Monroe institute .mp3 loose quality

[Veccolo]

Probably.

I read that MP3s, due the compression, don't really work. So either buy the CDs, or try to get *.wav files with CD-Quality for the best effect.

Higher bitrate (320 kpbs, CD-quality afaik) MP3s might work, but I'm not sure.

[ralphm]

I don't have any experience in this, I thought someone would give a technical answer by now, what I ask is: did you try them? The other thought is that since they originally used a difference in the beat between the ears maybe you do not need the highest resolution to get that. By now they may be using other things in the music, but it seems like beat frequencies should not need the highest resolution.

[LogoRat]

Having those on mp3 will not affect its functions.
Sure, mp3 compress so that it removes some low frequencies.

But Binaural beats work on like 150-400Hz in each ear.
The function of Binauralbeats or hemisync is to create a 3rd tone.
playing 200Hz in left ear and 205Hz in right ear will create a 3rd tone inside your brain that is 5Hz.
The actual 5Hz tone is created by the brain.

[astralspinner]

Look at it this way:

The Monroe Institute, who make their money by selling recordings of binaural sounds, say that MP3ing them stops them working.

BWGen, who make their money selling software that allows you to create your own binaural sounds for free, say that MP3s work just as well as .wavs

Out of those two conflicting reports, who do you think is most likely to be telling the truth?

[Akensai]

quote:Originally posted by astralspinner

Look at it this way:

The Monroe Institute, who make their money by selling recordings of binaural sounds, say that MP3ing them stops them working.

BWGen, who make their money selling software that allows you to create your own binaural sounds for free, say that MP3s work just as well as .wavs

Out of those two conflicting reports, who do you think is most likely to be telling the truth?

The truth is probably in the middle.

[Veccolo]

Maybe it has to do with how the mp3 is encoded. Specific encoding settings might destroy the important frequencies, and other specific settings might not.

edit:

from bwgen.com faq:

"MP3 compression works by removing high-frequency components from the sound. Binaural beats are based on two slightly different tones that get mixed inside your brain. The tones can be, for example, 400 Hz and 410 Hz. When these are mixed together, the result is a 10 Hz binaural beat. Thus, there are no high-frequency components present, and MP3 compression has no degrading effect on the output. As long as the compression is applied to both left and right channels independently (i.e. compression does not mix them together), MP3 compression can be used on binaural beats without problem"

[LogoRat]

Monroe Institute has some great stuff, but they are very much into keeping a business and earning money, so ofcorse they say that mp3:ing them will not work.
They just dont want it to be dropped inside the trading scene.

[Veccolo]

Indeed.

[upstream]

What TMI do is to ensure a comforting mental environment for learning all those astral stuffs. They use peaceful noises and a smartly spaced verbal guidence that gives a structure for the excercises. Monroe's suggestions form a hypnosis like session that is unobstrusively powered by binaural stimulation, which is, I think, serves only as a secondary or terciary help.

If you want to enjoy the full benefits of your ILLEGAL COPIES make sure that the files are coded in two separate channel (marked as 'Stereo' or '2 Channel' in the ID3 tag of the .mp3 file). 'Joint stereo' is useless for transmitting binaural stimulation.

[Hannah b]

hi,
I've been using both original cds and mp3. From my exprience the sensations are exactly the same. Upstream is right..the cds have to be stereo, as for thats what hemi-sync is about..(it's quite easy to check..you should be hearning Mr. Monroe in your RIGHt ear only..)

[LogoRat]

I agree with upstream about the "'Joint stereo' thingy, that really mess things up.

[wesley_robin]

Hi,i have some monroe stuff in .mp3 bit rate :128kpbs and some with 160:kpbs

Someone could tell me if they loose quality and their efect?

[jr_]

I agree with upstream about the "'Joint stereo' thingy, that really mess things up.

BTW I think this should be mentioned in a FAQ or something, it's pretty important. Whether you download mp3 files or make them yourself. I've some across a lot of material with joint encoding, for example on P2P networks. I suspect many binaural users aren't aware of this.

[Orion_88]

Hi,

It is good to know about how the hemi-sync  .mp3 files are encoded makes a difference.  I have found a lot of good info about astral projection in this forum.

Keep up the good work!

[upstream]

Unfortunately, mp3 files sometimes have an incorrect ID3 tag and files marked as 'joint stereo' are actually coded in 'stereo' or vice versa. Anyway, I don't think that APF supports piracy. I do, however, so if you're a little adventurous you can check your files for yourself. I advice you to use GoldWave for this. Download it from goldwave.com. If you like download crack too, but it isn't necessary.

First, create a new stereo sound (ctrl+N) in GW with the sampling rate of 1500Hz, the length is doesn't matter. Press F11 to see the proprieties of the control panel and on the the record tab mark the check box for 'monitor input.' On the 'volume' tab select 'stereo mix' and pop up the volume to the max.

Put the control panel in full-screen mode. Now you should see two rectangular box that represent the two channel of the audio. You should do the followings with both of these boxes. First right click on them, then select 'spectrum' (later you may want to use 'spectrogram' too) then right click again and select 'proprieties.' On the proprieties tab select 'fixed frequency range' and enable axis. Then set the frequency range from 0Hz to 250Hz, for example.

Now start to play the mp3 file in WinAmp then use alt+tab to switch back to GW. You see the spectrum of the audio in the 0 to 250 Hz range, both on left and right channel at the same time. You should see peaks at around 50Hz, 100Hz and/or 200Hz. These are typical carrier frequencies of binaural frequencies that TMI uses.

> If the file is encoded in stereo the two peaks on the two channel have to be slightly displaced. If you're not sure about this set the frequency range narrow. The displacement in Hz is the frequency of the carried binaural stimulus at that given carrier frequency (for example 50, 100, 200).

> If the file encoded in 'joint stereo' you see double peaks at each channel.

hope this helps,
>>> upstream

[extra1z]

Someone has done an empirical inquiry into this question:

1) This site shows that mp3 encoding does not affect binaural beat quality, even if its encoded in joint stereo:

http://www.geocities.com/thiwankaw/articles/binaural_beats_and_mp3.html

2) A more recent article by the same author argues that joint stereo does affect binaural beat quality (which contradicts the article above):

http://www.geocities.com/thiwankaw/articles/joint_stereo.html

I've e-mailed the author to see if he has an opinion on this discrepancy, but the e-mail address doesn't work.

I think the moral of the story is that if you're going to encode your own binaural beats, encode it in normal stereo, just to be safe. If you've downloaded a joint stereo binaural beat mp3, I would analyze it myself using CoolEdit or GoldenWave, etc. to make sure the frequencies are correct.

Are there any technically-inclined members of the community that want to do a couple of tests with joint stereo binaural beat mp3s to settle this question once and for all? I can provide some test mp3s if anyone needs them. extra1z{at}yahoo<dot>com...

[jr_]

Slightly off topic, but has anyone tried Mind Tek's X-mind series? Link. They promise some heavy effects. Would be nice to see these tracks analyzed.

[David Warner]

what if you were to encode the mp3 at the highest bit rate possible at 320 then your standard 128 bit rate?

tvos

[bambuda]

--In response to upstream's comments about using Goldwave, to tell if an mp3 track is in Stereo or Joint Stereo. --I found that there are many downloadable mp3 tracks that have the "joint stereo" ID3 tag, but yet in a wave editor (--Ihave a Mac, so am using Bias Peak--) they show two distinctly offset tracks. They seem to be stereo.
Still, the quality of the binaural beat produced might remain in question. Will try some of the TMI CD's which I have and compare to some mp3's, as I have the energy to do so.