FAQ — Background Noises

Background Noises is an ambient sound app built for simplicity: pick a sound, pick a length, press play. It offers white noise, nature sounds, binaural beats with a custom Beat Builder, all 9 solfeggio frequencies, and 15 brainwave journeys — available on the web at bgnoises.com, the App Store for iPhone & iPad, and Google Play for Android. No voiceovers. No guided meditation. Just sound.

Background Noises offers nature sounds (rain, ocean, forest, river, thunder, fire, underwater), noise generators (white, pink, brown, grey), binaural beats with four brainwave presets (delta, theta, alpha, beta), solfeggio frequencies (all 9 tones from 174–963 Hz), and ambient soundscapes. Sessions range from 1 minute to 12 hours.

Yes, the free tier includes 6 credits per month with 1-minute demos of all sounds. Essentials adds 20 credits with tracks up to 12 hours, and Premium adds 50 credits plus the Binaural Beat Builder and Journeys. All paid tiers include a 7-day free trial.

Background Noises is available on any web browser at bgnoises.com, the App Store for iPhone and iPad, and Google Play for Android. One account syncs your library across all platforms.

Background Noises focuses exclusively on pure ambient sound — no onboarding quiz, no breathing exercises, no sleep stories, no one telling you to notice the weight of your body. It skips everything between you and the sound you came for. Simple by default, powerful when you need it.

Brown noise has more energy concentrated in lower frequencies than white or pink noise, producing a deep, rumbling sound similar to a strong waterfall or distant thunder. Research suggests it aids sleep onset, ADHD focus, and tinnitus masking.

White noise contains equal energy across all frequencies, sounding like static. Pink noise reduces higher frequencies, sounding more balanced like steady rain. Brown noise further emphasizes low frequencies, producing a deep rumble. Brown noise is trending for ADHD and sleep, while pink noise shows strong evidence for deep sleep enhancement.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping white noise machines below 50 decibels and placing them at least 7 feet from the baby’s crib. At safe volumes, white noise can help babies fall asleep and stay asleep by masking environmental sounds.

Grey noise is psychoacoustically calibrated to sound equally loud across all frequencies to the human ear. It’s particularly useful for tinnitus masking because it covers all perceived frequencies evenly.

Binaural beats work by playing slightly different frequencies in each ear — for example, 200 Hz in the left ear and 210 Hz in the right. Your brain perceives a third frequency (10 Hz, the difference), which can entrain brainwave activity. Headphones are required.

Delta waves (0.5–4 Hz) promote deep sleep. Theta waves (4–7 Hz) support meditation and creativity. Alpha waves (7–13 Hz) encourage relaxation and light focus. Beta waves (13–30 Hz) enhance concentration and alertness. Background Noises offers all four presets plus a custom Beat Builder.

Multiple peer-reviewed studies show measurable effects. A 2023 meta-analysis in Psychological Research found binaural beats reduced anxiety in 70% of participants. Effects vary by individual, and consistency of use improves results. They work best with stereo headphones in a quiet environment.

Binaural beats are generally considered safe for most adults. People with epilepsy or seizure disorders should consult a physician before use, as rhythmic auditory stimulation may trigger seizures in susceptible individuals.

The Beat Builder is a custom segment editor exclusive to Background Noises Premium. Design multi-stage binaural beat sessions by setting specific frequencies, durations, and transitions — for example, starting with alpha waves for relaxation, transitioning to theta for meditation, then delta for sleep.

Solfeggio frequencies are specific tones — 174, 285, 396, 417, 528, 639, 741, 852, and 963 Hz — historically used in sacred music and now popular in meditation and sound healing. Each frequency is associated with different physical and emotional benefits.

Known as the “love frequency” or “miracle tone,” 528 Hz is the most popular solfeggio frequency. A 2018 study in the Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy found 528 Hz reduced stress hormones and anxiety in study participants.

Research is emerging. Some studies show measurable effects — 528 Hz has been studied for stress reduction, and 432 Hz tuning has shown benefits in heart rate variability. The frequencies are safe to use and many users report subjective benefits.

Research suggests pink noise enhances deep sleep by synchronizing brain waves, while brown noise helps with sleep onset by masking disruptive sounds. Rain and ocean sounds are effective due to their predictable patterns. Binaural beats in the delta range (0.5–4 Hz) promote deep sleep stages.

Brown noise and moderate-volume white noise improve focus by masking distracting sounds. Binaural beats in the beta range (13–30 Hz) enhance alertness and concentration. Nature sounds at moderate volume have been shown to improve cognitive performance.

Emerging research suggests structured background noise — particularly brown noise — may help people with ADHD improve focus and task completion. Consistent ambient sound raises baseline neural stimulation to optimal levels.

Sound masking uses ambient noise to reduce the perceived loudness of tinnitus. Grey noise is particularly effective because it covers all perceived frequencies evenly. White noise, nature sounds, and pink noise also help.

Most sleep researchers recommend playing sounds throughout the entire sleep period. Background Noises supports tracks up to 12 hours — long-form audio designed to last through the night.

Yes. Offline caching supports up to 2GB. Download sounds in advance, then listen without internet — perfect for flights, camping, or poor connectivity.

Yes. When the iOS and Android apps launch, Background Noises will log mindful minutes to Apple HealthKit and Google Health Connect. Every listening session of 1 minute or longer will be automatically recorded as a mindful session. That’s all we’ll track — no sleep, heart rate, or other health data.

Binaural Journeys are 15 pre-built multi-stage frequency progressions that guide your brain through different brainwave states over a single session — for example, from alpha (relaxation) through theta (pre-sleep) to delta (deep sleep).