An autumn forest walk you can put on at your desk
This is a walk you listen to rather than take. Dry autumn leaves carry most of it, quiet steps on gravel give the path some forward motion, and a mild wind fills the pauses while a crow calls from further off. Things happen in it, which is the point, so it suits journaling, drawing or a break between tasks more than a task where you need to read every word once. It will not cover much either. Leaves and wind are a brushy hiss, so they soften a TV murmur or a door down the hall, and a truck or a boiler comes straight through. Press play and it runs free in this browser, with nothing to download.
Slow the footsteps down if you start counting them
Footsteps are the first thing to move, because your ear latches onto a rhythm. If you catch yourself waiting for the next step, drag them down to about half of where they start, and keep the crow well under the leaves. A little more wind smooths the pauses without changing the season. Give any change a minute before you judge it, since a walk sounds different once you stop listening for it. This is an imagined scene built from separate recordings, not a walk outside, and outside is still better when the weather allows.
Explore the sounds in this mix
Listen to each layer on its own: Autumn Leaves, Footsteps On Gravel, Crow and Mellow Wind. Or start from scratch in the free online sound mixer.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to keep the footsteps?
No. Turn them off and you are standing still in the woods, with leaves, wind and the odd crow.
Why is the crow set so low?
At 10% it gives the woods some size and distance. It stays an occasional call in the background instead of the thing you listen to.
Can I read or study to it?
Some people can, but the steps and the calls are separate events with quiet between them, so a steady rain or noise mix is easier to stop noticing.