Digital Audio Drugs?! WTF...Seriously??

[seancostello]

Originally Posted by Entrainer

I know it's written in jest, but you do
have to be cautious if you have any
history of epilepsy.

Music utilizing this should have a similar
warning to video games and concerts using
stroboscopic lighting.

Is there any evidence that binaural beats are linked to seizures? Not trying to be snotty - most of the studies have been about whether these do induce altered EEG frequencies (the current answer seems to be no), but I haven't seen any links to studies relating rhythms and/or binaural beats to epilepsy.

If there are journal articles you or anyone else can cite, I will go to the local university library, read them, and summarize on my blog. Despite my skepticism, binaural beats are a fascinating topic. Plus, I have lots of plugin ideas related to spatial illusions, and I don't want to be inducing seizures in people with any of my upcoming work.

[crufty]

audiogenic would be your search term

[seancostello]

Originally Posted by crufty

audiogenic would be your search term

Thanks.

[mellocapp]

UAE Call To Ban Hypnotic Music As Illegal "Digital Drug" Sept. 19, 2012

Can any one confirm that this crap is legitimate? i-Doser looks like a big scam to me. I do believe certain frequencies/sound waves and patterns can affect the brain, but to be as specific as selling mp3's claiming to have the same effects as Maryjane, cocaine, acid, etc.... sounds outrageous.

[audioconsult]

Originally Posted by timbreman

Here is the news story.

Report: Teens Using Digital Drugs to Get High | Threat Level | Wired.com

And here is a link to one of the so called "Digital Audio Drugs". This is just too damn funny!
So is this seriously something electronic musicians are going to start trying to do?? Get kids high off your music! lmao

So I could easily recreate this with a triangle wave and an LFO....and then what.....I'm considered a drug dealer?? LOL

wasnt oklahoma the state that banned the tele tubbys because they might pose a danger of forcing little kids to become gay?

seems kids are well protected there.. is it in the middle of nowhere? seems to be a quite special state.. us guys please enlighten me.. is oklahoma somehow "special"?

[DeckardTrinity]

It's pretty much right smack dab in the middle of nowhere, so yeah, kind of sheltered from the more populated regions. Oh, and there was a musical written about the place a long time ago too, ayup.

[Brainchild]

It's not really special. It's just OK.

[robot gigante]

If aging new age hippies use binaural beats to supposedly gain 'altered states of consciousness,' no one cares and they consider it therapeutic, but if kids use it to 'get high' then it is a danger and must be banned.

Idiots... the hippies, the people marketing it as something that replicates the effects of drugs, the people wanting to ban it, all of them.

I dunno, I like to use binaural beats anyway in music, they sound cool.

[DesolationBlvd]

The Steve Reich piece in the Wired article felt like laughing gas.

The binaural beat pure tones seem to be doing nothing.

[Equinox]

Originally Posted by seancostello

Is there any evidence that binaural beats are linked to seizures?

People effected by epilepsy don't necessarily experience convulsions, but can experience varying degrees of impaired physical ability, brief loss of awareness, or other symptoms. Sometimes people affected by epilepsy are unaware they are experiencing seizures for years until their condition is diagnosed, which can make it difficult to fully investigate the condition. The causes of an epileptic seizure can vary wildly between sufferers as well, so determining all but the most common causes can be difficult. Having said that, alpha frequency binaural beats have been shown capable of reducing seizures among certain types of epileptics, so I would reason there's a possibility certain frequencies of binaural beats could very well cause seizures among certain types of epileptics as well. There are some hypothesis that beta frequency binaural beats may not specifically cause seizures, but may reduce the effectiveness of mechanisms for inhibiting seizures, which could also be the extent of it.