White Noise
- Low20–250 Hz
- 3%
- Mid250 Hz–2 kHz
- 18%
- High2–10 kHz
- 79%
- Level variationP90–P10
- 1.7 dB
ST-90 · SIDE N · NOISE, THREE COLORS
White Noise for Sleep & Focus.
White noise is the original masking sound — a bright, even hiss that covers voices, traffic and clatter better than anything else in the noise family. Preview it below, compare it with pink and brown noise, 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.
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02 — WHAT IT IS
Why white noise masks so well.
White noise spreads equal energy across every audible frequency — the acoustic equivalent of white light. That flatness is its superpower: whatever tries to cut through it, from a barking dog to a slammed door to a half-heard conversation, finds its own frequencies already occupied. The trade-off is brightness. Because our ears are most sensitive to high frequencies, a flat spectrum reads as hissy static, which some sleepers love and others find fatiguing over a full night.
| Noise | Spectrum | Sounds like | Reach for it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | Flat | TV static, radio hiss | You need maximum masking of voices and clatter |
| Pink | −3 dB/octave | Steady rain, wind in leaves | White feels harsh but you still want full coverage |
| Brown | −6 dB/octave | Waterfall, airliner cabin, distant surf | Sleeping, deep-focus work, sensitive ears |
The practical test takes under a minute: play white, pink and brown for ten seconds each, at the volume you'd actually sleep at. The right one is the one you stop hearing first — masking works best from a sound your brain is happy to ignore. In NoiseTape all three are seamless, gap-free loops, so whichever you pick holds perfectly steady until the sleep timer fades it out.
RECORDING NOTES
What you are listening to.
Bright, full-spectrum masking for voices, traffic and sudden household noise.
- Composition
- Broadband random signal with equal energy at every frequency
- Duration & loop
- 9.5-second seamless source loop · unlimited playback
- Browser playback
- Continuous, unlimited browser loop
- Audio quality
- 44.1 kHz stereo AAC · approximately 258 kbps in the app
Voice maskingFocus sessionsSleep in noisy rooms
03 — FAQ
White noise questions, answered.
01
What is white noise?
White noise is random sound with equal energy at every frequency across the audible range, named by analogy with white light. Played back, it sounds like steady static — a detuned TV or radio hiss. Because it covers the whole spectrum at once, it is the most thorough masking sound in the noise family.
02
Is white noise safe to play all night?
At a sensible volume, yes. The common guidance for adults and children alike is to keep continuous noise at a moderate level — comfortably below a conversation — and NoiseTape's white noise loops gap-free for 8-hour sessions with a sleep timer that fades out gradually, so you can also choose not to run it all night at all.
03
White noise or brown noise — which should I sleep with?
Pick by feel, not by rule. White noise masks high-pitched interruptions (voices, dishes, TV bleed) most completely but sounds bright; brown noise is a deep rumble that is gentler on the ears and better at covering low-frequency neighbors. NoiseTape includes white, pink and brown, so a ten-second preview of each answers the question for you.
04
Does white noise help with tinnitus?
Many people with tinnitus use gentle broadband noise at night so the ringing has competition in an otherwise silent room — audiologists call this sound enrichment. It does not treat tinnitus, but it can make quiet rooms easier to fall asleep in. Keep the level just below or at the tinnitus itself, and prefer whichever noise color feels smoothest — many settle on pink or brown.
See also: pink noise for deeper sleep · brown noise for sleep & focus · noise colors compared · white noise for babies · fan noise for sleeping · tinnitus masking · GUIDES · the full 126-sound library