Binaural beats have seen a surge in popularity within the health and wellness community over the past few years, with many practitioners and music lovers embracing their potential benefits. According to a recent study, researchers incorporating binaural beats into their practices have been able to aid in relaxation, focus, and stress reduction​​ .

While the research on binaural beats is still in its early stages, preliminary findings have been promising. Studies have shown that binaural beats can significantly impact brain wave activity, helping to induce states of relaxation and improve cognitive function.

This growing interest underscores the powerful ways in which sound can shape our state of mind. By harnessing specific frequencies, there's no reason why binaural beats couldn't potentially enhance mental well-being and overall health.

In this guide, we'll explore how to make binaural beats, looking into the science behind them and providing practical steps to get started.

What Are Binaural Beats?

Before we dive into the process of creating binaural beats, it's essential to understand what they are and how they work.

When you listen to two tones with slightly different frequencies in each ear through headphones, your brain creates the perception of a third sound, known as a binaural beat. This phenomenon occurs when each ear hears a tone at a slightly different frequency, and the brain processes these two tones as a single, pulsating beat.

For instance, if you listen to a 300 Hz tone in one ear and a 310 Hz tone in the other, your brain will perceive a third tone, known as a binaural beat, at a frequency difference of 10 Hz. This perceived beat frequency is not present in the external sound but is generated by your brain's auditory processing centers as it attempts to reconcile the two different tones. This process can induce various states of mind depending on the frequency of the binaural beats, such as relaxation, focus, or sleep.

Dr. Dustin Cotliar explains that binaural beats are thought to influence the brain's electrical activity and can synchronize brainwaves to achieve specific mental states.

How Do Binaural Beats Affect Us?

Binaural beats can affect us in a wide variety of ways, influencing our mental and emotional states through the synchronization of brainwaves. While they are most commonly associated with promoting sleep and aiding meditation, their potential benefits extend far beyond these areas.

For example, some researchers say that binaural beats can offer:

• Improved Focus and Concentration : Listening to certain frequencies can help enhance cognitive performance and concentration​.
• Reduced Anxiety and Stress: Some studies suggest that binaural beats can lower stress levels and reduce anxiety ​.
• Enhanced Creativity: Certain binaural beats can stimulate brainwave patterns associated with creativity and problem-solving​.
• Better Mood: Listening to binaural beats has been linked to improved mood and emotional regulation​.
• Pain Management: There is emerging evidence that binaural beats may help in managing pain by altering pain perception​.

Binaural beats work by influencing the brain's electrical activity, which leads to changes in brainwave patterns. Here are the five different brainwave states and the emotions or effects they invoke:

Delta Waves (0.5-4 Hz):

• Effects: Deep sleep, relaxation, and healing.
• Emotions : Profound relaxation and restorative sleep.

Theta Waves (4-8 Hz):

• Effects: Light sleep, meditation, and creativity.
• Emotions: Deep relaxation, reduced anxiety, and enhanced creativity.

Alpha Waves (8-13 Hz):

• Effects: Relaxed wakefulness, meditation, and learning.
• Emotions: Calm, relaxation, and focused mindfulness.

Beta Waves (13-30 Hz):

• Effects: Active thinking, problem-solving, and alertness.
• Emotions: Increased concentration, alertness, and sometimes anxiety.

Gamma Waves (30-50 Hz):

• Effects: Higher mental activity, problem-solving, and information processing.
• Emotions: Enhanced cognitive functioning and improved memory.

By selecting specific frequencies, we can tailor our production to achieve desired states, whether it’s for relaxation, focus, creativity, or improved sleep. Pretty cool, huh?

Are Binaural Beats Psychoactive?

The question of whether binaural beats are psychoactive - meaning they can alter the mind or consciousness in a manner similar to psychoactive drugs - is still a subject of ongoing research.

Currently, the scientific evidence is inconclusive. While some studies suggest that binaural beats can influence brainwave activity and induce states of relaxation, focus, or even mild euphoria, these effects are not universally accepted as being psychoactive in the same sense as substances like LSD or psilocybin.

While we're more certain that listening to binaural beats at specific frequencies can help with relaxation, anxiety reduction, and improved concentration, the extent to which these effects can be classified as "psychoactive" is still unclear. We'll need more rigorous, large-scale studies to definitively determine the scope and mechanism of these effects.

Of course, despite the lack of definitive scientific evidence, some companies market binaural beats as having psychoactive properties. In fact, it was through these companies that I first discovered binaural beats.

i-Doser is one of the best examples. The company offers a range of binaural beat tracks purported to simulate the effects of various psychoactive substances, from marijuana to more potent drugs like LSD and MDMA. Another popular one is MindZoom, which claims its binaural beat products can help users achieve altered states of consciousness similar to those induced by psychoactive substances.

I'm no scientist, but when it comes to these claims, I'm skeptical, to say the least.

I feel like some of the reported effects of binaural beats may be attributed to the placebo effect, where users experience perceived benefits simply because they believe the beats will have an impact. With that said, if you're someone who's interested in exploring altered states of consciousness without the legal or health risks associated with psychoactive drugs, binaural beats offer a safe and legal alternative!

How to Make a Binaural Beat

Creating binaural beats is surprisingly simple and accessible, even if you're new to music production. At their core, binaural beats are built off two closely related sine waves, which means you don’t need an extensive array of equipment or software to get started.

Choose Your Frequencies

The first thing to do is decide what brainwave state you want to influence. For example, to promote relaxation, you might choose a delta wave frequency around 3 Hz. To achieve this, you’ll need two tones that differ by this frequency.

From there, you can pick two base frequencies that are close to each other. For instance, to create a 3 Hz binaural beat, you could use 440 Hz for the left ear and 443 Hz for the right ear. The brain will perceive the difference (3 Hz) as the binaural beat.

Prep Your DAW

You can use any DAW you prefer to make binaural beats, though I'm a big fan of Ableton Live and Pro Tools, in particular. These DAWs provide the necessary tools to generate and manipulate sine waves. From there, you'll need to load up a few instrument or MIDI tracks, depending on what your DAW refers to them as.

Generate Sine Waves

With your new instrument track in place, load a basic synthesizer plugin capable of generating pure sine waves. Pro Tools has a simple signal generator that you can work with. We'll start by setting the frequency for the left channel or left ear. For example, we might produce a sine wave at 440 Hz. Make sure to pan this track entirely to the left channel.

From there, we'll create a second instrument track with another sine wave, this time at the frequency for the other ear (e.g., 443 Hz). Pan this track entirely to the right channel.

While your sine wave tracks are playing, they should sound smooth and continuous. If not, you can adjust the amplitude and use a gentle attack and release on the envelope settings. This will also help in creating a more pleasant and effective binaural beat.

Adjust the Amplitude and Envelope

Make sure the volumes of both sine waves are balanced to prevent one from overpowering the other. You want your left and right tracks to be perfectly in balance.

Layer Some Additional Sounds

To enhance the listening experience, consider layering additional sounds like ambient noise, nature sounds (e.g., rain, ocean waves), or soft, melodic music. These can also make the track more enjoyable to listen to and help it stand out from other binaural beats.

If you're having trouble integrating those additional sounds with your binaural beats, you can use reverb and delay effects to integrate the background sounds smoothly.

Export and Test

Once you’re satisfied with your binaural beat, export the track in a high-quality audio format (e.g., WAV or FLAC). To test it out, I recommend using high-quality stereo headphones to listen to the track. Make sure the binaural beat effect is clear and that any additional sounds complement rather than overpower the sine waves.

Start Creating Your Own Binaural Beats

Creating your own binaural beats is a fun way to get experimental with today's audio technology and try something completely new, especially if you're a pop, rock, electronic, or hip-hop producer.

By manipulating slightly different frequencies, you can create a binaural beat track that enhances relaxation, focus, and overall well-being. It may also open you up to working with wellness clinics or meditation practitioners, and as many of us know, music therapy is a powerful, evidence-based practice with many applications.

This form of binaural audio is an exciting and accessible way to explore the potential of sound in shaping your mental state or the mental states of others in a positive way. Whether you're using it for meditation, sleep, or creativity, the journey of creating your own binaural beats can be both rewarding and transformative. Have fun producing!