Construction work? A vehicle engine? People shouting? A TV left on? Noise pollution is a much more serious problem than it appears, and if you can’t do anything to eliminate it or get away from it, at least there is an alternative called Hear. This iOS-compatible app captures, filters, and replaces all those unpleasant noises with much more harmonious and less stressful sounds.
We have explored the therapeutic action of sound on more than one occasion, especially when it comes to helping us sleep. The simple sound of heavy rain can be as effective as the most common medication intended to combat insomnia ... and believe me when I tell you that I know a thing or two about that. But sound helps not only when we sleep, but also when we are awake. I imagine that many of our readers suffer from “acoustic problems” in their environments, whether homes or offices. In some cases the noise is inevitable because it is associated with the operation of a machine, while in others it is the product of inconsiderate people who don't care about anything. The most common option is to start a nuclear war with those people, but iOS users have an alternative at their fingertips, and it's called Hear.
The concept behind Hear is not new. In fact, in 2009 we talked about an app called RjDj, and it's the same people who are behind Hear. The goal of this app is to take ambient sounds and turn them into something different, much more pleasant to our ears. The software offers seven general options (or “scenes”), applicable to different situations. Hear processes all the sounds the iPhone can capture with its microphone, including our own voice or the sound of a keyboard while typing. In each scene, you have access to four sliders to fine-tune the sounds emitted through your headphones (for the best results, external speakers are not recommended).
https://www.youtube.com/embed/pgCjYk1IV28Hear is a free download, and for the time being there is no intention to monetize it. Another thing in the pipeline is bringing it to Android, but I imagine they won't take long to make the jump if Hear gains traction. Several sites have described the app as “psychedelic” or as “a drug without its negative effects”. For my part, I don't think it goes that far, but every iOS user can check it out for themselves right now.
