White Noise
Constant power across all frequencies. Ideal for masking distracting speech.
FREQUENCY: HIGH
Binaural Beats
Two tones, one in each ear, and a third beat that only exists in your head. Headphones required.
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Sound Library
Calibrated frequencies for deep work and relaxation.
Color Noises
Continuous frequencies for auditory masking.
Brown Noise
Deep, bass-heavy rumble reminiscent of a distant waterfall or thunder.
FREQUENCY: LOW
Pink Noise
Balanced spectrum that sounds more natural to the human ear, like steady rain.
FREQUENCY: BALANCED
Red Noise
Even deeper than Brown noise, focusing heavily on the low-end spectrum.
FREQUENCY: LOW
Black Noise
Near-silence with subtle low-frequency drift. Meditative, like the sound of a quiet room at night.
FREQUENCY: NEAR SILENT
Grey Noise
Psychoacoustically equalized to sound equally loud at every frequency.
FREQUENCY: EQUALIZED
Ambient Sounds
Natural soundscapes recorded in high fidelity.
Rain
Gentle rainfall creating a natural, soothing atmosphere perfect for deep concentration.
SOURCE: RECORDED
Rain on Tent
Rainfall on a tent canvas — cozy, immersive and deeply relaxing for focused work.
SOURCE: RECORDED
Ocean Waves
Rhythmic ocean waves rolling onto shore — a timeless natural soundscape for calm focus.
SOURCE: RECORDED
Wind
Steady breeze flowing through open spaces — airy and expansive for clear thinking.
SOURCE: RECORDED
Forest Stream
A gentle brook flowing through a quiet forest — peaceful and grounding for deep work.
SOURCE: RECORDED
Meadow
Birds and insects in a sunlit meadow — warm, organic ambience for relaxed focus.
SOURCE: RECORDED
Binaural Beats
Brainwave entrainment through stereo frequency offset. Layers with any noise above.
Headphones required for binaural effect
Delta
Deep sleep and healing. Ultra-low 2 Hz beat for total relaxation.
BEAT: 2 Hz
Theta
Meditation and creativity. 6 Hz beat for deep introspection and flow.
BEAT: 6 Hz
Alpha
Calm focus and learning. 10 Hz beat for relaxed concentration.
BEAT: 10 Hz
Beta
Active thinking and energy. 14 Hz beat for alertness and problem solving.
BEAT: 14 Hz
How the illusion works
Play a 300 Hz tone in the left ear and a 310 Hz tone in the right, and neither ear receives anything pulsing. Yet most listeners hear a steady 10 Hz throb. The beat is constructed in the superior olivary complex, the first place in the auditory pathway where signals from both ears are compared, and it exists nowhere in the air.
The Prussian physicist Heinrich Wilhelm Dove described the effect in 1839. It stayed a curiosity of hearing research for well over a century before headphones made it easy for anyone to reproduce.
Headphones are not optional
Speakers destroy the effect completely. The moment both tones reach both ears through the air they combine acoustically into ordinary amplitude modulation — a physical wobble that has nothing to do with the neural process that makes binaural beats interesting. Each ear must receive exactly one tone, which means headphones or earbuds, every time.
FocusNoise renders each preset as a two-channel buffer with the two sine waves generated separately, so the stereo separation is exact for as long as you leave it playing.
What to expect, honestly
The claim usually attached to binaural beats is the frequency-following response: that brain activity gradually synchronises to the perceived beat, so a 10 Hz beat encourages a 10 Hz brain state. Some studies report measurable effects on attention and reported relaxation; others find nothing beyond expectation. It is an open question, not a settled one, and nobody should sell it to you as a treatment for anything.
What is not in dispute is that a very quiet, perfectly steady tone underneath your working audio is unobtrusive and easy to leave running. Try the presets, notice which ones you actually keep coming back to, and let that be the test.
- Delta, 2 Hz — the slowest preset, for winding down
- Theta, 6 Hz — associated with drifting, meditative states
- Alpha, 10 Hz — relaxed alertness, the usual starting point
- Beta, 14 Hz — the most alert of the four
Common questions
Do binaural beats work without headphones?
No. Each ear has to receive one tone and only one tone. Through speakers the two tones mix in the air before they reach you, which produces a plain acoustic wobble rather than the binaural effect.
Are binaural beats scientifically proven?
Not conclusively. Studies on attention and self-reported relaxation are mixed, with some positive findings and some null results. Treat them as an interesting thing to try rather than an intervention, and do not use them in place of medical advice.
How loud should they be?
Quiet. Binaural beats work best sitting just under whatever else you are playing — the default volume here is deliberately low. If the tones are the loudest thing you hear, turn them down.