Pink Noise
- Low20–250 Hz
- 47%
- Mid250 Hz–2 kHz
- 32%
- High2–10 kHz
- 21%
- Level variationP90–P10
- 1.3 dB
ST-90 · SIDE N · NOISE, THREE COLORS
Pink Noise for Deeper Sleep.
Pink noise sits in the sweet spot of the noise family — softer than white, brighter than brown, and the closest of the three to how nature actually sounds. Preview it below, compare the colors, and loop it all night in NoiseTape.
01 — LISTEN
Hear the difference.
Yes. The 126 sounds marked with a play button loop continuously in this browser player — free, with no sign-in or time limit. The NoiseTape app includes all 126 sounds, offline playback and a fade-out sleep timer.
These curves are calculated from the actual loops on this page. Compare their tonal balance and how much the level changes over time.
14-DAY FREE TRIAL · PAY ONCE · NO SUBSCRIPTION · OFFLINE
02 — WHAT IT IS
The natural middle of the noise family.
Pink noise rolls energy off gently as frequency rises — 3 dB per octave — which happens to match how human hearing weighs the world. The result is noise that feels balanced rather than bright: steady rain, wind moving through leaves, distant surf. That is no coincidence; many natural soundscapes have roughly pink spectra, which is why pink noise reads as calm where white noise reads as static.
| Noise | Spectrum | Sounds like | Reach for it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pink | −3 dB/octave | Steady rain, wind in leaves | You want natural-feeling, full-coverage masking |
| White | Flat | TV static, radio hiss | You need maximum masking of voices and clatter |
| Brown | −6 dB/octave | Waterfall, airliner cabin, distant surf | Sleeping with sensitive ears or rumbling neighbors |
Small sleep-lab studies have played pink noise pulses during deep sleep and measured stronger slow brain waves and better morning recall — promising, early, and no reason to wait: the cost of trying is one quiet night. Play it at the volume you would sleep at, and if it disappears into the background faster than white or brown, that is your color. In NoiseTape it loops seamlessly until the sleep timer fades it out.
RECORDING NOTES
What you are listening to.
A balanced, rain-like noise color with less high-frequency hiss than white noise.
- Composition
- Broadband random signal falling 3 dB per octave
- Duration & loop
- 9.5-second seamless source loop · unlimited playback
- Browser playback
- Continuous, unlimited browser loop
- Audio quality
- 44.1 kHz stereo AAC · approximately 256 kbps in the app
SleepReadingOpen-office masking
03 — FAQ
Pink noise questions, answered.
01
What is pink noise?
Pink noise is random noise whose energy falls by 3 dB per octave as frequency rises, giving every octave equal loudness to human ears. It sounds like steady rain or wind — fuller than brown noise, noticeably softer than white. The name comes from the light analogy: tilt white light toward red and it turns pink.
02
Does pink noise really improve deep sleep?
A handful of small laboratory studies have synchronized quiet pink-noise pulses with slow-wave sleep and observed deeper slow waves and improved overnight memory in some participants. The research is early and the effect sizes vary, so treat it as a promising experiment rather than a guarantee — steady pink noise is at minimum an excellent, natural-sounding masker.
03
Pink noise vs white noise — what's the difference?
White noise has equal energy at every frequency and sounds bright and hissy; pink noise shifts that energy balance downward so each octave sounds equally loud, which reads as rain-like and calm. If white noise masks well but wears on you, pink is usually the first thing to try. NoiseTape includes both, plus brown, as seamless loops.
04
Can I loop pink noise all night?
Yes — NoiseTape's pink noise is a seamless, gap-free loop tuned for 8-hour sessions. It plays offline with the screen locked on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and the sleep timer fades the sound out gradually in the final minute so the ending never wakes you.
See also: white noise for sleep & focus · brown noise for sleep & focus · noise colors compared · office sound masking · white noise for babies · GUIDES · the full 126-sound library