The Oster Curve was defined by Gerald Oster – one of the modern day pioneers of research into the effects of binaural beats. In his well known publication “Auditory Beats in the Brain” (Scientific American, 1973) he identified that the effectiveness of binaural beats can be optimized by presenting them to the listener at specific pitches.
For example, if one is trying to use binaural beats to entrain the brain to a frequency of 2 Hertz, the most effective pitches (or “carrier frequencies”) to achieve this are 100 Hertz or 1090 Hertz.
The Oster Curve is a graph that demonstrates the relationship between binaural beats and their optimal carrier frequencies. It is a great reference tool for anyone who wishes to maximize the effectiveness of binaural beats for brainwave entrainment.
It’s worth mentioning that binaural beats that do not conform to the Oster Curve still give rise to the frequency following effect, and are still effective. In point of fact, most of our own royalty free binaural music uses binaural beats that do not conform to the Oster Curve. The Oster Curve is simply a tool for those who wish to explore “best practice” principles with regards to their use of binaural beats.
Here is The Oster Curve:
| Optimal Carrier Frequency (Hz) | Binaural Beat Frequency (Hz) |
|---|---|
| 10 | 0.235 |
| 20 | 0.444 |
| 30 | 0.615 |
| 40 | 0.768 |
| 50 | 0.964 |
| 60 | 1.210 |
| 70 | 1.451 |
| 80 | 1.659 |
| 90 | 1.856 |
| 100 | 2.054 |
| 110 | 2.265 |
| 120 | 2.581 |
| 130 | 2.903 |
| 140 | 3.266 |
| 150 | 3.669 |
| 160 | 4.073 |
| 170 | 4.596 |
| 180 | 5.104 |
| 190 | 5.835 |
| 200 | 6.821 |
| 210 | 7.660 |
| 220 | 8.599 |
| 230 | 9.551 |
| 240 | 10.604 |
| 250 | 12.037 |
| 260 | 13.935 |
| 270 | 15.396 |
| 280 | 17.023 |
| 290 | 18.571 |
| 300 | 19.453 |
| 310 | 20.815 |
| 320 | 21.767 |
| 330 | 22.410 |
| 340 | 23.248 |
| 350 | 23.843 |
| 360 | 24.459 |
| 370 | 24.813 |
| 380 | 25.140 |
| 390 | 25.604 |
| 400 | 25.771 |
| 410 | 26.026 |
| 420 | 26.103 |
| 430 | 26.185 |
| 440 | 26.232 |
| 450 | 26.249 |
| 460 | 26.250 |
| 470 | 26.108 |
| 480 | 25.775 |
| 490 | 25.566 |
| 500 | 25.410 |
| 510 | 25.083 |
| 520 | 24.688 |
| 530 | 24.257 |
| 540 | 23.836 |
| 550 | 23.393 |
| 560 | 22.993 |
| 570 | 22.387 |
| 580 | 21.466 |
| 590 | 20.535 |
| 600 | 19.513 |
| 610 | 18.116 |
| 620 | 17.206 |
| 630 | 16.295 |
| 640 | 15.479 |
| 650 | 14.836 |
| 660 | 14.087 |
| 670 | 13.155 |
| 680 | 12.580 |
| 690 | 11.896 |
| 700 | 11.210 |
| 710 | 10.610 |
| 720 | 10.029 |
| 730 | 9.492 |
| 740 | 8.722 |
| 750 | 8.364 |
| 760 | 8.059 |
| 770 | 7.703 |
| 780 | 7.318 |
| 790 | 7.002 |
| 800 | 6.661 |
| 810 | 6.356 |
| 820 | 6.116 |
| 830 | 5.881 |
| 840 | 5.642 |
| 850 | 5.440 |
| 860 | 5.280 |
| 870 | 5.138 |
| 880 | 4.846 |
| 890 | 4.703 |
| 900 | 4.565 |
| 910 | 4.396 |
| 920 | 4.203 |
| 930 | 4.053 |
| 940 | 3.894 |
| 950 | 3.744 |
| 960 | 3.623 |
| 970 | 3.514 |
| 980 | 3.391 |
| 990 | 3.274 |
| 1000 | 3.161 |
| 1010 | 3.015 |
| 1020 | 2.855 |
| 1030 | 2.697 |
| 1040 | 2.576 |
| 1050 | 2.460 |
| 1060 | 2.347 |
| 1070 | 2.236 |
| 1080 | 2.124 |
| 1090 | 2.011 |
| 1100 | 1.896 |
| 1110 | 1.775 |
| 1120 | 1.644 |
| 1130 | 1.523 |
| 1140 | 1.428 |
| 1150 | 1.354 |
| 1160 | 1.283 |
| 1170 | 1.199 |
| 1180 | 1.109 |
| 1190 | 1.021 |
| 1200 | 0.974 |
| 1210 | 0.968 |
| 1220 | 0.924 |
| 1230 | 0.850 |
| 1240 | 0.762 |
| 1250 | 0.666 |
| 1260 | 0.575 |
| 1270 | 0.555 |
| 1280 | 0.562 |
| 1290 | 0.536 |
| 1300 | 0.498 |
| 1310 | 0.453 |
| 1320 | 0.406 |
| 1330 | 0.372 |
| 1340 | 0.370 |