Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch, App Review
Thundergod gets you out in the rain without getting wet
I'm spending the weekend in Northern Arizona on a photo shoot. It's dry up here, but I took along a little iPhone/iPod touch app that put me in the center of several dramatic thunderstorms.The app is called Thundergod [iTunes link]. With creative microphone technique, and a good set of headphones, you'd swear you were in a raging storm, or a rain forest, or one of 5 other environments, listening to nature at its most spectacular. You can listen and let your mind drift off, consider the state of the universe, or just fall asleep in a soft rain using the built in sleep timer.
I suspect the techniques used to make these recording are similar to the highly regarded binaural technique, using 2 microphones separated by the approximate distance between your ears. Then when you play back with good headphones, you are instantly transported to a hyper-realistic, almost holographic place that closely duplicates being in a real space with real sounds.
This effect doesn't work through speakers. It can sound nice, but it's not startling or compelling. With headphones the sound comes alive, and you can begin to have an emotional reaction to what you are hearing.
The app also allows for a special equalization curve if you are using earbuds like the ones Apple includes, and it is effective. This app as produced by Holographic Audio Theater, who gave us the free app Naturespace that shows off their recording and producing prowess. It's a good introduction to their technique.
Thundergod is not cheap. It's a U.S. $9.99 app, but of you look at the App Store reviews you'll be surprised how many purchasers thought the app was worth the money.
The sounds are not short repeating loops, but something like a long concert that has a beginning, a middle and a conclusion. I liked the 'Thor' environment the best, because it was the most dramatic and attention-grabbing. It's not for relaxation, but for stimulation. If relaxation is what you want, there are sonic environments included for that as well.
My suggestion is that you try the free intro app, and if you like it, then go ahead and get Thundergod. The effect can't really be described, but must be experienced.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sandler.public+tuaw said 2:24PM on 10-18-2009
Did you receive this app for free for the review?
You must disclose this...
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Ileane said 3:33PM on 10-18-2009
I stumbled across a similar new app called "Journeys" which has high-quality sounds organized into 6 themes but with a fun twist and totally user-controllable.
And a lot cheaper too!!
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camkevbell said 5:41PM on 10-18-2009
At $9.99 USD this app is far overpriced. I can consider the state of the universe for free thank you very much :)
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Bob J said 6:12PM on 10-18-2009
Hard to say it's overpriced if you haven't heard it. I downloaded the free iPhone app they made (Naturespace) and was knocked out by it. I ended up buying Thundergod and I think it was worth it. Might not be for everyone, but I think these apps are really excellent.
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ohhyou said 8:32PM on 10-18-2009
The App "Ambiance" has the binaural Technique as well, really good Sounds for free to download and costs as little as $0.99
No offend, but a serious alternative.
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andy said 8:51PM on 10-18-2009
If you want to try binaural recordings for free, just stick your earbuds in your ears, then plug them into a mic socket, and record. When you play it back you'll have a binaural recording tailored precisely for your own unique head shape.
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trayser said 11:29PM on 10-18-2009
I have both ambiance and the Naturespace free app. There is a big difference between the ambiance and Naturespace sounds. I have not bought thundergods, but the price looks justifiable, given the quality of sounds. I can see the quality difference because I have bought the same sounds from naturespace.com. You can visit the site, plugin a headphone and listen to their demos (they also have a demo download)
There is a difference between stereo and biaural sounds. True bi-aural sounds give you a feeling that the sound is coming from 'around' you instead of 'inside' your head.
I preferred to buy the sounds individually from naturespace.com (they are either $2 or $3 each) because I can have more variety instead of all thunder/rain sounds (I liked the crows sound best). They come in .m4a format which can be directly played in itunes.
Also, having the sounds as individual audio files is better than having an app because you can listen to those sounds on your ipod, or ipod app in iphone while running other apps.
I think it would be better if the thundergods app has nice High quality videos that go with the sounds. They could also add mix feature to say mix rain and thunder sounds, but only if the final sound is realistic. This way the app can have more worth than individual .mp4
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Seph2409 said 4:41AM on 10-19-2009
When you say "the highly regarded binaural technique", where is your citation for this high regard? I was under the impression that binaural beats are only narrowly researched and a point of contention in the scientific community.
Wahbeh, H wrote in the JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE 13 (2): 199-206 MAR 2007, 'We did not find support for steady-state entrainment of the scalp-recorded EEG while listening to 7-Hz binaural beats' IE: Binaural Beats did not affect brainwaves.
There's a counter-argument to your assumption, can you provide any reference for your statement?
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KingDeb8r said 6:44AM on 10-19-2009
I have just purchased this app!
I am listening to it now through my stock ear-buds with the optimization turned on.
It sounds very good to the untrained ear like mine! I love it!
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stephen said 10:13AM on 10-19-2009
Is there a demo of the thundestorm samples somewhere? The free app did not have any, $10 is a little pricey for this I agree. I could go $5.
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