binaural beats

buzby · Post by **buzby** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:33 pm

invol wrote:Sine waves are the easiest way to generate "beats. E.g., a tone at 1000Hz and one at 1007 Hz. Panning them left and right. It gets trickier with more complex tones... Operator is great at such things, just use one oscillator with a fixed frequency for each tone.

thanks man - gonna have a go at this later

invol · Post by **invol** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 9:28 pm

Placing stereo sounds in 3D space is.... "binaural spacialization" - Wavearts Panorama is a really cool plug-in for this, btw. SoundHack has had a file based version of this "filtering" since the mid-90's.

buzby · Post by **buzby** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 12:48 am

lola wrote:Ok guys listen to this on your headphones
This is bin-aural

Sounds in front above behind and around your ears.

thanks for this - its is cool

as far as i know this a binaural recording like deft is talking about

im after two frequencies which create a drum like pulse when played together - one frequency in each ear

id love one of these mics though

lanusse · Post by **lanusse** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:59 pm

Yes, I'm doing lots with binaural beats. In fact, I was just building a set of max patches in anticipation of MaxForLive!

Most work on binaural beats uses simple sine signals of slightly different frequencies fed independently to each ear. The Medial Superior Olive (MSO) in the brain measures the phase difference (among other things) between the sounds as part of a more sophisticated 3d localization process. Two signals with slightly different frequencies produce a modulating phase difference. While listening on headphones certain brain sites begin to 'track' the modulation signal. This phenomenon is called frequency following response and can be measured by picking up the brains electrical impulses with an EEG (Electro Encephalogram) instrument. The experience for the listener is a general change in ‘state’ often experienced as more relaxed, spaced out, sleepy, alert, more creative, etc.. When listening to this kind of signal, it ‘feels’ like your brain is actually ‘moving’ around inside

Try it out for yourself..

Here are a few hints that I've discovered playing with this stuff...

1. In my experience, the phenomenon of frequency following is based on modulating PHASE difference between L/R, NOT frequency difference. The frequency difference PRODUCES the phase difference but there are many other ways to produce modulation in phase.

2. Try modulating phase in your signal with other more complex signals. In simple binaural beat methods, you might mix a sine 400hz and 404hz which produces in the brain a 402hz signal with simple sine wave phase modulation of 4hz. It’s this 4hz sine wave that the brain is tracking, so try and create more complex phasing modulation – for example, the phase modulation might include 1hz, 2hz, 10hz, and 17hz at varying amplitudes.

3. Try phase modulating different signals, not just sine waves. Noise works great especially when you use a filter bank to break it apart into various bands.

-Charley

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:27 pm

I played with this a bit last night, with Operator we don't have phase shift control. all I was really able to do was set the fine adjustment off by 1 between two identical single oscillator Operators with sine waves. I didn't try Analog, maybe there's more options there, I don't know it as well as Operator.

lanusse · Post by **lanusse** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:55 pm

You really need MaxMsp, Reaktor, Synthmaker or similar to do phase maniuplation of complex signals...

But if you want to experiment with Operator, you can build simple binaural beats by stacking multiple sine waves together.. for example

if the base modulation signal is 4hz+2hz+1hz then use a set of sines in octaves like this

for left ear | for right ear
200hz | 204hz (4 hz phasing)
400hz | 402hz (2 hz phasing)
800hz | 801hz (1 hz phasing)

You can adjust the amplitude of each set of sines as well for different results..

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:02 pm

true.

the fine adjustment on Operator bumps the frequency up a bit, I think it does it by percentage of frequency, not in Hz, hi freqs were affected differently than low frequs.

I had a bunch of peaks rising and falling in Spectrum, even put a phase inverter on Send A and set up two identical Operators with a very slow LFO, each at a slightly different rate.

lots of 'WOOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOO' sounds but nothing to activate crystal power.

djod · Post by **djod** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:22 pm

Does anybody know which ..hz binural beat is related to the alpha, beta, .. states.
Is there a conclusive list or table or something?

If you want to hear/experience a binural beat you could try is a 400hz sine left and a 410 sine right. use headphones, first put only the left side over your ears, you will hear a constant tone. Then left of right on, you'll hear also a constant tone. Now put both on now you hear the modulation. The modulation is not in the signal. It in your head. If you remove the left of right signal the effect is gone.

Laterz

buzby · Post by **buzby** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:34 pm

here's the list - gonna read over the replies soon - thanks

> 40 hz - Gamma waves - Higher mental activity, including perception, problem solving, fear, and consciousness

13–40 Hz Beta waves Active, busy or anxious thinking and active concentration, arousal, cognition

7–13 Hz Alpha waves Relaxation (while awake), pre-sleep and pre-wake drowsiness

4–7 Hz Theta waves Dreams, deep meditation, REM sleep

< 4 Hz Delta waves Deep dreamless sleep, loss of body awareness

buzby · Post by **buzby** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:42 pm

lanusse wrote: The Medial Superior Olive (MSO) in the brain measures the phase difference (among other things) between the sounds as part of a more sophisticated 3d localization process.

i have an olive in my brain - that would explain some things - is it like when Homer Simpson had the crayon removed from his brain ?

mmm

i dont have operator and was trying to play around with Reason synths - but not really understanding synths that well i was nt sure how to just make a clean sine wave or how to phase shift it or how to tell what hertz anything is at.

i looked at some of the synth presets in reason but could nt really find anything that looked like it was a clean sine wave

i have zebra synth plug in and crystal soft synth - i will try to mess around with them later

i got sucked into youtube last night - lots of conspiracy stuff there about strange masts generating low frequency signals - mind control stuff etc - also how mobiles are being used to generate mind control stuff to people -

interesting stuff - id like to think that i dont buy into things too much but the above theories are possible

djod · Post by **djod** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:43 pm

Cool thanks, if you have more keep it coming. (usefull links.. ?)

I also have a binaural microphone sound really convincing, like the example lola gave.
But Its really a different subject.

@lanusse,

What would a more complex modulation of 1hz+3hz+10+etc bring.
Do you seek out specific results?

laterz

Emissary · Post by **Emissary** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:47 pm

you can actually make binaural beats quite easily if you download audacity. it has a special section for creating such beats. I use them to meditate. makes me feel weird like a floating brain. i like them.

buzby · Post by **buzby** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:50 pm

i would also love to do some experiments with cymatics

webs of maya on youtube is insane

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sonpvUxGL8

did you know - that if you convert the orbiting velocities of the planets into musical notes, they are all exact harmonic intervals ...

just though id throw that in

buzby · Post by **buzby** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:51 pm

Emissary wrote:you can actually make binaural beats quite easily if you download audacity. it has a special section for creating such beats. I use them to meditate. makes me feel weird like a floating brain. i like them.

cool man - thanks - onto it

splonge · Post by **splonge** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:18 pm

I looked in to this a while a go, and wrote an article about on my rather out of date website.

http://www.soundonmind.com/binauralbeats

There are some download-able files as examples. I made them with Live and Reaktor.