Frequently Asked Questions

The sound the slider controls can be heard as two parts - there is a high frequency part and a lower frequency part. We have found through our studies that using two parts for a fuller sound is easier for the user to listen to for longer periods.
When you move the slider to adjust the balance of your therapy sound (left ear/right ear), you are only moving some of the higher frequency sound. The lower frequency sound stays evenly balanced in addition to some of the higher frequency sound that stays on the side not chosen.
There may be an issue where you are not able to hear the higher frequency sound as well on the chosen side (tinnitus is usually related to hearing loss at the tinnitus frequency) compared to the other side. This is absolutely normal.
Even though it sounds like you are hearing the sound in the right ear only, the affected side is reacting to the therapy as well.
It's not uncommon to have this problem after sleep. This is because the brain is generally very active during sleep. In fact there is more brain activity during sleep than there is during waking hours. This increase in activity and change in the hormonal balance in the brain can trigger the the areas in the hearing part of the brain (auditory cortex) to become more active. It is also possible that the brain starts paying more attention to the information generated in the hearing part of the brain. Regardless, it is nothing to be worried about and is normal.
Doing things to reduce your stress, e.g., exercise, meditation, etc. will help reduce the sleep-related issues as well.

If you use hearing aids during the day, then you just have to do the tinnitus match with your hearing aids on and listen to the sound files with your hearing aids on.

Our system does not deliver "notched" music which was done by a German research group. Our system is similar to Neuromonics but costs significantly less since it is delivered via the web. Our advantage over Neuromonics is that you can use your own MP3 music rather than listen to the same 4 tracks that Neuromonics has on their device.
We don't think that "notched" music will hold up long term if the study is repeated and peer reviewed by other research groups. Even the recent, high publicity study from Dallas used a stimulation at the tinnitus frequency (similar to ours) along with their electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve in rats.
You can read more about the Dallas Tinnitus Study at the link below:

Most patients get instant relief while listening to the therapy sound or the music/sound therapy mixed sound. However, for the neuroplastic changes to occur in the brain, it is generally a process of 3-6 months to get you to a point where the tinnitus sound will not be noticeable in daily activities unless you really think and concentrate hard on it.

We generally recommend that you listen to the sound therapy file or music mixed with the sound therapy file any time you hear the tinnitus. Our goal is to have the tinnitus under therapy sound any time it is bothersome. This will allow for faster improvement and reduce the emotional parts of the brain from developing connections with the parts that are producing the tinnitus sound.

The subscription includes unlimited access to the software that creates a sound therapy file based specifically on your tinnitus sound for the duration of the subscription. Many patients experience a change in the pitch of the tinnitus from time to time. This requires that the sound therapy file change because the tinnitus pitch has changed. We recommend 2 tinnitus pitch matches a week for the first 4 weeks. The sound file can be downloaded on your computer or MP3 and you can listen to it with headphones.

In addition, you get unlimited access to the music therapy part of the site for the duration of the subscription. This allows you to mix your own music with the sound therapy file. This way, you can listen to your favorite music while the sound therapy sound is working in the background.

To keep the cost down you can use your own MP3 player and headphones. If you would like us to send you one, we will do so but there is a separate charge for that. Truthfully, you can get it cheaper on your own on the web since we have to ship it for you and it will cost you a lot more.

You should set the volume of the sound therapy file to the point where you don't hear the tinnitus or just barely hear it.

Generally, we recommend that you use it every time you have annoying tinnitus for at least 10-15 minutes. If after stopping the music or sound therapy file, you still have annoying tinnitus, we recommend you continue to use it.

Go to this page and choose from one of our two membership plan options. [Click where it says, "Subscribe Now"].  Then proceed through the checkout process.

Our system does not have a series of beeps but it is customized to your type of tinnitus. The algorithm we have developed is a result of a lot of research into what type of sound works best for each individual patient with various frequencies of tinnitus.

The sound therapy sound file sounds like the sound of rain, but is completely different from white noise. Inside our sound files, certain sounds are buried that can affect the part of the brain where tinnitus is produced. You can also mix the therapy sound with any MP3 music file you want. This way you can listen to your favorite music and the therapy sound is working in the background.

It is best to do the tinnitus match (target) for the more annoying tone. That generally is the higher frequency (pitch) one. The therapy file generally works for the target frequency and other frequencies that are mathematically related to the dominant one. We have found in many of our patients that the lower frequency one tends to reduce in intensity as well after the high frequency one has subsided in intensity. But sometimes you have to make 2 separate sound therapy or music therapy files for each type of tinnitus and use each when that tinnitus is more annoying.

Currently our site supports Internet Explorer 7.0 or later, FireFox, and Safari and Chrome.

No, we recommend exclusively using AirWAVE's music therapy module for making music therapy files.

Yes, you may select multiple files when you are asked to select the source music for mixing.  The AirWAVE application will then go through and mix each mp3 file and mix it with your sound therapy file.  You can watch the progress as the name of the file being encoded will appear below the progress bars.  Note: please wait until you receive the finished pop-up dialogue box and click "ok" before moving the mixed songs to your mp3 device or manipulate the files in any way.

No, each sound and music therapy file is created for the individual for their particular tinnitus pitch, loudness, and sidedness (right or left). Using someone else's files may lead to an increased loudness.

No, the music therapy files have to be custom made through the music therapy module.

For the few patients who had this issue, the problem resolved itself after complying with the following recommendations.  Sound being too loud or the music creating too much excitement, can temporarily make the ringing louder. Therefore, it is best that you listen to the level of the sound therapy file just loud enough where you can't hear the tinnitus. When using the music therapy file, we generally recommend a softer, more relaxing type of music.  Then gradually ramp down the volume over a few minutes toward the end of the therapy session.  Do NOT abruptly stop the sound or music therapy.

The site will give you the approximate tinnitus frequency in Hertz (cycles per second).

Yes, but not in the traditional sense of receiving a cd or some other medium with software via your regular mail.  In fact, in order to streamline the cost, we do not produce any physical packaged software.  Instead, it is all delivered over a secure internet connection.  After subscribing, you will receive access to two major components.  First, an account to login to the BeyondTinnitus website.  Second, the ability to download a small, web-delivered application called AirWAVE.  Sound Therapy Files (STF) are created using the account at the BeyondTinnitus website.  Your Music Therapy Files (MTF) are created using the AirWAVE application on your local Mac or PC.

Currently, there is no limit on the number of sound files you can make.  We generally recommend that you make a new sound file every time your tinnitus changes.  At this time, you can make an unlimited number of music therapy files, however, this might most likely be limited in the near future. 

A number of our users reported complete relief from the tinnitus for several hours after using the program.  However, the therapy cannot eliminate tinnitus completely and forever. The reason is that the hearing loss that created the tinnitus is a permanent loss and cannot be fixed. The goal of the therapy is to get you to a point where you can't hear the tinnitus most of the time.  However, if at a later time you purposely try hard to listen for it, you will hear it.