Pink noise
Softer than white: the high end is turned down, so it sounds more like steady rain than static.
Timer
Generated in your browser with the same code as the app, nothing to download. Start with your volume low. Keep this tab open.
About this sound
Pink noise drops by about 3 dB per octave, which works out to equal energy in every octave. To the ear that sounds more balanced than white noise: less hiss, more body. Steady rain or wind in trees are the usual comparisons.
The player generates it in the browser with the app's code. White noise is passed through Paul Kellet's pink noise filter, a well-known set of small filters that together tilt the spectrum by 3 dB per octave. It plays from a 30-second buffer with a crossfaded seam, and its level is matched to the recorded sounds.
How people use it
Pink noise is a good all-rounder: it covers voices and household noise without the bright edge of white noise, and many people use it while working or reading as well as at night.
Start low and raise it only until the sound that bothers you blends in. A speaker across the room is gentler than earbuds. If you only need help falling asleep, set a sleep timer with a slow fade so the sound does not stop abruptly.
Questions
Does pink noise improve deep sleep?
The studies behind that claim played short pulses of pink noise timed to brain waves with live EEG in a lab, not a continuous track. A continuous track has not been shown to do the same.
Is pink noise better than white noise for sleep?
No study shows one color is best. Pink noise is softer, so many people find it more pleasant at the same volume. Choose the one you like at the lowest level that still masks your noise.
Mix it with
Get pink noise on your phone
Nightwool is coming to iPhone and Android. One e-mail when it launches, then we delete the list.