Are 3 colours better than 2?

[CraigT]

Yes, yes, yes, 1000 times yes!

I have found the effects provided by some of the preset sessions to be absolutely sublime, and while I haven't seen red/blue AudioStrobe sessions, you just can't create the same effects with just red/green.

Also, for those who enjoy the true open-eye ganzfeld effect, a diffuser between eyes and LEDs (a piece of 130gsm coated paper) is awesome with long, slow ramps shifting the colour through the spectrum. I'm intending to do a sunrise/sunset sequence using this method.

I am truly pleased with the Procyon!

Cheers,
Craig

[synaesthesia]

I think the whole question is very subjective. With the bright lights on the Proteus I still see all colours of the rainbow anyway .

AVS machines mainly produce a visual field of afterimages.

When all three lights are going on the procyon my visual field usually turns a light grey colour,. Given that you mix RGB=White this is not surprising. As the eyelids are strong red filters its not surprising that blue is pretty hard to see except used in Ganzfield.

That being said the Procyon has much more sophisticated controls over the waveform of the light pulses. I was initially disappointed by the move to RGB, my visuals didn't seem to have nearly the impact. But with many hours of use I've come to appreciate the subtle but noticeable complexities in my visions due to the sophisticated light controls. I don't beleive the Procyon is `the next level' because I think the use of RGB visual fields is just an exploration down a different pathway. We shouldn't forget the `horse power ' of simple flashing light.

Many of the programs are hard to pin down in the sense that I think the validity of moving away from basic discrete pulses for entrainment purposes is something that needs to be looked at more closely. At what point does 3 colour light show move from entrainment to entertainment? I would like to see more analysis and discussion of these issues and move on from whether or not someone can see all the colours of the rainbow or not.

I love my Proteus and Procyon equally now for different reasons.All my niglings aside, I think Mindplace machines are the best in the market, and as a big AVS fan , I think we are so so lucky to have machines like the Procyon and Proteus to work with . I can hardly wait for what may be around the corner !

[CraigT]

Yes, aesthetic opinion is, by its nature, subjective. It also probably wasn't all that obvious that I was drawing comparison between the results achieved using 2-colour AudioStrobe versus 3-colour sessions on the same machine.

For relaxation and meditation I entrain much more effectively to sound than light - providing the visuals don't conflict with the intent it doesn't seem to matter much whether they are 'psychoactive' or just eye candy. When I'm seeking 'altered states' I would agree fully with your statement about the raw power of light. Ganzfeld, as you suggest, is something else again.

It's been interesting to hear people speak of the brightness of the Proteus versus that of the Procyon - I certainly can't use the Procyon at full brightness without it crossing from pleasing to annoying, obviously another realm of subjectivity.

I'm new to AVS devices, but have used sound and light in many forms for quite a long time. I'm enjoying reading the experiences of others and look forward to taking 'mind control' to the next level.

Cheers,
Craig

[synaesthesia]

Craig , I find the detail of my visions is in the after images, so brighter is better and I prefer the Proteus in this respect. I use it at max brightness, and after initial discomfort the eyes adjust. There are definately some different and subtle complexities in the Procyon with a generally more wall of 3 color light approach.

Its interesting you say that you are much more effected by the sound than light. I thought entrainment was much more effective via light than sound. Perhaps try some of the programs that are more vanilla and simple flashing. This was why I asked about more discussion on the effectiveness of complex 3 colour programs where there is not much light dwell between the pulses ( in other words no obvious clearcut unified pulsing )

[CraigT]

I believe you'll find that different people respond differently to each of the senses.

Within the registered version of NeuroProgrammer there's an interesting little tool called the Sensory Modality Test.

It asks a bunch of questions about how you perceive the world and gives a score for visual, auditory and kinesthetic - I get 20%, 33.3% and 46.7% respectively. What I really need is an entrainment massager!

Since your initial comments I have played around with higher brightness settings and I would say that, for me, it depends a lot on the purpose of the session - for energising type sessions I certainly get more 'oomph' with bright lights, while for relaxation/meditation, I just can't stop actively 'looking' if the light is too bright.

My original comments on 2 versus 3 colours are now wholly superfluous - the Procyon is the only device I've used for AudioStrobe, and it simply doesn't do a good job of it. I'd like to experience a good 2-colour device to make a more valid comparison.

Cheers,
Craig

[synaesthesia]

Craig

I agree that brightness should be set to align with intended purpose: I find for visualisation that bright settings help .

The sensory modality test sounds interesting , I'll have a look.

My original comments on 2 versus 3 colours are now wholly superfluous - the Procyon is the only device I've used for AudioStrobe, and it simply doesn't do a good job of it. I'd like to experience a good 2-colour device to make a more valid comparison.

Not sure what you mean here. I haven't spent a lot of time using the Procyon with audiostrobe, but apart from dimmer LEDS I haven't noticed any fundamental difference in the audiostrobe performance between the Proeteus and Procyon. Bare in mind that Audiostrobe performance can be effected by the input signal level, so not every input device may be suitable.

Cheers, Mark.