Bilateral music production
Bilateral music, also known as bilateral music stimulation, is a form of audio stimulation that can be used for relaxation, meditation, and various other purposes such as in the use of processing strong emotions in trauma therapies.
Here’s how to get started with creating a bilateral music track:
Decide on the tempo of your track and the feel that you want, for example, do you want to create a relaxed, drifting effect for meditative purposes, or do you want to help the listener to maintain their attention?
Create a track with a beat or a sound that you can pulse. I like to use Cable Guys ‘PanShaper’ plugin to gently pan my tracks. It doesn’t have to be a percussion instrument that you pan. You can use other instruments. Just make sure that whichever instruments you pan are not competing with each other and creating confusion. You want a clear panning effect with appropriate speed for your desired effect. You do not want too many instruments being panned either. I like to create a track and then make one of the elements of that track a gently panning sound.
Fast bilateral track
Here’s an example of a fast paced bilateral track (one you would use to either energise/match a client’s nervous system activation level with/help them process a difficult emotion):
Use stereo headphones to listen: Bilateral music requires the use of stereo headphones because each ear must hear a the panning effect. You can hear this on stereo speakers on your laptop but the effect is stronger when it is in-ear.
Listen to the tracks. When you listen, make sure you are not doing anything dangerous, like driving. Obviously!
It’s important to note that the effectiveness of bilateral music in achieving specific mental states or outcomes is a subject of debate and ongoing research. While some people report benefits like relaxation and improved focus, the scientific evidence supporting these claims is not yet available for bilateral music. There IS evidence for binaural beat stimulation but this is different. Individual experiences with bilateral music can vary, and it may not be suitable for everyone. If you have specific health concerns or medical conditions, it’s advisable to consult a healthcare professional before using bilateral music or any form of brainwave entrainment music.
Need help creating your bilateral tracks?
Feel free to email me at: donna@donnabottomley.com
Here’s my website where you can see the bilateral projects I am currently working on.
I also have sample packs available for you to just drop into your music and mix in. These are tempo-synced so they should match the BPM of your project if you turn on flex time/tempo matching in your DAW.
