Guide · The science-ish part

White noise vs rain

"White noise" gets used for any steady sound, but the colors mean something specific — and the differences are audible. Here's the honest version.

The three colors, in one minute

White noise has equal energy at every frequency. To human ears — which hear high frequencies more sharply — it sounds bright, hissy, like an old TV between channels. It masks aggressively but many people find it harsh for long sessions.
Pink noise rolls the energy off as frequency rises, matching how we actually hear. It sounds fuller and softer — closer to steady rainfall or wind in trees. The most comfortable general-purpose masker.
Brown noise rolls off much faster. It's the deep one — a waterfall heard from inside a house, a plane cabin, a distant highway at night. Barely any hiss, lots of body. Popular for sleep, and lately for concentration.

All three are synthesized here — genuinely, mathematically generated, because that's what noise is. There's nothing to record.

So where does rain fit?

Acoustically, steady rain behaves like pink-ish noise with texture. The broadband wash of thousands of droplets does the masking; the tiny variations — a gust, a heavier patch, drips off a gutter — are what make it feel alive instead of mechanical.

That texture is a trade-off, honestly stated: pure noise masks slightly more consistently, because it never varies at all. Rain is easier to love, easier to leave on for hours, and doesn't trigger the "what is that machine sound" reaction some people get from synthetic noise. Which one is better is a preference, not a fact — and it costs nothing to try both.

Quick picks

Sleep in a noisy flat: brown noise under soft rain. Try it.
Masking voices while working: pink noise with light rain on top. Try it.
Pure noise, no rain at all: pink alone is the gentlest place to start. Try it.
Tinnitus masking: many people do best with plain pink or brown at the lowest level that helps — the goal is to soften the ringing's edge, not bury it. If tinnitus is new or worsening, see an audiologist first.

Fair warning about volume: whichever you choose, hours of steady sound should stay quiet. If someone next to you can hear it from your headphones, it's too loud.