What Is the 'Om Frequency' in Binaural Beats?

If you've seen "Om frequency" or "136.1Hz" attached to a binaural beats preset, it's referencing a specific, fairly popular base tone with a mystical-sounding backstory worth understanding — and separating from the actual mechanism of binaural beats.

Where the "Om frequency" claim comes from

136.1Hz is derived mathematically from the length of a tropical year — the time it takes Earth to orbit the sun — using an octave-transposition method developed by Swiss mathematician Hans Cousto, who applied similar logic to derive tones from various astronomical and natural cycles. 136.1Hz happens to be extremely close to the traditional pitch used for the "Om" chant in some yogic and meditative traditions, which is where the name comes from.

Is there anything scientifically special about it?

Not in the sense the marketing implies. The "Earth year" derivation is a real mathematical calculation, but that doesn't make the resulting frequency physiologically different from any other base tone in the same range — there's no evidence 136.1Hz produces a different effect than, say, 130Hz or 140Hz when used as the base for a binaural beat. The appeal is largely cultural and aesthetic: it has a genuinely pleasant, grounding quality that many people respond to, and a long association with meditative use, which itself can enhance the experience through expectation and ritual — a real psychological effect, just not a uniquely physical one tied to that exact number.

What actually matters if you use it

As covered in our binaural beats guide, the beat frequency (the difference between the two ears) is what determines which brainwave range you're targeting — delta, theta, alpha, and so on. The base frequency, which is where 136.1Hz comes in, mostly affects the tone's character rather than the entrainment target. So a 136.1Hz base with a 6Hz beat gives you the same theta-range targeting as a 200Hz base with a 6Hz beat — the Om frequency just changes how it sounds, not which mental state it's aiming for.

Should you use it?

If you find the tone genuinely pleasant or you value the meditative tradition behind it, there's no reason not to — it's a legitimate, well-liked choice, and enjoying the sound you're listening to is a real part of what makes any relaxation practice work. Just go in knowing the "frequency of the Earth" framing is a poetic derivation, not a scientific mechanism.

Try it

binauralbeatslive.com includes a 136.1Hz ("Om") preset alongside the standard delta-through-gamma range, free with no signup.