Deep Delta Review – Brainwave Meditation from iAwake
Deep Delta is a newer installment from iAwake, a company with whom we have been very impressed. As the name suggests, it is a brainwave meditation track focused on the delta waves, which are a slower, deeper brainwave we experience during dreamless sleep.
I first put on the track with the intention of giving it a quick glance, just to see the quality, what the particular sounds were and so on. I actually ended up having a really great session (though cut a bit short,) and decided to put this review down immediately.
note: after my second full session with this, it’s really quite a track
First a few stats.
Length: 40 minutes
Brainwave: Delta 4hz and 2hz. Track starts directly at delta (does not work up from alpha or similar)
Sounds: Digital music
Technology: Well this is interesting, I was expecting to see ‘binaural beats’ or one of the usual suspects, but this has to do with the music track itself. This makes a lot of sense to me now, as there were some unique things about the experience.
If you’d prefer to jump right in:
Listen To a 5 Minute Demo of the Track Here
Or continue with the full review:
My First Session With Deep Delta
For a delta brain wave track, I immediately noticed how ‘calm’ the track was. If you have experience with deeper brainwave tracks, you know that there can sometimes be a very obvious pulsating in the track. This can be almost assaulting sometimes, or at least make it very clear to you: you’re about to be launched into something.
Because of this, my first impulse was that this might be a track that eases its way through different frequency levels, but I was not experiencing that.
I could feel some effects pretty quickly, but there was a different quality to this one. It was a bit more subtle, organic… somewhat difficult to describe this. Whereas some tracks can feel like they are enforcing something upon you, this felt like it was working from the inside out.
There was a gentleness to it that I was not expecting from a delta track, and I was feeling some surges of energy.
A big part of why I expected this first listen to be nothing more than a quick preview is that I was so tired at the time. I expected the track to more or less knock me out right away, which in my current state, any still activity could do- particularly with deep brainwaves in the equation.
On the contrary, the non-forceful but energizing effect was actually quite rejuvenating, and inspired me to stay with it. This is one of the things that is hypothetically supposed to be a perk of such frequencies during meditation: some of benefits and effects of deeper sleep states without going through several hours of sleep (note: do NOT try to use this as a substitute for healthy sleep patterns!)
Bear in mind, I have a lot of experience meditating, as well as doing pretty deep types of inner work, either alone, with teachers, with tracks and without. It is possible this could be more sleep inducing to a newbie but I am not sure about this yet. I am however an excellent barometer for whether or not a track is actually contributing something to the session, and there was no doubt about it here.
update: On my 2nd full session with the track, this sustained energizing effect is really something else. It is very visceral but gentle at the same time. I would liken it to the ‘high’ from a good yoga class or run. I can’t guarantee how anyone else will respond, but this is definitely proving consistent and powerful.
The Unique Way This Deep Delta Track Works
As I said, there were some very unique characteristics to this audio from others I am experienced with. Upon looking at the details iAwake has on their official page for the track, it is clear why.
Rather than using binaural beats, isochronic tones, or some of the other proprietary tech that iAwake uses (that I don’t really understand), this track creates its effect primarily through the music itself.
We are talking about the actual pitches, timbres, their relationships, and how everything is mixed. It is specifically designed to have an entrainment effect at these particular frequencies.
The site describes it as the frequencies of the notes combining to deliver “heterodyne (monoaural) and binaural beats in the delta range of brainwaves.”
If you have any experience with musical instruments, playing two tones simultaneously will create a certain ‘wave’ between them that you can actually feel pulsating. More dissonant intervals vibrate at a faster speed, while consonant intervals are slower if not almost non-existent with this effect.
I am assuming this is what is specifically tailored here to create the effect it does. The most important thing though, is that it has a definitive effect, one that is very interesting and subtle in its delivery.
The Delta Brainwave Music
I am usually more of a fan of natural sounds, or acoustic instruments a little more sparse, for meditation music (if there is going to be any at all).
I wasn’t initially ecstatic to hear the analog style synthesizer sound used in the track, especially in the lead melody voice as this has a way of really grabbing my ear. It was not really the choice of sounds I was expecting. This thought dissolved pretty quickly as the session went on.
However, especially now that I understand that the tones themselves are creating the brainwave effect, the choice of sounds is absolutely essential. You need patches that can sustain the pitch frequencies and hold them without fading out and shifting the way acoustic sounds will do by nature.
This is very cool the more I think about it, and I’m glad I didn’t know going into it before reviewing that this was the case. It allowed me to be more objective about the noticeably different and positive effect this had, without expecting it to be so or planting any seeds in my brain beforehand.
There is a simple chordal pattern that repeats, but at just the right time for me, shifts into some variations. As things continue, there are added layers of lusher, softer sounding harmonies filling the space.
Things progress, losing the melody voice and emphasizing just the more lush harmony, and this continues to evolve in a way that was pretty much what I wanted to happen as it did. It seems special attention was taken to make sure variations come in at the right time, though subtly, and in an effective direction (meaning more, or less, activity.) Really pleasing choices of intervals, sonic timbres and shifts of volume.
Of course, now that I realize what was happening, these effects are almost certainly shaping the brainwave journey as well.
Benefits of Delta Wave Meditation
There are several claimed benefits of delta brainwaves, and since we at least can agree that getting deep sleep does a lot of good things for us, it is logical that meditation at this frequency can do good things. Let’s take a look at a few of the specific claims from the sales page.
Relaxation – Definitely agree with this one. As I said, sometimes these tracks can be a bit agitating, at least in the beginning. Not at all the case for me here. Interestingly it was both relaxing and energizing, it did not knock me out, even in my tired state.
Altered States of Consciousness – This will mean different things to different people. I am absolutely in a unique state, both in terms of imagery, what I am experiencing and how I relate to it, when held in this space.
Expand your mind – My experience is undeniable in terms of getting access to different perspectives, insights and expanded awareness during brainwave meditation at this frequency.
Supports your experience – This was definitely the case with this track. Nothing distracting or jarring, a great progression, all designed very well to help keep the experience going and enhancing it. Support really is the right word here. It brings you deeper in a way that feels natural, not pushed or forced.
Sample Deep Delta
iAwake did the right thing by letting you hear a demo of the track, which I think is important before spending money on a meditation product. We all have particular tastes especially with sounds.
