The patterns, rhythms, and oscillations of nature provide a uniquely powerful sound source. While there are many easily accessible recordings of nature sounds we love to gather our own, bringing home unique soundscapes from faraway lands and oceans and canyons. We gather sound like beachcombers, like artists who incorporate found objects. There is such variety in the ocean, for example, the crashing waves before a storm, the sound of gentle tides on soft sand, or the surf on rocky shores. All give rise to the delightful harmonies and melodies of nature herself.

The sound fields we capture on our sound journeys are woven into the sound design of tracks on macro and micro levels. These are not just pretty sounds. Pulsing oscillations have been shown to have a brainwave entrainment effect.

These micro oscillations are part of the healing power of sound and music.

In sound design, that is creating sounds using a synthesizer, an effect that imparts a feeling of air and spaciousness can come from the inclusion of a subtle white noise oscillation in the upper harmonics. While an electronically generated pulse from a synth oscillator (LFO) can produce brainwave entraining oscillations, the difference between nature sounds and an LFO generated pulse can be compared to the choice between a synthetic vitamin extract and the natural vitamin combined with micronutrients found in a food source.

We have discovered that the oscillating drone of insects from the New Zealand rainforest or the pulsating exuberance of the South Carolina low country provide a wonderful organic brain entrainment. Different insects have different frequency ranges (the Southern Katydid is a particular favorite,) and ranges from 10,000 to 20,000 HZ.

The subtle difference due to the fractal nature of brown, pink, and white noise produced by moving water is powerfully felt on a subconscious level. There are constant variations in the pulse of insects tuning and in tune with the forest and the planet. The sense of space created by recording in situ adds a natural ambiance, a psychoacoustic spatial element that is processed in the background by our auditory neural networks. This evokes our powerful relaxation response and a cascade of beneficial molecules of emotion. We are already tuned for this!