SONOR

The science · Brain waves

Beta, explained

Beta covers roughly 13 to 30 Hz. Clinical EEG records it over the front and center of the head in people who are awake. Here is what researchers have measured with beta-rate sound, and what Sonor does with the band.

What the research says

The clinical EEG glossary defines beta as 14 to 30 Hz and describes it as most characteristic over the fronto-central regions during wakefulness (Kane et al. 2017). Sonor starts beta at 13 Hz.

A 2023 systematic review of 14 EEG studies found no study that reported a beta power increase specific to beta-range binaural beats (Ingendoh et al. 2023). Targeted studies agree: a 20 Hz beat in 22 people produced no frequency-following effect (Vernon et al. 2014), and a 16 Hz beat in 31 people produced no difference in vigilance or cortical power compared with white noise (Goodin et al. 2012).

In a 1998 study of 29 people on a 30-minute vigilance task, beta-range beats (16 and 24 Hz) in pink noise were followed by more correct detections and less negative mood than slower beats (1.5 and 4 Hz). That compares two beat conditions, not beats against no beats (Lane et al. 1998). A 2022 set of three experiments with 16 Hz beats during a sustained-attention task reported "rather strong evidence against" an attention effect (Robison et al. 2022).

Two meta-analyses of binaural beats across all bands report medium average effects on memory and attention tasks, with results that vary widely between studies (Garcia-Argibay et al. 2019; Basu and Banerjee 2023). Neither gives a beta-only estimate, so they are not evidence about Sonor's beta setting.

Overall, the evidence is weak and mixed. We make no claim about what beta tones do for you.

How Sonor uses it

Sonor's beta range pulses the tone from 13 up to, but not including, 30 times a second. The picker offers 14, 20 and 25 Hz. The pulse plays continuously, quietly under music or ambient sound. It is not timed to your own brain waves.

This isn't medical advice. Pulsing audio can affect people with epilepsy or a seizure disorder, so check with a doctor before using it if that applies to you.

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