FocusLoop

Brown noise for focus

A deep, steady rumble to cover distracting sounds. Pick a duration, press Start, and the noise fades out when time is up.

Timer

How to use the brown noise player

  1. Pick a length (10, 20, 30, 60 minutes or no limit) or type your own in the Minutes box.
  2. Press Start. Brown noise fades in over a second or two; set its volume with its slider.
  3. Work or rest. When the timer ends, a soft chime plays and the noise fades out.

The noise is calculated by your browser when you press Start, so nothing is downloaded and it never has a gap or a click where the loop restarts.

Brown vs pink vs white noise

All three are random noise. The difference is how the energy is spread across low and high pitches, which you hear as how “bright” or “deep” the sound is.

Noise colours compared
NoiseEnergy as pitch risesSounds like
WhiteEqual at every frequencyHiss, a radio between stations, a fan
PinkFalls by about 3 dB per octaveSteady rain, rustling leaves
BrownFalls by about 6 dB per octaveDeep rumble, waterfall, strong wind

You can try all three in the mixer below the timer. Many people find white noise tiring after a while and settle on pink or brown.

What the research says

Interest in brown noise has grown fast, but research hasn’t caught up. A 2024 meta-analysis of 13 studies on noise and attention in young people with ADHD found a small benefit from white and pink noise on laboratory tasks, a small negative effect in people without ADHD, and no studies of brown noise at all. An earlier 2007 study proposed that people with ADHD may need more background stimulation to perform at their best. So brown noise may help some people and do nothing (or a little harm) for others; the only way to know is to try it with and without.

This is general information, not medical advice. Speak to a clinician about ADHD or hearing concerns.

Safe volume

Because brown noise is deep, it can be louder than it feels. Keep it low enough to hear someone talking to you, take breaks from headphones, and follow the WHO’s safe listening guidance. For tinnitus, the NHS tinnitus page explains when to see a GP.

Prefer sessions with breaks? Use the Pomodoro timer or the focus timer with the “Deep focus brown noise” preset, or try the timer with rain sounds.

Frequently asked questions

What is brown noise?

Brown noise is random noise whose energy falls steadily as the pitch rises, so it sounds deep and soft, like a waterfall or a strong wind. It is named after Brownian motion, the random jiggling of particles, not after the colour.

What is the difference between white, pink and brown noise?

White noise has equal energy at every frequency and sounds like hiss. Pink noise has less energy in the high frequencies and sounds like steady rain. Brown noise drops off even faster with pitch and sounds like a low rumble.

Does brown noise help you focus?

It hasn’t really been studied. A 2024 meta-analysis of noise and attention found no brown-noise studies at all; it found a small benefit of white and pink noise for young people with ADHD and a small cost for others. If brown noise helps you shut out distractions, use it, at a low volume.

Is brown noise good for ADHD?

Some people with ADHD say it helps, but there is no direct research on brown noise for ADHD yet. Research on white and pink noise shows small benefits on lab tasks. This is general information, not medical advice. Speak to a clinician about ADHD or hearing concerns.

Can brown noise help with tinnitus?

The NHS suggests avoiding total silence and says soft music or sounds (sound therapy) may distract you from tinnitus. Whether brown noise suits you is personal; the NHS advises seeing a GP if you have tinnitus regularly or it is getting worse, and asking for an urgent appointment if it beats in time with your pulse. It also lists loud background noise among things that can make tinnitus worse, so keep the volume low. This is general information, not medical advice. Speak to a clinician about ADHD or hearing concerns.

How loud should brown noise be?

Quiet: about the level of a calm conversation or lower. You should be able to hear someone speak to you. The WHO treats 80 decibels for up to 40 hours a week as the safe limit for adults; background noise for focus should be well below that.

Can I play brown noise without a timer?

Yes. Choose “No limit” and the noise plays until you pause it. The clock then counts up so you can see how long it has been on.

Does it work offline?

Partly. Once the page has loaded, the timer, tasks, stats and the generated sounds (brown, pink and white noise, rain and fireplace) keep working without a connection. The café and forest recordings download the first time you play them, and reloading the page needs a connection. An installable offline version is planned but not available yet.

Sources

Updated · Written by the FocusLoop team