White noise generator
Equal energy at every frequency — the bright, flat hiss that covers conversation better than anything else on this site.
White noise contains equal power at every frequency, which is why it sounds bright and slightly harsh. That flat spectrum is also why it is the most effective masker for speech: it puts energy exactly where voices are, instead of only underneath them.
What white noise is best at
- Covering conversation. Open-plan offices, thin walls, a housemate on a call. Nothing on this site does it better.
- Covering keyboards, cutlery, doors. All of these have sharp high-frequency edges that pink and brown leave exposed.
- Short sessions. White is tiring over eight hours for most people. If you are running it all night, try pink instead.
Why it can feel harsh
Human hearing is most sensitive in the 2–5 kHz range, and white noise puts as much energy there as anywhere else. The result is a sound that measures flat and feels top-heavy. Two fixes: drop the level (masking needs less volume than people expect), or move one step down the spectrum to pink. Grey noise on the combined player is the third option — it is shaped so that it sounds flat rather than measuring flat.
White noise and babies
White noise machines are widely used for infants, and the sensible guidance is consistent: keep the volume low, keep the device away from the cot rather than beside it, and do not run it at high output for long periods. Those are ordinary hearing precautions and they apply to a browser tab exactly as they do to a machine. When in doubt ask your paediatrician — we are a tone generator, not an authority on infant sleep.
Questions
What is white noise used for?
Masking unpredictable sound — speech, traffic, building noise — by raising the background level so that individual sounds no longer stand out.
Is white noise bad for your ears?
Only at the same volumes any other sound would be. Keep it below conversation level, especially for long overnight sessions, and give your ears a break from headphones.
Binaural beats or white noise — which should I use?
They do different jobs: white noise masks a room, a binaural beat does not. The two are compared side by side here.
White or pink noise for sleep?
Pink, usually. White has more high-frequency energy, which most people find fatiguing over hours. White wins when the thing keeping you awake is people talking.
Does this white noise generator work offline?
Once the page has loaded, the sound is generated locally and does not need the network. Nothing is streamed and nothing is stored on a server.
Running this on a phone? The Brainwave Generator app keeps playing with the screen off, works without a connection, and carries the same engine. Free on iOS and Android.