Drift Tones guide
Alpha, Beta, Theta, and Delta Tone Spacing
Drift Tones uses Delta, Theta, Alpha, and Beta as familiar spacing names, not as promises about your brain or body. In the app, a spacing value is simply the difference between the left and right tones. If the left channel is 200 Hz and the right channel is 210 Hz, the spacing is 10 Hz. That measurement gives the presets a useful shorthand without requiring you to think about the math every time you press play.
What spacing means
The Delta preset uses a 2 Hz difference and is labeled Slow drift. It is the softest spacing in the set, best treated as a low-intensity background when you want the least movement. Theta uses a 6 Hz difference and is labeled Unwind, which works well for casual reading, chores, or stepping away from a busy screen. Alpha uses a 10 Hz difference and is labeled Settle, the default because it feels balanced for many ordinary desk tasks. Beta uses a 16 Hz difference and is labeled Focus because the spacing is more present and noticeable.
The four presets
The base tone controls where the pair starts. A lower base tone can feel warmer or less sharp. A higher base tone can feel clearer, especially on small speakers. The spacing stays the same even when you move the base tone: 200 plus 10 becomes 210, while 240 plus 10 becomes 250.
How to choose
Choose by use case instead of chasing a perfect number. If you want a gentle background, choose Slow drift or Unwind. If you want a neutral work setting, choose Settle. If you want a more alert tone for a short focus block, choose Focus and keep the volume low.
Why the labels are limited
The names are intentionally restrained. Drift Tones does not claim that a preset changes your health, treats a condition, or guarantees a mental state. The labels are a practical interface for sound spacing. Comfort is the real test. If a setting feels annoying, fatiguing, or too intense, change it or stop.
Why the preset names are still useful
Even with careful boundaries, names are useful. “2 Hz spacing” is technically clear but not memorable. “Slow drift” is easier to choose in the moment. Drift Tones keeps both: the practical mood label and the actual spacing value. That lets you use the interface casually while still seeing what the tool is doing.
How base tone and spacing interact
The base tone is like the starting point on a ruler. The spacing is the distance from that point. If the base tone is 180 Hz and the preset is 6 Hz, the right channel becomes 186 Hz. If the base tone is 240 Hz with the same preset, the right channel becomes 246 Hz. The feeling changes because the tones are higher or lower, but the preset relationship remains the same.
A cautious vocabulary
Sound tools often attract exaggerated claims. Drift Tones avoids that. The site uses words like focus, unwind, settle, and work reset as ordinary listening contexts, not clinical outcomes. The safest and most honest way to use the presets is experimental: try a low volume, notice whether the sound is pleasant or annoying, and keep only what helps your routine.