Neural Effect Filter

Currently, the Neural Effect Filter is live on our mobile apps. 

What is Neural Effect Level?

• Brain.fm's core technology is adding modulation to music that impacts the brain.
• This can be heard as a thrumming sound in the music, at different speeds depending on the mental state (e.g., 'ocean wave speed' = delta = sleep, 'helicopter speed' = beta = focus).
• How much modulation is added corresponds to how loud the thrumming is.
• At Brain.fm we call this the neural effect level because heavier modulation affects the brain more, all else being equal.
• But that doesnt mean more is better for everyone!
• Different brains have different needs; experiment to find what is best for you!

What is Brightness of Sound?

• Brightness is the amount of treble vs bass in the music.
• Examples of bright instruments are cymbals and bells, snare drum, trumpets, and so on.
• But all music can be made brighter or darker by EQing (like in your car or media player)
• Brightness is distracting but exciting! Pop music is often very bright.
• If you need more energy and stimulation, pick a brighter track.

What is Musical Complexity?

• Complexity is the amount of activity in the music—how many instruments hitting how many notes. How 'busy' is the music?
• Complexity (like brightness) is distracting but exciting!
  • Jazz and Pop are distracting and exciting in different ways: Jazz because there's a lot of complicated stuff going on, and Pop because the sounds are shiny and punchy. This is complexity vs brightness.
• If you are easily distracted by music, lower complexity is for you.

The NEL/Bright/Complex score doesn't make sense! (doesn't work, etc)

Music changes over time, so to give each track a single score we had to use measurements taken from intros (0-30s) only. This means you'll be able to hear the difference if you skip through tracks, but if you stick with a track, later in the track the NEL might shift beyond what the score says it should be.

Can I filter by brightness or complexity?

Not yet, but we hope to introduce this feature soon! For now, if you find a song with good brightness or complexity for you, filter for that song's genre since tracks within a genre are often similar in this way.

Currently, Neural Effect Level options are only active in: