Decibel Shield
White noise generator › Pink noise
Pink noise generator
Pink noise is noise with equal power in every octave: its power falls 3 dB per octave, so it sounds balanced, like steady rain, rather than the bright hiss of white noise. Press play to generate it in your browser, with nothing downloaded and no account, set a sleep timer up to eight hours, and measure how loud it really is in the room.
Equal power per octave, so it sounds balanced rather than bright. Steady rain.
How loud is this actually?
The slider sets digital volume, which is not a decibel level — what reaches your ear depends on your device and speakers, so no website can know it. This one can measure it, because measuring is what the rest of this site does.
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Pink, white and brown noise compared
A noise colour is the slope of the sound across pitch, in decibels per octave. Pink sits between the other two common colours: softer in the treble than white, lighter in the bass than brown noise. The white noise generator has all six, including grey, blue and violet.
| Colour | Slope | What it sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Pink | −3 dB/octave | Equal power per octave, so it sounds balanced rather than bright. Steady rain. |
| White | 0 dB/octave | Equal power at every frequency. The bright, even hiss of an untuned radio. |
| Brown | −6 dB/octave | Weighted to the low end. A waterfall, or a jet heard from inside the cabin. |
Volume is not a decibel level
The slider sets digital volume. What reaches your ear depends on your phone, your speaker and how far away it is, so no website can know it. The measure button reads the room with the same maths as the decibel meter on this site. NIOSH sets its occupational limit at 85 dB averaged over eight hours, and every 3 dB above that halves the safe time; the safe decibel levels page has the full table. A masking level should sit far below any of that.
Questions
What is pink noise?
Random noise whose power falls 3 dB with every octave you go up, so each octave carries the same energy. That makes it sound balanced rather than bright: closer to steady rain or wind in the trees than to the hiss of white noise.
Pink noise or white noise: what is the difference?
White noise has equal power at every frequency, and because the higher octaves span far more frequencies, it sounds bright and hissy. Pink noise tilts that down by 3 dB per octave, so the treble is softer and the sound feels even. Brown noise tilts twice as steeply, 6 dB per octave, and sounds deeper still.
Is pink noise good for sleep?
There is no single answer, and anyone claiming one is guessing. Pink and brown are the usual preferences because they cover thumps and traffic without the hiss that keeps some people awake, while white covers a wider range including speech from a neighbouring room. The useful test is which one you stop noticing.
Does this download anything while it plays?
No. The noise is generated in your browser from a random source rather than streamed, so nothing is downloaded while it plays and it keeps working if your connection drops.
How loud should pink noise be?
Quieter than most people set it. A website cannot know the level at your ear, because the same slider produces very different levels on different devices and speakers, so measure it with the button on this page. NIOSH puts the occupational limit at 85 dB averaged over 8 hours, and a masking level should be far below that.