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Sneak Peek: AmbiScience: Galactic Chill

by Eric March on June 21, 2009 at 12:27 am

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App Name:	AmbiScience: Galactic Chill
Developer:	Tesla Software	Version:	1.0
Publisher:	Tesla Software	Size:	TBD
Category:	Health & Fitness	Price:	TBD

Hot damn, it’s coming!

For those who don’t know, two months ago I hooked up with Ron Watson of Tesla Software to begin work on a new AmbiScience relaxation/entrainment app. Regular readers will remember that I’m a big fan of Tesla’s other AmbiScience apps, so when he asked if I’d like to do the music for a new one, I was very much interested. I’d never really written ambient tunes before, though much of the time when exploring sounds and instruments to use in the music I do write, I’d end up playing with them, creating lush chords and getting lost in the sound. And then I’d just write another trance tune, which is my usual and preferred genre. But I do like ambient music, and I loved the soundscapes created in the other AmbiScience apps, so I thought this would be a good challenge and a means to expand my musical horizons.

Now, two months later, the final product, AmbiScience: Galactic Chill has been submitted to the App Store, and is maybe a week away from being approved, so today I’m bringing you a sneak peek. It follows the same formula as previous AmbiScience apps, and features 11 tracks (8 by me, 3 migrated over from previous AmbiScience editions just to fill out the sound a bit), at least 10 entrainment effects (isochronic beats, which are said to attune brainwaves to particular frequencies in order to help you get into different frames of mind: Relaxation, sleep, energy, concentration, etc.), independent volume controls for the music and isochronic beats so you can tune them the way you like them, and a sleep timer that will automatically shut off after a set period of time. There are also entrainment presets for common activities that pairs a particular song or soundscape with a particular isochronic beat.

I tried to vary the music for just such a variety of tasks, ranging from pure ambience and lush pads to chillout and upbeat electronica tracks. The overall theme is one of exploring the universe from the comfort of your chair or bed through space-themed songs written to inspire feelings of being there and witnessing the majesty of the universe in all its glory — even as its enormity can seem intimidating at times. I’m pretty proud of the work that I’ve done on the music, and I hope that you’ll enjoy it, too. I’ve tried to capture sonically the feelings that are instilled in me when I think about the subjects of each song. The video embedded below features an intro that uses some of the sounds I included in one of the tracks (ovean waves, city traffic), plus an edited version of another uptempo chillout track featured in the app. The audio is pretty heavily compressed so it sound like crap, but rest assured it’s all CD-quality, lossless audio in the app.

Please let me know what you think in the comments. Presuming it doesn’t get hung up for one reason or another, AmbiScience: Galactic Chill should be live on the App Store in about a week or so. Note that the app link in the header currently points at Tesla’s list of apps. I’ll update it when the app comes out, and of course post a release notice when it does.