Use of Ambient Background Music with Kasina Sessions

Greetings,

I was hoping to integrate ambient backgrounds (namely ThoughtSounds) with the sessions. Since the clips are usually 6 minutes long, whereas the entrainment sessions are variable in length, does the Kasina allow you to choose an MP3 clip as a background to pair with the session? And if so, will it loop the clip to fit the length of the session?

I have seen this functionality with the Mac and PC versions of iDoser (but you have to use their sessions, which do not have any encoding for visuals, and more importantly, may not reliably induce the brainwave states). I have also tried Neuroprogrammer, which works great to loop the backgrounds to their sessions (probably as they come from the same company), but I'm really hoping the Kasina could do this without requiring editing on a computer (otherwise, I fear I would have to create multiple permutations of session files just to have different background music for each). The other possible workaround could be to use the AUX input and somehow play the file in a loop on another device, but I would like to avoid this as the thought of having the extra devices and wires in a bed or worrying about them while sitting in a chair is not relaxing.

Any advice would be appreciated. It was a pleasant surprise to discover the release of the Kasina (that should hold me over until the Presage eventually comes, LOL).

If you are speaking of Thought Sounds from Transparent, the package comes with a utility called Perfect Loop. If not, you can find this program on the web.

Yes, I am aware of the Perfect Loop Software that comes with Thought Sounds. But I am trying to avoid making separate versions of audio files (that differ only by the length) on a computer, and possibly even worse, having to make separate versions of different lengths with different entrainment sessions embedded in them.

I was wondering if the new Kasina had the ability when you play a session to choose a background mp3 file to play with it, and if so, would it then loop the audio so that it will play the entire length of the session? I want to be able to switch between different backgrounds for the various sessions. AmbiScience has many apps with binaural beat sessions that you can pick the looping background music (but can't use your own mp3s). Idoser has computer software that will play and loop your own mp3s as a background while it plays the binaural beat sessions (but you can't use anyone else's binaural beat sessions). I just want to know if similar audio technology is present in the Kasina, or do I have to create custom sessions with each audio background I want to try (or connect a separate audio source that plays the looping audio file). Considering that Thought Sounds has several hundred background music files, it would be too time-consuming to create custom files for the sake of variety. Otherwise why should I upgrade from the Procyon (that I barely use because of this issue)?

I'm not sure why you would consider it an issue to create sessions the length that you desire by looping the audio and then saving that as an audio session file? You are worried about file organization or hard drive space? Or you would just like to experiment with different background audio? Or you have a protocol, meaning a certain session with specific frequencies, and you want to vary the background audio but keep the same entrainment?

Something like Thought Sounds by necessity is of a rather short length.. 6 minutes usually.. so that you can get more tracks on the disc, that is more bang for you buck, then loop it out to as long as you want. I think this a good strategy.

Much of the Kasina factory audio is 'orchestrated' meaning that the music and the lights go hand in and hand to complement each other. It is not like we just randomly picked a music track and threw some quick light track on top of it. The two operate together by design. But I can see a case where you would want to change up random audio for the sake of variety. With Transparent products and the Kasina this is easy to do, but an onboard looping with SpectraStrobe is really not the way it will be done.

Now KBS format and looping audio on the other hand will be done in an update. I can't say for sure that it will be onboard looping, but with expandable storage on an SD card, that really shouldn't be an issue.

But dear readers, if this is what is holding you back from purchasing a Kasina then you are missing out on the dozens and dozen of awesome sessions that have been programmed for you and the vast new world of audio visual entrainment that it represents. Anyone that reasonably gives the Kasina a fair chance will be busy for weeks or months.

Also, quick mention, have you tried out the playlist feature of Mind Workstation? It will do what you want I think.

Also, let me give people an insight into our thinking with the Kasina sessions. In the past up to now, music and sound has been used to 'mask' entrainment frequencies. It was meant to hide them from perception. Can you see how that also reduces their effectiveness? The two elements of 'background' audio and entrainment audio were not related.

On the Kasina, we finally had the technology to change this. Now the entrainment and the audio are the same thing. Many of the sessions on the Kasina merge these together in the composition itself. So it is not 'stamped' on. It is an integral part.

This is a vast new field of possibility using advanced synthesis and digital signal processing techniques.

Thank you for the reply, neuroasis. I have too much of a wandering mind to be able to listen to what sounds like a hovering UFO for more than a few minutes (Although I have found that having an ambient background track really helps keep my attention). This is why I was initially inquiring about adding music to the sessions, assuming that at least some of them were only binaural beats and visual signals like previous AVS models.

Now in your most recent reply, if the Kasina sessions already have an ambient audio embedded in the file, then that probably would at least temporarily alleviate my concern, as the combination would be more usable to me than just the binaurals and lights. This would be even better than adding backgrounds as I was trying to do, as it is implied that the embedded music was specifically customized to match those sessions. So if all the sessions ALREADY have music embedded in them along with the binaurals, then of course there would be no need to add a background track (and would be very difficult to change the music anyway).

Thank you for clarifying for me

Yes, that makes sense. The old ways of delivering solid tones (monaurals/binaurals) and beeping isochronic pulses did need to be masked as they are boring beyond belief. Advanced software like Transparent products made 'modulating' the audio a lot more easy and accessible. We use these techniques and software.. But... also we program synths and use audio workstations and effects to create pulses and modulation by many different techniques and on many different layers of audio. So in any given composition there might be dozens of layers of audio all delivering/reinforcing the entrainment frequencies.

Additionally, a new technique I am pioneering (to my knowledge) called EcoSync uses synthesis/resynthesis and time stretching to mold environmental sounds like crickets,frogs,etc... into controllable entrainment frequencies... not masking... the song of the crickets is the entrainment. And actually the whole landscape is aligned. Look for more releases from me in this category.

I am very glad for your question as it helps to clear up concepts that are new to some people.