Train, plane and machine sounds

Engines and mechanisms make some of the most even, predictable sounds there are, which is exactly why they work so well in the background. The travel side of this group has a passenger train clacking over the rails, a non-stop train, an underground subway and a flying airplane with its constant cabin roar. The desk side has typing on a keyboard and the crisp strikes of an old typewriter. A power drill and lawn mowing round things off, two sounds straight from a neighbourly weekend.

Train and plane sounds are a favourite for sleeping and for long stretches of focused work: the sound barely changes, nothing surprising happens, and they carry a pleasant sense of being on the way somewhere. The typing sounds keep you company while you write, as if someone else in the room were working too.

Put the plane or train under everything else as a low, wide bed, then add a light detail like keyboard typing or rain on the window. With the subway, try the dynamic 3D mode for a sense of movement.