Cricket sounds
A summer night outdoors. Crickets close by and a wide, quiet yard behind them.
A 2-minute recording played in random overlapping segments, the way the app plays it, so you won't hear a loop. Start with your volume low. Keep this tab open.
About this sound
A summer night outdoors: crickets chirping close by, and behind them a wide, quiet night with more insects far away. It is a front yard recording, so it feels open rather than wild.
We joined two parts of the original with a 4-second crossfade to leave out a minute where a machine was running, and filtered out the low hum below 100 Hz. The app uses 5 minutes of it, played as random stretches of about half a minute with 4-second crossfades and a gentle drift in volume, so the chirping never settles into a loop. The player on this page uses a 2-minute excerpt.
How people use it
Crickets work best for people who like a sense of place more than full masking: the chirps are bright and distinct, so they do not cover a loud street. For that, mix them over a steady base.
Use the Tone control to soften the chirps if they feel too sharp. The app's Seaside Night mix puts crickets quietly under ocean waves.
Questions
Are cricket sounds good for sleep?
Many people find them relaxing, but nobody has tested crickets for sleep. Because the chirps are distinct, keep them low so they don't hold your attention.
Is it a loop?
No. The app plays random parts of a 5-minute recording with long crossfades, so the same chirps do not come back in the same order.
Mix it with
Get crickets on your phone
Nightwool is coming to iPhone and Android. One e-mail when it launches, then we delete the list.