post78
Location: USA
Posts: 2887
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 Posted - Fri Nov 08, 2002 5:09 pm
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I hope that this isn't a no-no...
Brainwave Synchronization
By David Johnston
About Brainwave Files
Cool Edit Pro's Brainwave feature (/Transform/Special/Brainwave
Synchronizer) works like many meditation tapes and light/sound devices on
the market, which range in price from $200 to $500. There are even boards
available with plug in glasses (which have blinking lights) for your PC in the
price range of $495. The files created using the 'Wave' transformation are even
more powerful, and are definitely more pleasing to the ears. Most other devices
and tapes have a "humming" sound or some other tones to induce the right
brainwave frequencies. This program allows you to use ANY sound to encode
the frequencies with. The most effective we have found are by using the Noise
Generator, which creates pleasing waterfall like sounds. This function only
works on stereo waveforms, and the effects work if only if listened to with
stereo headphones.
Listening to sounds that have been waved for periods of 5 minutes or more will
produce the desired state of awareness in the listener. Sessions of 25 minutes
or so work really well!
Major brainwave pattern frequencies and possible uses for
brainwave synchronization
Delta 1-3 Hz Deep sleep, lucid dreaming, increased immune
functions.
Theta 4-7 Hz Deep relaxation, meditation, increased memory
and focus.
Alpha 8-12 Hz Light relaxation, "superlearning", positive
thinking.
Beta 13-25 Hz Normal state of alertness, stress and anxiety.
Gamma 30 Hz on up Hyper-awareness
High Gamma 200+ Hz Various effects
Immediate Relaxation and Stress Relief - Choose between 5hz and 10 Hz
for different levels of relaxation.
Meditation - Choose between 4hz and 7hz, either cycle between a few, or stay
at a particular frequency for different results.
Sleep Replacement - A 30 minute session at 5Hz replaces about 2-3 hours of
sleep, allowing one to wake up in the morning more refreshed. Try listening
1/2 hour before waking up in the morning, or 1/2 hour before going to bed.
Improved Sleeping Patterns - Any of the Alpha and Theta frequencies (8Hz
to 4Hz) for 30-45 minute sessions at the same time each day.
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Treatment of Insomnia - Choose between 4hz and 6hz for starters (the first
10 minutes), then go into frequencies below 3.5hz (for 20-30 minutes), settling
on about 2.5hz before fading out.
Improved and Lasting Sense of Well Being - Try Theta (4Hz to 7Hz) for 45
minutes, daily.
Creative Visualization - About 6hz for a while, then up to 10hz works well
while using visualization techniques.
Alleviation of Migraines and Headaches - Experiment with Alpha and Theta
combinations. Try and visualize the pain getting smaller and smaller until it
disappears.
Reduction of Depression Symptoms - Again, Alpha and Theta combinations,
mostly theta.
Self Hypnosis - Choose about 8hz to 10hz while playing any self-hypnosis
tape, or guided meditation.
Accelerated Learning - Choose about 7hz to 9hz while playing any learning
tapes, like foreign language tapes, etc. to increase comprehension. Also, while
studying, take breaks every half hour and listen to 10 minutes of Alpha (10Hz)
while reflecting on the material you just learned.
Subliminal Programming - Choose 5hz to 7hz while playing your favorite
subliminal tapes, or make your own by recording some affirmations, and mix
pasting (Edit:Paste Special) them from the clipboard at barely audible volumes.
Improve Intuition (or ESP?) - Theta frequencies help in this area, 4hz to 7hz.
Reaching Higher States of Consciousness - Theta again, with daily half hour
minimum sessions. Give at least a month for results.
Quick Refresher on long days - Low Alpha 8hz to 10hz for about 15 minutes
works well. Sort of induces a cat-nap.
Increased Immune System - Relaxing to Alpha and Theta combinations daily.
Learning how to relax, and relaxing more often can lower blood pressure and
increase the body's natural defenses. Using Alpha Synchronization (8Hz to
12Hz), expect similar increases in the neuro-chemical levels of Norepinephrin
(11%), Serotonin (21%) and Beta-Endorphins (25%).
DISCLAIMER
By using this program, you agree that the author will not be responsible for
any damage as a result, direct or indirect, of using this program. The author
makes no claims about the effectiveness of these sounds for any particular
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purpose. The user is encouraged to do his/her own research into the area of
brainwave synchronization via auditory stimulation.
WARNING
Sounds generated by the wave function may not suitable for epileptics or
persons undergoing psychiatric treatment.
About Carrier Waves
A carrier wave is needed to transport the brainwave frequencies. Because the
carrier wave is not what you hear through the headphones directly, you do not
need to buy super high-end headphones (5Hz-25KHz) to reproduce the effects.
These sounds may be recorded using any stereo cassette recorder and played
back on any stereo cassette player without losing effectiveness. In other words,
your headphones do not need to be able to reproduce a 5Hz signal if you are
generating a 5Hz theta-frequency brainwave file, and your tape deck does not
need to be able to record frequencies this low either. The brain does however
respond better to the lower frequencies because of the nature of the
synchronization algorithm, so the better the headphones you buy, the more
dramatic the results may be. The best headphones are the kind that cover the
entire ear, so outside noise does not get in. Plus, these headphones have much
higher response to low frequencies. The active ingredient, so to speak, are the
frequencies from about 40Hz up to about 2khz depending on the frequency
being encoded and the intensity.
Carrier waves must have some correlation between the left and right channels,
no matter how slight. So mono (total correlation), inverse (total negative
correlation), and spatial (natural recordings that have some of the same sounds
coming in both channels) will work great.
The best sounds to use as carriers are sounds that are spread across the entire
frequency range, or at least most of the lower frequency range. Good examples
are ocean, waterfall (most any recordings from nature), and noise generated by
this program. Experiment with mono (both left and right channels the same),
inverted (like mono, but the left channel is the inverse of the right, obtained by
using the Channel Mixer), and spatial stereo (spatially encoded sounds in
nature, recorded with microphones about 9 inches apart to simulate separation
between the ears). But don't let this stop you from digitizing your favorite
music, and using it as a carrier, or converting your favorite to a mono or
inverted wave.
To generate a carrier wave, you can do three things:
Record a sample - Once recorded, use the Channel Mixer to create a mono,
or inversed wave. The channel mixer will also allow you to put in just the
amount of correlation you desire (for example, a 20% mixture of both
channels, leaving the rest untouched.) Or just leave it the way it was recorded.
You may find changes in effectiveness of the brainwave files depending on how
you use the Channel Mixer. Keep in mind that this function only operates on
stereo waves, so when "mono" is mentioned, it means that the exact same
signal is present on both channels--the left channel and right channel are the
same.
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Generate Tones - You may use the Generate Tones function to find a
pleasing, relaxing tone for the background (but we find "noise" sounds more
relaxing). The way tones work the best is if the left channel's tone frequency is
5-6 Hz different from the right channel's tone. This creates a beat pattern equal
to the frequency difference, which the brain responds to somewhat (this is the
property that many theta-inducers rely on). To do this, generate one tone with
left volume at 40, and right volume at zero. Then generate the second tone
with the left and right volumes reversed. Finally, Paste Special (with overlap)
one tone on top of the other. Use low frequency tones, like 50Hz to 120Hz for
best results. These tones, by themselves, will help coerce the mind into the
state associated with the difference between the frequencies. For example, for a
theta state of 6Hz, use a 70Hz and a 76Hz tone. Combining this tones sample
with an existing brainwave file, by overlap pasting at a quiet volume (20%) is
even more effective.
Generate Noise - Use the Generate Noise function (pink and brown work
best) in any of the modes: mono, inverse, or spatial stereo (independent
channels noise will not work as a carrier for brainwave frequencies at all, since
there is no correlation between the left and right channels). Using pink noise in
spatial stereo, and running it through the Quick Filter to get rid off some of the
"edge" if any works the best. Inverse works quite well too, but the brainwave
"effect" is more pronounced, and can be distracting, and some sound boards
have trouble reproducing sound that is inversed between channels.
Once you have found a pleasing sound, about 10 seconds or so of a
monotonous sound (tones, river, waterfall, noise...) you're ready to start. If a
monotonous sound is used, more disk space can be saved because we will use
the play list to repeat portions. If a music sample were used, it is quite
noticeable that the same 10-second piece is being played over and over and
over again.
If you're curious you can also spatially locate a mono sound to the left or right.
Do this if you wish to have the illusion that a particular sound is coming from
one side or the other. The function works by pasting a mono sound sample into
a stereo waveform, and using the Digital Delay function. Having a quiet "ping"
(generated by using the sine wave tone generator with the bell curve envelope)
play spatially on the left, then on the right at about 5 second intervals is very
relaxing.
Encoding Brainwave Information
There are two types of brainwave files that you can create: A flat file, and
a cued file. The flat file takes more memory, and plays straight through
from beginning to end, while the cued file is actually contains pieces of the
entire audio program, that when played in the proper order become the
brainwave file. The cued file takes less memory, and can very quickly be
modified at any time by re-arranging the audio pieces. The average length
of a cued file is about 3-4 minutes for a program that can last as long as
desired. The flat file is a standard wave file, which means to create a long
program, you must have enough space for it. The only advantage to using a
flat file is if you are waving music, since music cannot be split into pieces
and rearranged, otherwise it would sound discontinuous. Creating
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brainwave files using the flat file method will be discussed first, since it is
more straightforward.
Flat Brainwave File Generation
Create a file the length you wish to make your relaxation program using the
carrier wave(s) of your choice. Either record music, or use the pink noise
generator and copy and paste (or Paste Special) to the desired length. If
you are using a monotonous sound, you would be better off using the cued
file method. Lengths of good relaxation programs vary from 15 to 30
minutes, and beyond. This means you must have enough hard drive space
for the entire file. Since the temporary file takes up hard drive space as
well, the maximum size of file you can create, and be able to save, will be
one that takes up half of the initial free hard drive space.
Use the Wave function to encode the brainwave patterns into the carrier
wave by highlighting a section of the wave, or the whole thing, and
choosing Transform:Wave, or click the wave icon. With the wave
transformation, you have complete control over the brainwave frequency
being encoded, the strength of the signal, and the positioning of the signal
left or right. Over the selection highlighted, the intensity, and position
remain constant, but the frequency can be varied using the graphical input
control. See the section on Authoring Brainwave Files to learn what
settings to use for the Wave function, and how to build effective files.
Once the entire file has been waved to your satisfaction, you can save the
file if you wish, and play it using the Play button. An interesting side effect
is that different sounds are heard if you listen to one channel, listen to both
channels with one ear, or listen to each channel with each ear.
Cued Brainwave File Generation
These files contain many short snippets of brainwave encodings at different
frequencies. Each snippet is cued using the Cue List, and a Play List is
generated by adding entries from the Cue List, and looping them if
necessary. To listen to a cued brainwave file, you must use the Play button
in the Play List dialog box.
First you must figure out how you want to divide up the brainwave
program (your 20-30 minute masterpiece) into components. For example,
you may want to have patterns of 5Hz, 7Hz, and 9Hz at different points in
the program. In this case, you will need at least three pieces for your
creation. The actual file will just be 10 seconds of carrier wave at 5Hz,
followed by 10 seconds at 7hz, followed by 10 seconds at 9Hz. All the
pieces are placed in the cue list by highlighting the piece, and choosing
Add. It is best to add the piece to the cue list once it is created, or pasted
at the end of the current waveform. To create the final program, the pieces
are added to the Play List in the order you wish to listen to them. Each
piece can be looped if needed. So a 20 minute program can be generated
from 3 10-second pieces by adding the cues to the play list and looping.
First you need to create 10 to 20 seconds of carrier wave, and save in a
special file in case you need the carrier wave again later. Highlight the
wave, and Edit:Copy. When you need another copy of the initial carrier
wave, you need only to Paste it.
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Add the first carrier wave snippet to the Cue List by pressing the Add
button in the Cue List dialog. Give the cue for this snippet a name that
reflects the waveform transformation you will be using, for example, "6Hz
to 5Hz drop".
Choose the Transform:Wave function to encode the proper patterns into
the carrier wave. Look at the section on Authoring Brainwave Files to
learn what settings to choose.
Click past the end of the wave file (make sure the rightmost part of the file
is in view), and choose Paste to insert another copy of the carrier wave.
Once you do this, you can add the newly inserted selection to the cue list,
and give it a name. Repeat the step above for creating a brainwave
encoding over the carrier wave you just inserted. Do this as many times as
needed until you have all the pieces you need to build the final brainwave
file.
Once all the pieces have been generated, add them in the order you like to
the play list. To make pieces last longer (if the beginning and ending of the
piece are at the same brainwave frequency), increase the number of loops
for that entry in the play list.
When Played from the play list, the pieces will be played in the order
shown, and looped if necessary.
To get familiar with the cue list, and play list, open one of your favorite
wave files, and highlight sections then add them to the cue list. After you
have a few selections in the cue list, add them to the play list, and choose a
loop count of greater than one for some of them. Choose Play from the
play list, and listen to what you've just created.
Authoring Brainwave Files
After learning about carrier waves, and encoding procedures, all you need
to know is what frequencies to use, and when to use them during the
course of the listening session. Once you know what frequencies to use,
and at what intensity, you can generate the completed file using either of
the methods above.
Effective brainwave files have some sort of encoding going on the entire
length of the session. For the first 3 minutes or so of the session, the
listener will not be in a "relaxed" state, and will not respond greatly to the
frequencies being presented. During this warm-up period, gradually
decreasing from about 12Hz down to 8Hz works nicely. After about 4
minutes, the listener's brainwave patterns will start to synchronize with the
patterns in the headphones, and the serious brainwave programming can
begin.
Frequencies of 8-10Hz correspond to an alpha state -- light relaxation, like
a quick afternoon siesta. Frequencies of 6-7Hz correspond to a theta state -
- meditation. 4-5Hz correspond to deep relaxation. You can create a
session that is constant, in one of these states, or create a session that
dynamically flows from one to the other. When going down in frequency,
give the listener about one minute to catch up, and stay in sync with the
wave. Going up in frequency does not require the listener to catch up. In
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other words, if you go from 6Hz down to 4Hz over a 20 second timespan,
and hold at 4Hz, the listener may not be at 4Hz for another minute. When
going from 4Hz to 8Hz in 20 seconds, the listener will be at 8Hz at the end
of the 20 seconds. It appears to take extra time when going down in
frequency, but no extra time when going up. This basically holds true for
the first 20-30 minutes of a session. After that, the opposite tends to occur.
It is easier to go lower than go higher. This means that to bring a listener
from 4Hz (where she has been for the last 30 minutes) up to 12 Hz, it
should be done over a 5 minute period or so. One nice trick to do is to
keep the listener at around 4-5 Hz for a while, then about once every 2
minutes, go up to 8Hz and back over a 20 second span. This will alert the
listener slightly, and make them aware for a few seconds of what they are
thinking. This is great for getting creative insights and the like. It acts as a
sort of window to the subconscious, allowing one to remember what is
going on. It's kind of like remembering dreams: you do it better if you are
awakened in the middle of one.
Another effective method of producing relaxation files is to overlap them.
That is, have portions that are one frequency, and slightly spatially located
to one side overlapped with a slightly differing frequency spatially located
slightly to the other side. This gives the listener the chance to decide which
frequency to be at, and gives them more freedom over the experience. For
example, a session could go from 8Hz to 4Hz over 10 minutes overlapped
with 7Hz to 5Hz over the same 10 minutes.
For nice super-relaxing effects, generate panning waves (frequencies of
0.05 to 0.2) over your session after encoding the initial brainwave patterns.
For example, if you are generating a brainwave file out of 20-second
pieces, after generating the main brainwave frequency over the 20 second
period, generate a panning wave of 0.05 or 0.1 (which means a period of
20 or 10 seconds) with an intensity of about 50 or so. This will make the
sound appear to shift left and right to the listener over a 20 or 10 second
period. Now, overlapping a 24-second piece panned at 0.125 (8 second
period) at 5Hz with a 0.167 (6 second period) at 6Hz will combine the
practices of multiple frequencies with panning for an extremely supernatural
effect! Once you get started creating a few files, and see what the
different frequency ranges do, you will become familiar with the different
effects and how to generate just the effects you want.
High Gamma frequencies of 200Hz or more seem to help in relaxation, and
do something no doubt. This is an area you can experiment with. When
generating frequencies above 40Hz or so, it is best to keep the intensity
very low, like 7 or 8. The higher the frequency, the lower the intensity has
to be, otherwise the encoding will overwrite itself and the signal will be
lost.
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Sample Theta File - Step-by-Step
Create a new blank file with File:New. Choose a Stereo file, either 8 or 16 bit
and a 11025, 22050, or 44100 sampling rate. The final file size will be one of
the following sizes listed below depending on your choice:
11025 22050 44100
8-bit 2.6M 5.2M 10.5M
16-bit 5.2M 10.5M 21.2M
You must make sure you have enough memory for a file of this size, plus an
additional meg for working space. If you plan on saving the file when you are
done, you must have at least twice this amount of hard drive space available,
since a temporary file is used instead of memory while working on the wave.
Choose Generate:Noise. Select Pink, Spatial Stereo (500 µSeconds) for 15
seconds at an intensity of 3 . This is usually the longest portion of the
generation of brainwave files. Because of this, it is advised that you save this
piece of noise so that in generating future files, you can just load in this precalculated
noise as a starting point.
Choose Edit:Copy. From now on, we will paste the noise in when we need it!
Make sure the noise is highlighted. If it is not, select all by double-clicking on
the waveform until it is highlighted.
Choose Add in the Cue list, and give the entry a Label of 10Hz to 8Hz, and a
Description of "Warm-Up"
Choose Transform:Wave to bring up the brainwave dialog box. Enter 10 for
the Highest Frequency, and 8 for the Lowest Frequency, and an Intensity of
35. On the graph above, click the leftmost dot, and drag it to the top of the
graph. Click the rightmost dot, and drag it to the bottom of the graph. This will
product a frequency encoded at 10Hz at the beginning, and glide down to 8Hz
by the end. Choose OK to generate the encoding. This shouldn't take nearly as
long as it did to generate the noise.
Click the mouse at the rightmost portion of the wave (just beyond the black
waveform display area). When you do this, the yellow cursor arrows should be
all the way to the right of the wave. You must always add new pattern blocks
at the end of the current waveform.
Choose Edit:Paste to insert another copy of the original noise that we had
copied originally.
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Create the following pattern blocks as before (following the steps 5 to  ,
except with the following values for the cue list and waveform transformation:
Label Description Hi Freq. Lo Freq. Intensity
(Graph should go from left=highest to right=lowest)
8 Hz Alpha 8 8 37
8 to 6Hz Glide Down 8 6 38
6Hz High Theta 6 6 40
6 to 5Hz Deeper Theta 6 5 45
5Hz Theta 5 5 50
(Graph should look like an upside-down "V" for Spike)
5-8-5 Spike 8 5 50
(Graph should go from left=lowest to right=highest for Awake)
5 to 12Hz Awake 12 5 40
Once all the blocks are generated, and in the cue list, Add the pieces to the play
list by selecting the wave portion in the cue list and clicking Add in the play
list. Select the pieces listed below in the order given. After doing so, select
each item in the play list, and change the Loops for each so the final play list
looks like this:
(1) 10 to 8Hz
(3) 8Hz
(1) 8 to 6Hz
(7) 6Hz
(1) 6 to 5Hz
(1 5Hz
(1) 5-8-5
(12) 5Hz
(1) 5-8-5
(12) 5Hz
(1) 5-8-5
(12) 5Hz
(1) 5-8-5
(12) 5Hz
(1) 5 to 12Hz
When you choose -Play- from the play list, the sequence will be played in the
order given, looping the number of times specified. This list gives a 21 minute
theta session, with bursts into alpha at four points.
If you wish to save this piece, and have enough hard drive space, you can do it
now. The wave is complete. Enjoy.
How to use brainwave synchronization files
Once you have created your brainwave file (15 minute files on up work best),
Loop Play them for a longer listening time. Sessions of 15 minutes or more
work best. It is best to listen to the sessions lying down in a quiet place where
you will not be disturbed. If there is no place like this near your PC, it may be a
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good idea to record the session on tape and listen to it where you can be
comfortable and relaxed. When you're fully comfortable, start the session, close
your eyes, and let the magical sounds from Cool Edit do the work. Remember,
this only works if you listen to the sounds with stereo headphones.
You may notice helicopter, or "washing" type noises moving around in your
head. These sounds are actually created inside your head, and are not coming
directly out of either channel from the sound board. It is this noise that is doing
the work of helping your brainwaves get synchronized to the patterns you have
chosen. When you have mixed two different (but similar in frequency ranges)
brainwave files together, you may notice a jet airplane noise moving slowly
from left to right in the background. Some people don't hear these artifacts at
all, while others hear them extremely well.
Another side effect is that of a wandering mind. When you use frequencies
under 8hz, you may find yourself thinking of the strangest things. You may find
that you are not thinking of anything in particular, and your thoughts become
very interesting. The feeling is also "warm" and "happy" for some people.
Others start recalling their favorite memories as a child, even some they
thought they had forgotten forever!
After a session of 15 minutes or more, you may feel quite refreshed, light, airy,
clear-headed, etc. Some claim that doing this for 30 minutes a day can result in
subtle but great changes in your life. ESP experiences increase, and you may be
able to reach new levels of awareness in your everyday life.
_________________
Answer = 1. Probably.
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