Tinnitus Sound Library — White Noise, Brown Noise & More

Sound therapy is one of the most well-studied non-pharmacological approaches to tinnitus management. It does not cure tinnitus, but it can reduce perceived loudness, ease distress, and — over time — promote habituation.

Different sound types work through different mechanisms. Understanding the rationale helps you choose what to test in your Lab sessions and track systematically in your check-ins.

This library is for educational purposes only. All content is general information and is not a substitute for advice from your audiologist or physician.

Broadband Noise Masking

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White Noise

Masking ▼

White noise contains equal energy across all frequencies — a flat, consistent hiss. It raises your acoustic floor, partially masking the tinnitus signal by reducing the contrast between the tinnitus and ambient silence.

Evidence: Widely used in tinnitus sound therapy. Provides immediate short-term relief in most patients. Does not promote long-term habituation on its own. Most effective when used at a level that partially masks (not fully drowns out) the tinnitus — a technique called "partial masking."

Best for: Sleep onset, concentration during work, acute distress moments. Works across all tinnitus subtypes.

Test in Lab →

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Pink Noise

Masking ▼

Pink noise has more power in the low frequencies, rolling off at 3 dB per octave. It sounds warmer and more natural than white noise — like rain or a gentle waterfall. The frequency balance more closely matches the natural spectral slope of many environmental sounds.

Evidence: Many users find pink noise easier to listen to long-term than white noise. Some small studies suggest pink noise during sleep may support memory consolidation. For tinnitus, the partial masking mechanism is similar to white noise, but the perceived comfort is often higher.

Best for: Extended wear (e.g. working from home), sleep, users who find white noise harsh. Particularly suited to high-pitched tinnitus.

Test in Lab →

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Brown Noise

Relaxation ▼

Brown noise (also called red noise or Brownian noise) rolls off at 6 dB per octave — much heavier bass than pink noise. It sounds like a deep rumble, ocean surf, or distant thunder. Extremely gentle on the high-frequency regions where most tinnitus occurs.

Evidence: Particularly popular among users with hyperacusis (sound sensitivity) or high-frequency tinnitus, because it concentrates energy away from the trigger zone. Relaxation effects are anecdotally reported; physiological evidence is limited but emerging.

Best for: Hyperacusis, noise sensitivity, users who find white/pink noise uncomfortable, relaxation and meditation.

Test in Lab →

Targeted / Therapeutic

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Notched Audio Therapy

Neuroplasticity ▼

Notched audio therapy removes a narrow band of frequencies centered on your tinnitus pitch from broadband noise or music. The theory, based on lateral inhibition in the auditory cortex, is that the neurons tuned to your tinnitus frequency receive less stimulation — potentially reducing their hyperactivity over time.

Evidence: Multiple randomized controlled trials (Okamoto et al., 2010; Teismann et al., 2011; Reavis et al., 2012) showed significant reductions in tinnitus loudness and distress in some patients after several weeks of daily use. Effect sizes are moderate. Requires accurate frequency matching first. Not effective for broadband/non-tonal tinnitus. Daily use of 1–2 hours over 4–12 weeks is the tested protocol.

Best for: Pure-tone or narrow-band tinnitus with a well-defined pitch. First complete frequency matching in the Lab, then use the Lab's notched mode daily.

Match Frequency & Try →

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Residual Inhibition (RI) Test

Research ▼

Residual inhibition is the temporary reduction or elimination of tinnitus following sustained exposure to a masking sound. When you stop the sound, the tinnitus remains reduced for seconds to minutes. A positive RI response may suggest your tinnitus is more amenable to sound-based treatment and could indicate better outcomes from masking approaches.

Evidence: Well-established clinical phenomenon (Terry et al., 1983; Roberts et al., 2008). ~80% of tinnitus patients experience some RI. The duration of suppression varies widely (seconds to many minutes). A strong RI response is considered a positive biomarker for sound therapy responsiveness.

Best for: Testing your response before committing to a sound therapy protocol. Complete this first in the Lab if you haven't yet.

Run RI Test in Lab →

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Bimodal Stimulation (Sound + Vagus)

Neuroplasticity ▼

Bimodal stimulation pairs precisely-timed sounds with somatosensory input (typically electrical stimulation or touch) to engage neuromodulatory pathways. The goal is to drive broader cortical plasticity than sound alone can achieve. The most studied implementation uses vagus nerve stimulation paired with tones.

Evidence: A landmark 2022 Nature Medicine RCT (Conlon et al.) demonstrated significant tinnitus loudness and handicap reductions with binaural sound + transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation over 6 weeks. The effect persisted at 12-month follow-up. Currently available as a commercial device (Lenire). Cost and access remain barriers.

Best for: Users who have not responded well to masking or notched audio, or who want the most evidence-backed emerging approach. Discuss with an audiologist.

Try in Lab →

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Binaural Beats

Relaxation ▼

Binaural beats are created by playing two slightly different pure tones — one in each ear. Your brain perceives a rhythmic "beat" at the frequency difference (e.g., 200 Hz left, 210 Hz right → 10 Hz beat). This entrainment effect may promote relaxation, reduce stress, and lower the emotional distress associated with tinnitus.

Evidence: Small RCTs (Garcia-Argibay et al., 2019 meta-analysis) show binaural beats in the delta/theta range reduce anxiety and improve mood. Direct tinnitus-specific evidence is limited, but stress reduction is well-documented to reduce tinnitus perception severity. Requires stereo headphones for the effect to work.

Best for: Relaxation, stress reduction, sleep preparation. Use with stereo headphones. Select a beat frequency: delta (2 Hz) for deep relaxation, theta (6 Hz) for meditation, alpha (10 Hz) for calm focus.

Try in Lab →

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Fractal Tones

Habituation ▼

Fractal tones are algorithmically generated melodic sequences with self-similar, never-repeating patterns. Built on a pentatonic scale with randomized pitch steps, timing, and gaps, the result is unpredictable enough to engage attention but pleasant enough to avoid fatigue. This may reduce tinnitus focus by providing gentle auditory stimulation without monotony.

Evidence: Auditory habituation research (Jastreboff, 1990 TRT model) shows variable, non-threatening sound enrichment promotes attention redirection away from tinnitus. The Widex Zen fractal tone program reported significant tinnitus distress reduction in clinical trials. Non-repeating pleasant sound is more adherence-friendly than static noise.

Best for: Background enrichment during focus or rest, users who find white/pink noise unpleasant, long-term habituation support. Not masking — use at a level below your tinnitus loudness.

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Nature & Environmental

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Nature Sounds (Rain, Ocean, Forest)

Habituation ▼

Natural soundscapes — rain, ocean waves, running water, forest ambience — are widely used as background enrichment sounds. Unlike pure noise, they are inherently variable and pleasant, which may support longer-term adherence and habituation training.

Evidence: Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) uses broadband noise as an enrichment tool to promote habituation over 12–24 months. Nature sounds serve a similar role but with higher subjective pleasantness. No head-to-head RCT comparing nature sounds to white noise exists, but adherence studies favor variable, naturalistic sounds.

Best for: Background enrichment during work or rest, long-term habituation support, sleep. Best used at a low level — below the tinnitus loudness — to train attention away from the tinnitus rather than mask it.

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Music Therapy & Spectrally Modified Music

Neuroplasticity ▼

Listening to personally meaningful music, particularly music modified to remove or reduce the frequencies of your tinnitus pitch (spectrally notched music), combines the neuroplasticity mechanism of notched therapy with the emotional engagement of preferred music. This may improve adherence and add mood-regulatory benefits.

Evidence: Okamoto et al. (2010) demonstrated that spectrally notched music produced significant tinnitus loudness reduction versus non-notched music controls after 12 months. The emotional engagement of preferred music may activate reward pathways that amplify cortical reorganization. Streaming apps that apply real-time spectral notching are available.

Best for: Users who find noise-based therapies tedious or uncomfortable. Works best when you have a well-defined tinnitus pitch from Lab frequency matching.

Match Frequency First →