On Ambient Cafe Sounds and Coffitivity

As an undergraduate student at the University of Tennessee in the early to mid 1990’s, I spent a lot of time in the student lounge at Hodges Library. The student lounge was sort of “nexus of realities” with long wooden tables and a few sofas peppered about for students to study, catch a few z’s between classes, or simply socialize with friends. It was also adjacent to a small room housing 6 VAX cluster terminals, where I would spend a few moments checking my e-mail (which was mostly a novelty back then, really). This was pre-World Wide Web, folks.

But I digress…

During midterms and finals, the student lounge was a hotbed of activity where you could meet college pals, check out members of the finer sex, and even have a late night pizza delivered if you and your study buddies were so inclined.

As a student, I thrived in studying within that atmosphere. And, in hindsight, I’d like to think it was due in large part to the ambient sounds.

While I’m no longer studying for finals, I find myself missing the din. I’m one of those people who can’t write while listening to music – particularly bombastic tunes or music with lyrics. Silence is an option, but makes me fidgety after a while.

Background ambient sounds, on the other hand, give my brain just enough of a distraction without being distracting. And while my own testimony might be anecdotal, research has shown that a moderate level of ambient noise is conducive to creative cognition.

Practically speaking, coffee shops are certainly an option when I have a laptop in tow, but the truth is this: the bulk of my work is in front of my desktop machine.

If, like me, you find yourself wishing for the ambient sonic experience of being in a public place without the hassle of crowds or pushy baristas hawking $5 Cafe Grandes, you might want to give Coffitivity a try.

Coffitivity does one thing and one thing only: it recreates the ambient sounds of a cafe.

The aural din of your favorite library cafe sounds can be accessed through Coffitivity’s website or via their dedicated app (available on iOS and Android).

 

Three tracks are included for free (Morning Murmur, Lunchtime Lounge, and University Undertones) and they play in a loop. For $9 a year, you can unlock additional ambient sounds, including Paris Paradise, Brazil Bistro, and Texas Teahouse. I’ve used the web version for the past three days in my studio, with audio piped through my Dayton Class T amplifier and a pair of EPI speakers.

Whether you work from home or the office, Coffitivity might be the ticket for an aural sound escape.

All that’s missing is the smell of a cappuccino.

-Krishna

Krishna August 31, 2015 ambient sounds, cafe, coffitivity, Hodges Library, productivity, productivity boost, University of Tennessee