What are isochronic tones??
First, for those of you who are not yet familiar with how isochronic tones work, let’s take a brief look at what they do. Isochronic tones are a type of sound-based brainwave entrainment technology. Brainwave entrainment refers to the brain’s tendency to synchronize with an external rhythmic stimulus. If the stimulus has a frequency similar to the brain’s own range, the brain will tend to match it.
This is helpful because the brain produces brain waves of different frequencies, depending on your state of consciousness. For example, if you are in a slightly relaxed state, the brain will efficiently produce alpha brainwaves (in the 8-12 Hz range), while theta range (4-8 Hz) is associated with deeper trance states and dreamy dream. By listening to an isochronous recording that incorporates these frequencies, many people find it much easier to access specific states of consciousness at will, without having to spend years learning to meditate.
Isochronous tones are pulses of sound that are regularly spaced and turn on and off in a precise pattern. The frequency at which the pulses are repeated varies depending on the purpose for which they are used. Unlike binaural beats, each beat is completely separate from the next, making it easier for the brain to keep up, making isochronic tones a very efficient method of brainwave entrainment.
Choosing isochronic tones: what to look for
Although isochronic tones are not yet as widely available as binaurals, there are still plenty of places online where you can find them. If you’re having trouble deciding which ones to use, here are a few things to keep in mind when making your choice:
The tones must be audible.
Unlike binaural beats, isochronic tones must be audible to be effective. This means that they cannot be completely masked by background music, pink noise, or other sounds that are often used in brainwave entrainment recordings. It’s okay if the track has these extra sounds (and most will, as they make for a more enjoyable listening experience), just make sure you can hear the tones as well.
The tones must be ramped
This means that the frequency of the tones must change gradually for the drag to be most effective. For best results, recording should start with frequencies close to where you start (which will usually be the high beta or alpha state) and gradually work your way towards the target frequency. If you’re trying to get into the theta state, for example, you don’t want a recording that starts with theta frequency tones, as the entrainment process will probably be less effective. Instead, you should start in the high beta or alpha range, then gradually progress down.
Be careful in the delta range
While isochronic tones can be used across the entire brainwave frequency range, many people find that they don’t work as well in the delta frequency band and that at this slow speed the sound of the tones becomes quite irritating and upset. In such cases, binaural beats are often preferred. This won’t necessarily be everyone’s experience, but it’s something to keep in mind if you want to get into the delta rank.
Recommended downloads of isochronic tones
If you’re looking for high-quality isochronic meditation tracks, I recommend Brainwaves-TUS® Alpha and Theta Meditation Recordings, an Android brainwave store on Google Play.
Unlike other apps, which just resell the same old recordings under different names, or just put together some brainwave snippets, Brainwaves-TUS® is in collaboration with The Unexplainable Store, which has years of experience in creating training audios of brain waves. It is an all-in-one brainwave tuning option with the most comprehensive recordings for your Android devices.