NeverloopWhat pink noise is
Noise is sound with energy at every pitch. In white noise every frequency gets the same energy, and because each octave up holds twice as many frequencies, the top end dominates: it sounds like a hiss. Pink noise gives every octave the same energy instead, so its level falls by about 3 dB per octave as the pitch rises. To the ear that sounds balanced: a full, even wash, close to steady rain or wind in trees.
That balance is why sound engineers use pink noise to test and tune loudspeakers, and why many people find it easier to leave on than white noise.
Pink, white, brown and green
- White: equal energy per frequency. Bright, hissy, good at covering voices.
- Pink: equal energy per octave. Softer, like rain.
- Brown: tilted further to the lows. A deep rumble, like a waterfall.
- Green: energy gathered in the mids, around 500 Hz, with softer lows and highs. An informal name.
All four are one tap away above, along with deep brown, which rolls off the highs further still.
Generated, not recorded
Most pink noise online is a recording: an hour of audio, or a few minutes on a loop. Here the noise is computed as it plays, so there is no seam to find, however long it runs.
The controls
- Colour: pink, brown, deep brown, white or green.
- Tone: a filter from dark and muffled to fully open.
- With music: slow chords from Neverloop's Deep Work under the noise, composed live as well.
Questions
- What is the difference between pink and white noise?
- White noise has equal energy at every frequency and sounds bright. Pink noise has equal energy in every octave, so it is quieter in the highs and sounds softer, more like rain.
- Is pink noise good for sleep?
- Many people use it at night, mostly to cover other sounds. Studies on noise and sleep are mixed, and we make no claims about it: try it, and keep it if it suits you.
- Can I leave it on all night?
- The player keeps going as long as the tab is open. The Neverloop app also plays with the screen locked.
Neverloop for Mac
The same music in an app: plays in the background and with the screen locked, works offline, and adds Lo-fi Desk without a break, focus cycles you build yourself, a breathing mode with a pacer, and saved variations.