Working in silence – doing anything in silence – is the worst form of torture imaginable. You’re going for the most vibe-y vibe; the goal is to feel like a jellyfish heartbeating its way through the softest blue notes of the ocean, sea anemone waving up frondlike shellacked to a rock, blue-cold sizzling meteor rioting through space, no urgency all hustle. You’re way past lofi study beats, any “classical mix” channel feels like someone just put on Amadeus, repurposed video-game soundtracks are tacky, ocean sounds are monotonous…you need palpable auras, you need ambiance, you need an atmosphere that will keep your chest swirling for hours and your hands locked firmly in place, that will grab your attention by the scruff of the neck and set it down gently in front of something important. Yes, some afternoons I’m not fussy and I’ll grab a lute compilation, but these are serious at-home days and you need some serious background noises.
These vibe factories are GUARANTEED:
No talking or human speech of any kind! Who wants to hear the rise and fall of voices in the next room??
NO FOOD SOUNDS
no food sounds
no piano, no melodies to distract you
Fireplace Sounds with Howling Winds
Forest Sounds at Night
Magical Tearoom Ambience
the fucking gold standard….every hour or so a giant copper teakettle materializes out of the smoky air and pours hot water into the teacup…when I swear to you on my life that those moments will feel as exciting as watching a geyser or a baby deer being born by hour 4…I mean it. I’ve burned through all 8 hours of this more times than I can count…this video is my brain outside of my body…
Bakery Ambience
Thunder & Rain Sounds — Astronomy Room
Forget library sounds. This is the sound only a room with a telescope in it can make. From the official description: “You step back from the telescope as the rain falls in a steady downpour. There’s little use in continuing to peer through the mist, as you can only make out the moon and your own reflection. Still, the rain itself won’t put a halt to your research. Rummaging through the contents of the astronomy room, you find what you are looking for, pausing a moment as the thunder swells and fades away. Mixed with the rain, it provides a calming ambience even as you quickly study the latest findings. You smile to yourself, alone in the quiet astronomy room, tapping your finger on the relevant symbol. Your theory was right!”
YOUR THEORY WAS RIGHT
Reading Under A Giant Bird’s Wing
Reading Under A Giant Bird’s Wing. yes….YES. Big, hollow, soft, stretched, tented, tufted, clean, feathers, HOVER, yes.
Ancient Roman Bath Ambiance
Might I recommend combining Fireplace Sounds with Astronomy Room if you’re interested in some layered complexity?
There’s another good fireplace one set in a medieval tavern and for which I am almost tempted to relax my “no talking” rule – but you can hear people talking. It’s out. Watch out for medieval anything, to be honest, it seems those are most often the videos with a little background chatter-hum and it’s a real shame. Tuck yourself into a croissant, fold under a bird’s wing, hot bath. Let me know if you ever find any Library of Alexandria-themed videos; they are my white whale and I won’t know what true concentration feels like until I get to watch one.
Your timing is eerily perfect as always. I had to pause my spooky ambient video (for spooky book reading) to read this, chomping on my third Chupa Chup pacifier to stave off nicotine cravings.
If you like vibe-mixing, have you tried MyNoise.net? I like to mix Frog Pond, Church, and Japanese Garden, with the human voices, big bells, and organ sounds shut off. It's my "working in an otherworldly garden monastery" mix.
Thank you for the bird's wing link.
I'm up to my eyes struggling with college assignments and working around the general crisis and this was perfectly timed to calm my mind perfectly. Thank you so much.