White Noise Generator
Play steady white, pink or brown noise to mask background chatter while you read or write. The sound is made in your browser as you listen, with a volume control, a softness control and a timer that fades the noise out. Nothing plays until you press Play. Free, no sign-up.
Noise player
Energy falls as pitch rises, so it is softer than white — close to steady rain or wind.
Stopped
Nothing plays until you press Play. Start with the volume low.
Turn it up to take the edge off white and pink noise.
The sound fades out over the last few seconds, so it never cuts off abruptly.
Keep the volume low enough to hold a conversation over it. Loud sound played for hours can damage hearing, and this is a sound tool, not a medical device.
The noise is generated in your browser as you listen. Nothing is downloaded or uploaded.
How to Use the White Noise Generator
- 1. Pick a colour. White is bright and even, pink is softer, and brown is deep. You can switch while it plays, and the sound crossfades without a click.
- 2. Set the volume low, then press Play. The noise fades in over a fraction of a second. Turn it up only until it covers the sounds you want to ignore.
- 3. Adjust the softness if you like. The softness control cuts the highest pitches, which takes the hiss out of white and pink noise.
- 4. Choose a timer if you want one. The sound fades out over the last few seconds of the time you set, so it never stops with a bang.
White, Pink and Brown Noise
The colours describe how a sound's power is spread across pitch. The names are borrowed from light: white light mixes all colours evenly, and so does white noise mix all pitches.
| Colour | How power falls with pitch | What it sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| White | Flat: equal power at every frequency | Bright, even hiss, like an untuned radio or a fan |
| Pink | Falls 3 dB per octave (power ∝ 1/f) | Softer and fuller, like steady rain or wind |
| Brown | Falls 6 dB per octave (power ∝ 1/f²) | Deep and rumbling, like a distant waterfall |
Brown noise is named after Robert Brown, who described Brownian motion, not after the colour; it is also called red noise. Because human hearing is less sensitive to low pitches, equal-power white noise already sounds top-heavy, and pink and brown sound progressively more natural to many people.
Does Noise Help You Focus or Sleep?
The honest answer is that it depends on the person and the job. What steady noise reliably does is mask: a constant sound raises the level at which a sudden one, such as a door or a phone, is noticed. Masking speech matters most, because unattended speech disrupts memory and reading tasks more than steady noise does, a finding known as the irrelevant speech effect (Salamé and Baddeley, 1982). If a shared room or café is full of talk, a steady noise can help.
Claims that noise improves concentration or sleep for everyone are stronger than the evidence. A 2021 systematic review by Riedy and colleagues in Sleep Medicine Reviews concluded that the evidence that continuous noise improves sleep is of very low quality and that some studies suggested it could disrupt sleep. Try it, notice whether you work better, and stop if you do not.
Listening Safely
- Keep it quiet. If you have to raise your voice to talk over it, it is too loud. The NIOSH recommended limit for noise at work is 85 dBA averaged over 8 hours, and every 3 dB above that halves the safe time.
- Mind headphones. Sound this steady and close to the ear adds up over a long study session. Speakers at low volume are gentler than earbuds at high volume.
- Keep sleep machines away from babies. A 2014 study in Pediatrics found that all fourteen infant sleep machines tested exceeded 50 dBA at 30 cm at maximum volume, and three exceeded 85 dBA. If you use noise near an infant, keep the volume low and the device across the room, and ask your paediatrician.
- It is not a medical device. Nothing here is a treatment for tinnitus, insomnia or any other condition.
Because the noise is synthesised in your browser, nothing is downloaded, uploaded or stored. Some phones pause web audio when the screen locks or the browser goes to the background, so keep the tab open and the screen on if the sound stops.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between white, pink and brown noise?
- They differ in how power is spread across pitch. White noise has equal power at every frequency and sounds like bright hiss. Pink noise loses 3 dB per octave and sounds softer and fuller. Brown noise loses 6 dB per octave and sounds deep and rumbling. Pick the one that bothers you least.
- Does brown noise help with ADHD or focus?
- Some people find brown or white noise helps them concentrate, and small studies have looked at white noise and attention, but the evidence is limited and results are mixed. Treat it as an experiment you can run yourself, not a treatment. If you are concerned about attention, talk to a clinician.
- Is it safe to play white noise all night?
- Keep the volume low and the source at a distance, and use the timer if you do not need it all night. A 2021 review found the evidence that noise improves sleep to be of very low quality, so there is no proven benefit to weigh against the risk of playing it too loudly for too long.
- How does the fade-out timer work?
- Choose a time from 15 minutes to 2 hours. The noise plays at your chosen volume and then fades smoothly to silence over the last eight seconds before the time is up. Change or remove the timer at any point while it plays.
- Why does nothing play when I open the page?
- On purpose. Browsers block sound that starts without a click, and a page that begins making noise unprompted is unwelcome anyway. Press Play when you are ready, with the volume already low.
- Will it loop without a click or gap?
- Yes. The noise is generated as a few seconds of audio that loops, with the seam blended so the last sample flows into the first. Random noise has no melody or rhythm, so you cannot hear where the loop restarts.