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General / About RSL

  • Ritual Sound Lab is a live sound bath and frequency wellness practice based in Portland, Oregon. We offer public sessions, corporate wellness programs, and recorded content — all built around the same principle: intentional sound, played live, for the nervous system. Science-informed. No mysticism. No prerequisites. Everyone welcome.iption text goes here

  • RSL is Brian O’Donnell — musician, audio engineer, graphic designer, and certified yoga instructor. Thirty years of creative practice distilled into one thing: making sound that actually works on the nervous system.

    LGBTQ+-owned and Portland-rooted.

  • That's up to you. We work with frequency and the nervous system — what you call the experience afterward is entirely yours. People leave calling it different things. We're fine with all of them. We just don't require any particular framework to walk in the door.

  • RSL is LGBTQ+-owned. Everyone is welcome. Always. No exceptions.

  • Portland, Oregon is home base. We travel throughout the PNW and beyond for corporate and private events. Portland-rooted. Mobile by design.

  • A few ways. RSL is led by a musician first — not a wellness practitioner who picked up a singing bowl. Every session is live and improvised, responding to the room in real time. We offer three formats including Ritual Hybrid — acoustic instruments and live electronics played simultaneously. And we lead with science, not spirituality. The experience is yours to interpret. The mechanism is ours to deliver.

Public Sessions

  • A sound bath is a live audio experience where you lie down or sit comfortably while a practitioner plays instruments around you. The sound washes over you. Your nervous system responds. No participation required. No experience needed. No right way to receive it. For a more detailed explanation, visit The Science page.

  • You arrive. You find a spot — mat, chair, floor, whatever works for your body. For 60 to 70 minutes we play. Live instruments layered in real time. We read the room and adjust. By the end you've had the full tune-up. You leave. Call it whatever fits.

  • None. No meditation experience. No yoga background. No particular belief system. No version of a wellness person required. Just show up.

  • A mat if you have one. A pillow or blanket if you run cold. Comfortable clothes — or whatever you were wearing at 6pm. We'll handle everything else.

  • That's a completely valid response. Many people do. Falling asleep isn't failure — it's your nervous system doing exactly what it needed to do. You'll still receive the benefit of the frequency even in sleep. We take it as a compliment.

  • It happens. Sound baths surface things — memories, feelings, physical sensations that were waiting for space. If something comes up, that's okay. There's no wrong response. No explanation required.

  • Absolutely. Most people do. There's nothing about this experience that requires a companion. Show up however you are.

  • RSL is a wellness experience, not a medical treatment. If you have specific health concerns — physical or mental — we encourage you to check with your healthcare provider before attending. If you're unsure whether a session is right for you, reach out before booking. We'll be straight with you.

  • Pricing varies by event and venue. Check individual session listings for current pricing. Sessions are ticketed through Eventbrite.

  • Sessions are listed on the Sessions page. Each listing links directly to ticketing. Sessions fill — reserve your spot early.

The Experience

  • In meditation you're actively doing something — focusing attention, observing thoughts, returning to breath. In a sound bath you're not doing anything. You receive. The sound does the work. It's fundamentally passive, which makes it accessible to people who struggle with traditional meditation. No technique required. No mental effort. Just show up and let the frequency do its job.

  • Most people notice something in the first session — a shift in how they feel, a depth of relaxation they haven't accessed in a while, something they can't quite name. Some people feel nothing the first time and everything the second. Some arrive so depleted that the first session is mostly their nervous system remembering what rest feels like. None of these are wrong responses. They're all data. The effects compound over time.

  • People experience sessions differently. Some fall into the deepest sleep they've had in months. Some feel emotions they didn't know were waiting. Some leave recalibrated and can't find the words for it. Some feel nothing the first time — and everything the second. Falling asleep is fine. Emotions surfacing is fine. Feeling nothing is fine too. We don't promise a specific outcome. We create the conditions. What happens next is yours.

  • It varies by person and by session. Most people report feeling a noticeable shift for hours after. Some carry it for days. The effects tend to compound with regular practice — a single session is a beginning, not a destination.

  • There's no prescription. Some people find monthly sessions sufficient. Some come more frequently during high-stress periods. Some use the YouTube sessions between live experiences to maintain the effect. Listen to your nervous system — it usually knows.

  • The moment I speak, I'm influencing your experience. I'm putting my interpretation between you and the frequency. That's not my job. My job is the sound. Yours is whatever happens next. Before and during — silence. After? I love to talk about it.

  • There's no requirement to lie still. Sit up, adjust, shift positions — whatever your body needs. The sound works regardless of how you hold yourself. There is no wrong way to receive this.

  • No — and yes, if you bring that to it. We work with frequency and the nervous system. What you call the experience afterward is entirely yours. People leave calling it different things. We're fine with all of them. We just don't require any particular framework to walk in the door.

Formats

  • Ritual Sound Lab offers three formats: Ritual Hybrid — our signature experience combining acoustic instruments and live electronics simultaneously. Ritual Electronic — pure electronic frequency work, no acoustic instruments. Ritual Traditional — acoustic only. All three are played live, tuned to 432hz, and improvised in real time.

  • Default to Hybrid. It's our signature experience and the most complete expression of what RSL does. If you have specific space constraints, no access to electricity, or a preference for purely acoustic sound — we'll talk through the right format for your situation.

  • The full RSL experience. Acoustic instruments and live electronics played together in real time — in the same room, by the same hands. The result is a frequency environment that no purely acoustic or purely electronic session can create alone. Available for public sessions and corporate.

  • Pure electronic frequency work. Analog synthesis, live processing, everything tuned to 432hz. No acoustic instruments. Precise, immersive, and completely live. Available for public sessions and specific corporate contexts.

  • Acoustic only. Traditional sound bath instruments played live — crystal bowls, gong, hang drum, chimes. No electronics. The purest expression of the form. Available on request or when location and logistics dictate.

  • No. Each has a distinct character. Hybrid is the most layered and dynamic — the full frequency spectrum. Electronic is precise and immersive — pure synthesized frequency. Traditional is warm and resonant — the acoustic instruments in their purest form. All three are live and improvised. None of them sound the same twice.

  • For corporate and private bookings — yes. We'll recommend the right format based on your space, group size, and needs. For public sessions, the format is listed on each event. Hybrid is the default for most public sessions.

  • No. Pricing is consistent across all three formats. Your time and the quality of the experience remain the same regardless of which format you choose.

Corporate

  • A live frequency session delivered directly to your team. We come to you — mobile setup, professional delivery, no AV coordination required from your side. 60-70 minutes of live sound that measurably recalibrates the nervous system. Your people leave sharper, calmer, and ready to think clearly again.

  • Most corporate wellness offerings ask your team to do something — stretch, meditate, breathe a certain way. This asks them to do nothing. Show up. The frequency does the work. No participation style required. No belief system required. No eye rolls required — though they're welcome too.

  • Chronic stress degrades decision-making, focus, and creative capacity. A 60-minute live sound session measurably reduces cortisol, activates the parasympathetic nervous system, and improves recovery from cognitive load. The ROI is a team that can actually think clearly again. For the research behind this, visit The Science page.

  • Full mobile setup — we bring everything. Format selection based on your space and group needs. 60-70 minutes of live performance tailored to your group energy. Optional pre-session science brief. Post-session integration note for participants. Travel within Portland metro included.

  • Conference rooms, lobbies, studios, outdoor spaces, event venues. If your team can fit in it comfortably, we can work with it. The only requirement for Ritual Hybrid and Electronic formats is a standard 120V power outlet. Ritual Traditional is electricity-free.

  • Good. Skeptics make the best converts. No belief system is required for this to work. The nervous system responds to frequency regardless of what the mind thinks about it. We've seen the most resistant people leave the most converted. It's one of our favorite things to witness.

  • Three angles that tend to land: "Burnout is costing us more than this session will." "The outcomes are measurable — cortisol reduction, HRV improvement, parasympathetic activation." "Our team asked for something different — and this is genuinely different." The Science page has the research to back all three.

  • Sessions start from $750 for groups of 10 or more. Pricing scales with group size. Fill out the inquiry form and we'll respond within 48 hours with availability and a quote.

  • We're reserving five Founding Partner slots for our first corporate clients in Portland. Preferred rate in exchange for a written testimonial and one warm referral introduction. Fill out the inquiry form and mention Founding Partner to learn more.

  • We recommend 2-3 weeks minimum for corporate sessions. Popular dates fill. The earlier you reach out the better.

  • Full refund if cancelled 7 or more days out. 50% refund if cancelled 3-6 days out. No refund within 48 hours.

  • Yes. Ritual Sound Lab is a licensed Oregon LLC, fully insured for public and corporate events.

Listen / Recordings

  • Ritual Frequencies is our YouTube channel — purpose-built audio sessions engineered for specific outcomes: sleep, focus, stress relief, deep rest, and binaural beat entrainment. No talking. A brief title card sets the intention. Then frequency from start to finish. A tool you reach for when you need it. Free and accessible.

  • Binaural beats occur when two slightly different frequencies are delivered to each ear through headphones. Your brain perceives a third tone and entrains to it. They're effective — and they're exclusively on our YouTube channel. They require headphones and a controlled frequency environment that live performance can't replicate. That's why they live there and not in our live sessions.

  • Headphones on for binaural beat sessions — that's essential for the mechanism to work. For other frequency sessions, speakers work fine. Eyes closed. Horizontal if possible. Let the title card set the intention and then leave it alone. Airplane mode helps.

  • Ritual Recordings is our music label — albums and singles made with the same instruments as our live sessions but composed, layered, and released as standalone music. Not a sound bath. Not frequency therapy. Ambient, electronic, experimental. For listening, for background, for the moments that don't need words. Available on Bandcamp.

  • No. Ritual Recordings is music. Composed and released as standalone works — not engineered for therapeutic outcomes. Same instruments, different intention. Think Loscil, East Forest, Robot Koch. For listening enjoyment, not nervous system recalibration.

  • Occasionally. When a session is worth keeping we make it available for download through our store. These are actual live sessions — unedited, unrepeatable, the closest thing to being in the room. Available on the RSL store when released.

  • It's a different experience entirely. The YouTube sessions are tools — engineered for specific outcomes, available on demand. A live session is responsive. It reads the room, adjusts in real time, responds to the energy of the people in it. That responsiveness is irreplaceable. If the recordings resonate, the live session is the next level.

  • Search Ritual Sound Lab on YouTube or visit the Listen page for direct links.

  • Bandcamp. Links on the Listen page.

Bookings / Logistics

  • Public sessions are listed on the Sessions page. Each listing links directly to Eventbrite for ticketing. Sessions fill — reserve your spot early.

  • Fill out the inquiry form on the Book page. Include your group size, preferred timing, and any space details. We respond within 48 hours — usually faster.

  • Same as corporate — fill out the inquiry form on the Book page and select Private Event as your inquiry type. We'll talk through format, space, and timing from there.

  • Public sessions — as soon as they're announced. They fill. Corporate and private — 2-3 weeks minimum is recommended. Popular dates go quickly.

  • Cancellation policies for public sessions are set by the ticketing platform and venue. Check the individual event listing for details.

  • Full refund if cancelled 7 or more days out. 50% refund if cancelled 3-6 days out. No refund within 48 hours of the session.

  • Yes. Private sessions are available for individuals, small groups, and special events. Fill out the inquiry form on the Book page and select Private Event.

  • Portland metro is home base — no additional travel fee. Within 30 miles: $50-100. Beyond 30 miles: custom quote. Always discuss travel before confirming a booking.

  • Ten people minimum for corporate sessions.

  • Yes. Ritual Hybrid is recommended for most situations but all three formats are available. We'll recommend the right one based on your space, group size, and needs.

  • Not currently. The best way to get first notice of new sessions is to join the list. New sessions go to subscribers first.

    email us.

  • hello@ritualsoundlab.com — we respond within 48 hours. Usually faster.

The Science

  • The honest answer: for most people, yes. The mechanism is real — intentional sound at specific frequencies measurably affects the nervous system. Cortisol reduces. Parasympathetic activity increases. Recovery from cognitive load improves. What the research doesn't support is a guaranteed outcome for every person in every session. We don't promise transformation. We create the conditions. For the full picture visit The Science page.

  • Sound bath research specifically is promising but still emerging. What the adjacent research shows is more established — music therapy, vibroacoustic therapy, and auditory beat stimulation all have documented effects on anxiety, stress, and nervous system regulation. The mechanism is real. The research is catching up to the practice. For a detailed breakdown visit The Science page and our dedicated Field Notes post on the research.

  • Sound at specific frequencies produces measurable physiological responses — changes in heart rate variability, cortisol levels, and parasympathetic nervous system activity. These are documented outcomes, not perceived ones. That said, expectation and environment do influence experience. We don't think that's a problem — it's how most effective interventions work.

  • Standard Western tuning places A above middle C at 440hz. 432hz tunes that same note eight cycles per second lower. The expansive claims around 432hz in wellness circles aren't fully supported by rigorous research. What we do know is that lower tuning produces a slightly warmer, more resonant quality in acoustic instruments. We tune to 432hz because the practice informed the decision — it feels more conducive to the experience we're creating. For the full honest answer visit The Science page.

  • Binaural beats occur when two slightly different frequencies are delivered to each ear through headphones. Your brain perceives a third tone — the difference between them — and entrains to it. Different frequency ranges produce different neurological states. They're used in our YouTube sessions only — not in live sessions, which require a different frequency environment. For more detail visit The Science page.

  • Both are available here. We lead with science — frequency, nervous system regulation, measurable outcomes. What you call the experience afterward is entirely yours. The mechanism is scientific. The meaning is personal. We don't require one framework or the other.

  • No. Ritual Sound Lab is a wellness experience, not a medical treatment. We don't claim to cure, treat, or replace professional care of any kind. If you're managing a health condition, check with your healthcare provider before attending.

  • Two places. The Science page on this site covers the mechanism, the research, and what we do and don't claim. Field Notes goes deeper on specific topics with dedicated posts.

    CTA: The Science →
    CTA: Field Notes →