Vision
A world where sound is measured, dosed and matched to the brain it is meant to help.
Sound as a measured therapy
From listening
to prescribing.
We convert musical sound into defined therapeutic parameters, then design tailored sound prescriptions for specific neurological disorders, with a clear dose, duration and delivery.
Most music therapy begins with how a person feels when they listen. We begin with what a specific sound does to the nervous system, and whether that effect can be measured, reproduced and prescribed.
Input · musical sound · many frequencies
Decompose · measure · map
Output · prescribed signal · e.g. 40 Hz gamma pulse
Our difference
Two patients with the same disorder should not receive music chosen by taste alone.
Music has healed for thousands of years, from the ragas of the Indian tradition to the hymns of ancient Greece. Modern science shows that sound entrains brain rhythms, shapes movement and influences sleep. We treat music as a physical signal that can be measured, decomposed and engineered.
Conventional approach
Music chosen by experience
Selection follows preference, mood and memory. Valuable for wellbeing, but hard to standardise across patients.
- Starts withHow the listener feels
- SelectionPreferred songs and genres
- DoseRarely defined
- Measured bySelf-report
MRCA approach
Sound prescribed by evidence
Selection follows the condition and the patient's neural profile. Every parameter is specified so it can be tested and reproduced.
- Starts withWhat the sound does to the brain
- SelectionFrequency, pulse rate, tempo, modulation
- DoseSession length, frequency, delivery
- Measured byEEG, gait, sleep stages, clinical scores
Vision, aim, purpose
Sound, prescribed with the precision of medicine.
Aim
To translate music into objective sound parameters and validate tailored sound prescriptions for neurological conditions.
Purpose
- Decode musical sound into frequency, rhythm, tempo, amplitude, modulation and timbre.
- Link each parameter to measurable outcomes in specific disorders.
- Design prescriptions with defined dose, duration and delivery.
- Unite neuroscience, acoustics, engineering, medicine, music and traditional knowledge.
- Share findings openly with clinicians, patients and researchers.
Evidence firstevery claim tested before it is made
Precisionsound specified and reproducible
Patient-centredtailored to the individual
Collaborationno discipline owns this question
Integritywe publish what does not work too
Research program
From signal to prescription, in six stages.
We begin where sound already shows a measurable neural effect, then build the prescription model outward.
- 01
Sound decomposition
Break music into carrier frequency, pulse rate, tempo, amplitude modulation, spectral shape, timbre and loudness.
- 02
Neural response mapping
Record how each parameter changes brain activity with EEG, MEG and fMRI, plus heart rate variability, gait and sleep.
- 03
Patient profiling
Identify each patient's neural signature: resting EEG rhythms, hearing profile and symptom pattern.
- 04
Prescription design
Match parameters to the profile with a defined dose, session length and delivery method.
- 05
Clinical testing
Pilot studies, then randomised controlled trials against active and sham sound controls.
- 06
Translation
Clinical guidelines, a prescription platform, and regulatory approval where required.
Starting research streams
| Condition | Sound approach under study | Current evidence | Why start here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkinson's disease | Rhythmic auditory cueing tuned to the patient's own gaittempo matched to cadence, steps/min | Established | Strong base to extend into personalised dosing |
| Stroke rehabilitation | Rhythmic cueing for walking and arm movementbeat rate, metronomic accent | Established | Clear outcomes and ready hospital partners |
| Alzheimer's & dementia | Gamma-rate pulsed sound, alone or with light≈ 40 Hz amplitude pulses | Early trials | High need; personalisation largely unexplored |
| Sleep disorders | Closed-loop sound timed to slow-wave sleeppink-noise bursts phase-locked to 0.5–1 Hz waves | Promising | Measurable with EEG at home |
| Tinnitus | Frequency-tailored or notched soundnotch centred on the tinnitus pitch | Mixed | Prescription is naturally individual |
Our scientific stance. Popular claims about specific healing frequencies, such as 432 Hz or solfeggio tones, and about binaural beats currently have weak or inconsistent evidence. We treat them as hypotheses to test, never as foundations.
Traditional knowledge, including the Indian raga tradition, is a rich source of hypotheses. Studying it with modern measurement is part of our work.
Global collaboration
Built with universities, hospitals and institutes worldwide.
We partner through specific joint studies, shared data standards and co-supervised research. Our goal is an International Sound Prescription Consortium contributing to one shared dataset.
Joint pilot studies
Small, well-designed studies with shared authorship.
Co-supervised PhDs
Students working across our centre and partner labs.
Visiting fellowships
Researchers and clinicians spending time at partner sites.
Shared data standard
One protocol so every partner adds to one dataset.
Institutions we aim to work with
MARCS Institute, Western Sydney UniversityAustralia
University of MelbourneAustralia
Florey Institute of NeuroscienceAustralia
Queensland Brain InstituteAustralia
Neuroscience Research AustraliaAustralia
Center for Music in the Brain, AarhusDenmark
BRAMS, MontrealCanada
University of TorontoCanada
Picower Institute, MITUnited States
Goldsmiths, University of LondonUnited Kingdom
University of HelsinkiFinland
NIMHANS, BengaluruIndia
Founder
“We do not claim cures. We measure, test and share what we learn, so that sound can take its place as a precise, evidence-based part of neurological care.”
Associate Professor Vaidya Bala
MBBS · FAFRM (RACP) · AFRACMA · FESO · IME (DHSc)
Consultant Rehabilitation and Brain Injury Physician, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District Hospitals
Conjoint Associate Professor, University of Wollongong
Founder, Music Research Centre Australia
Musical background
- More than 30 years performing Indian percussion (tabla) and jazz drumming
- Keyboard programming and composition; composer, arranger and music writer
- Certified in audio engineering; studio production and recording on Logic Pro
- Music publishing rights with APRA AMCOS; releases under the label Bala Vaidyanath
Join the founding group
Help build a new field.
Founding members will shape the Centre's research agenda, governance and first studies. We are seeking:
- Neurologist or neuroscientistClinical direction
- Audiologist or acoustic engineerSound measurement
- Signal processing or AI specialistPrescription algorithms
- Music therapistClinical practice
- Musician or composerSound design
- Clinical trials and biostatisticsStudy design
- Governance, legal and financeBoard and compliance
- Fundraising and communicationsPartnerships