White noise generator
Choose white, pink or brown noise, set a comfortable volume and press Play. The sound is generated in your browser and loops without a break. Set a timer if you want it to fade out on its own while you fall asleep.
Runs in your browser: nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Pick White, Pink or Brown.
- Set the Volume low, press Play, and raise it until the noise covers the sounds you want to hide.
- Choose Stop after to set a timer from 15 minutes to 8 hours. The time left is shown beside it.
- Press Stop at any time. The sound fades out instead of cutting off.
How the noise is made
White noise is random samples between −1 and 1. Pink noise passes white noise through Paul Kellet’s filter, six one-pole low-pass stages added together, which tilts the spectrum down by about 3 dB per octave. Brown noise is a running total of small random steps, which tilts it down by 6 dB per octave. A ten-second stereo loop is created for each color when you first select it, with a one-second crossfade so the loop point is not heard. The left and right channels are generated separately, so the sound feels wide.
Worked example
A 30-minute timer ends 1,800 seconds after you press Play and shows 30:00 at the start. After 12 minutes and 55 seconds it shows 17:05.
Tips
- Keep the volume at a level where you could still hold a conversation.
- On a phone, keep the page open; some browsers stop audio when the screen locks.
- Try pink or brown first if white noise sounds harsh.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between white, pink and brown noise?
White noise has equal energy at every frequency, so it sounds bright, like a hiss. Pink noise falls by 3 dB per octave, which makes it sound more even to the ear, like steady rain. Brown noise falls by 6 dB per octave and sounds deep, like a waterfall or distant thunder.
Will it help me sleep or focus?
Many people find steady noise useful for covering sudden sounds such as traffic or voices. How well it works differs from person to person, and this tool makes no health claims. Keep the volume low enough to talk over.
Does the sound repeat?
Each color is a stereo loop of ten seconds, generated fresh every time you open the tool, with the ends blended so there is no click at the seam. In practice a steady noise loop is not noticeable.
What happens when the timer ends?
The sound fades out over about a second and a half and stops, and the browser then releases the audio. You can change the timer while playing, which restarts the countdown.