Sound Explained

Binaural beats and pulsing tones

A binaural beat is two slightly different tones, one in each ear, that you hear as a slow beat. A pulsing tone is one tone that gets louder and softer at a steady rate, so it works on a speaker too. This topic explains how both are built, how to read a label like “Theta · 6 Hz”, and what research has and hasn’t found.

Every article gives its sources and says how strong the evidence is, using the same three labels as the Frequency Explorer.

Articles

Binaural beats and pulsing tones ·

What Are Binaural Beats? A Plain-English Guide

A plain guide to binaural beats: how two slightly different tones make a third pulse you hear, why headphones matter, and what the research says so far.