I have just got the set of "Journeys Out of the Body" Hemi-Sync. The format I have them in is FLAC(Free Lossless audio codec). Will they still work if I convert them to an .mp3 to get them onto my ipod for listening, or would a .wav file be better?

Hi Targobaath. .mp3 should be fine. Try to use a high bit rate (better quality) with some good converter.

If you want to learn more about .mp3 audio quality:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3#Audio_quality

Claudio

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Thank you for the quick reply. I will get a high quality converter for it, I just was not sure. I remember when I used the ancient solfeggio for a while they suggested keeping it as a .wav file. I am looking forward to using these "hemi-sync" training wheels though. Ill post so results for those who are curious. I am sure Ill have questions as well.

As was stated, I would use a high bit rate mp3 version.

Personally, I am very sensitive to CD quality vs. Mp3, having worked in the audio quality world some. I don't know enough about the magic frequencies in hemi sync to predict whether compression will impact things or not. compression impacts high frequencies more. Binaural beats typically do their thing in a lower frequency range (they need to be audible, and it's the L to R freq diff which is interesting).

One important suggestion though. Use top quality head phones. That WILL make a difference. Don't expect reasonable results w/ ear buds.

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You see, the universe IS well designed. It is designed to have loop holes that have a low risk to reward relationship. With risk comes potential reward. And Mother Nature has known this for a long time. Why would anyone second guess her? It's by design.

Okay, Ill use my big headphones than, thank you for the tip.

DrTechnical, two questions:

1) Will using the freeware LAME mp3 codec at 224kbps provide the desired quality or would it be necessary using a more "propietary" codec?

2) Could my lack of good results with hemisync be related to my using of earphones instead of headphones?

Thanks in advance.

I am by no means an expert in audio and music compression. But at a high level, most compression schemes muck with frequency representations of the signal. They either throw away non dominant spectral components, or reduce the frequency response down to a filter based representation over small time chunks. Doesn't really matter. What it means to you the listener is reduced audio quality especially at high frequency.

Now, binaural beats are very simple. You take (for ex) a 100 Hz tone in one ear, and a 104 Hz tone in another. Your brain adds them up and gets a 4 Hz amplitude modulation. It's a clever little trick one uses to get 4 Hz into the brain, even tough the inner ear does not respond under 20 Hz.

I explain this only to explain why I can't really answer the question, without understanding the precise way hemi-sync or any BB programming does its thing. If you really used a 100 and 104 Hz tone in each respective ear, that wouldn't be an issue. But what if you use a collection of frequencies that are offset at 4 Hz L to R and they go up to 20KHz? Compression will seriously screw that signal up.

But, binaural beats are not as overpowering as say psycho active drugs. To get a result from BB's, you have to have some ability to quiet the mind, and visualize. BB's are just an aid, they are not the answer. Maybe the issue is not BB's? Maybe you expect too much from them. Maybe you need to practice the other elements more?

To your final point, I wouldn't use any sort of in the ear speaker device. They represent another layer of audio quality loss.

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You see, the universe IS well designed. It is designed to have loop holes that have a low risk to reward relationship. With risk comes potential reward. And Mother Nature has known this for a long time. Why would anyone second guess her? It's by design.

Okay, so another question has come about after a weeks worth of sessions on the "Out of Body- Hemi Sync, Condition A". For those of you not familiar with condition a it is the borderland sleep state, trying to maintain it and maintain focus on something for the duration of the exercise. Once I get it down I can move on. What I am noticing when I do it is that it is much like a hypnogogic state, but a bit more focused. The visuals are very clear as if I am seeing them with eyes open, and I get very weird feelings in my body, such as heaviness, heat, twitches and tingles. I feel like it is extremely hard to focus on one thing at a certain point my mind starts producing visuals when I lose track of my body and I dont realize my mind was trailing off until I come back. What I have been trying to do is (and correct me if I am wrong here). Is use my mantra, and focus on something visually, What I have been focusing my internal vision on is a Beautiful tree in a floating chunk of earth in a void of golden light. Focusing on seeing it, feeling is, while having the mantra reverberating through this space. Even then I still lose this and trail off into different visuals and thought patterns.

I think different people are going to answer this question differently.

Personally, I have never been able to use binaural beats to induce an OOBE. I have seen this topic discussed a gazzillion times on lucid dream based forums and few have success stories (other than the people selling CD's).

If you are getting to a state where you are getting strong visuals and a sleep paralysis, that is good. It's probably all you are going to get out of it.

Leverage this new intimacy of the mind awake body asleep state to perhaps practice WILDs, or leverage it as a tool to induce better focus in the dreamspace and a higher likelihood of identifying weird stuff and becoming lucid. I see most of Monroe's CD's as mental training tools, but very effective ones.

EDIT: to be clear, the BB's are a training tool, you don't need to use them when trying to go OOB, necessarily.

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You see, the universe IS well designed. It is designed to have loop holes that have a low risk to reward relationship. With risk comes potential reward. And Mother Nature has known this for a long time. Why would anyone second guess her? It's by design.

Alright it seems I am making progress then. The goal of "Condition A" Is to get to the sleep paralysis state. Then you move to "Condition B" and work through about 3 more, and then a reinforcement excessive. Like you said, and Tom as well they are just training tools and I am aware of that. Once I get through them all successfully its training wheels off and down the street for me.

Targobaath, I have been using the Gateway Experience Hemi Sync series for several months now. Your borderland sleep state sounds like the body asleep/mind awake state called Focus 10 in Gateway speak. I personally experience lots of hypnogogia, a very heavy body, and a percieved increase in body temperature. After this my body usually becomes very numb leaving just my mind.

It is a hard state to maintain without falling over into sleep. Someone used the analogy of balancing on a razorblade between awake and asleep. I have found that if I have a specific purpose to focus on while listening to Hemi Sync that it definitely helps. If I just passively listen I will almost always fall asleep (but a good relaxing sleep!).

I do use my mantra sometimes, especially if I feel myself slipping into sleep. That gives me something to concentrate on and keeps me on that fine line. Another thing that has worked for me recently is practicing body awareness while listening to Hemi Sync.

I got this technique from Robert Bruce's Mastering Astral Projection. You basically imagine you are brushing or touching a part of your body such as a finger or knuckle. After a while you should feel a tingling sensation. You can then move the sensation all around your body hitting each body part with your focused intent. This exercise was not supposed to be done with any BBs or HemiSync, but I like doing it in those deep states because I get more pronounced sensations and it helps keep me from falling asleep.

It sounds like you are doing everything right. It is just a hard thing to do and takes lots of practice. I have been listening to the Hemi Sync CDs daily for months and still occassionally zonk out. In some of the other threads on homemade BBs there have been discussions of putting in occassional spikes in the sound track for exactly this purpose, so it would appear to be a universal problem.

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Yhni

Targo,

Don't always think that when your mind 'trails off' into these various other thought patterns, that you're wasting your time. You will find a wealth of interest in becoming aware of those patterns and abstracts, and observing and analysing them. It is truly fascinating how these patterns occur, and most of the time, we slip into them, even in a waking PMR state, without realising it. In effect, taking them for granted. It is almost impossible to describe these things here and now, which is why you should take the opportunity when it presents itself in your meditations. I often find myself 'saying' to myself, after observing these thought patterns - "that was so weird, why was that..etc". You may find that doing this even 'rescues' your session, and you can then proceed on with whatever your conscious goal is - be it OBE, or whatever!

Arthur

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"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

Alright, so I have something to share. I have not been able to do the hemi-sync as much as I would like, but the past couple days I have. Today I was having a pretty bad day, just feeling negative. Letting my ego get in the way when it comes down to it. I decided that I would do a hemi-sync session instead of sitting around feeling bad for myself. I started the session out and had a hard time just focusing on the sound. I finally started to relax and hone in on the sound. I could change my perception of the sounds, I could get a fast wave, a slow wave, and some weird one(hard to explain). I could shift my focus on the different frequencies and possibly the 4hz in the middle? I stayed focused on it for some time, and began having what I would call the hypnogogic visions for some time. The next thing I know a mass of light forms from behind my eyes(note- I was laying in a dark room, there was no light behind my eyes before.) My body felt so amazing, had a slight and fast buzz to it and a warm feeling, it felt amazing. Once I brought my attention to my body and how amazing the sensation felt it began to fade and the light dimmed into smooth undulating waves, my body was still relaxed and feeling a bit heavy. Out of no where it ended, the entire hour session was over in what seemed like 10 minutes.

Neatoe...;)

Can you delve deeper into the amazing sensation, did it have any similarity to the buzz of THC?
Love
Bette

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Yes it was very familar. Also much like the serotonin buzz from dextromethorphan. It was a fast but subtle buzz I felt very dissosiated from my body and there was a ton of light.