Jun 9, 2010
In-app Purchase User Reviews
We are currently in development of a forum that allows for an organized way to post and read user descriptions and reviews of the in-app purchases. Until this forum is created, we invite you to submit them here. If you are reading this on Facebook and would like to review a track without your name being linked to it, send it in an email, and we will post it for you without identifying you. Rather than have us describe the tracks more, we feel that user feedback would be more useful to people. Clearly, we would never say “I didn’t like this one”, but we want to know just as much as anyone if there are tracks that are disappointing or just different than you expected. Obviously, we want to hear all the positive reviews as well as anything else you think would be helpful to others. While we will retain the right to remove anything we feel is offensive or off-topic, we won’t be deleting negative reviews. We want this to be helpful, not an ad. Also, any requests for new audio will be considered; feel free to suggest them here as well. When the forum is complete, we will integrate all reviews there. As always, we look forward to hearing your feedback.
I downloaded the 2.0 update and within 2 days bought: Peyote, Star Reflections, Utopia, Beneath the Dreaming Trees, Astral Premonition, Midnight, Across the Vast Valley, and Solitude Canyon. So far all of the tracks are top notch. I am particularly in love with Beneath the Dreaming Trees; it is a pleasure to hear how well the wind in the trees was captured! I often listen to this one on headphones every night and imagine I am sleeping in a tent as I drift off (I also love the iTunes track Evening at Lake Unknown for the same ambiance).
The Exponential Coqui:
It is like the coqui are trying to put you into a peaceful trance. There is so much depth to the sound. You can hear the calls both near and far. In the background the only other thing you can hear is the faint humming of the Hawaiian forest insects.
Hawaiian Morning Chorus:
Hawaiian morning chorus is definitely one of my favorites! It takes me to a place I can’t just get up and go to. You can really tell you are in Hawaii! The tropical birds are amazing. One will be closer and to your right and several others could be farther off on your left. Far away in the distance you can hear the faint call of a rooster. You can even hear a fly go by. It didn’t go in my ear but you could tell it was close. The forest insects can also be heard but aren’t too loud as the birds take the show.
Soft forest rain:
The name says it all. Very simple as the rain and the leaves it drips on is the only thing you hear. Very peaceful…
Ice Wind:
Ice wind is so unique. It will be mostly calm until off in the distance you can hear the wind coming over the landscape until it completely surrounds you! It moves the trees that are near you and they crack and wood and ice can be clearly heard. Ice wind is so simple in how many elements is has but it took me from calm to wow!
Thor:
This thunderstorm was aptly named. There are louder and lower sounding thunder rumbles. Often there is a louder crack of thunder followed by the sound of it rolling away into the distance. There is also a quiet rain and every once and a while you can briefly hear an insect of some kind chirping. This is the kind of thunderstorm I always kind of hope for when it gets like this outside. I don’t have to wait for it anymore!
I have thundergod and have been using it in my alarm clock dock for some time now and I don’t think I could go to sleep without it. The new update to naturespace is great- I have purchased tracks from the website before so i could play them in the iPod app in the background, so I hope the new app will support background audio.
The in-app purchases are addictive! “hansel and gretel” and “stream of consciousness” and two of my favorites. In an office environment, I can actually tune out my coworkers and imagine myself in a much more pleasant place.
Thanks for improving this app. It is one of my top choices for ambient listening.
I remember when I first downloaded this app….so long ago now. I was having bad panic attacks and suffering from anxiety and this FREE app really helped me out. Back then, I even logged on to this very website and bought tracks from them directly. Its so nice to see they have grown and most likely effected many more lives in a positive way. I was thrilled with the new update. I think I’ve bought about 6 or 7 tracks so far and I love each and every one of them. Don’t get me wrong, I still can’t live without “riverwind dreaming” while I fall asleep dreaming of hiking through a desolate area with a fresh stream running parallel. “Tidepools” is another favorite of mine, soothing and just brings me back to the reason I live in California. As someone posted earlier, “Beneath the dreaming trees” captivates you and is a must with headphones on. And for those of you deciding on “Peyote”…..don’t think twice…just buy it. I’ll be honest, the first time I listened to it, I was alone, falling asleep and it creeped me out. It sounded so real and life like as if a presence was in the room with me. But a few times later, I realized what an amazing state of mind I felt I was in and the beats and trance were unbelievable. Very different from what I’ve been used to, but worth adding to my collection. THANK YOU for everything and I look forward of more to come.
Reviews:
Peyote: I got this one for trance shamanic meditations. At first listen, I thought that the drums might be too fast. However, when used in meditation after firmly establishing my internal landscape, I found it to be awesome. The sound of the rattle rhythmically goes right over and around your head, as if a shaman is standing over you, preparing to send you on a Spirit Walk. Love the crows and thunder part, too. At times there is an almost a Gamelan/Balinese sound enfolded into the space. ((Is there a program in the works for a slower drumbeat or with Australian aboriginal-style didgeridoos for a Dream-Time feel? Inquiring minds and all that…))
Helios Falling: This could be any evening between the Summer Solstice and early October. Crickets are very loud while the sound of the owl is very distant and hard to hear if the audio is kept low. I was expecting the owl to be closer from the description, but I am not disappointed in the overall effect. Keep in mind, this is not a “hooting” owl sound, but more of a “hunting” owl on the wing. ((I would love to see one of these programs with a hooting barn owl, or an owl much closer. I’m a big owl person.))
Beneath the Dreaming Trees: A mid-to-early summer feeling, wonderful for evening meditations or drifting off to sleep. The wind sounds refreshing and pleasant.
Morning Pathwalk: A big favorite! Love the sound of the feet walking through the brush. Gives a very journeying feel of walking in the woods in summer through mid-autumn (depending on your location) because of the morning crickets. Wonderful for imagining yourself moving through a landscape. ((And I would love to see more like this one with footsteps – perhaps a late autumn evening/nighttime journey walking over the dead leaves with pauses for looking up at the stars while a light chilly breeze blows?))
Moosejaw Creek: A quieter, gentler waterfall over the rocks sound than Cascadia River, with birds and animals. Has a spring-like to very early summer effect. Sounds refreshing and cool.
Cascadia River: One of my favorites! Pure rushing water dominates the sound space with no animal, insect or wind sounds, so you can visualize a deep autumn through earliest spring landscape. Sounds very much like sitting out near a water falling over rocks. Very soothing.
Riverknot: I was looking for the feeling of immersion in water, and this will do that. However, the focus of the water changes somewhat rapidly between the right and left ear, up and down, so that I get a sense of vertigo, as if I cannot get my bearings in the internal landscape, or I’m turning around/swimming constantly. Definitely good for creative and mental tasks or for masking exterior sounds, but was not too helpful for me when meditating.
Ice Wind: Winter being one of my favorite seasons, I love this one. The clack of the frozen boughs really enhances the feeling – giving the wind an ‘icier’ edge. You can almost smell the cold and snow.
Zen Wind and Water: Wind, water, chimes and gongs. It’s like being transported to a spiritual healing sanctuary tucked deep into the forest near a river or stream. Great for deep, focused meditations.
The Liquid Phase: Fantastic oceanic sound. Great for achieving meditative states in Alpha consciousness. Also, this one was especially helpful as a guide for deep breathing, which can be matched to the sound of the tide coming in and pulling back out. Relaxing, smooth and cyclic.
Sanctuary Island (East/South/North/West): All four of these are pure forest sounds, each representing a different direction. East is a very active forest of birds, no wind and no water. South has warm winds, different birds, one of which sounds very close. West is filled with forest birdsong and light breezes. North’s birds have an echo effect under the canopy of the forest, as well as the sound of the creek giving a hint of water nearby.
Hope this proves helpful, and looking forward to more.
Last night I went to use this app to help me get to sleep and I noticed that it had been updated. Then I noticed the in-app store…
There are now less than a handful of tracks left that I don’t have…
I don’t have time to write proper reviews of each of the tracks that I picked up, but I do want to make a comment about previews and naturespace.
I have many albums, mp3s, and apps all designed with ‘nature sounds’ or recordings of nature, etc. I even have an app that allows you to preview sounds before downloading them.
Normally I hesitate to purchase another track/cd of nature sounds or ambiance because even if the preview sounds nice, it’s only 30 seconds worth, and the rest of the track/cd might be garbage.
Naturespace is the only one where I can know that it will be a high quality track. It may not appeal to me *all of the time* (like wolves or crows), but the sounds are never low quality or have easily noticed synthetic patterns.
I admit that I was hesitant to try the new sci-fi sounds, and without a preview, it was hard for me to determine what the description actually meant in terms of sound. I trusted that the tracks would be high quality, even if it wasn’t my thing, and so, being that they don’t cost an entire CD price, I tried one. Nothing jarring or low quality in the entire track, so I went to get more…
As I said… there are only a few tracks I don’t have now. I have never had a bad purchase from Naturespace, and I am delighted in the updates/additions that they’ve made!
Reviews – Round Two!
((User Notes – All of my reviews are made while actively listening to the tracks.
Please also note that I reside in the Chesapeake Bay region where the coastal tidewater marshes meet the piedmont foothills of the Appalacian mountains. All of my given seasonal attributes for the recordings stem from this perspective.))
Astral Premonition: This is good companion to Peyote for the active “spirit walker”. Gentler, more dream-like in atmosphere than Peyote, but the drums keep the mind focused and prevents image wandering (i.e. randomly daydreaming while trying to do a focused, guided meditation with specific aims). The drums move from left to right and back to left, as if the drummer is dancing or swaying to his own rhythms behind you and shifting from side to side. Not bad over speakers, but earbuds seem to be best for meditation, as the tones pull you gently into the internal landscape with the feeling of open spaces and gauzy cloud formations in the ether. Hints of a light breeze and hints of sparkling water, with occasional chime effects accenting.
Newton Under Tree: This a wonderful and lasting favorite! Relaxing and peaceful, certainly not boring. The music is dreamy as it shifts and hums along with the sound of the stream while the bright bird song and wind hovers above and all around. Feels like an early afternoon in gorgeous weather – like a 70° day in early May. Sounds of footsteps in the underbrush on the right side occasionally walk beside your sitting spot and move past you. This reminds me of something I would hear on Hearts of Space (www.hos.com). Very dream-like in a rhythmic, flowing way. Great for relaxation, meditation, creative brain jaunts, for writing to, drawing/sketching, etc. This is a great track for anyone who loves ambient music. I only wish I had bought it earlier. Sounds wonderful on both speakers and earbuds. This is my happy place.
Star Reflections: Cool night, late, feels like late September to mid-October or very early summer due to the light sound of the crickets and the gentle breezes that briefly strengthen from time to time through the tree foliage. The rhythmic lapping of the water is lovely and the strongest element on the recording. There is the feeling of being on the edge of a goodly sized lake, with water stretching off in front of you and to both sides. It almost feels like you could wade out and dive under the small waves under the earbuds. Over speakers, it sounds like you live on a lake and have the windows or porch door open to the night breeze.
Riverbank Trance: The sound of a clear, clean forest river flowing by as you stand on the shore. Very steady, flowing from the left ear to the right and beyond. All ambient sounds beyond the water are muted as the water fills the entire sound space. Personally, it gives me the impression of a cold running river (like the Patapsco River) in deep autumn through early spring. There are no insects and possibly very few animal sounds. The river predominates and swallows all. Perfect for those who have a river in their internal landscape during meditations/visualizations. Great over the earbuds. Sounds like an indoor fountain over speakers.
Zen Riverbell: When they say zen, they mean it. Long, resonating bell tones ring and overlap, creating a deeply intoned inner space. A gentle river winds down a long hillside, the sound of the gurgle/babble shifting from the left ear to the right ear and back again cyclically, but always moving forward. Birds are in the background, a happy and uplifting sound that lends the impression of a spring or summer day. Very good for going into the Alpha State of Consciousness. I’m feeling brain fuzziness while typing and listening at the same time. Important: DO NOT LISTEN TO WHILE DRIVING!!! DO NOT OPERATE HEAVY MACHINERY!!! Deep and very meditative over the earbuds. Reminiscent of a distant Buddhist monastery or sanctuary over speakers – but the water sounds more fountain-like than river-like.
The Cloud Forest: High Summer – a hot and humid afternoon in a sub-tropic region. The dripping of the water from the tree canopy above onto the grass below almost sounds like rain. No breeze, no wind, just birds calling out from all around and the quick patter of vapour-turned-water. Steamy and humid, like mid-July on the East Coast. Very holographic under earbuds.
Hiding in the Near Field: Early summer or early-mid autumn afternoon. The sound of the breeze rattles stems and grasses all around and above in the sound space. Feels like being in the middle of a field of greenwaves under sun and breeze, or even in a cornfield. Ambient low sounds of insects give this a warm weather feeling that hums under the sound of the wind and rustle. Very active and also very relaxing. The full spectrum of sounds is most clear and distinct under the earbuds.
Midnight Tide: A rhythmic, late spring thru summer thru very early autumn evening shore. No animal sounds, just pure ocean on a long and wide beach. Intensity is in the lapping of the waves on the shore. No roaring, no winds, no rocks, just gently incoming waves and foam over sand.
Reef Breakers and Slow Fizz: Daytime shore sound, could be any time of year. The distant roar of the ocean mingles with spray and fizz sounds of the salt sea. Deep foam across the sand that pushes up further than expected – the kind that covers your ankles, sprays your clothes and gets you damp before you realize that the tide was coming in so high already. Active in sound but rhythmic as only the sea can be. Awesome under earbuds. The full effect is a tad lost over speakers.
Tide Pools: Another daytime oceanic sound, this time with the sound of the ocean splashing over rocks. Distant roar of the ocean is omnipresent with the sound of a strong sea breeze coming off the water. The break over the rocks into the tide pools is more gentle than I expected, although it does occasionally roar in with the hiss of foam. I almost feel like I should be getting hit by the spray carried over the rocks via the stiff breeze. Under the earbuds, I almost wonder why I’m not getting damp or smelling salt in the air.
((Out of curiosity – I notice that none of the oceanic tracks have seagulls. In my region, you can’t get away from the sound of gulls over the Bay or the Atlantic, so for me the two go hand in hand. It’s really odd to hear daytime ocean sounds without sea birds. Are there any plans to have gulls or pelicans (etc.) in an ocean recording in the future?))
Again, I hope this proves helpful and I love the recordings to date. Naturespace is quality.
Sincerely,
Xandre
Loyal Naturespace Customer
my user review:
With my iPhone 3GS (ios 4), it looks like all of my Naturespace tracks only play for ~20 seconds. The app stays open, but the track just cuts out.
I’m listening through my headphones, and my track list includes all the defaults, two purchases, and the Thundergod tracks.
Hi. Thank you for your post. The problem you are experiencing has been fixed, you simply need to update the app. The current version of the app is 2.1. Please let us know if you have any further trouble. Thanks!
Hello,
while all the tracks I purchased are great (Stream of Consciousness, Ice Wind, Riverknot), the Riverknot picture is somewhat misleading. Being a fan of waterfall sounds, I expected a very intense waterfall, but the soundscape is very close to Stream of Consciousness, which was a disappointment for me.
So you might want to change the picture of Riverknot, and use the current pic for a new “Waterfalls” category
I am really enjoying Campfire Hypnosis these days. Crickets and the snap and pop of a fire is very comforting and relaxing! Possibly my favourite environment so far.
I really would love if different elements of the environment were mixable, and faded in and out over time to make for a more dynamic listening experience. Listening to crickets at the exact same level for a couple hours can fatigue the ears a bit; it would be awesome if your naturespace environments were multiple tracks mixed together, and the different elements faded in and out a bit?
Naturespace is heads and tails the best environmental listening app out there!
Riverknot was by far the most difficult track to find artwork for. We can see your point, but are inclined to think that an enhanced text description would be more helpful. Pictures can only convey so much, and everyone sees something different. But the idea is being considered by all of us. Thanks for your input!
Hi Mike. There are a number of things we have planned, and the ability to mix multiple audio streams is definitely a topic. But you should know that the architecture that we use to make loops seamless currently does not allow it. So it is going to take a major re-do of the app, and we aren’t even sure that the hardware can deal with it. Although we are talking about apps and software, we are also talking about using this stuff on phones, not computers. There is a very real limit to what can be done because of hardware limitations. I know that other apps allow multiple audio streams, but they don’t sound as good as Naturespace, and it’s because they aren’t using our audio engine and our proprietary audio files. We will not go down in quality, it simply can’t happen. So multiple audio streams is high on our list, but we don’t have any expectations on when.
I want to applaud Naturespace for the top-notch quality of their sounds. I would also like to thank them for addressing the iPhone power consumption problem and the iOS4 compatibility issue in record time.
I’ve listed my favorite “in-App” tracks below. Although sound is subjective, those of you familiar with some of these tracks will notice a “pattern” in my preferences. For reference, I use these sounds for meditation, relaxation, and sleeping.
Mornings:
Morning Pathwalk
Summer Mountain Valley
Afternoons:
Utopia
Idyllica Tremens
Moosejaw Creek
Walk to the Beach
Evenings:
Campfire Hypnosis
Beneath the Dreaming Trees
Rhythms of Circadia
Star Reflections
Night at Lake Unknown
Sanctuary Island:
The Cloud Forest
Thunderstorms:
Thor
Odin
Aegir
Rain:
All
Oceans
All
Rivers:
Cascadia River
Riverbank Trance
Riverknot
White Water Fall
Winds:
All
Abstract:
All
Sci-Fi:
Interrogation
Boudoir of the Hive Queen
Keep up the good work, Naturespace!
Update to my favorites (see above).
Afternoons:
Hiding in the Near Field
Evenings:
Helios Falling
Sanctuary Island:
Sanctuary Island – East
I grew up in a desert town so a lot of the tracks that have heavy insect/bird sounds don’t really speak to me as much as they do to other users. (I go out of my way to avoid the tracks with crickets, for example.)
I must recommend to everyone the “Ice Wind” track, however. Ice Wind never fails to give me chills when I listen to it. There is a harsh beauty about it – austere and calming at the same time. For those of you who suffer from headaches and/or insomnia, I suggest you try this track. It has helped me immensely.
I would love to see the Winds section include a “desert at night” track. The Mojave would be just the thing for it.
Reviews – Round Three
Midnight: Late summer through mid-autumn sounds. Wind rustles in long gusts that seem to emanate in the distance before rushing in to swirl overhead and around the listener. Crickets are embedded throughout the sound-scape – not loud but very present. The feeling is of the first turn in the seasons, a warm night with the first cool breeze that hints of longer, cooler nights to follow. Very strong sense of boughs being shaken and moved about with the sound of leaves rustling and wood creaking above and all around.
Avian Dawn: Early morning in an estuary – many different bird calls overlapping and very active. Strong feeling of warmth and summer. Like morning coffee for the brain. The activity and energy of the birds inspires movement and wakefulness.
Deep Autumn Flight: Geese calling out near and far on a cool autumn afternoon with a light breeze. Strong sense of the sky horizon and varying distances across a wide space.
Across the Vast Valley: Wind dominates, roaring in from the left and drifting over to the right. Birds can be heard, but the wind drowns out any echo. Feels like one is on a look-out rock or cliff, below the mountain peaks, but somewhat above a pine forest. The perspective is one of looking out across the mountain forest valley to the peaks on the far side with nothing in between.
Solitude Canyon: Again, wind dominates. Seems to come from above and behind in a distant roar (occasionally becoming strong and loud), with the sound of it occasionally touching down nearby to rustle the dry leaves around you. A warm day at the end of summer in a forested mountain valley.
Hansel & Gretel: Birdsong and a light, calm breeze on the left. An occasional buzzing insect cuts across the center path, sometimes lightly buzzing around you. Echo and space under the canopy of the forest, especially to the right. An animal occasionally moves through the underbrush on the right. The repetitive calling of the birds is more lulling than one would suspect at first. A gentle, surrounded by forest feeling on a lazy afternoon.
Soft Forest Rain: Or a moderately hard drizzle – your choice. Very steady, intermittently the rain comes down a tad harder, giving the sense of a very real rainfall. The sound of the falling water slaps deciduous tree leaves above in the sound-space. Very late spring, all of summer, up through early autumn in feel – and with a sense of humid warmth and dense foliage. No birds or insects… could be day or night. Everything is waiting for the rain to cease before calling out. Except the rain never stops…
Utopia: Light breezes, a fly or bee lazily buzzes by. The meadow is alive with birdsong in the surrounding trees and brush, a few cooing birds call to the left, one flies in front of you. A distant stream is behind you, flowing left to right. Very bright, very spring-like/early summer and fresh. You can easily imagine green fields and wildflowers on a beautiful day in May. Lulling, but the close bird activity keep you from drifting too far afield.
Stream of Consciousness: Imagine sitting on a big rock in the middle of a stream that is gurgling around you before it rushes on. Water on all sides, sounds as if you are staring downstream watching the water glide swiftly away from you, with the primary rush of the river behind. This is pure water, so you can imagine almost any time of day or year.
Brainwash: Is rather similar in many ways to Stream of Consciousness in that you are surrounded by a gentle stream bed with rock formations. Except the water drifts on the right and gurgles left to center. Very gentle, pure water. I would say to get either this one or Stream of Consciousness… but unless you really love river sounds in all their forms (as I do), you probably will not need both.
White Water Fall: Strong water fall sound in front and misting away to the left, while gurgling and flow of the river is on the right – so it’s not all that monotonous for a pure big waterfall sound. You can imagine yourself atop the cliff or at the bottom. The rush is constant, effervescent. This is the roar of natural white noise at its finest and is definitely the best Water Fall I’ve heard over headphones ever. If you like waterfalls, this is a must.
Extrasolar Night Rising: An alien sound space, with an imaginative mixture of strange animals and insects in a thick forest atmosphere. There is a sense of humidity from the sound of droplets hitting foliage. One of distant animals on the right reminds me of the sounds made by the creatures in the Vin Diesel movie “Pitch Black”. Very well done. It takes you into another world.
Exoplanet 11: Also alien, a humid jungle sound filled with strange creatures that can only be imagined. Great for the imagination, the animal calls are a bit brighter (more day-like?) in sound than Extrasolar Night Rising. It’s definitely like visiting another planet.
Boudoir of the Hive Queen: This is reminiscent of the soundtrack of those old school Sci-Fi movies. Use of drones in a bed of synthesizer – a creepy effect that works well for writing about dark imaginings. This is not an easy track to describe, but geeks who like 1950s/60s Sci-Fi movies with girls in tight spandex piloting space ships will get a kick out of it. So possibly will “Dr. Who” fans. Watch out for Daleks.
Love the app and the recordings.
Has there been any thought to incorporating a alarm clock function? I use speakers in the bedroom to fall asleep to at night and it would be great to use some of these recordings (such as the birds) as an alarm clock. the app already has a sleep timer, and it wouldn’t be hard to put an alarm clock feature in it. Please consider!
thank you!