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Heartbeat 02
Heartbeat 02 is the faster of the two heartbeat recordings, running about three times the rate of the other one. That turns the pulse from something sitting in the background into something urgent, and it is a little brighter and a little further out from the centre as well. Whether that is what anyone wants from a heartbeat is a fair question.
Ready to play
Stack this under rain or a fire, keep the blend, and play it with your screen off. Slo, on iOS, Android and Mac.
Faster, wider, more defined
The rate is the main difference. At three times the pace it reads as an urgent pulse rather than a slow one, and each beat separates from the background more sharply than in Heartbeat 01. It sits slightly higher too, which puts a little more of the attack where small speakers can reach it.
It is also wider, so on headphones the beats have more position. None of that makes it better. It makes it more present, which is exactly what some listeners do not want.
How to place it
Most of the file lives at the bottom of the range, so a phone speaker gives you a thin version of it and a subwoofer gives you a great deal. Check the level on the system you actually plan to use rather than trusting a first impression from a laptop.
On its own it is sparse, since the gaps between beats carry nothing. A continuous bed underneath fixes that: the Heartbeat 02 and pink noise blend in the free sound mixer fills the space without fighting for the low end. Cat Purr is the closest relative here by texture, and Old Clock the closest by rhythm.
About playing it near a baby
Heartbeat sounds are used around infants all the time, and we make no claim about what one does for a baby. We do not present this as a settling technique, and we give no volume advice for infants. That question belongs with a paediatrician or a hearing professional.
Nothing here is a medical recording and nothing about it should be read as one. It is a looped audio file in a sound library, thirty-two seconds long, repeating until you stop it.
Frequently asked questions
How does it differ from Heartbeat 01?
It runs about three times as fast, sits slightly higher, and spreads a little wider. Heartbeat 01 is the slower, darker and more centred of the pair.
Will it play properly on a phone?
Only partly. Most of the file sits below what a phone speaker can reproduce.
Can it be used with a baby?
We make no claim about that and give no volume guidance for infants. Ask a paediatrician or a hearing professional first.
How long is the loop?
Thirty-two seconds, repeating until you stop it or the sleep timer does.