Brown noise
A deep, steady rumble: the noise color with the most bass.
Sounds
Every sound, and what it is
Music, nature, noise and tones: tap any of them and it plays.
Background Noises plays four kinds of sound: eight instrumental music stations, four nature sounds (River, Rain, Fire and Forest), four noise colors (Brown Noise, Grey Noise, Pink Noise and White Noise) and 10 steady frequency tones from 174 Hz to 963 Hz. On Premium, a tap plays any of them for hours: a noise color or a tone for up to 12 hours, a station one track after another; the Free plan plays a 60-second sample of each.
Noise colors
Random noise, shaped so that more or less of its power sits in the bass. No tune, no beat, no pattern: the same from the first minute to the last.
| Color | What it is | How it sounds |
|---|---|---|
| White | The same power in every equal band of frequencies, so the treble is strong | A bright hiss, like a detuned radio |
| Pink | Power falls by about 3 dB each time the frequency doubles | Softer and fuller than white noise |
| Brown | Power falls by about 6 dB each time the frequency doubles | A deep, steady rumble |
| Grey | Pink noise shaped by an inverse loudness curve so that, to most ears, no range sticks out | Even and rounded |
White noise
A bright, even hiss: equal power at every frequency.
Pink noise
Fuller and softer than white noise: the same power in every octave.
Noise colors compared
White, pink, brown and grey noise side by side, and a quick way to choose between them.
Brown noise at night
Setting up brown noise for a long night: the sleep timer, volume and speakers.
White noise and babies
Not a baby product: what one study measured, and what to do about volume.
Frequency tones
One held pitch per tone, the same in both ears, so a speaker works as well as headphones. The nine solfeggio frequencies are here, plus 432 Hz.
Music
There are eight stations of instrumental music, with no vocals and no ads. A station plays its tracks one after another, so a long session is a run of different pieces in one style rather than one piece on a loop.
Original, generated and mastered by eleMusic. How the sound is made.
| Station | What it sounds like |
|---|---|
| Calm | Slow, simple, hopeful melodies on felt piano, electric piano and warm strings, with no beat. |
| Ambient | Warm pads, soft drones and airy textures, with no melody. |
| Soft Piano | One acoustic piano playing light, flowing melodies with a warm, easy touch. |
| Classical | Strings, flute, clarinet, piano and classical guitar playing sunny, easygoing tunes. |
| Acoustic Guitar | One or two acoustic guitars, fingerpicked slowly. Warm and simple. |
| Light Jazz | Piano, nylon guitar or electric piano with upright bass and brushes, played lightly with an easy swing or a soft bossa lilt. |
| Tropical | Steel pan, ukulele, marimba and island guitars over an easygoing, sunny island groove. |
| Elevator Music | Lush strings, vibraphone, cocktail organ and a soft brushed bossa sway, straight out of an old hotel lobby. |
Nature
There are four nature sounds: River, Rain, Fire and Forest. Like the music, each plays as a run of long tracks. River, Rain and Fire hold one even texture; Forest is distant birdsong with quiet pauses between calls.
Assembled and mastered by eleMusic from generated sound effects. How the sound is made.
| Sound | What it sounds like |
|---|---|
| River | A calm stream or a small river flowing evenly over stones, close and gentle, with no birds, no wind and no thunder. |
| Rain | Steady rain at a comfortable distance, one continuous texture with no thunder, no wind and no drips. |
| Fire | A small wood fire heard from a comfortable distance: soft crackles over a low, warm wash. |
| Forest | A few small songbirds singing softly at a distance in a daytime woodland, with quiet pauses between calls. Birds only: no wind, no leaves, no water. |
Rain sounds
Steady rain at a distance, with no thunder, wind or drips.
River sounds
A calm stream over stones, close and even, with no birds or wind.
Forest sounds
Distant songbirds in a quiet woodland, with pauses between calls.
Looking for the ocean or a thunderstorm? Background Noises has neither: see what comes closest to ocean sounds and to thunder.
Binaural beats
Binaural beats, the journeys and the Beat Builder are paused for now. The nearest sound is a steady tone under Tones.
By what you are doing
Ways to choose among the sounds above, with no promises about what they do for you.
Background noise for sleep
Everything that plays tonight, compared, and how to set up a long session.
Background noise and ADHD
Not a treatment for ADHD: what plays while you work, without promises.
Sounds for meditation
No narration: steady noise, single tones and quiet music for unguided practice.
How long can a sound play?
A tap plays a sound at once. On Premium, a noise color or a tone plays for up to 12 hours, and a music or nature station keeps going, one track after another. The sleep timer stops any of them after 15, 30 or 45 minutes, or 1, 1.5, 2, 4 or 8 hours. The Free plan plays a 60-second sample of each sound. Plans and prices.
Press play.
The Free plan plays a 60-second sample of everything. Premium plays the eight music and four nature stations, the noise colors and the tones for hours.
