Binaural Beats are a meditation aid.  They can help you reach an altered state of consciousness quicker than normal.They work by altering your brainwaves to the desired frequency by using  external tones.

A very brief overview of how they work is: If you make a tone of 100.00 hz into the left ear and then you make a tone of 107.00 hz into the right ear the result is that your brain  makes a natural tone of the difference = 7.0 hz

7.0 hz is the tone on the border of Alpha (light relaxation) and Theta (deep relaxation, hypnosis, dreams). Rather than training the mind to reach these states through training and meditation alone (which can take a long time) Binaural Beats quickens the process drastically.  You would normally listen to Binaural Beats through headphones (the ones that totally cover your ears are the best as opposed to ear buds).  Although technology is moving on and some producers now claim to have effective Binaural Beats that you listen to through your PC without the need for headphones.  Personally I have not tried these so cannot comment.  This is personal choice.

There are many different combinations of Binaural Beats on the market now days.  Straight forward Beats which when you are listening to them sound like a lightly fluctuating tone, it has been likened to a Wah, Wah, Wah noise.

Then you have the Binaural Beats which have been overlayed with other sounds such a nature sounds, or soft meditation music.  You can also get Binaural Beats, overlayed with a sound, as previously mentioned, but with hypnotic scripts to deal with specific problem areas the listener may have, i.e. confidence.  Thereby combining the two techniques.   This, I believe, is the perfect combination for specific problem areas as the beats help get you to the desired state for hypnosis, which can sometimes be a task in itself.

As some people like to work with subliminal messages, this market has also been catered for, by overlaying the beats with sounds and also subliminal messages embedded.

Each of these is a personal preference, if you do not achieve the desired state with one Binaural Beat, try another.  It is the same a most things in life, everyone is different and what works for one does not necessarily work for another.  You need to find the right mix for you.

As I said at the beginning this is a very brief overview of what Binaural Beats are and how they work.  I will be posting more information on my site about Binuaral Beats and my experiences with different kinds so keep watching.

Happy beats.