Binaural Beats

What we sometimes perceive is not really reality.

This project explores binaural beats and the wagon-wheel effect. These two illusions will leave your brain wondering about the gray line between perception and reality.

Binaural beats are auditory illusions perceived by humans when two slightly different sine waves are listened to dichotically, i.e. simultaniously, one tone in the left ear and the other tone in the right ear. This creates an interesting effect where we perceive a third tone. For example, if you were to listen to a 432 Hz tone with your left ear and a 440 Hz tone with your right ear, your brain would perceive a "binaural beat" at 8 Hz. The perceived binaural beat corresponds to certain brain waves. The hypothesis is that listing to binaural beats for a period of time might have mind altering effects such as improving memory, focus, concentration and motivation, reducing stress and anxiety, aiding relaxation and meditation, elevating creativity etc.

The wagon-wheel effect is an optical illusion in which a spoked wheel appears to rotate differently than in reality. The wheel can appear to rotate slower than the actual rotation, to stand still or to rotate in the opposite direction of the actual rotation. Surely each of us has experienced this effect at some point, be it when looking at moving car wheels, flying helicopters or a spinning coin.

The token generates a primary frequency (left ear) between 80 Hz and 440 Hz and the binaural beat between 1 Hz and 100 Hz. The secondary frequency (right ear) results from the primary frequency + binaural beat frequency. The color hues are computed from the primary frequency and the rotation speed which induces the wagon-wheel effect depends on the secondary frequency – the higher the pitch, the faster the rotation.

There is about 2.5% chance to mint a super rare variation, which will bind the primary frequency to 432 Hz, the color hue to an exclusive red and the token style to Hexagon. If the token rarity is common it will have the standard style Circles. If the token is rare it will receive a special style: Radioactive, Florette, Diamond or Hexagon.

[Features]
Brainwave (depends on binaural beat):

• δ (Delta) (1 Hz - 3 Hz)
• θ (Theta) (4 Hz - 7 Hz)
• α (Alpha) (8 Hz - 13 Hz)
• β (Beta) (14 Hz - 30 Hz)
• γ (Gamma) (31 Hz - 35 Hz)
• γγ (High Gamma) (36 Hz - 100 Hz)
  Binaural Beat: 1 Hz - 100 Hz
  Frequency Left: 80 Hz - 440 Hz
  Frequency Right: 81 Hz - 540 Hz
  Rarity: Common, Rare, Super Rare
  Style: ⚭ (Circles), ☢ (Radioactive), ✾ (Florette), ◆ (Diamond), ⬢ (Hexagon)

[Controls]
[SPACE], tap or mouse click: Play/stop oscillators and animation
[X]: Toggle distraction-free mode
[C]ontrols: Toggle controls
[I]nfo: Show/hide token info
[V]ariation: Generate new variation
[F]ullscreen: Toggle fullscreen mode (if available)
[RIGHT_ARROW]: Increase primary and secondary frequency by 1 Hz
[LEFT_ARROW]: Decrease primary and secondary frequency by 1 Hz
[UP_ARROW]: Increase binaural beat by 1 Hz
[DOWN_ARROW]: Decrease binaural beat by 1 Hz
[R]eset: Reset token parameters

Use headphones to achieve the intended experience.

The token is mobile optimized and can be pinned to your home screen, similar to a mobile application.

[Warnings]
Epileptic trigger: This token might generate variations with rapidly flashing lights and the wagon-wheel effect which could trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy or similar conditions.

Volume: Please make sure your volume is not too high for too long.

Use at own discretion.
If you experience any discomfort or negative effects stop using this token.

[License]
See LICENSE.md

This project uses p5.js, p5.sound, Animista CSS animations and the font EB Garamond.