Blue noise
A crisp, airy hiss that leans toward the high pitches.
7 sounds
White, pink and brown noise
White, pink, brown, green, gray, blue and violet noise side by side. Listen to each color here and notice which one you could ignore the longest.
Noise colors
All of these play in full here.
Brown noise
A deep, even rush, like a far-off waterfall.
Green noise
A gentle mid-range rush, like a breeze through the woods.
Gray noise
A smooth, level hush, balanced to how the ear hears.
Pink noise
A soft, balanced hush, gentler than white noise.
Violet noise
A fine, very bright hiss, with the lows taken out.
White noise
A bright, even hiss that covers sudden sounds.
Noise colors are named by where the sound puts its energy across the pitches. Brown noise is deep and rumbling. Pink noise is balanced and soft. White noise is bright and hissy. Blue and violet lean further toward the highs, and sound crisp and thin. Green and gray are informal names for a mid-range hush and a level, even one. None of them has a tune or a beat, so they work well as a steady cover for a room. The simplest way to choose is to listen to three of them in a row, at a low volume, and notice which one you could ignore the longest. Most people land on pink or brown.