ATARAXIA

DUAL NOISE APPARATUS
INSIDE VOID BEING ▼
Ataraxia App Icon

GRANULAR NOISE SCULPTOR

// ZERO LOOPS. LIVE ACOUSTIC MICRO-GRAINS.

Ataraxia is a dual-layer synthetic noise instrument and ambient environment generator for iOS. Unlike conventional sleep and focus apps that loop static audio recordings, Ataraxia synthesizes every raindrop, fan hum, and cavernous drone live in real time from hundreds of overlapping acoustic micro-grains.

APP STORE STATUS
LIVE NOW // APP STORE
ARCHITECTURE 2x 128-Grain Engines + TPT Filters + Rotary
PLATFORMS & FORMATS iOS Standalone App + AUv3 Plugin
BACKGROUND AUDIO ENABLED (20ms Click-Free Pause Fade)
● APP STORE // DOWNLOAD ↗ READ USER MANUAL ↓
Ataraxia iOS Standalone Interface Screenshot

FIG 1.0 — ATARAXIA STANDALONE MATRIX (LAYER A CYAN // BLEND & REVERB // LAYER B PINK)

01 // SYSTEM OVERVIEW & SIGNAL FLOW

● REAL-TIME GRANULAR DSP

NEVER-REPEATING SOUND

Pre-recorded noise loops eventually reveal audible seams that pull your brain out of rest or focus. Ataraxia spawns up to 256 concurrent noise grains shaped with smooth Hermite S-curve windows and Poisson timing scatter—creating an organic soundfield that never repeats a single second.

DUAL PARALLEL ENGINES

Sculpt two complete, independent noise layers simultaneously. Pair a crisp, close-up rain patter on Layer A (Cyan) with a deep, breathing sub-rumble on Layer B (Neon Pink), then sweep the central equal-power Blend dial to morph seamlessly between them.

STANDALONE + AUv3

Run Ataraxia as a standalone bedside or desk companion with full iOS background audio and instant visual/audio pause—or load it inside AUM, Logic Pro, GarageBand, Drambo, or Loopy Pro as an AUv3 synth texture generator with a dedicated landscape tab layout.

// INTERNAL DSP SIGNAL PATH (PER LAYER → MASTER BUS)
GRAIN SPAWNER TEXTURE / FLOW / EDGE / SCATTER
→
SPECTRAL SHAPING COLOR HPF+SHELF & WARMTH LPF
→
MODULATION & SPACE BREATHE LFO / WHIRL / WIDTH
→
REVERB MATRIX REV MIX & DECAY GLUE
→
EQUAL-POWER BLEND LAYER A ↔ B + SOFT LIMITER

02 // KNOB & PARAMETER MANUAL

// 19 REAL-TIME SMOOTHED CONTROLS
● LAYER A (TOP 8 CYAN DIALS) ● CENTER BLEND (BIPOLAR CROSSFADE) ● MASTER REVERB (REV MIX & DECAY) ● LAYER B (BOTTOM 8 PINK DIALS)
TEXTURE

TEXTURE

10 ms → 300 ms Grain Length

Controls the duration of each individual acoustic grain spawned by the engine. Low settings produce tiny, microscopic droplets and crackles; high settings stretch grains into long, velvety sheets of continuous sound.

Sound Design Tip: Set 0–20% for rain patters or Geiger clicks; set 85–100% for smooth fans and atmospheric pads.
FLOW

FLOW

5 Grains/sec → 200 Grains/sec

Sets the density and spawn rate of new grains. At minimum Flow, grains fire as distinct rhythmic pulses every 200 ms. Turning Flow clockwise packs grains tightly together (every 5 ms) into a seamless wall of noise.

Sound Design Tip: Lower Flow + high Edge creates chugging mechanical rhythms; max Flow creates lush, unbroken air.
COLOR

COLOR

High-Pass ↔ Flat ↔ 4kHz Boost

A three-zone spectral tilt control. Below 45%, it engages a zero-delay High-Pass filter (sweeping up to 2 kHz) to thin out bass. Between 45%–55% it runs flat. Above 55%, it boosts a 4 kHz High-Shelf for crisp sizzle.

Sound Design Tip: Keep Color around 35–40% on rain layers to isolate delicate high-frequency droplet detail.
EDGE

EDGE

Soft S-Curve ↔ Crisp Transient

Shapes the attack and release fade ratio of every grain's Hermite S-curve window. At 0%, each grain fades in and out over 50% of its length for zero-transient silkiness. At 100%, the fade tightens to 2% for snappy, percussive clicks.

Sound Design Tip: Combine 100% Edge with 0% Texture to synthesize hyper-realistic rain on a windowpane.
WARMTH

WARMTH

20 Hz → 20,000 Hz TPT Low-Pass

Controls a topology-preserving transform (TPT) state-variable low-pass filter cutoff. Counter-clockwise rolls off harsh highs into a dark, subterranean rumble; clockwise opens the full 20 kHz spectrum.

Sound Design Tip: Dial Warmth between 1,500 Hz and 3,000 Hz for soothing, ear-fatigue-free sleep and tinnitus masking.
WIDTH

WIDTH

0% Mono → 200% Mid/Side

Controls a per-sample smoothed Mid/Side stereo matrix. At 0%, the layer collapses to focused center mono. At 50%, grains sit in their natural random equal-power pan field. At 100%, the side channel expands to 200% for headphone immersion.

Sound Design Tip: Try setting Layer A narrow (15–30%) and Layer B ultra-wide (100%) for 3D depth.
BREATHE

BREATHE

0.5 Hz Organic Swell LFO

Introduces a slow, sample-accurate 0.5 Hz sine LFO (one full cycle every 2 seconds) that simultaneously swells grain Flow density and gently opens and closes the Warmth low-pass filter cutoff.

Sound Design Tip: Subtle Breathe (10–25%) gives static drones a living, coastal surf or respiratory cadence.
WHIRL

WHIRL

0.8 Hz → 7.0 Hz Rotary Doppler

Engages a stereo Leslie-style rotary speaker simulation with quadrature modulated delay lines. As Whirl increases, both the rotation speed (0.8 Hz to 7 Hz) and pitch/amplitude Doppler depth intensify.

Sound Design Tip: Around 45–65%, Whirl imparts the authentic acoustic blade buffeting of a box fan or ventilation shaft.
BLEND

BLEND

-1.0 (Layer A) ↔ +1.0 (Layer B)

The oversized central performance control. Uses a constant-power cosine/sine crossfade curve so total perceived loudness stays rock-steady as you sweep between Layer A (Cyan arc left) and Layer B (Pink arc right).

Sound Design Tip: At 12 o'clock (0.0), both layers run in equal 50/50 parallel harmony.
REV / DEC

REV MIX & DECAY

Stereo Algorithmic Reverb Bus

REV MIX blends dry granular detail with stereo diffusion while intelligently preserving dry presence. DECAY scales the acoustic chamber from a tight room up to a massive 98% cavernous tail.

Sound Design Tip: High Rev Mix + Decay turns sharp grain clicks into lush, shimmering ambient pads.

03 // CURATED FACTORY PRESETS

// INSTANT STARTING POINTS

Fan

PRESET 01

Models the comforting, low-mid acoustic hum and gentle air buffeting of a vintage bedside box fan. Layer A introduces subtle rotary Whirl (52%) over warm 2.2 kHz grains, while Layer B anchors the body at 1.5 kHz.

LAYER A WARMTH / WHIRL2200 Hz / 52%
LAYER B WARMTH / TEXTURE1512 Hz / 100%
BLEND / REVERB MIX+0.06 / 45%

Rain

PRESET 02

Driven by Ataraxia's internal Poisson grain-scatter engine. Layer A generates crisp, high-passed individual raindrops (0% Texture, 100% Edge), while Layer B provides a wide, warm 2.5 kHz downpour bed.

LAYER A (CLOSE DROPS)14.1 kHz / 100% Edge
LAYER B (STEADY SHOWER)2498 Hz / 100% Width
BLEND / REVERB MIX+0.78 / 36%

Machine Noise

PRESET 03

A rhythmic, industrial sci-fi telemetry room. Layer A pulses with slow, breathing mechanical clicks (4% Flow, 100% Breathe), while Layer B swirls at 100% Whirl through a 100% wet, infinite reverb chamber.

LAYER A FLOW / BREATHE4% / 100%
LAYER B WHIRL / EDGE100% / 100%
BLEND / REVERB DECAY-0.34 / 100%

Inside Void Being

PRESET 04

Deep, meditative cosmic womb ambiance. Both layers run at maximum grain length and density with 0% Edge for pure, transient-free silkiness, wrapped in slow breathing modulation, 65% rotary drift, and 100% reverb immersion.

LAYER A WARMTH / BREATHE3091 Hz / 15%
LAYER B WARMTH / WHIRL1672 Hz / 65%
BLEND / REVERB MIX+0.59 / 100%

04 // TUTORIALS & WORKFLOW GUIDE

// FROM FIRST LAUNCH TO AUv3 HOSTING
TUTORIAL 01 // QUICK START

YOUR FIRST 60 SECONDS WITH ATARAXIA

  • Select a Factory Preset: Tap the central green-outlined PRESETS pill bar under the title window to open the scrollable preset overlay. Tap Fan, Rain, Machine Noise, or Inside Void Being.
  • Morph Between Layers: Drag the large center BLEND knob left toward the Cyan arc to solo Layer A, or right toward the Pink arc to solo Layer B. Notice how `Rain` shifts from sharp individual droplets (left) to a warm distant downpour (right).
  • Tune Brightness to Your Room: Adjust WARMTH on the active layer to roll off high frequencies until the sound sits comfortably in your headphones or speakers.
  • Instant Mute & Visual Freeze: Tap the || Pause button next to the preset bar. Ataraxia smoothly fades audio out over 20 ms (zero clicks), freezes the CRT static background, and dims the neon dials into standby mode.
TUTORIAL 02 // SOUND DESIGN

BUILDING A CUSTOM SLEEP OR FOCUS SOUNDSCAPE

  • Step 1 — Craft a Deep Foundation (Layer B): Set Layer B TEXTURE to 100%, FLOW to 100%, and EDGE to 0%. Lower Layer B WARMTH to around 9:00–10:00 (~800–1,800 Hz) for a velvety brown-noise-style bed.
  • Step 2 — Add Subtle Organic Motion: Turn Layer B BREATHE up to 15–20% so the low-end gently inhales and exhales every two seconds, and set WIDTH to 75% for spaciousness.
  • Step 3 — Layer Air or Mechanical Detail (Layer A): Set Layer A WARMTH higher (~3,500 Hz) and raise WHIRL to ~40% to add gentle rotary air movement.
  • Step 4 — Balance & Glue: Set BLEND slightly right of center (+0.30) and dial in 35% REV MIX with 50% DECAY to fuse both layers into one cohesive acoustic room.
TUTORIAL 03 // PRESET MANAGEMENT

SAVING & ORGANIZING USER PRESETS

  • Saving a Custom Patch: Once you have dialed in a soundscape you love, tap the PRESETS pill button and tap + ADD PRESET at the top of the overlay menu.
  • Naming Your Preset: Enter a custom name in the dialog and tap Save. Your preset is stored as a lightweight `.ataraxiapreset` XML file in the app sandbox and appears under the USER PRESETS section.
  • Overwriting or Deleting: Saving a preset with the same name updates it in place. To remove a user preset, open the preset menu and tap the red x button on the right side of that preset's row.
  • State Recall: Both your active knob positions and currently selected preset name are automatically saved with your host project or standalone session.
TUTORIAL 04 // PRO AUDIO WORKFLOW

USING ATARAXIA AS AN iOS AUv3 PLUGIN

  • Loading in an AUv3 Host: Open an AUv3-compatible host such as AUM, Logic Pro for iPad, GarageBand, Drambo, or Loopy Pro, and insert Ataraxia (under Ancient Apparatus) into an Instrument / Synth slot.
  • Adaptive 3-Tab AUv3 Interface: In compact plugin windows, Ataraxia automatically switches to a streamlined 800×450 landscape layout with three dedicated view tabs—BLEND, LAYER A, and LAYER B—so every dial remains large and touch-friendly.
  • Host Automation & Multi-Instance Layering: All 19 parameters (plus internal grain scatter) are exposed to your AUv3 host for LFO modulation, MIDI mapping, and timeline automation.
  • External FX Processing: Try routing Ataraxia into Ancient Apparatus's Tapes on Tapes in AUM for multi-reel cassette saturation and delay matrixing.
> NOISE LAB DISPATCH // ATARAXIA SUGGESTIONS ● DIRECT SIGNAL TO WORKBENCH

Have an idea for new granular textures, noise generator topologies, sleep timer features, or an anomaly to report for Ataraxia? Transmit your ideas directly to our lab: