White Noise Generator
Steady white, pink or brown noise to mask distractions, help you fall asleep or settle a baby. Set a sleep timer that fades out gently, or save the noise as an MP3.
How it works
- 1Pick white, pink or brown noise and press Play.
- 2Set the volume low and, if you like, a sleep timer.
- 3Optionally download 1 to 10 minutes as an MP3 to loop elsewhere.
Why steady noise helps
Sudden sounds wake us and break concentration because they stand out from the background. A steady noise raises that background, so a door closing, traffic or a neighbour's TV stands out less. That's the whole trick, which is why the right volume is low: just loud enough to blur the sounds that bother you.
Choosing a noise color
White noise is the classic choice for masking speech, since it covers the high frequencies where consonants live. Pink noise is gentler and is often used in sleep research. Brown noise, sometimes called red noise, is the deepest and the most popular for focus and for people who find white noise harsh. You can switch colors while it plays to compare.
The sleep timer
Choose 15, 30, 60 or 90 minutes and the noise fades out slowly over the last 30 seconds, so the stop doesn't wake you. Changing the timer while it plays starts the countdown again.
Downloading the noise
The download button makes an MP3 of the selected color on your device, up to 10 minutes long. Set it to repeat in any music player, add it to a playlist, or copy it to a sound machine that plays files. A 10 minute file is about 9.6 MB.
Keep the volume sensible
For sleep, aim for about the level of quiet conversation or softer, and put the speaker across the room rather than by your pillow. Hours of loud noise every night can affect hearing over time, especially for children.