You may have heard of white noise, as it’s often recommended as a sleep aid. It contains a broad range of frequencies with equal intensity, all at once. The result sounds a little like heavy rainfall, crashing waves or radio static/noise, and it can help people block out other distracting sounds when trying to sleep, for example.
What is pink noise and how does it differ to brown noise?
Pink noise is similar to white noise, but it involves the higher frequencies being reduced, creating a slightly ‘softer’ sound, which is thought to be an even better sleep aid.
Meanwhile, brown noise reduces the higher frequencies even more than pink noise, with a result that sounds a little like the noise made by wind blowing through trees.
White, pink and brown noise are thought to be able to aid sleep, concentration, relaxation and even help people who suffer from tinnitus (a constant ringing or buzzing sound in one or both ears), by masking or distracting from the sound it creates.
Visit our musical terms dictionary to find out about other musical definitions you may not know.