod – it looks interesting. But honestly the price is keeping me from buying it. There are no reviews in the AppStore so it is a $10 gamble. Perhaps you should consider lowering the price initially to attract reviews.
Back to the freebie app…
When I listen for extended periods, I find my ears get a bit tired of the white sound – for instance the crickets, or wind in the trees – it would be really nice if the background sounds varied in amplitude a bit more dramatically over a long cycle – (maybe 20mins?).
Wouldn’t it be cool to mimic the experience of a forest going to sleep over a period of a couple hours? Wind in the tries, birds, progressing to quiet with background water + crickets, to maybe just frogs croaking and the occasional breeze in the trees with a loon every so often in the background etc.
Anyway, great work. I appreciate the quality of the sounds.
Mike, thank you for taking the time to post here. There are now a number of reviews for Thundergod, so check them out. As far as the price goes, it is only expensive in context of the app store, but not in the real world. Thundergod contains a CD’s worth of audio, but packaged inside an app so we can update it and provide seamless looping. We think the days of the $.99 app are not going to last, and neither are the companies that try to succeed at that price. Also, there are a number of “storm” apps that are $1.99, and $2.99, and that is what they are worth, as far as we are concerned. We are simply in a different league than the cheap stuff. For us, hearing the same rumble of thunder every 30 seconds is boring. So we are quite happy to be “expensive”. The people who buy Naturespace know why.
Now, regarding the free app, it is designed to seamlessly loop steady-state ambiences. For us, it serves as a demo for people who have never heard Naturespace. But it is a tiny sample of our catalog (link). We have 5 hours of audio available that do exactly what you describe. The app is cool, but you are completely correct… nature changes over time. All of our tracks are between 10 and 25 minutes long. Your description of a forest going to sleep is something we have already, it’s called Sunset Into Night (link) . There is also the track Evening at Lake Unknown (link) .
It is much better to listen to the Naturespace catalog in the iPod section of the iPhone, with the rest of your iTunes library. Apple will not allow an app like ours to run in the background, so if you want to check your mail, you have to stop listening. That is not the case with your iTunes library; it does run in the background. You can check your mail, surf the web etc all while listening to long-form Naturespace. This also allows you to put whatever you purchase from us on any iPod you may have in addition to the iPhone.
Lastly, I just have to say how incredibly relieved we are to be able to respond to you. It has been one of our biggest frustrations not being able to respond in the app store. We take our customer satisfaction VERY seriously, and it’s impossible to contact or converse with anyone via the app store. So thank you again for posting here, we are dedicated to bringing you the ultimate headphone experience on the planet. Please let me know if you have any further thoughts, questions, or comments.
Hi there! I’ve just experienced your 3D soundscapes for the first time (with the free iPhone app), and it’s been quite a thrill. I’m now interested in buying your Thundergod app, except that it’s not available in my country’s App Store (Singapore). Is this intentional? Please release it for all markets!
Hi, and thank you for asking. It seems that apps do not appear in all the countries at the same time. We fully expect Thundergod to be available in all countries, but it is rather new still, so keep watching, it will probably show up any day now. Every country’s release schedule is different. If it doesn’t show up soon, please let us know. And if you can’t wait, there’s always the rest of our catalog! (link)
Well, I’m listening to LOKI as I write this. Brilliant !
I’m truly enjoying the ThunderGod app. I would rather listen on my ‘real’ headphones than through earbuds however (my 1st gen. iPhone needs an adapter I don’t have). I was wondering if there will be standalone downloads for the ThunderGod content ? I have ‘Thunderstorm’ from your Journeys catalog which is great. But the ThunderGod content seems to go beyond that. I’d love to hear it on my desktop vs. iPhone (earbuds).
Many thanks for some mind altering sounds !
Brian
Hi, JB –
Thanks for your reply. In the end, I bought Thundergod and I enjoy it very much, and I agree it is worth $10.
I think there’s great potential in writing an app that dynamically mixes various environments – that is, have maybe 10 tracks (crickets, loon, wind in the forest, frogs, rain, thunder, etc etc) and apply amplitude envelopes to each track to make an infinitely varying environment. Just a thought.
I have glanced through your catalog – I will be buying more of your stuff! I spend my days in a grey, windowless cube developing software, and it is really a pleasure to listen to your environments while I work.
Re: iPod vs iPhone app, I wonder if selling music as an iPhone app is actually a good, unobtrusive way of enforcing drm? And, as I mentioned, you have the potential to create really dynamic environments – something a plain old mp3 couldn’t provide.
Hi Brian. We are not sure about doing the loops outside of the app, for one reason: most devices do a bad job of looping seamlessly. I personally own 12 different iPods, and 3 of them loop pretty well, but not always. Any iPod with an actual hard drive loops badly. Nanos and shuffles are good but not perfect, iTunes on my Macbook Pro loops great, my old G5 is ok, etc. That’s why we made the app. I’m rather sure that if we released the loops outside of the app that we would take a beating in the reviews because the loops were skipping for many people. The process of getting an mp4 to loop is difficult, and took quite a bit of genius in the software design to figure it out. We are still thinking about it however. You should get that adapter though, Thundergod is great on earbuds, but on real headphones it’s truly amazing. Thanks for your input, we will give this idea our full attention and see if we can figure something out.
Mike, thanks for buying Thundergod! I’m glad you like it, we are quite proud of it.
Regarding a constantly changing ambience app… we’ve been messing around with this idea for a while. So far, our methods have been too much for the iPhone’s CPU, and it’s also been a power hog. We have worked really hard to make sure our apps are as battery-friendly as possible, I have had my iPhone run the free Naturespace app for 18 hours before the battery ran out. Having an ambience app that kills the battery in 2 hours isn’t useful. Also, having 10 tracks that come in and out means the size of the app will be 10 times the size. I think many people would object to an app that is 800 meg. There is also something else… The layering and creation of a natural space is a delicate affair, and we’ve spent literally thousands of hours creating the ones in our catalog. By making the layering an interactive or random event, the end result is often flawed or unnatural. That doesn’t mean it isn’t possible, there are combinations of sounds we can create that work well together, but it is a lot more work than it would seem. I’m curious to hear what you think of the long form Naturespace from our catalog, I think that will address your issue of the app being too “steady-state”. Let me know what you think!
Using an app as a form of DRM is an interesting concept, and I guess it’s an inherent benefit over an iTunes track, but I would hate to think that is why we are doing it. People who steal are lame, and we are confident that they will not benefit from our catalog; they are destined to have bad karma. Most people are good, honest folks who are willing to pay for things they use. We have priced Naturespace so that anyone can have it, so there’s no excuse for stealing it. Any effort we put into defending against evil is time wasted. We are focused on bringing the best to good people, we stay happy that way.
I haven’t yet downloaded Thundergod (very tempted) but I am surprised you don’t have a demo version of TG. Maybe a 1 min loop of each track or something.
Also, I love the rolling waves on the free app, and was wondering if there were any plans for a “water” or “ocean waves” app similar to Thundergod?
I posted these questions over on Twitter too, but it seems you guys weren’t using Twitter yet so I am dropping a line here as well.
The free demo on your site is amazing, and I would like to see more apps rather than buy the audio files, due to the ability to loop them. I’m looking for these to help me relax/sleep, so the iPod versions aren’t much use.
Hi George. Sorry we missed your twitter post, we are just getting established there. As far as a demo of TG goes, it’s the same for our catalog; short demos are actually more misleading than anything. One of the main aspects of TG is it’s length and how the storms shift and change over time. Every time we have tried to make a demo of a specific track, we feel we aren’t representing it well. We think other people’s reviews are the best indicator of whether it lives up to it’s reputation.
As far as an Ocean/Water app goes, our plan is to create a single app that allows you to pick and choose which loops you want. Keep an eye on the blog here for the latest news about it, we are working hard to get it finished ASAP.
And to your last point, many people use the oceans that are in our catalog to help them relax and/or sleep, and between the 5 oceans there is over an hour of audio. The moments when one track fades out and the next begins are gentle and unobtrusive, and so far hasn’t been an issue for people. But I understand the desire for looping; it will be available soon. Thank you for taking the time to post your inquiries!
I ended up purchasing Thundergod last night, and I agree—you need to give the tracks time. At first I was dissappointed, but as it progressed it draws you in.
When you mention the ’single app’, how will that affect customers who own TG? Or will this be a completely new app, perhaps with in-app purchases? It would be nice to have all the NatureSpace stuff in just one app, and I love the a la carte idea as I have a preference towards the ocean/water and thunderstorm sounds mainly.
Good point on the iPod method. I guess my approach was more for those who really like a single track and want to hear it over and over. Or does the iPod do a single-track repeat like iTunes?
Looking forward to what comes next. You guys have amazing 3D soundscapes, far more advanced than anything I’ve tried on the App Store yet.
When will you have the Thundergod files available for download so we can enjoy them on other iPods? I use the shuffle to loop the ones I’ve already purchased but would really enjoy the thunderstorm sounds, too.
Hi Jeff. Thanks for posting. We do not anticipate releasing Thundergod as loops outside of an app. The seamless looping is not something many devices do well. The Naturespace looping engine took a while to get perfect. The thunderstorm (link) from our catalog is intended for all ipods, and it is not a loop. The reality with Naturespace and thunderstorms is that I don’t think we will ever stop recording them. It’s like a never-ending quest for the ultimate storm. We’re really hooked on it. It’s one of the most challenging things we do, and it takes all our skills. So there will be more thunderstorms in the future, both looping and long-form. Unless we get struck! Shazam!
Thanks for buying Thundergod George. That’s exactly what I meant, getting pulled in. Having a holographic listening experience is not something you just crank out in 30 seconds. Nature isn’t pop music. It takes a few minutes, and over time, the sounds of the natural world fill the spaces; spaces you can hear with amazing clarity and accuracy. When you are sitting still, with eyes closed, and no distractions in the room, the “being there” experience can happen. And that is what we are about. A demo just won’t do it.
Regarding the single-app… it’s a la carte, indeed, George. We do not want to make 100 apps. We want to make one more app. One that allows for you to fill it with whatever you want from a large and growing library. But there are many details left, so until it’s finished, I’ll have to keep it at that.
And yes, the iPod will loop any track you wish, you can have it play the whole playlist or album, or just one track. Scroll to “Settings”, then choose “repeat”, the choices are off, all, or one.
Hi.
?
Im a big fan of your work guys – i have the iphone naturespace app plus all of your website mp3 ones.
And so i was very exited that there is a new app in app store. The problem is i cant buy it in Poland. Any idea why and can you do something about it
Hi Sturm. Thank you for posting. It seems that all the different countries update differently, so it may not appear everywhere at the same time. But don’t worry, it’s coming any day now. And thanks for being a fan!
Hi! I am new to naturespace. I have a question.
Do you sell the music in Thundergod app separately?
And I live in Korea so I don’t have an US credit card. Does your online shop accept international credit cards?
Oh I didn’t know there was an reply for my first question. You don’t have to answer it. And I am planning to an music to listen when I study can you suggest one plz?
Hi! See the answer above regarding getting Thundergod loops outside of the app, currently we are not planning to release them outside of the app. Yes, our website accepts international credit cards. As far as which track to recommend, it is a very personal choice, everyone is different, but I would recommend you choose from the Natural Spaces (link) section of our catalog as they are steadier and more ambient. The Journeys (link) are more involved and change a lot over time, and are intended to be listened to with no distractions. The Natural Spaces are probably better for studying. Also, if you can’t swim, I would stay away from the oceans and rivers, we have seen some people get quite anxious because they had a bad experience with water. I guess if I were you I would start with one of the oceans (link), or maybe Evening at Lake Unknown (link) , or maybe Summer Mountain Valley (link) . If you buy anything, please let us know how it works for you. Thanks for posting!
Thank you for your reply
I looked over your cataloge and found that there were same music in your cataloge which are in the free app. Are they different in some way?
They are similar, but different. The images are the same, and the loops in the iPhone app are related to the tracks on the website, but the tracks on the website are much longer and change over time, whereas the loops stay steady and don’t change. Being longer allows for more things to happen; the wind picks up more and everything is more dynamic on the website tracks. I’ll put it this way: The tracks on the iPhone are like baby versions of the ones on the website.
I tried to buy a music in the website. But my card keeps on getting denied so I called the card company and they told me I need to sign up for international payment. So I did and they say I can make payments starting tomorrow
I have used the free app few days now and I found that when I listen the music with my eyes open I get a headache. I have few other “sound of nature” CD’s I use when I study but they didn’t give me a headache. I think this happens because the sound is too real. What I hear and what I see doesn’t match so probably something like motion sickness happens and I get a headache. But other nature sound CDs are way different sound from the real nature so my brain perceives them as fake and doesn’t get messedup with what I see.
So I can’t use your sounds when studying, but I am really satisfied listening to it when I rest with my eyes closed. It’s kind of expensive for me cause of horrible exchange rates. But I am planning on buying your musics one by one.
Thank you for great work and I hope the music library grows more
I know what you mean. You are correct, the audio is intended to be heard with eyes closed. You should try listening quieter when studying. Too loud is not good, and if you are trying to do other things, it can be confusing to the brain. Also, there is much more to choose from on the website. Try the tracks I suggested once your card gets upgraded, and let us know how it goes! Thanks Simon!
I’m back to say that it’s still not available in the Singapore store, and that this appears to be an exceptional case. Just about everything else is available to us on the same release days as everyone else. The only exceptions are games (from EA, for example) where there are licensing complications. On those cases, an international version is usually released within a couple of weeks (EA does this through their office in the Netherlands). If Thundergod is the exact same app all around the world, I can’t imagine why this delay would happen.
Well that is unfortunate. We have looked into it, and we have confirmed that all our worldwide settings are correct. The fact that it isn’t available in Singapore could be for several reasons. First, there may be a delay with paid apps versus free ones. Second, since Thundergod is close to 90 meg, it may exceed a size limit or cause a longer than usual delay. Third, there may be financial limitations such as a price limit in some countries. These are all just guesses. Apple does not make it easy to solve problems. You basically submit the app and check the “rest of world” checkbox. I have submitted a request to Apple, but we have no idea if that even matters or if anyone reads them. The best we can do is continue to look into it, and hope that it shows up soon. Personally, I’m guessing that it is just extremely delayed, and that it will just show up one day. If we learn anything, I’ll email you. Please send an email to information@naturespace.com so we have your email address associated with this issue. We have little to no control in the app store, it’s all Apple.
We really appreciate you taking the time to post here. We will do everything we can. Thanks Brandon.
Hi JB,
I totally understand the problems with the App Store and the approval processes involved. As far as I can tell, none of those reasons have prevented other paid/large/expensive apps from appearing in our iTunes store. We’ve got $80 GPS navigation apps, games in excess of 300MB, etc. Best of luck!
I am user of Naturespace free app. When i saw this, I went to the itunes store to buy it. And just figured it’s not available. It’s sad you make this app not available to other stores, i am in the Uruguayan store, and it’s not available here.
I’m sorry to hear you can’t get it in Uruguay, it is not in our control. We have made it available to all countries, and we don’t know why Apple has not released Thundergod in some. Hopefully it is just delayed.
I’m back to report that Thundergod has now appeared in the Singapore iTunes App Store!
That’s great to hear, Brandon. Thank you so much for keeping us informed!
I have Thundergod and listen to it before I go to sleep. The only problem is that the sound is so realistic that I constanly have to check if I’m listening to the app, or that there is real lightning outside. That’s why I prefer to listen to Odin and Loki, from those the thunder is at least further away.
I’ve also tried Trick-or-treat (thanks guys!)
All I can say is it’s hyper realistic.
What an amazing sound quality!
Greetings from Eric (The Netherlands)
I love to listen to your app (have only the free one, not the thunders) and use it to meditate (now you know, why not the thunders), because it loops so smoothly unrecognizable
and I am VERY looking forward to the one planned app with the “a la carte menue” where one can choose from a big library of yours and pick up the ones one likes at most. Hope, it will work out, cause I think, it is technically not that easy to build, isn’t it? Some way to import samples or upgrade the app with the picked samples/loops maybe? Wish, I was a programmer and could help, cause I cannot wait – think, I buy me some album of yours in the meantime 
but which one to choose? they are all wonderful, for I am sure…
Thank you for that amazing sounds!
And a happy 2010
manfred, austria
okay. I bought it. the thundergod. what shall I say? there’s nothing to regret about! maybe I can manage to meditate too, when the bolts are striking down unseen somewhat not so far away, concentrating on my innerself breath, because it may be the last breath I take, when odin, loki or thor himself deside to take me to walhalla…
really. THAT is some amazing sound
verygreets
manfred, austria.
Hi.
I’m about to buy some thunderstorm sounds and thought of ThunderGod as a bundle with a reduced price when compared to buying the individual tracks. As I would like to reduce the number of Apps installed on my iPhone, can I integrate those tracks into the Free App, or do I have to rely on using both Apps in parallel?
Thanks for your reply
Phillip
Hi Phillip. Indeed, if you buy Thundergod, you will save six bucks. Once Thundergod is installed on your phone, the files will also be unlocked in the free app, so you can have them all in one place. So you then re-download the individual Thundergod files into the free app. The free app does not access the files from Thundergod. Once you have downloaded the individual Thundergod files into the free app, you can go ahead and delete the Thundergod app. The only catch here is that if you ever need to re-install the files because you got a new phone or whatever, you will have to download Thundergod again in order to have the files unlocked again. But you can always download Thundergod for free, so there is no risk, it’s just a bit of a hassle. Let us know if you have any other questions.
Hi JB,
thanks a lot for your quick reply.
I have bought Thundergod and installed it on my iPhone. After listening to some tunes, I would like to integrate them in the free app. What would be the rigth way? When trying to “restore previous purchased” in the free app, nothing happens. Do I need to “buy” the songs within the free app again?
Best
Phillip
That’s correct, the “restore purchases” button does not apply to the Thundergod files. Make sure you have the latest version of the free app, and then go into the Thunder and Rain categories in the store. The Thundergod files should be “unlocked”, so you can them download them into the app.