Notched sound · the honest picture
We built a notched-sound tool, and we want you to use it with clear eyes. So here is the real state of the science — the encouraging parts and the disappointing ones — without spin.
Treat it like a daily practice, not a cure.
Tinnitus usually centers on a particular pitch, produced in part by a patch of nerve cells that have become over-active and fire in unusual lockstep. Notched sound takes pleasant sound — music or a nature recording — and removes the narrow band of frequencies at that exact pitch. The thinking is that the cells around the notch keep firing and, through a process called lateral inhibition, gradually help quiet the over-active ones. In theory, that nudges the ringing at its source rather than simply masking it.
The approach drew attention from a 2010 study by Okamoto and colleagues, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. People who listened to their own favorite music with their tinnitus frequency notched out reported lower tinnitus loudness, and brain measurements showed reduced activity in the auditory region tuned to that frequency, compared with control conditions. A follow-up suggested the method worked better when a person's tinnitus pitch was below about 8 kHz. These results were genuinely promising, and they are why notched sound is talked about at all.
When the method was tested more rigorously, the results became much less clear. In a 2016 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 100 people listened either to notched music or to a placebo version with a randomly moving notch, two hours a day for three months. On the main measures of tinnitus distress, there was no significant difference between the real treatment and the placebo. The only signal was a small reduction in loudness at the one-month follow-up — and even that fell below the threshold researchers consider clinically meaningful.
A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis pulled the trials together and reached a sober conclusion: across the studies, there was no statistically significant improvement in tinnitus handicap after three to six months, the studies varied widely in their results, and the overall evidence was judged not yet sufficient to recommend the approach on its own. Some individual studies still show loudness benefits, and the reviewers noted the effect sizes were large enough to be worth more research — but the honest headline is that the evidence is limited and mixed, not settled.
Several things likely muddy the picture. The whole approach depends on notching the right pitch, and matching your tinnitus frequency accurately is genuinely difficult — a poor match may do little. It appears to work less well for very high-pitched tinnitus, which is hard to notch cleanly. How much and how consistently a person listens matters. And beyond all that, tinnitus simply responds differently from one person to the next, for reasons no one fully understands yet.
It is not a cure. It is not a licensed medical treatment or device, and we do not present it as one. It is not a substitute for seeing an audiologist or physician — in fact, because it hinges on an accurate pitch match and a check of your hearing, a professional is exactly who should be involved. And it is not a guarantee of anything; for many people it does nothing measurable.
Because it is low-risk, rooted in a real mechanism, costs almost nothing to try, and does help some people — and because we would rather give you an honest, gentle version of it than have you pay a lot of money elsewhere for the same idea dressed up as a miracle. We treat it as one small, patient practice among several. In the Mental Fitness model, most of the benefit comes from changing your relationship with the sound; notched listening is a complementary tool, not the centerpiece. That is why the basic tool is free — so you can try it and judge for yourself before you ever spend a cent, and always alongside professional care rather than instead of it.
Keep the volume gentle — low enough to be pleasant, never sharp. If a sound ever feels harsh or stirs the ringing up, stop; that is especially worth heeding if loud sounds bother you (a sensitivity called hyperacusis that often travels with tinnitus). This is meant to be a comfort, not an endurance test.
Use the free Tinnitus Frequency Finder to identify your pitch, then the free Personalized Sound tool to hear the concept in action — no signup, no cost.
Want to do it yourself? Here’s how to notch your own music, step by step.
If it feels worth continuing, Notch Music lets you filter your own favorite songs, entirely on your device, for a one-time price with no subscription.
No. There is no cure for tinnitus, and notched sound is not one. It may modestly help some people while doing nothing measurable for many others.
Studies that saw any effect involved consistent daily listening over weeks to months. Give it a fair, patient trial and keep expectations realistic.
The more accurate your tinnitus pitch, the better the notch is placed. Early research suggested it works better for tinnitus pitched below about 8 kHz.
Notched music is generally low-risk when kept at a comfortable volume, but it is not risk-free — some people notice a temporary increase or change in their tinnitus, so stop if a sound makes the ringing worse.
No. Notched sound should complement — not replace — comprehensive tinnitus care and professional guidance.
This page is educational and reflects the published research as of writing; it is not medical advice. Tinnitus has many causes, and what helps varies from person to person. Please talk with an audiologist or physician about your own tinnitus and hearing before starting any sound-based practice.