The best sound app of all time

Holy moly — wait 'til you hear this...  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Cool Tools, by The Intelligence](#) Brought to you by: [ESET logo](=)​ Well, hey there! And a very merry Festivus to ye. For this final Cool Tools find of 2023, I want to share one of my all-time favorite off-the-beaten-path tools with you — a real gem and something I probably use more than anything else in my virtual toolkit. It's an absolutely delightful little ditty that'll bring you endless aural pleasure — whether you're working, relaxing, or maybe even ravishing radical radishes. (Hey, I don't know what sorts of strange stuff you get up to in your free time.) However you use it, this tool will tune up your days in some truly enjoyable ways. Ready for your introduction? [JR Raphael, Author of Android Intelligence] JR Raphael​ Author of Android Intelligence --------------------------------------------------------------- A gift for your senses My dearest donut, allow me to introduce you to an exceptional sound service called [MyNoise](). ➜ MyNoise is hands-down the best background sound generator I have ever encountered, anywhere. It. Is. Awesome. I play it all day every day from my computer for focus-aiding background noise while I'm working, and I rely on it frequently for distraction-reducing ear candy in the evenings (and/or weekends) as well. In short: - MyNoise lets you listen to all sorts of ear-pleasing soundscapes that were actually recorded in the real world. - So you might pick crashing waves on the Irish coast one day and soothing breezes with birds in a remote forest the next. - You can even go in a different direction and listen to things like the white noise of a bustling coffee shop, the purring meows of a cuddly kitten, or the surprisingly melodic hums of an actual data center (yes, really!). And the options just keep going from there. [Lots of different soundscape options on the MyNoise website] ​ Sounds nifty, right? It is! But two things in particular really set MyNoise apart from other similar tools you might encounter: - Its noises all come from real-world recordings that are meticulously captured by one guy — a sound engineer who travels the world and uses his scientific knowledge of sound and signal processing to make you feel like you're actually in the middle of every soundscape you hear. - The tool is fully interactive and customizable, which makes it incredibly fun to use. That latter point is so freakin' cool, too. Once you select a soundscape within MyNoise, you're shown a series of audio sliders — like a mixing board. Each slider represents a single isolated sound from the soundscape, like a certain frequency of rain or wind or the chirping of distant birds. You can adjust any of those to make the associated element louder or quieter in the mix and create your own personalized background noise experience. You're the DJ, essentially, and the outside world is your turntable. [Specific sound sliders on the MyNoise website] ​ I'm telling you: This thing is incredible — on so many levels. And if you've been reading my missives for long, it may sound familiar: I shared MyNoise once before, way back in the prehistoric era of 2021. I'm bringing it up again now for a specific reason — other than the simple fact of how much I love it — and that's that the service just rolled out a major revamp of its mobile apps. And it's even more magnificent for on-the-go, phone-based listening as a result. ⌚ MyNoise will take you all of 20 seconds to start using, whether you're on a computer, a tablet, or a phone of any kind. 📌 Just open up [MyNoise.net]() in your preferred browser — or grab the native [Android app]() or [iOS app](, if you'd rather go that route. 💰 MyNoise is free for a limited subset of its soundscapes. If you make a donation of $10 and up on the web or $30 in the mobile apps, you'll receive unlimited lifetime access to every single soundscape present and future along with the ability to save and even download your custom-mix creations (though do note that the website and apps are separate and disconnected, as far as that's concerned). 🕶 The service is completely ad-free and doesn't collect or so much as ask for any manner of personal data. And while we're on the subject of protecting your personal data... ​ SPONSORED MESSAGE To track your package click this ~FAKE SKETCHY LINK~ ❌ [Penguin holding a "That's a scam" sign](=)​ …Did you click it? If so, someone could have stolen your data and sold it all over the Dark Web. OK, maybe you’re a little more savvy than that — but with the holidays, scammers are in full Grinch-mode, trying to steal your banking info, credit card numbers, logins, and more. Don’t worry, though: [ESET](=) has you covered with everything you need to protect yourself from attempted account takeovers, fake apps, phishing scams, fake delivery notifications…well, you get the idea. And readers of The Intelligence can lock in a plan now for [30% off the regular price](=). ESET’s all-in-one protection includes: - 24/7 protection against malware, trojan horses, spyware, etc - Ironclad banking and browsing protection - Top-rated identity theft protection (and remediation) - And so much more. ➜ [Deadbolt your security this holiday season — sign up for ESET and enjoy 30% off for a limited time](=)! [PROTECT YOURSELF IN MINUTES ➜](=) ​ This Week's Cool Tools Quiz Hey, take note: This is the final Cool Tools quiz of 2023! Get your answer in now and get your spot locked in on the leaderboard. We'll reset the results in January and add this year's top players to [our illustrious Hall of Fame](=) for some well-earned eternal glory. Active noise cancellation is pretty common in earbuds and headphones these days. In which decade did the concept first come around? Remember: NO CHEATING! Anyone can look up info on the web. Stick with the spirit of the game and test your actual knowledge without searching. It's just for fun, anyway! [The 1930s]() [The 1960s]() [The 1990s]( [The 2000s]( Answer correctly before next Wednesday and secure your spot on the [Cool Tools Leaderboard](=)! 👉 Last week's question and answer: When was the first email sent? 1971. [Ray Tomlinson](=), who invented email, sent the first email on ARPANET in 1971. (ARPANET laid the technical foundation for the internet.) 🤚 Wait! Before you go: What'd you think of this issue? [Thumbs Up]() [Thumbs Down](=) Hit the thumbs-up or thumbs-down to cast your vote and let us know. ​ Want less email? [Update your reading preferences](=) to opt out of any individual publications or unsubscribe entirely. New here and not yet subscribed? 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