Sound therapy
noise generator

Method notes

What the generator does

This tool creates noise in the browser rather than loading a recording. The Web Audio API supplies an audio context, a generated buffer, optional filters, a gain node, and the device output. When you choose white, pink, or brown noise, the page fills a short buffer with calculated samples and loops it. When you choose a band, the page routes the same generated noise through approximate high-pass and low-pass filters. The result is a listening aid for comparing textures, not a measurement instrument.

The page starts with a low relative gain. Your browser cannot know the sensitivity of your headphones, the output level of your phone or computer, the seal around an earbud, the position of a speaker, or the level of background noise. Because those variables are unknown, the slider is labelled relative volume and the page does not convert it into dB or dBA. A device volume set to a low percentage can still be too loud with some hardware.

White, pink, and brown noise

White noise

White noise in this page uses independent random samples spread across the available digital band. Its spectrum has similar energy per hertz, so it is often described as bright or hiss-like. The description is about the sound texture. It is not a statement about a therapeutic effect, a hearing threshold, or a medical outcome. A person may find it comfortable, neutral, distracting, or uncomfortable.

Pink noise

Pink noise gives more energy to lower frequencies than white noise when viewed per hertz, producing a softer balance for many listeners. The generator uses a simple filtered random process to approximate that balance. It is not a laboratory reference signal, and the exact texture changes with the browser sample rate and the selected band. The page calls it pink noise because of the spectral pattern, not because of a fixed recording standard.

Brown noise

Brown noise, also called red noise in some technical descriptions, places still more energy toward lower frequencies. The generator makes it by smoothing random changes over time. It can sound deeper than white or pink noise. Low-frequency sound can travel differently through a room and can interact with speaker or headphone design, so the same software setting may sound very different on another device.

What the band controls mean

Broadband leaves the generated noise without the optional band limits. Low band applies an approximate high-pass filter near 100 Hz and low-pass filter near 1,000 Hz. Middle band uses approximate limits near 500 and 4,000 Hz. High band uses approximate limits near 2,000 and 8,000 Hz. These values are labels for the filter settings in the page. They are not a claim that the device produces a flat response at every frequency.

Filtering can make the same noise colour seem louder or quieter because the ear and the device respond differently across frequency. The volume readout remains a relative software value. If a band sounds sharp, boomy, or tiring, lower the device volume or stop. Do not raise the output to overcome background noise. A quieter room is a better first adjustment.

How the relative volume is calculated

The visible control has integer values from 0 to 20. The browser gain used by this page is the selected value divided by 1,000, so a readout of 3 means a software gain of 0.003 and the maximum readout of 20 means a software gain of 0.020. The value is not dB, dBA, dB SPL, or dB HL. It is only a reproducible setting inside this page. The device volume control and the audio hardware then determine the level that reaches your ears.

This distinction is central. A clinical sound level is measured with a known transducer and a calibrated chain. A browser page has no microphone measurement, no headphone calibration file, and no standard ear simulator. The tool therefore uses a low default and a short timer, while placing the listening decision with you. If you need a measured level, use a suitable sound-level meter and ask a hearing professional about the measurement conditions.

Why there is a warning before playback

AAO-HNS tinnitus guidance includes sound therapy among the options that may be discussed for persistent bothersome tinnitus and provides patient resources about sound therapy devices. That guidance does not turn every noise generator into a clinical service, and it does not provide a universal volume setting for every listener. The right level depends on the person, the sound, the device, the room, and the purpose of the session.

NIDCD hearing-protection guidance and the World Health Organization safe-listening standard both emphasise the relationship between sound level and listening time. A loud signal for a short period and a moderate signal for a long period are not the same exposure. This page cannot measure either one, so the warning uses practical controls: keep the device volume low, select a short timer, take breaks, and stop at discomfort. Do not use the generator to mask a warning alarm, traffic, conversation, or another sound that you need to hear.

How to use a short session

Choose a quiet setting and begin with the default volume. Select one noise colour and one band rather than changing several controls at once. Start the five-minute timer and notice whether the sound is comfortable, neutral, or irritating. You do not need to force yourself to continue. The stop button ends the session immediately, and changing the noise or band while audio is playing stops the old buffer before a new one starts.

If you use headphones, make sure they are seated normally and do not raise the device volume to make the sound feel more immersive. If you use speakers, keep the room quiet enough that you do not need to compete with other noise. If tinnitus becomes more noticeable after listening, stop and allow quiet time. A clinician can help you decide whether a sound-based approach fits your symptoms and hearing history.

Privacy and technical limits

The selected sound, band, timer, and relative volume stay in the page while it is open. The tool does not upload an audio recording because there is no recording and no audio file request. It does not measure your microphone, store a hearing profile, or create a clinical record. Closing the tab ends the session. The site may record generic page use through its existing site analytics, but this tool does not send the selected audio values as a health result.

Web Audio support varies by browser and device. A browser may require a user click before audio can start. A phone may pause or interrupt audio when another application takes the audio focus. Bluetooth latency can change the start and stop timing. None of these behaviours changes the listening warning. If the page does not play, try a current browser and check the device mute switch, but do not bypass a safety warning or raise the output abruptly.

What this tool cannot tell you

A generated sound cannot identify the cause of tinnitus, measure loudness discomfort, determine hearing loss, or show whether one frequency is medically important. It cannot establish that a sound is appropriate for a child, a person with sound intolerance, or a person recovering from an ear problem. It also cannot decide whether masking, partial masking, quiet, counselling, hearing assessment, or another plan belongs in your care.

Seek prompt advice for sudden hearing change, a one-sided new symptom, a pulse-synchronous sound, severe dizziness, ear pain, or sound intolerance that is rapidly worsening. An audiologist can complete a hearing and tinnitus assessment. An otolaryngologist can review ear and medical concerns. This page is a listening tool only.

Choosing a sound without forcing a result

There is no single noise colour that every listener will prefer. Start with the least tiring option, listen briefly, and notice whether the sound leaves enough space for ordinary awareness. Some people prefer a softer low-frequency balance, while another person may find low-frequency energy distracting. The generator gives you several textures so you can describe what you hear, not so you can prove that one texture is right.

Try one setting at a time. If you move from white to pink to brown while also changing the band and device volume, you will not know which change mattered. Keep the timer short for the first session. If a sound is neutral but the room is noisy, lower the background noise instead of raising the generator. If the sound is annoying, stop and make a note of the colour and band. That note can help an audiologist understand your listening experience.

Sound-based listening can also be used without continuous masking. A low background sound may be used for a defined period, during quiet work, or while preparing for sleep, depending on personal preference and clinical advice. The page does not tell you how often to listen. It gives control of the timer and a stop button so you can make a conservative choice. A longer session is not automatically a better session, and a louder setting is not a better setting.

When to pause and ask for help

Pause the generator if tinnitus becomes clearly louder, if your ears feel full, if sound becomes painful, or if you notice dizziness or nausea. A short change that settles after stopping still belongs in your notes. A persistent change, sudden hearing change, one-sided new symptom, pulse-synchronous sound, or severe dizziness deserves prompt clinical advice. Do not use a sound generator as a way to delay an assessment.

An audiologist can discuss sound tolerance, hearing thresholds, tinnitus features, and the limits of consumer audio. An otolaryngologist can assess an ear or medical concern when the history calls for it. The AAO-HNS guideline is written for clinical management of adults with persistent bothersome tinnitus, so it is a source for discussion, not a substitute for an individual appointment.

Questions about the generator

Sources