More About This CD
A new way to relax? That’s exactly what SonoSync claim to have created with their new triple CD set of relaxation music. I’ve been listening to it now for a few weeks and I can report that it’s pretty great. What the team have done is created five chilled out tunes, each around ten minutes long, that have steered clear of the normal relaxation music clichés. So, if you’re keen on the sounds of “whale-song or panpipes” you should go out and buy any one of the other relaxation CDs out there because you’ll not hear them during any of SonoSync’s tunes. The other thing about this collection is that each tune is repeated on each CD but at a different tempo. You get a CD that’s intended to be listened to if you have a heart rate of 60 - 90bpm, a slightly slower version of the tunes at 50 - 60bpm and the slowest version for heart rates of 50 bpm and lower. Theses different version have al their accents and echos synced to the tempos of the individual CDs so each tune sounds great at whichever speed/CD you’re listening to it at. The idea is that you start off by listening to the fastest of the CDs for a few weeks before slowing it down a little till finally getting to the slowest CD and thus reaching a slower resting heart rate induced by the relaxing music. Or, you can just listen to whichever one you’re most comfortable with, it’s up to you.
I guess if you’re going to review a CD like this there a few important questions that need to be answered. The first one, and the most obvious, is how it compares to other relaxation CDs that are o the market. Well, I’m not a seasoned relaxation CD listener but the ones I’ve heard are nothing like this one. They are either too busy, not busy enough (you have to have something interesting going on), have awful sounds and just lack the sonic quality of SonoSync. What you get here is lush textural pads and atmospheres intertwined with simple, and slightly muted, elegant piano phrases and the sound of water. The second, and most important question that I asked myself was, “how does the SonoSync’s collection compare with other non-relaxation music out there?” There’s plenty of music that’s mellow and just recorded as music, nothing more - nothing less. Nobody’s tried to categorise or sell it as relaxation music. I’m a fan of this kind of music and while such artists like Future Sound Of London are relaxing they are can be over-stimulating at the same time. It’s difficult not to listen and to and hear everything that’s going on. Perhaps the nearest I’ve got to finding the perfect relaxation music is Brian Eno’s Ambient 1: Music For Airports, which has a nice balance of long relaxing, but interesting tunes. This was my staple music to listen to while in bed till I got hold of SonoSync. So, using this as a benchmark, how do they compare? Very well in fact, they are quite similar in many ways and are equally relaxing. Better or worse than one another? Who knows, who cares! To say that that SonoSync is equally relaxing as the aforementioned Eno’s album is complement enough as far as I’m concerned.
I’ve not made up my mind which CD I prefer out of the three available, I like them all, but if I’m really tired I always go for the slower of the three. I’m not sure if it makes a difference or not but psychologically it always seems like the best choice. So, would I recommend it? Definitely, so long as you don’t have a dislike to the peaceful sound of water or pianos then it may just work for you too. At less that £15 for the collection it’s a no brainer really."
The Sonosync technique allows music to be created at varying tempos to match the resting heart rate of the listener. Every subtle beat, echo and harmonic is processed to be in perfect sync.
In everyday life, most people can achieve a state of extreme relaxation on an occasional basis -and may wonder why they cannot re-create this the next day. The stresses and strains of life, illnesses and long working hours can all interrupt the ability of the body and mind to relax.
The Sonosync CDs are designed to allow a natural state of relaxation to be achieved on a regular and controlled basis. Resting heart-rate measured over several days may have wide variability - a relaxed 50 bpm one day may give way to a stressed 85 bpm the next! Sonosync helps to target your rate down to the lowest and most relaxed state that you know you can already naturally achieve.
Created by Dr Nicholas Webb (PhD from Southampton University's Institute of Sound and Vibration Research). We are proud to launch the first 3 CD release in the series.
Relaxation music for the modern generation.
We try to avoid the cliches of other relaxation CDs. Our aim is to prove that relaxation music can be highly effective and genuinely interesting to listen to. The composer is an established ambient artist who has put together 5 Ten-minute+ tracks. Each track is based on atmospheres, textural sounds, real life recordings of natural sounds, subtle echoes, harmonies and beautiful, minimal piano sequences.
Choose your own level of relaxation:
We recommend starting with CD1, which is designed for relaxed heartbeats of 60 to 90 bpm. Usually after a few weeks of listening to this CD, listeners find that they can gain extra relaxation by moving onto CD2 (for 50 to 60 bpm). Once listeners are ready for the ultimate chilled experience then we recommend CD3.
Our trial listeners found significant benefit from this approach and were able to gradually improve their relaxation levels over a period of several weeks. Something which is impossible with a standard 'fixed' relaxation CD.
