Sound Light Machines

Important: If you suffer from epilepsy or or otherwise affected by flashing lights or rhythmic sound do NOT use a sound light machine without consulting your doctor.

Sound / Light machines have been around for some years. Many claims are made for them, they're sometimes even referred to as mind machines.

Sound Light Machines are essentially used to create an "altered state of consciousness". That doesn't necessarily mean anything weird, it could simply mean extreme relaxation. Sound and light machines are sometimes used to enhance lucid dreaming, meditation and even learning. They're also used to unwind and/or refresh.

I remember buying one of the early units on the market, a crude frame wih two LEDs and an irritating buzz! Technology has moved on a lot since then and modern sound light machines are far more sophisticated.

What Are Sound Light Machines?

The sound light machines on the market today consist essentially of three parts:

Eye Shade
A light plastic shade is worn over the eyes. This contains one or more LEDs positioned over each eye which flash during use. Cheaper sound-light machines usually have only one LED per eye or multiple LEDs of the same colour. More advanced (and more expensive) units have multiple LEDs of different colours. In some cases the lights for each eye can pulse independently.
Sound Source
The sound to accompany the flashing lights is usually a series of pulses generated by the machine and listened to via headphones. Depending on the sohpistication of the unit there will be different ranges of sound and tempo. Some machines can be connected to an external audio source and will synchronise the light show with that.
Controller
The controller is the heart of the sound light machine, allowing you to select different programmes and options. Its job is to control the flashing LEDs and either synchronise them to the music or provide synchronised sound pulses. The controller is usually a separate unit, on some products it is built into the eye shade.

How Does a Sound Light Machine Work?

The theory behind a sound-light machine is that is synchronises with and adjusts the rate of your mind and body functions. The more sophisticated units use a multi-phase approach in an attempt to match then lead your brainwaves. This is sometimes called the frequency following response.

When you first use the unit you might be surprised at how many different colours you "see". It seems that the brain is good at generating impressions that, from a strict optical perspective, cannot be there. If using an advanced machine you might be surprised by the number of different visual experiences that can be produced by a few LEDs!

Accompanying the light will be sound. Assuming you are not using music synchronisation then this will be a series of rhythmic pulses, possibly binaural.

Just let yourself drift off, relax and enjoy. I've bought several light sound machines over the years. My current unit is the excellent Proteus. Although it has a multitude of programs I've found that there are only half a dozen I use on a regular basis. Some of these produce some of the deepest relaxation I've ever experienced. As of yet though I don't seem to have developed any psychic powers!

As with all these things, what matters is whether or not it works for you. The only way you'll know that is to try it for yourself.