// the field · binaural
binaural
Two steady tones — one in each ear, a little apart. Your brain fuses them into a single slow pulse at the difference between them: a binaural beat. Pick a base tone and how far apart, or tap a band. The pulse is made in you, not in the air — so it needs headphones.
blue = left ear · red = right ear. they drift past each other; your brain turns that drift into the beat.
left 200 Hz · right 210 Hz · beat 10 Hz · alpha
// before you put it on
- headphones required. through speakers the tones mix in the air and the effect is gone.
- keep the volume moderate — like any headphone audio, long sessions loud enough risk your hearing.
- don't use a sleep or relax preset while driving or operating machinery.
- an experience for calm or focus, not a medical device or a treatment for anything. seizure history: be cautious, and skip any flashing-light visuals.
// the honest science
Binaural beats were first described by Heinrich Wilhelm Dove in 1839 and brought to a wide audience by Gerald Oster's 1973 Scientific American piece. The mechanism is real perception. The benefits are another matter: the strongest meta-analysis found only modest effects from few studies, and a 2023 systematic review came out roughly even — neither clearly supported nor refuted.
So: try it as an experience, notice what it does for you, and don't trust anyone (including this page) who promises a guaranteed effect.
Dove 1839 · Oster, Scientific American 1973 · Garcia-Argibay, Santed & Reales 2019 (meta-analysis) · Ingendoh et al. 2023, PLOS ONE (systematic review).