Latest news with #ambientmusic
Geeky Gadgets
11 hours ago
- Geeky Gadgets
Ambient Music in Control Center: Your Complete Guide (iOS/iPadOS)
Apple has introduced a significant enhancement with the release of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the integration of ambient music directly into the Control Center. This feature is designed to complement your daily activities by offering curated playlists and mood-based categories that help you focus, relax, or unwind. With seamless integration and customization options, your device becomes a personalized auditory companion, enhancing your overall experience. The video below from Apple shows us how to use this feature. Watch this video on YouTube. What Is Ambient Music in the Control Center? Ambient music in the Control Center is a feature that allows you to access curated playlists directly from your iPhone or iPad. By prioritizing simplicity and accessibility, Apple has made it easier to incorporate music into your daily routine. Whether you are working, meditating, or preparing for sleep, this feature provides a tailored listening experience to suit your needs. The playlists are categorized into four primary mood-based options: Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Well-being. Each category is carefully designed to enhance specific activities, making sure that the music aligns with your current mood or task. This thoughtful integration makes ambient music a practical tool for improving focus, relaxation, and mindfulness. How to Set Up Ambient Music Setting up ambient music is a straightforward process, allowing you to quickly access this feature and begin enjoying its benefits. Follow these steps to enable it on your device: Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad. app on your iPhone or iPad. Navigate to the Control Center section and tap the '+' button to add the ambient music control. section and tap the '+' button to add the ambient music control. Once added, swipe down to access the Control Center and tap the ambient music icon. Explore the four mood-based categories: Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Well-being. Each category is tailored to specific activities. For instance, the Sleep category offers calming tracks to help you relax and prepare for rest, while the Productivity category provides music designed to minimize distractions and enhance focus. This intuitive setup ensures that you can seamlessly integrate ambient music into your daily life. Customizing Playlists for a Personalized Experience One of the standout features of ambient music in the Control Center is the ability to customize playlists within each mood-based category. After selecting a category, you can browse curated options such as Laidback Lo-fi for relaxation or Meditation Music for mindfulness. These playlists are carefully crafted to suit a variety of preferences and activities. Once you've chosen a playlist, you can save it for quick access directly in the Control Center. This customization ensures that your music aligns with your personal preferences and daily goals, making it easier to create the perfect auditory environment for any situation. Whether you prefer soothing melodies or upbeat tracks, the flexibility of this feature allows you to tailor your listening experience. Practical Applications of Ambient Music The ambient music feature is designed to integrate seamlessly into your daily routine, offering a versatile tool for enhancing various aspects of your life. Here are some practical ways to use it: Boost Productivity: Play focus-enhancing tracks during work or study sessions to maintain concentration and minimize distractions. Play focus-enhancing tracks during work or study sessions to maintain concentration and minimize distractions. Relax and Unwind: Use chill playlists to create a calming atmosphere after a busy day, helping you de-stress and recharge. Use chill playlists to create a calming atmosphere after a busy day, helping you de-stress and recharge. Improve Sleep: Select sleep-focused playlists to help you drift off peacefully and enjoy a restful night. Select sleep-focused playlists to help you drift off peacefully and enjoy a restful night. Enhance Meditation: Incorporate curated meditation tracks into your mindfulness practices for a more immersive experience. This flexibility makes ambient music a valuable addition to your daily life, offering a simple yet effective way to improve your overall well-being. Seamless Integration with iOS and iPadOS The ambient music feature is fully integrated into iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, making sure a smooth and intuitive user experience. By centralizing control within the Control Center, Apple eliminates the need to navigate through multiple apps or menus, streamlining access to your favorite playlists. Additionally, the feature supports customization of the Control Center layout, allowing you to prioritize ambient music controls for easy access. This thoughtful design ensures that the feature is both functional and user-friendly, making it an integral part of your device's ecosystem. The Benefits of Ambient Music Research has consistently shown that ambient music can positively impact mood, productivity, and overall well-being. By incorporating this feature into the Control Center, Apple provides users with an accessible way to harness these benefits. Whether you're creating a focused work environment, relaxing after a hectic day, or improving your sleep quality, ambient music offers a practical and effective solution. The curated playlists and mood-based categories are designed to enhance specific activities, making sure that the music you listen to aligns with your goals. This thoughtful approach not only improves your listening experience but also helps you stay balanced and productive throughout your day. Gain further expertise on iOS by checking out these recommendations. Source & Image Credit: Apple Support Filed Under: Apple, Apple iPad, Apple iPhone, Guides Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Add to playlist: Jake Muir's church bell soundscapes, plus the week's best new tracks
From Berlin via Los AngelesRecommended if you like Philip Jeck, Félicia Atkinson, Sarah DavachiUp next New album Campana Sonans has just been released Some of the loveliest ambient music – in that term's truest sense – available to us is the sound of church bells. The cascading notes heralding a wedding are the aural equivalent of the scent of freshly cut grass, in how they evoke British summer time. But played on a large, sombre bell, the monophonic tolling that announces the time seems almost nihilist: a reminder of the ticking clock of our own lives. All this splendid drama has been heightened by found-sound artist Jake Muir, an American living in Berlin. He has long been an inventive manipulator of sound – 2020's The Hum of Your Veiled Voice pricked its ears up at night-time Berlin, while 2023's Bathhouse Blues blended gay porn soundtracks into rudderless soundscapes – and his latest album, Campana Sonans (available on Bandcamp) is a deeply immersive pair of 20-minute works, built from recordings he made of church bells around Europe. He then applies effects to those recordings, chiefly a shedload of reverb. This article includes content provided by Bandcamp. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. The first piece, Erzklang, focuses on the rather stern, even malevolent sound of church bells in Berlin, drawn out into long drones. The city's club scene seems to throb like a memory of Saturday night on Sunday morning: there's no pulse here, but Erzklang shudders with the reverberation of dub and the metallic beat of techno. For the second piece, Changes, Muir travelled to the UK and recorded at three churches: St Oswald's in Oswestry, St Bartholomew's in Edgbaston, Birmingham, and Holy Trinity in Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare is buried. English bells are often performed through 'change ringing': bells of different notes attached to a giant wheels, which are hauled around by rope-tugging players. This epic instrumentation allows for far more melody than the Berlin piece and, in the way Muir presents the bells, they're almost like Steve Reich-style overlapping phases. In both pieces, the reverb makes the bells sound otherworldly, and yet Muir tempers this by including the chatter of tourists or the sound of footsteps. To listen to Muir's work is to be lifted into a bardo, a between-space, looking back at our lives through soot-coated stained glass. BXKS – Zagga DatA subtle yet insinuating digidub bassline powers this sensual club cut from the UK rapper, as she gives dance instructions with the imperious calm of a long-reigning ballroom announcer. Margo Price – Don't Let the Bastards Get You DownWhat an absolute delight: at a perky trotting tempo, the country singer rails at the stiffs, suits and stuffed shirts in her industry: 'Those tone deaf sons-a-bitches / don't know your rags to riches!' Drain – Nights Like TheseNinety-odd seconds of funky, pit-shaking hardcore punk from the returning Santa Cruz band, flexing on the balls of their feet until an almighty head-banging breakdown in the final seconds. Salute – Gbesoke (ft Peter Xan)The speed garage revival continues to rev its engines and hare off down a dual carriageway in a hot hatch, and Salute's latest has a beat like a funkily stuttering exhaust. Skream and Benga – Good Things Come to Those Who WaitThe dubstep legends serve up early-10s nostalgia on a heavily vibrating silver platter: a Pariah-like note of penetrating digital bass gives way to a gleefully corny trance breakdown. Nuovo Testamento – Picture PerfectEarly 90s piano house-pop done so faithfully you can feel the coloured disco lights warming your face. The verses are like enormous choruses, making the actual enormous chorus positively gargantuan. The New Eves – Cow SongOver a glam-rock beat done in folk instrumentation, the Brighton quartet's latest single is inspired by female cow herders in Sweden who use loud calls to communicate across the hills. Subscribe to the Guardian's rolling Add to Playlist selections on Spotify.
