If you own an Apple product you're no doubt an iTunes user. If you’ve ever used
the search function to find binaural beats in iTunes then you've probably been
overwhelmed by the amount of results returned, which probably left you wondering
whether any of the 0.99 recordings are worth buying.
It’s certainly cheap, and with albums of BBs available for under $9.99 it’s
tempting. But, there is a price to pay, so to speak, and it’s not financial.
Without wanting to cast aspersion on all the binaural beats recordings in the
marketplace, the fact is, you aren’t likely to feel the full potential of
binaural beats buying on iTunes, and here’s why.
1. Quality
The frequency waves (binaural beats) track you hear underneath a recording
relies on the frequency response process to effectively entrain the brain. When
the track is converted to mp3 format it is imperative that the conversion is
done in two ways: firstly, using a professional audio program that provides high
quality conversion, and secondly, the recording must be mastered at between 192
and 320 kbps (kilobits per second). The reasons for this are simple. Low-grade
mp3 convertors produce higher frequency loss, and a bitrate less than 160 -192
kbps to be on the safe side is too low and will produce further frequency loss.
So why is this bad?
Well the effectiveness of binaural beats lay in the preservation of the binaural
track. Its purity must be maintained and affected by EQ, coloured by other
sounds laid on top of the track (binaural), nor decreased in quality through
file compression.
2. The Multiple Compression Process
When a track is submitted to iTunes, it is usually done so via a service such as
CD Baby; a service that submits tracks to digital retailers like iTunes and
Amazon on behalf music labels. The master recording is supposed to uploaded as a
.Wav or .Aiff file, which, in either format, is a high quality uncompressed
version of the recording. However, many tracks are submitted in mp3 format at
this important stage. This is done to save time, or because the recording has
been passed from studio to the person responsible for uploading tracks via a
computer. Because a .Wav file is time consuming to send and receive, an mp3
provides a quick solution.
If a .wav or .aiff is submitted as should be the case, it is then encoded to mp3
and sent to the digital retailers, where it is encoded (compressed) again. If an
mp3 is sent in to begin with, it will again be encoded (compressed) to the
requirements of the digital distributor. So the creator compresses the track
first, it is then compressed again by the digital distributor, and then
compressed again by the digital retailer. That's a whole lot of compression!
Which, unfortunately, potentially renders the binaural beats recording useless –
because frequency levels and quality will have been lost in the process.
But Don’t iTunes and Amazon Compress at 160 kbps+?
Here’s what Apple says:
Purchased songs are encoded using MPEG-4 Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) format, a
high-quality format that rivals CD quality.
Songs purchased and downloaded from the iTunes Store are AAC Protected files and
have a bitrate of 128 kilobits per second (kbit/s).
The purchased song should sound as good as or better than a 160 kbit/s MP3 file.
Because the bit rate is lower, though, the AAC file takes less disk space than
the MP3 file.
As mentioned previously, 128 kbps isn’t recommended for binaural beats
recordings, certainly not at Ennora anyway. But don’t get me wrong, this is fine
for pop songs and such because 128 kbps is considered CD quality. Apple says the
sound should be as good as 160 kbps. Fair enough.
But here’s the thing. Looking back through the process described above; if an
mp3 is compressed at say 128 kbps, and is then re-encoded at 160 kbps, and then
again at 192 kbps, it makes no difference that the quality has been increased,
because it hasn’t, the numbers mean nothing. Your next compression (encoding) is
only as good as the master it came from. Effectively, what I am saying here is
that there should only be one process of encoding where binaural beats
recordings are concerned, and this should take place from a quality master at a
high bitrate.
3. Bedroom Beats
Carrying on from the last sentence of the last section, the term “quality
master” is also problematic where many of the recordings on iTunes and YouTube
are concerned.
There are a few open source programs available that allow amateur binaural beats
producers to generate instant binaural tracks. Without wanting to mention names
and harm the reputation of any program in particular, a few things should be
noted regarding producing BB tracks using open source software.
Firstly, the accuracy of the
programs will not be that of professional studio programs such as Logic Audio.
The free BB generators allow for limited manipulation of the track, and there
are no (generally) tools available to test the accuracy of the purported
frequencies. Professional programs require the programmer to build the binaural
track from scratch, and offer greater scope for accuracy through the use of
advanced EQ and EQ monitoring.
So if you're wondering why the plethora of
binaural beats recordings on YouTube don't make you feel the same way the tracks
you purchased from a reputable BB retailer do, the answer is probably largely
down to the majority of the tracks being bedroom produced using amateur binaural
beats generator programs.
Secondly, mastering a binaural
beats track in a bedroom without proper acoustics will produce a substandard
recording every time. All the biggest records are mixed down and mastered in an
acoustically sound studio environment to ensure quality.
Thirdly, making a binaural beats
track using a free generator, and then mastering the final track using amateur
audio software will not produce a quality final product. That’s not to say it
won’t work, but it certainly won’t be as powerful, nor pleasurable to listen to,
as it should be. It will lack warmth, quality and potency.
Lastly, buying a highly
compressed, amateur recording is really potluck. The recording won’t have gone
through the necessary testing phase to prove its effectiveness before going to
market. This testing is essential for one simple reason; if the recording
doesn’t work it shouldn’t be sold. “Why might a recording not work”? I hear you
ask. Well, occasionally the soundscape laid on top of the binaural beats track
interferes with the frequency response process. This is usually picked up and
avoided when creating the recording using frequency analysis, but on occasion it
can be missed by an engineer, and doesn’t become apparent until the testing
phase; at which point the track will be tweaked for perfection.
Phew! That’s it. I hope this post
gave you a better understanding of how the binaural beats creation process
works. If so, please share it with other brainwave entrainment fans
All Ennora binaural beats recordings are created in a professional studio
environment using professional software by professional engineers, and mastered
with minimal compression at 256 kbps.
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