How To Create Binaural Beats

INTRODUCTION

In recent years, binaural beats have surged in popularity within the health and wellness space, transitioning from a niche interest into mainstream awareness. Although scientific studies into their full range of uses are still ongoing, binaural beats have attracted a massive online audience. Some videos now have millions of views, and much like ASMR, they highlight a growing interest in how sound can influence mental states and emotional well-being.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the basics of creating your own binaural beats from scratch.

WHAT ARE BINAURAL BEATS

Before jumping into how to make them, it’s important to understand what binaural beats are and how they function.

Essentially, binaural beats are audio tracks designed to help the brain shift into different brainwave frequencies. They’re created by playing two tones of slightly different frequencies, one in each ear using headphones. Your brain processes each tone individually and also blends them together, detecting the difference between the two as a rhythmic pulsing effect. This difference is what your brain interprets as the binaural beat.

"A binaural beat is an illusion created by the brain when you listen to two tones with slightly different frequencies at the same time. The two tones align with your brain waves to produce a beat with a different frequency. This frequency is the difference in hertz (Hz) between the frequencies of the two tones."
– Dan Brennan, MD

Here’s a simple example for generating a 12 Hz Alpha wave binaural beat:

• Left Ear: 104 Hz sine wave
• Right Ear: 116 Hz sine wave
• Difference: 12 Hz (Alpha brainwave range)

THE EFFECTS OF BINAURAL BEATS

The impact of binaural beats can vary, with users reporting a range of mental and emotional responses.

Though they’re often linked to relaxation and meditation, binaural beats are also associated with improved creativity, focus, problem-solving skills, and cognitive performance. This versatility has made them increasingly popular among high achievers and professionals seeking enhanced mental clarity and productivity.

Below is an overview of the five primary brainwave states, their frequency ranges, and the states of consciousness they are known to influence:

• Gamma (30–100 Hz): High-level thinking, memory recall, heightened awareness, transcendent states
• Beta (14–30 Hz): Concentration, analytical thought, energy, and motivation
• Alpha (8–14 Hz): Calmness, lowered stress, optimism, learning enhancement, flow states
• Theta (4–8 Hz): REM sleep, deep relaxation, creativity, meditation, dreamlike mental states
• Delta (1–4 Hz): Deep restorative sleep, reduced stress hormones, healing, access to the unconscious

HOW TO MAKE A BINAURAL BEAT

As mentioned earlier, binaural beats are formed using two tones of nearby frequencies played into each ear. This makes the production process relatively straight forward.

Step One:
Open your preferred DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and create two mono audio channels. Pan one channel fully to the left and the other fully to the right.

Step Two:
Add a sine wave tone generator to each channel. Choose which brainwave frequency you’d like to create (Alpha, Theta, Gamma, etc.), then set each sine wave accordingly so the difference between them matches your target frequency range.

Let’s return to the earlier Alpha wave example:

• Left Ear: 104 Hz
• Right Ear: 116 Hz
• Difference: 12 Hz = Alpha wave

Step Three:

‍Decide how long your track will be. Export your audio at the desired duration—this can be a short two-minute sample or a much longer piece (30 minutes to an hour) depending on your intended use.

Congratulations! You’ve just created your first binaural beat track. Now, find a quiet spot, put on your headphones, and allow yourself to fully absorb the sound experience.

We hope you found this walkthrough helpful!

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