Canva.com There are plenty of ambient videos on YouTube suitable for studying, working, sleeping, etc. They all come in different creative themes—ancient library, modern library, train journey, medieval monastery, Hogwarts common rooms, natural landscapes, and so on. In this article, I present to you ten of the best ambience channels that I have found on YouTube.
1. ASMR Rooms
If you are a fan of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Game of Thrones, you may love this channel. The best thing is that the screen is not static; it is an actual video with moving objects and changing climate with relaxing sounds in the background. Suppose you want to finish your work sitting at the Slytherin dormitory. You can keep the video full screen and work side by side—by listening to Merpeople’s sounds, fire cracking, lake water beating on the windows and if you are lucky, you can catch the giant squid passing by. Almost all Hogwarts classrooms are available on the channel. It also features Hogwarts express, house common rooms, dormitories, the great hall, Hog’s Head Inn, prefect’s bathroom, Hogwarts hospital wing, etc. It is a whole different universe to satisfy the Potterhead in you.
2. Ambience of Yesteryear
This channel is particularly themed around medieval/ancient concepts. For example, Writer’s Library from the 1930s, Ottoman Courtyard Garden, Edwardian Library, Family Kitchen in Victorian Cottage, Ship Captain’s Cabin on Rainy Night (16th Century Spanish Galleon), the list goes on. The best thing about the channel is that the sound is not looped; you get 4–5 hours of unique sound. Also, the descriptions under their videos are really beautiful. For example, look at the description given below the “Ottoman Courtyard Garden & Fountain, 18th Century Syria” video: “List of Sounds:
the flowing, trickling, rippling, and cascading of the courtyard fountain, central in placement and importance, representing both symbolically and practically what it means to “come home”: refreshment, sustenance, purification, welcoming oasis the commingled birdsong of wild finches, sparrows, and larks with the delicate trilling of domestic canaries, held under eaves and arcades in small, bent-wood cages to be, for both family and guest, a vivid, canorous delight the sporadic passing-by of goats and sheep, known not just by their calls but by the charmingly random melody of their bells; the shuffling of much-laden donkeys carrying saddlebags or wagons vendors pushing handcarts through the streets and calling out their wares, their utilitarian insistence decorated still with the subtle ornamentation of almost-song from the Christian quarter, the chiming of church-bells on the hour the adhan (Muslim call to prayer) resonating from the minaret of the nearest mosque, summoning the faithful to their Zuhr (midday) and Asr (afternoon) prayers…”
Next time you do your history assignment, try putting these sounds in the background.
3. Winter Whale
This channel has a wide variety of themes—modern libraries, rain sounds, outdoor, indoor. The two best things about this channel—the thumbnails are very pretty, and they upload regularly. If you are missing your university library, please head over here.
4. Acerting Art
This channel is dedicated to nature sounds like rain, thunderstorms, ocean waves, forest creeks, crickets. No music, just pure ambient sound. The thunderstorm videos are the highlight of this channel. There are plane sounds too (with an actual recorded video of a plane trip). So if you miss traveling on a flight, check this out:
5. Nomadic Ambience
This channel is run by a solo traveler. They record video and ambience sounds during their traveling. There are videos like “Walking in the Rain in Manhattan, NYC,” “Walking in the Rain, Tokyo, Japan.” etc. Really interesting and relaxing videos. I shall reiterate a comment under one of the videos in the channel: “shoutout to this guy for walking 1 hour in the rain just so we can relax!”
6. The Guild of Ambience
This is another interesting one with varying themes. From swamp sounds to underwater sounds to haunted forest sounds, they have a good collection of well-made videos.
7. ASMR Weekly
Here’s another one for the Potterheads! Well, this channel is not restricted to Harry Potter. You can find dark academia, cottage core, Pomodoro timer, and autumn-themed ones too. It also features ambient sounds from series like Narnia, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Sherlock, Star Wars, etc. Check this autumn-themed one with Hagrid’s Hut before the season ends:
8. Calmed by Nature
This channel features everything “from beautiful natural landscapes to magical cozy places.” It’s really good for sleeping, relaxation, or studying.
9. The Vault of Ambience
This channel is themed around “cozy and imaginary places for people to escape to.” The playlists are titled fantasy, spooky, Victorian, winter, summer, autumn, etc. There is a Hobbit-themed playlist too.
10. Coffee Shop Vibes
If you are someone who likes writing at coffee shops, this channel is for you. All videos have relaxing jazz music in the background. The coffee shops are located in various places like rooftop, seaside, bookstore. That’s the end of the list! Also, it is worth noting that most of these videos do not feature random ads in the middle. In a fast-paced world with running minds, these creative videos can help you calm down, focus, and escape to different imaginary worlds. © 2021 Anjali Elizabeth
