Binaural Beats

If your left ear receives 200 Hz and your right ear 208 Hz, neither ear hears an 8 Hz sound — 8 Hz is far below the hearing threshold anyway. The auditory system compares the two signals and produces the sensation of an 8 Hz pulse. The beat exists in perception, not in the air.

Through speakers, both tones reach both ears and combine acoustically before they arrive. You then hear an ordinary amplitude beat rather than a binaural one, and the effect the tool is built around does not occur. Any stereo headphones or earbuds work; noise cancelling is not required.

They are conventional names for EEG frequency bands: delta below about 4 Hz is associated with deep sleep, theta 4–8 Hz with drowsiness and meditation, alpha 8–13 Hz with relaxed wakefulness, and beta 13–30 Hz with alert focus. The presets set the offset to a representative value in each band.

Research is mixed. Some studies report modest effects on reported relaxation, anxiety and sustained attention; others find no reliable difference from a control tone. There is no strong evidence that they reliably drive brainwave frequencies. Many people find them pleasant and useful for focus, which is a reasonable basis for using them — treat them as a listening aid, not a treatment.

Lower carriers between roughly 100 Hz and 300 Hz tend to produce the clearest beat sensation and are easier to listen to for long periods. Above about 1 kHz the effect becomes harder to perceive. The default of 200 Hz is a good starting point.

Fifteen to thirty minutes is typical. Keep the volume low — the point is a background presence, not a loud tone. Stop if you feel any discomfort, and do not listen while driving or operating machinery.

OmniTone is not a medical device and makes no health claims. If you have epilepsy, a seizure disorder, tinnitus, or any hearing condition, speak to a doctor before using rhythmic audio stimulation.