Brown Noise
Brown noise is a steady background sound with most of its energy in the low frequencies. It sounds deep and soft — more rumble than hiss.
- Sounds like
- A distant waterfall, heavy wind, the hum inside a plane
- Energy
- Falls 6 dB per octave
- Often used for
- Low, steady background for long blocks
Hear it next to the others.
Switch between the three and listen for where the energy sits. Generated live in your browser.
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What it is
Brown noise is random noise where the energy drops as the pitch goes up — by about 6 dB every time the frequency doubles. The result is a sound dominated by the low end. The name has nothing to do with the color: it comes from Brownian motion, the random movement described by the botanist Robert Brown. It’s sometimes called red noise.
What it sounds like
Think of a distant waterfall, strong wind behind a window or the low hum inside a plane cabin. There’s very little hiss at the top, so it tends to feel warmer and less sharp than white or pink noise.
- Deep and rounded, with almost no hiss
- Warm rather than bright
- Steady — nothing stands out, nothing changes
When people use it
- Long study or deep work blocks where you want a background you stop noticing
- Covering low, rumbling noise: traffic, ventilation, a washing machine
- People who find white noise too sharp after a while
- Working without music or lyrics
You might prefer it if…
- Higher-pitched sounds tire you quickly
- You like a “wall” of sound that feels close and soft
- You work for several hours in a row and want something easy to leave on
Compared with the others
Next to pink noise, brown noise has noticeably less treble — it sounds darker and heavier. Next to white noise the difference is bigger: white is bright and hissy, brown is low and rumbly. White noise tends to cover sharp, high sounds like voices better; brown feels softer to sit with.
Not for you? Try…
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