The Performance Bottleneck and how Audicin can help
I spent much of my 15+ years of academic training studying the working memory system. That work shaped how I think about the potential of human performance. It has also shaped my understanding of how Audicin can help optimise performance in high-demand contexts. And Audicin has a trick up its sleeve for when sound is not an option at the time of performance. Read on to find out more.
What is working memory ?
Working memory is basically the toolkit of the brain, your ability to hold information and process it online. In other words, your working memory capacity is the mental capacity you have at your fingertips at any one moment and as such it determines how well you perform in real time and in particular your ability to juggle complex demands.
Working memory governs your decision quality under pressure and it naturally limits execution when demands rise. When your working memory struggles, performance becomes inconsistent. It is true anywhere stakes are high, but especially for poeple like elite athletes or those working in defense.
Here is how Audicin can help optimise working memory , thereby making high performance easier and more effective.
Research Breakthrough
A 2026 peer-reviewed paper in Behavioral Sciences from a top audio science team examined the impact of inaudible binaural beats on working memory.
The paper found that working memory can be enhanced through specific binaural beat stimulation (10Hz, or alpha level).
Participants showed higher accuracy and faster reaction times with BB stimulation than without.
This positive impact did not require conscious effort and it did not distract from the job at hand. Performance improved without added cognitive load.
Speaking from my scientific background in working memory research, this matters. It reinforces what decades of cognitive science have shown, that working memory is not a fixed number or amount. Small changes in capacity, following the right kind of environment (in this case sound), can produce meaningful changes in performance.
Why Working Memory Is the Lever
Working memory is the system that integrates your perception, decision, and action in the conscious moment. Because it exists at the sharp end of your cognitive ability, it is fragile and is one of the systems that suffers first under stress and fatigue.
In athletes, working memory supports spatial awareness and execution timing. When it degrades, errors increase even when skill remains intact.
In defense environments, working memory supports threat recognition and adaptive response. Under stress, it constrains performance before motivation or training does.
If you want to support performance, you must support working memory.
Why Audicin Matters
Audicin was built around this understanding of cognitive science and neuroscience and was designed to support working memory without adding effort.
But more than this, it was developed to aid you before performance or during performance, whatever is easier for you/ fits your routine. This is the trick up Audicin's sleeve.
Audicin was crafted to fit into real schedules rather than disrupt them, by working in the background of daily routines, quietly optimising them. This means you can still get the benefits of binaural beats when you are not able to listen to anything during the performance itself (like most athletes, for example) - by using them during preparation.
Research from the new paper above confirms this point. The scientists found that timing of binaural beat listening (before vs. during task performance) did not significantly alter the overall positive effect.
Audicin does not ask users to try harder when they may be already at their limit. Neither does it require new habits under stress. It works alongside the brain systems that determine readiness, and therefore can support working memory both before and during performance.
Audicin Journeys That Support Working Memory
You might be the kind of person who likes to listen to sound before a task to prepare or the kind of person who prefers to listen during your task (or both!). In either case we have got you covered.
Here are a selection of our Journeys that use the same binaural beat band as the new paper.
Journeys to Use Before Performance
1. Recharge (22 mins)
2. Prepare for Presentation (43 mins)
3. Stimulate My Mind (132 mins)
Journeys to Use During Performance
1. Feel Strong (45 mins)
2. Work with the Flow (64 mins)
3. Ultimate Work Drive (137 mins)
These journeys reflect the spirit of the working memory research that went into Audicin’s development. They support readiness before demand and performance focus in heat of the moment.
Takeaway for Today
Working memory drives and limits performance execution. If you support your working memory with the right kind of sound, your performance can increase to its maximum potential.
Audicin is there for you to support your working memory system when it matters most. Boosting the working mind at a time that works for you, either before or during performance (or both!). By using Audicin you are also building resilience by supporting recovery from heavy working memory use.
Your working memory is your mind's toolkit - take care of it and it will take care of you.