Builder
Free · works with every courseStudy Sounds
Put on headphones, choose a mood and a session length, and study. The music is made in your browser as you listen: slow chords, a gentle melody that never repeats exactly, and a quiet wash like surf. It fades in and out and keeps playing while you move from one lesson to the next.
- You bring
- A pair of headphones and something to study
- You get
- Quiet background music that never loops the same way twice, and a timer that ends the session for you
Your workbench
Use headphones, and keep it quiet.
The beat needs a different tone in each ear, so it does nothing through speakers (the music itself still plays, and with speakers the beat is best switched off: choose “Music only, no beat”). The research on whether it helps concentration is mixed: treat it as pleasant background sound, not treatment. Do not use it while driving or operating machinery. If you have epilepsy or a similar condition, ask your doctor first.
How to use it
- Step 1
Put on headphones
A binaural beat is a slightly different tone in each ear. Through speakers the two tones blend and the effect is lost.
- Step 2
Choose a sound and a length
Calm focus for reading, deep concentration for problem questions, slow and quiet for winding down. Set the timer if you want the session to end by itself.
- Step 3
Start, then forget about it
Keep the volume low, below the level of your own thoughts. The sound carries on from lesson to lesson, and stops when the timer ends.
What it is good for
Reading a long lecture
A steady sound can cover the small noises around you so that your attention stays on the page.
Timed practice
Set 25 or 45 minutes and treat the end of the sound as the end of the session.
Winding down
A slow, quiet setting for the last half hour of the evening, with the timer set so it stops by itself.
Questions
Does it really improve concentration?
Nobody can promise that. Studies of binaural beats give mixed results: some people report that it helps them settle, and some notice nothing. Use it as pleasant background sound, and keep it only if you like it.
Why headphones?
The beat is made inside your head from a different tone in each ear. Through speakers the two tones mix in the air and there is no beat, only a steady hum.
Is it safe?
It is quiet sound, not light. Keep the volume low, do not use it while driving or operating machinery, and stop if it bothers you. If you have epilepsy or a similar condition, ask your doctor before using it.
Does it use data or send anything anywhere?
No. The tones are made in your browser as you listen. Nothing is downloaded as audio, and only your own settings (sound, volume and timer) are remembered in this browser.
Will it keep playing when I open another lesson?
Yes, as long as you move around the site without reloading the page. The small button at the bottom left of the study pages shows what is playing and the time left.
More builders
Study Sounds is a background sound for studying. It is not a medical device or a treatment, and the evidence that binaural beats improve concentration or mood is mixed. Keep the volume low, and stop using it if it causes any discomfort.