Guides
Learn how sound works for you
Some of these explain what you are hearing, and some walk you through setting a sound up for a room, a night or a work block. If you just want to hear the difference between two sounds, the comparisons do that.
Featured guide
How to Mix Sounds for Sleep, Focus or Reading
Traffic outside, an open office, or a room too quiet to read in? Pick one base sound, add one quieter sound over it, keep it low. Four mixes to try.
Read the six-step guide
A useful first read
Start here
If you have never picked a sound before, these three explain how to choose one, how to hear what makes them different, and how to build a simple mix.
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Explanation
Noise Colors Explained: White, Pink, Brown and More
Not sure which noise color to play tonight? How white, pink, brown, blue, violet, grey and green noise sound, and what each one covers at home.
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Sound comparison
Brown vs White vs Pink Noise: The Three-Way Comparison
Which of the three should you play? How brown, white and pink noise sound, what each one covers, and what the sleep and focus research really shows.
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Practical guide
How to Create a Sleep Soundscape: What to Layer and How Loud
Noise keeps waking you? Pick the one sound that covers it, add a quieter second only if you want it, keep it low, and set a timer that fits the night.
Set it up
Practical guides
These take you through the setup step by step, including how loud to run a sound, when to stop it, and what it will not fix.
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Practical guide
Breathing Exercises for Sleep: What to Do Lying in the Dark
Awake right now? Breathe in for 4, hold 7, out for 8, four times. The counts for each pattern, when to stop, and how a quiet sound helps.
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Practical guide
How to Fall Asleep Faster, Even With Noise You Can't Stop
Can't sleep? Get up after twenty minutes, cool and darken the room, and cover the noise coming through the wall. What to try tonight, in order.
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Practical guide
How to Sleep with a Snoring Partner: What to Try Tonight
Awake at 2 a.m. while they sleep? Earplugs plus a quiet sound in the room works best. Which sound to pick, and when snoring needs a doctor.
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Practical guide
How to sleep with tinnitus: a bedtime routine, step by step
Tinnitus stands out most once the room goes quiet. A calm bedtime routine: the room, one sound, the volume, the timer, and what to do at 3 a.m.
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Practical guide
How to Use Brown Noise for Sleep: Volume, Timer & Setup
If a road or a boiler keeps waking you, brown noise covers that rumble. How loud to set it, what to play it through, and whether to run it all night.
Understand what you hear
Sound explained
Hear how noise colors differ and read what studies found about sound and sleep.
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Sound comparison
6 Best Sounds for Deep Sleep: A Practical Comparison
Which sound covers the noise that wakes you at night: brown noise, rain, pink noise, a fan, ocean or forest, and how loud to set it. Listen free.
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Sound comparison
7 Best Sounds for Focus and Concentration (2026)
Compare brown, pink and white noise, nature sounds, coffee-shop ambience, lo-fi and binaural beats, with a focus sound for every task.
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Explanation
Benefits of Nature Sounds: What the Research Really Found
Nature sounds lift mood and ease stress while you're awake, and the gains are modest. Which sound suits which room, and how loud to set it.
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Sound comparison
Best Sounds for Reading
Lyrics and overheard talk are what break a reading session. Which noise to play at home, on a commute or in a loud house, and how loud to set it.
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Sound comparison
Best Sounds for Sleep
Traffic, a snorer or a head that will not stop: which noise helps you fall asleep, how loud to set it, and when a timer beats running it all night.
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Sound comparison
Best Sounds for Studying — Play Free, No Signup
Brown, pink and white noise, rain and lo-fi, matched to reading, essays, problem sets and flashcards. Press play in the browser, no download, no account.
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Explanation
Brown Noise for ADHD: Does It Help, and Which Noise Is Best?
Many people with ADHD say a steady rumble makes it easier to start. The research is small and used white or pink noise. What to try, and how loud to set it.
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Explanation
Brown Noise for Sleep: What the Science Actually Says
What brown noise actually is, what it can cover at night, what the research shows and what it does not, plus a free player so you can test it tonight.
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Sound comparison
Brown noise vs white noise: which one to use
A deep rumble like traffic calls for brown noise, and voices or sharp sounds call for white noise. Hear both and pick the one for your room.
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Explanation
Fan Sounds for Sleep: Is a Fan White Noise, and Does It Help?
A fan isn't quite white noise; it's deeper, closest to brown. What fan noise covers at night, how loud to set it, and which fan recording to pick.
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Explanation
How Noise Affects Sleep Quality (and What Level Is Too Loud)
Noise breaks up a night even when you don't remember waking. What level is too loud, whether silence beats a steady sound, and what the studies found.
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Explanation
Huberman Sleep Routine: The Toolkit, Ranked by Evidence
What Andrew Huberman actually recommends for sleep: light, caffeine timing, a cool room, NSDR, and where his advice runs ahead of the evidence.
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Explanation
My dog is scared of fireworks: what to do tonight
Your dog panics at fireworks. What to do this afternoon, during the noise, after it ends, and when fear needs more than a quiet room.
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Explanation
NSDR: What Non-Sleep Deep Rest Is and How to Try It
NSDR is a guided lying-down rest of 10 to 30 minutes. What it is, a session you can do tonight, how it differs from a nap, and what research shows.
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Explanation
Ocean Sounds for Sleep: Do Waves Help, and Are They White Noise?
Waves are easy to fall asleep to, and they go quiet between each one. What ocean sounds cover, whether they count as white noise, and how loud to set them.
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Explanation
Rain Sounds for Sleeping: Do They Help, and Is It Bad for You?
Rain sounds help when noise keeps waking you, and at a low volume there's no known harm. What rain covers, what it misses and how loud to set it.
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Explanation
Sound masking for tinnitus: what it is and how to set it up
When the ringing is the only thing in a quiet room, people play a low background sound so it isn't. How to set one up, how loud, and what it can't do.
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Explanation
What Is Green Noise? How It Sounds Next to Brown and White
Nobody has agreed what green noise is. Here's what it sounds like, what it covers in a house, and where the nature and health claims come from.
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Explanation
What is red noise? It's another name for brown noise
Red noise is another name for brown noise: a deep, steady rumble with almost no hiss. Hear it free in a browser, then next to white and pink noise.
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Explanation
White Noise for Babies: Is It Safe, and How Loud?
Where you put the speaker matters more than the volume. What researchers measured, how loud to set it standing at the crib, and timer or all night.
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Explanation
White Noise for Cats: Do Cats Like It, or Does It Bother Them?
Fireworks, visitors or a new baby setting your cat off? What white noise does for a cat, how quiet to keep it, and when to call the vet instead.
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Explanation
White noise for dogs: is it good for them, and how loud to play it
White noise won't calm a dog, but it can cover the doorbell or the street. Which color to pick, how loud to set it, and when to call the vet.
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Sound comparison
White noise vs brown noise for tinnitus: how to pick one
No noise is proven better for tinnitus. Pick by the pitch of your own ringing and by what you can leave on for hours, then compare them by ear.
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Explanation
Why tinnitus seems louder at night
The ringing stands out at bedtime because the room has gone quiet and nothing is left to distract you. What to try tonight, and when to call a doctor.
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Explanation
Why White Noise Helps Sleep, and When It Doesn't
If a door or a neighbor's voices keep waking you, white noise covers them. What it does at night, what it can't cover, and how loud to set it.
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