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How to use it

ADHD Audio Engine

Brown noise, binaural beats and a rhythmic pulse, mixed however suits you, wrapped around a focus timer that adapts as the session runs.

By · Updated October 24, 2026

What it's for Reach for it when Your first session Getting more out of it The limits
What it's for

Why does steady sound help me focus?

Some brains settle when there's something steady underneath them. This generates that steadiness live in your browser — brown noise, binaural beats and a rhythmic pulse, mixed however suits you, wrapped around a focus timer that adapts as the session runs.

Nothing streams and nothing downloads. The audio is synthesized on your device as you listen, which is why it works with the internet off and why it never loops or gets stale.

Reach for it when

What if the room is too quiet or too busy?

You need to hold attention for a stretch and the room is either too quiet or too busy. Open-plan offices, cafés, a house with other people in it. Or when you're winding down and need something to occupy the part of your brain that starts narrating at bedtime.

Your first session

How do I start with a preset?

  1. Start with a profile, not the mixer.
    Task Activation, Deep Work or Calm Brain. The presets are tuned starting points and most people never need to leave them.
  2. Set the timer to 25 minutes for your first go.
    Long enough to know whether it helps, short enough that you'll finish.
  3. Adjust the three channels while you work, not before.
    You can't tell what's right in silence — you can tell within about two minutes of actually working.
  4. Turn the volume lower than feels right.
    This should sit underneath your attention, not compete with it. If you're noticing the audio, it's too loud.
  5. Try Adaptive mode.
    Once you've done a few sessions. It shifts the mix as your session progresses rather than holding one texture for ninety minutes.
Getting more out of it

What should I know before my first session?

Use headphones for binaural beats
The effect depends on each ear receiving a different frequency, so speakers won't deliver it.
Download the free companion guide
The ADHD Sound & Focus Protocol covers which textures suit which kind of work, which is the part that takes most people weeks to work out alone.
Give it three sessions before deciding
Sound preference for focus is genuinely individual and first impressions are unreliable.
Common questions

Is the ADHD Audio Engine free?

Yes. There is no trial, no paywall and no account, and nothing to install or download.

Do I need headphones?

For the binaural beat, yes. It only works when each ear hears its own tone. Brown noise and the rhythmic pulse work on speakers.

What does each channel do?

Brown noise is deep, rounded static that covers sudden sounds like doors, voices and notifications. The binaural beat is two slightly detuned tones, one per ear. The rhythmic pulse is a soft, slow swell that gives time a shape without a tick. You mix the three yourself, or pick Task Activation, Deep Work or Calm Brain to set the mix for you.

How does the timer work?

Pick 15, 25, 50 or 90 minutes. In Adaptive mode the beat shifts as the session runs. Minutes, sessions and day streak are tracked in your browser on your device.

Does it work offline?

Yes. Every sound is synthesized in your browser as it plays, so there is nothing to stream and nothing that stops on a bad connection.

Is there a guide to go with it?

Yes: the free ADHD Sound & Focus Protocol, 18 pages on which channel mix to use and when, three preset protocols, and the Eliminate, Mask, Accept framework.

What problem is it meant to solve?

Most focus audio is a playlist. The same four-minute track on loop stops working after twenty minutes, and every door, voice and notification pulls attention out of it. The Audio Engine generates its sound live instead, so there is no loop to wear out.

Is it a treatment for ADHD?

No. Audio supports focus. It is not a treatment for ADHD and not medical advice.

What if starting the task is the hard part?

Audio holds your attention once you are in it. UnstickMe is the companion app for the sixty seconds where beginning is the whole problem. It gives you 5 actions free, then $9.99 once, or $19 with the Emergency Toolkit.

Honest about the limits

What does the Audio Engine not do?

Free, with no account and nothing to install. Your minutes, sessions and day streak are tracked on the device you're using and don't sync anywhere.

Audio tools support focus. They are not a treatment for ADHD, and nothing here replaces talking to a doctor.

Open the app — free ↑ Back to what's inside

Sources

Independent sources on the topic. Rules, figures and guidance change, so confirm current details there. This page is general information, not medical advice.