Brown noise for babies: what it is and how it differs from white noise

General information, not medical advice.

Brown noise (also called Brownian or red noise) is random sound whose energy falls by 6 dB for every doubling of frequency. In practice that means a deep, soft rumble with very little hiss — closer to a distant waterfall, a jet engine heard from inside a cabin, or a strong, steady wind than to the bright “shhh” of white noise.

White vs pink vs brown

• White noise: flat spectrum, lots of high-frequency hiss.
• Pink noise: −3 dB per octave; sounds balanced, like steady rain.
• Brown noise: −6 dB per octave; mostly lows. Many people find it the most soothing; others find it too boomy. Neither is “right” — it's personal.

Using brown noise with a baby

Because brown noise carries a lot of low-frequency energy, it can sound quiet on a small phone speaker while actually driving the speaker hard, and it can feel louder than it sounds. Keep the volume low, keep the speaker away from the crib (we suggest at least 2 m / 7 ft), and use a timer. Read the safe-volume guide.

Brown noise in Dozefan

Dozefan includes Brown Noise with a Depth control and Deep Brown, an extra-low variant for speakers that can reproduce it. Both are generated live, not looped, and level-matched with the other sounds so you can switch without changing the volume.