Brainwave Frequencies The Complete Guide
Three ways to put a rhythm into a tone, a library of steady ones with no rhythm at all, five brainwave bands, 170+ presets. Every beat preset arrives with its rate and carrier tone already paired, ready to sit underneath a soundscape you build yourself.
How the frequency reaches you
Three of the formats below put a rhythm into audio — binaural, isochronic and monaural — and they differ in one respect that decides the rest: where the beat physically exists. A binaural beat exists nowhere in the air; an isochronic or monaural pulse is in the signal and a microphone would record it. That is a mechanical distinction, not a ranking. The rest hold a steady audible tone with no rhythm in it at all: the pure tones, which include the nine solfeggio numbers listed separately below, and a small set of ancient chamber resonances at 33, 63, 95 and 117 Hz.
Binaural Beats
Two slightly different tones, one per ear. The beat is constructed inside your auditory system and is not present in the air, which is why speakers destroy it.
Speakers or headphonesIsochronic Tones
A single audible tone gated on and off at a fixed rate. The pulse is physically in the signal, so it survives a speaker — and it is audible by design.
Speakers or headphonesMonaural Beats
Two tones summed before they reach your ears, so the beat exists in the air and a microphone would record it. No headphones required.
One sine, no beatPure Tones
A single sine wave held at one audible frequency. No beat, no pulse, nothing modulating. The nine solfeggio numbers, 432 Hz and the tones derived from orbital periods all sit in this category.
Inside the pure tonesSolfeggio Frequencies
174, 285, 396, 417, 528, 639, 741, 852 and 963 Hz, under a name borrowed from a medieval singing method they have no connection to.
What mental state it targets
Each band is a frequency range that dominates during a specific mental state. Pick the band that matches the state you want to reach.
Delta Waves
Deep sleep and slow-wave restoration, front-loaded into the first half of the night
4–8 HzTheta Waves
Sleep onset, REM and hard concentration — not a relaxation band
8–13 HzAlpha Waves
The rhythm that floods the back of your head with your eyes shut, and collapses the moment you open them
13–30 HzBeta Waves
Active, effortful engagement — and the one band you can have too much of
30–100 HzGamma Waves
The fastest and faintest band, and the hardest to measure without picking up the muscles of the head
How Arkhitec uses its frequency library
Every preset is a starting point for a mix you build yourself. The beat rate and the carrier tone it rides on arrive already paired — 200 Hz under binaural and monaural, 200 to 350 Hz under isochronic — so there is nothing to dial in before you start.
The 7-layer sound mixer lets you stack a frequency preset beneath rain, ocean, wind, or any soundscape you build. The Smart Mix Engine auto-balances levels so the beat can sit underneath the layer you actually want to hear. Save any combination as a custom preset and recall it with one tap.
Audience-specific preset packs (for gamers, athletes, tech workers, students, wellness practitioners, and housework) combine the right frequency category, brainwave band, and soundscape for a specific real-world context. Pick your context, and the protocol is ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
The fundamentals of brainwave frequency audio: how it works, what to choose, and what to expect.
What are brainwave frequencies?
What's the difference between binaural, isochronic, and monaural beats?
How do I choose between them?
Do I need headphones?
Are these frequencies safe?
170+ presets. One platform.
Download Arkhitec and start architecting your state.
Arkhitec is an audio tool, not a medical device, and nothing here is a substitute for professional care. If you have epilepsy or a seizure disorder, check with your doctor before using brainwave entrainment audio, and don't play sleep or deep-relaxation audio while driving.