Earth-Made Melodies

Lang Elliott calls himself a “wandering ear.”

For the developer of Pure Nature—3D Soundscapes, a day’s work might involve hiking out to a secluded spot in a forest or along a sliver of undisturbed shoreline and listening for a harmony made by the world around him.

He’s done this for 30 years, wandering the globe in search of babbling brooks or wind whistling through the trees.

When he hears a sound he likes, he sets up his binaural microphone—a two-mic device that simulates the way your ears naturally hear to create hyperrealistic, 360-degree audio. Then he prays a passing jet or some other man-made noise doesn’t disrupt the melody.

Those field recordings—more than 80 so far—are available in Pure Nature for your transcendent listening pleasure.

The app features soundscapes from swamps, prairies, beaches, grasslands, and more—organized into albums that you can play on a loop. In these albums, which Elliott calls “magical mixes,” birds carry the tune and raindrops set the rhythm.

We asked him about the making of his app—and the transformative power of listening to the world around us.

How did you get into recording soundscapes?
I took my first recording trip back in 1988. At that point, my focus was almost entirely on species recording. I would wake up in the morning and all of these birds would be singing; I’d go from one to the other to get clean recordings, sort of slicing the bird from its environment. Over the years, I built a large collection of these.

Part of me has always wanted to get close to things, without environmental noise. But another aspect of my being was interested in the totality of sound from an artistic standpoint: how the sounds mixed together into a soundscape, and how it was affecting me psychologically or spiritually.

What makes a great soundscape?
Spaciousness and depth—a wide soundscape that spreads across the sound field from left to right, with some sense of up above and below, and maybe behind thrown in. The feeling that you’re stepping into a real three-dimensional space—that’s hugely important.

Then other things come into play, like the absence of rumble and human machinery. Even though it’s part of the soundscape these days, for the most part people don’t want to hear cars or jets going by.

How do you find the perfect combination of natural sounds?
A lot of work, with an element of luck thrown in.

In Aravaipa Canyon in Arizona, for example, I was exploring a stream that moves through the canyon. It was too loud, but I found a little area around the stream with a bunch of willow shrubs where the water settles down a bit. It was more of a gentle gurgle, and there was a canyon wall right next to it, so there was an echo off the wall.

I put out a soundscape mic in the evening and let it run all night long. Within that recording were several wonderful mixes. Elf owls were calling from a distance. At one point there was a Mexican whip-poor-will and some distant great horned owls. And then at dawn, to my delight, there were birds singing. I was just blown away. It’s one of my favorite soundscapes I’ve collected. [The recording is available in the app as “Aravaipa Canyon,” under the album Birds and Brooks.]

What’s the best way to listen to the soundscapes?
Use headphones or earbuds for a wonderfully spacious 3D experience. The headphones produce the magic. It’s like stepping outdoors. There’s a special equalization setting in the app for those using Apple EarPods or AirPods.

How do you hope your recordings will enrich people’s lives?
In the creation of this app, I thought a lot about people working in an open-office environment, where you need some private space. My goal is to transport listeners into wild nature and help them relax and feel better, while providing an effective escape from the hectic, noisy, human-centric world that surrounds us.

Pure Nature - 3D Soundscapes

Nature Sounds for Relaxation

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