How to use it
Press a mix on the left, or tap a sound to turn it on and move its slider. "Play for" stops the sound after 25, 50 or 90 minutes with a slow fade, so you can also use it to fall asleep.
The page remembers your mix. "Copy link" gives you a link to the exact mix, to keep or to send to a friend. To work in blocks, open the focus timer in a second tab: the sounds keep playing here.
Brown noise, pink noise and white noise: the difference
All three are random noise. They differ in how the energy is spread from low to high sounds. White noise has the same energy at every frequency, so it sounds bright, like a hiss. Pink noise loses 3 dB per octave, so it sounds softer, like steady rain. Brown noise loses 6 dB per octave and sounds like a deep rumble. It is named after Robert Brown and Brownian motion, not after the colour.
| Noise | What it sounds like | People use it for |
|---|---|---|
| White noise | Bright, even hiss: a fan, a TV between channels | Covering voices and sudden sounds |
| Pink noise | Softer hiss: steady rain, wind in trees | Studying, reading, falling asleep |
| Brown noise | Deep rumble: a waterfall, the inside of a plane | Long focus blocks, covering traffic hum |
Does background noise help you focus?
Sometimes, and it depends on you. In a 2012 study, people did better on creative tasks with the hum of voices at about 70 dB, as loud as a busy café, than in quiet rooms. At 85 dB they did worse.
A 2024 review of 13 studies found that white and pink noise gave a small benefit on tasks to young people with ADHD or many attention problems, and a small harm to people without them. It found no studies of brown noise at all, so the brown noise trend is still untested. Try a mix for a day and keep the volume below the level of a normal conversation.
Café sounds, without the café
Many people play café chatter because working alone at home is too quiet. Limen is the real version in Amsterdam: up to 10 people at one table, Mondays, Fridays + other days, quiet focus blocks, talk in the breaks and lunch together. The first day is from €15.
Questions
Are these focus sounds free?
Yes. There is no account, no ad and no paid plan. Limen, a coworking day in Amsterdam, makes them.
What is brown noise?
Random noise with most of its energy in the low sounds: it loses 6 dB per octave and sounds like a deep, soft rumble, softer than white or pink noise.
Is brown noise or white noise better for focus?
There is no proof that one is better. White noise covers voices well but can feel harsh; brown noise is softer, so many people can listen to it for longer. Try both at a low volume.
Does brown noise help with ADHD?
It is not known. A 2024 review found a small benefit of white and pink noise for young people with ADHD, but no studies of brown noise. Treat it as something to try, not a treatment.
Can I use it to sleep?
Yes. Pick a soft mix, such as brown noise or rain, choose 25, 50 or 90 minutes under "Play for", and the sound fades out on its own.
Do the sounds loop?
On a computer, rain drops, voices, cups, keys and fire crackles are made at random while you listen, so they never repeat. On a phone, your mix is made into a 90-second track that loops without a gap, so it can keep playing with the screen locked.
Does it keep playing in another tab or with the screen locked?
Yes. On a computer it plays in a background tab. On a phone it plays like music: it keeps going with the screen locked, and you can pause it from the lock screen. On an iPhone you can also stop it with Clock › Timer › When Timer Ends › Stop Playing.
Sources
- Mehta, Zhu and Cheema (2012): Is noise always bad? Ambient noise and creative cognition. Journal of Consumer Research
- Nigg et al. (2024): Do white noise or pink noise help with task performance in youth with ADHD? A meta-analysis. JAACAP
Made by Limen: focused work days in good company, in Amsterdam. Checked on 2026-10-31.