Noise
Noise colors compared
White, pink, brown and grey noise side by side: what sets them apart, how each one sounds, and how to choose.
White, pink, brown and grey noise differ only in how their power is spread from the low frequencies to the high ones. White noise has the same power at every frequency, so it sounds like a bright hiss. Pink noise loses about 3 decibels of power each time the frequency doubles, which makes it fuller and softer. Brown noise loses about 6 decibels each time, so it is a deep rumble. Grey noise is shaped so that, to most ears, no part of the range stands out. None of the four has a tune, a beat or a pattern.
Synthesized by eleMusic. How the sound is made.
How do the four sound side by side?
| 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 |
Going from white to pink to brown, the hiss drops away and the rumble grows. If white noise sounds harsh to you, try pink, then brown. If brown sounds muddy on your speaker, pink keeps more of the middle.
Which one seems loudest at the same volume?
White noise. So much of its power sits in the upper middle of the range, where the ear is most sensitive, that it usually seems louder than pink or brown with the volume left where it is. Turn it down before you switch to it from a darker color. Play white noise, or read more on the white noise page.
Which one changes most on a phone speaker?
Brown noise. Most of its power is deep bass, and a phone's small speaker plays little of that, so you hear only the top of the rumble. Raising the volume makes that part louder without bringing the bass back. A small bedside speaker or headphones keep more of it. Play brown noise, or read more on the brown noise page.
Which one is closest to steady rain?
Pink noise. Steady rain spreads its power widely, with less at the very top than white noise has, so the two are often compared. Pink stays perfectly even from second to second, while rain carries a faint patter inside its hiss. Play pink noise, read more on the pink noise page, or try Rain itself.
Where does grey noise fit?
Grey noise is shaped for the ear instead of by a fixed slope. It is weighted by an inverted equal-loudness curve, which turns up the ranges the ear hears less well, so that the low, middle and high parts seem about equally loud. Next to pink it sounds rounder and a little less bright. Play grey noise; it is under Noise, beside the other three.
How do I choose?
Play each one for a minute at the same low volume, then keep the one you can leave in the background without noticing it. The Free plan's 60-second sample of each is enough to compare them. On Premium, a noise color plays for up to 12 hours, and the sleep timer can stop it after 15, 30 or 45 minutes, or 1, 1.5, 2, 4 or 8 hours. Whichever you keep, set the volume low, especially with headphones.
Sources
- Colors of noise, Wikipedia: the spectra of white, pink, Brownian and grey noise, read October 21, 2026
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.
