# Can you explain the Hemisync Gateway Experience in simple terms? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 5, 2004, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595 "2004-10-05T02:35:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/1 "2004-10-05T02:35:06Z")
Here’s the [site](http://www.hemi-sync.com./). From what I’ve gathered so far, this is audio that, when used in conjunction with certain reactions are the listener’s part, causes deeper relaxation than normal. I have no idea how it works and can barely understand what they’re trying to tell me on their site. Anyone have any experience with this? They ask for insane amounts of money for these CDs. What’s the deal with Hemisync? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/2 "2004-10-05T03:18:43Z")
> [@](#): > > The two hemispheres of the brain then act in unison to “hear” a third signal - the difference between the two tones. **This is not actual sound** , but an electrical signal that can only be perceived within the brain by both brain hemispheres working together. So, you’d be paying (a great deal of money) in the hopes of hearing sounds that aren’t there? I can imagine what the stuff sounds like- a high tech new age wind chime. None of the “professional and research papers” seem to be peer reviewed, and in fact seem to have been written at the behest of The Monroe Institute who just so happens to make and sell the tapes and CDs. I doubt that these things would cause any harm, and I equally doubt that they do any good. This has buyer beware written all over it. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/3 "2004-10-05T03:33:25Z")
Here’s a straightforward description of the underlying physical principles from one of the cited papers: > [@](#): > > When two pure auditory signals of similar frequency are mixed together, the phase interference between their waveforms produces a composite signal with a frequency midway between the upper and lower frequencies and an amplitude modulation that occurs with a frequency equal to the difference between the two original frequencies. For example, mixing tones of 100 Hz and 110 Hz yields a signal with a perceived frequency of 105 Hz that rises and falls in amplitude with a frequency of 10 Hz. The amplitude-modulated composite signal is called an auditory beat. > > A similar phenomenon occurs when auditory signals of similar frequency are presented separately to the left and right ear through stereo headphones. Although each ear hears only one of the frequencies, the listener perceives the middle frequency and the amplitude modulation, even though the auditory beat does not exist in physical space. This phenomenon, called a “binaural auditory beat,” and described more than 25 years ago (6), is created by the brain’s processing of the two separate auditory signals at the level of the olivary nuclei of the brainstem. It sounds interesting, but a quick and admittedly superficial (to say nothing of scientifically inexpert) look at the site makes me suspect that they are making a (money-making) mountain out of a scientific molehill. In other words, it looks to me like magnet therapy, iridology, and other junk science nonsense. But I could be mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![mr\_moonlight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@mr\_moonlight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr_moonlight)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/4 "2004-10-05T03:34:17Z")
The technology is pretty simple. You have to listen to the CDs with headphones. The sound is in stereo, with a tone in one ear that is slightly higher than the tone in the other ear. If you listen to each ear separately, you hear only a single, steady frequency. When you listen to them together, your brain constructs a frequency that is the difference of the two, which you perceive as a beating sound. The frequency of that beat is supposed to entrain the brainwaves to that frequency. The technology can supposedly be used to create states of deep meditation or of high alertness, depending on the frequencies used. I bought the equivalent tapes about 18 years ago. I didn’t devote the time and effort to using them that was probably required to get the full value from them, but they did do something to me. I was able to achieve pretty profound states of relaxation while maintaining mental alertness. I don’t think they are a surefire path to enlightenment, but they are interesting. You could probably accomplish the same thing with simple meditation, but these tapes are supposed to be somewhat of a shortcut I guess. ---
**Author:** ![SnakeSpirit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snakespirit/32/7271_2.png) [@SnakeSpirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeSpirit)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/5 "2004-10-05T03:55:02Z")
10 Hz. is right in the middle of the Alpha brainwave frequency. Listening to an electronic metronome at the same frequency induces relaxation as well, but the sound is not that pleasant. Perhaps creating it via differential, and bypassing the ears, is more pleasing, less reactive and more effective. I wouldn;'t expect to start levitating, though. ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/6 "2004-10-05T05:30:36Z")
> [@mr\_moonlight](#): > > The technology is pretty simple. You have to listen to the CDs with headphones. The sound is in stereo, with a tone in one ear that is slightly higher than the tone in the other ear. If you listen to each ear separately, you hear only a single, steady frequency. When you listen to them together, your brain constructs a frequency that is the difference of the two, which you perceive as a beating sound. The frequency of that beat is supposed to entrain the brainwaves to that frequency. The technology can supposedly be used to create states of deep meditation or of high alertness, depending on the frequencies used. > > I bought the equivalent tapes about 18 years ago. I didn’t devote the time and effort to using them that was probably required to get the full value from them, but they did do something to me. I was able to achieve pretty profound states of relaxation while maintaining mental alertness. I don’t think they are a surefire path to enlightenment, but they are interesting. You could probably accomplish the same thing with simple meditation, but these tapes are supposed to be somewhat of a shortcut I guess. I’ve read short reviews that say it produces a “buzz”-like feeling, which is pretty much all I gleaned from those reviews. However, it does make me interested in hearing these. When you say that you didn’t devote the “time and effort”, what kind of effort are we talking about here? This isn’t a simple process of listening -\> being relaxed? Is it just that you have to take time out, which is most of the effort? Thanks for the answers, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/7 "2004-10-05T10:18:40Z")
- - - I read of something that was very similar to this, in the late days of OMNI magazine. In that article, the researchers claimed some pretty amazing things–not levitating, but just about every other legendary mental power. OMNI was a fairly straight-laced offering but went in for the nut audience in its final months, I recall. … - What I remember used for the “key frequencies” was the different frequencies of sleep. And I think they didn’t use plain tones, but used amplitute modulation of white noise. You could make your own if you knew the frequencies, knew your way around some audio editing software and a function generator… 😃 - So according to this site: [http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2004/SamanthaCharles.shtml](http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2004/SamanthaCharles.shtml) …you’d want a few (?) minutes of sound dropping from 13 to 8 htz, then some longer amount of time dropping from 4Htz down to 0.5 Htz and back up, and then jump back up to 8 Htz and slowly climb to 13Htz again…? ~ ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/8 "2004-10-05T14:20:56Z")
Well, I’m borrowing some Hemisync materials from a friend. I’ll report back my findings when I figure it out. Wish me luck, and pray I don’t drink the kool aid. ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/9 "2004-10-05T15:19:02Z")
In the simplest of terms, it could be described as: Ka-CHING!!! ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/10 "2004-10-05T15:53:21Z")
Here’s a fairly involved discussion of the methodology and procedures (and prices) on a lucid dreaming site message board [Hemi-Sync -Gateway experience.](http://ld4all.com/forum/?http://www.ld4all.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1338) ---
**Author:** ![daffyduck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ec9cab/32.png) [@daffyduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daffyduck)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/11 "2004-10-05T21:26:56Z")
I’m surprised that no one has mentioned the Natural Amplitude Pacification procedure. After an hour or so of Natural Amplitude Pacification (nap) I always feel relaxed and ready to go! ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/12 "2004-10-06T04:16:26Z")
- - - Okay, a solution and another problem: I made a cheap-a$$ hemi-sink audio file, but it’s too big for me to post. I have not really tried relaxing and listening to the whole thing yet. You do get odd spatial sensations while listening at times. …It’s an hour long, the wav is 606 megs, the 56K/sec MP3 is still 24 megs. I’d need to get it down to around 4 megs to post it on my own web space. I listened to it and looked at the file waveforms and it is still perfect even at 56K, it could be ripped way lower than that (the _highest_ frequency used in it is 100 Htz) but I used Cakewalk Pyro and 56K/sec is the most-compact MP3 setting it has. … So… What other common audio formats can I convert it to at an even lower bit-rate? And what software do I need to convert/play that format?.. I got a couple Ogg Vorbis convertors off that site, they only go down to 64 and 45 Kb/sec, and I want to try going down to like _5_ Kb/sec… ~ ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/13 "2004-10-06T04:43:03Z")
- - - After I posted I thought of using a Flash file to loop short sound clips, which would be way way way smaller than 24 megs, but then you’d need to record the audio off your computer for a whole hour to put it on a CD or whatever. There’d be no way to capture it off quickly, like with a typical audio file… ~ ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/14 "2004-10-06T04:46:54Z")
> [@DougC](#): > > - > - > - After I posted I thought of using a Flash file to loop short sound clips, which would be way way way smaller than 24 megs, but then you’d need to record the audio off your computer for a whole hour to put it on a CD or whatever. There’d be no way to capture it off quickly, like with a typical audio file… > ~ You could break it up into smaller pieces if you want. Just make sure the breaks are on unimportant parts. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/15 "2004-10-06T10:31:44Z")
> [@](#): > > You could break it up into smaller pieces if you want. Just make sure the breaks are on unimportant parts. - - - Well yea, but ideally, it would be in a single audio file so you could get it all at once, and then put it on a CD quickly and easily. The Flash way would win the small-download contest easily, cause I’d only encode 30 seconds or so of each of the 10 frequencies at 56KB. - Anybody know any sites that explain how to use all the settings in LAME? I ran across Lame+RazorLame, and it goes all the way down to 8Khz–but it sounds all feathery. When the original wav is converted to MP3, the sound if each individual channel varies between 100% and zero, for no reason I can find. I tried 8 and 16Khz, both ended up with the same feathery distortion, rather like wind blowing on a microphone. ~ ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-explain-the-hemisync-gateway-experience-in-simple-terms/267595/16 "2004-10-06T11:29:52Z")
I can accomplish the same thing with my keyboard by putting on the headphones and holding two keys. I can change the frequency of the pulse by increasing or decreasing the the pitch of and the difference between the two notes. It’s especially noticeable at lower frequencies. I’ve never used it for anything other than a sound effect, though.