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What is White Noise?
Where it comes from and why it is generally good for you
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WHITE NOISE:
White Noise is said to be a mix of every sound frequency that one can hear, every note from deep bass to the highest frequency that a human can hear.
So what does it sound like? Well... like everything and nothing. It is the sound of wind as it rushes through trees, the sound of steady rain, the sound of a mother gently saying "shhhhh..." to her baby, the continuous sound of the seashore if you live near the sea, the sound of a waterfall, the sound you hear when you hold a seashell close to your ear (remember your mother telling you that you could hear the sound of the sea when you held a seashell close to your ear?).
BUT IS WHITE NOISE FOUND ONLY IN NATURE?
No, it can be artificially produced in a sound studio by special electronic equipment and recorded directly to a CD or audio file for later listening in the home or office. Always though, white noise, however produced, is for sure a hissing, rushing, shhh, kind of sound.
ARTIFICIALLY-PRODUCED white noise in its simplest form is a very steady sound. It doesn't vary or waver in intensity at all. However, when NATURE produces white noise by wind, rain, or sea, there is very often a random slight shift in sound level which goes on all the time. This NATURAL white noise with the slight variation in it, is very COMFORTING to the human ear.
ARTIFICIALLY-PRODUCED white noise in its simplest form is a very steady sound. It doesn't vary or waver in intensity at all. However, when NATURE produces white noise by wind, rain, or sea, there is very often a random slight shift in sound level which goes on all the time. This NATURAL white noise with the slight variation in it, is very COMFORTING to the human ear.
SO WHY WOULD PEOPLE WANT SOOTHING WHITE NOISE AROUND THEM
A background of white noise, whether made by human or nature, has a powerful effect of peace and relaxation on people. White noise, when used as a soft background noise, say, in the home, will also help drown out unwanted noises from outside to a perhaps surprising degree, but its primary use is not always to drown out the racket coming at you through your windows when all you really want is some peace and quiet.
A couple of anecdotes follow:
A couple of anecdotes follow:
THE COMPUTER BUSINESS AND THE MOTORWAY RAMP: In the late 1980s, an international computer business with a major base in Wellington New Zealand all of a sudden had a problem with traffic noise when a new motorway ramp was built right by the building. Sound engineers were brought in, and quickly discounted ideas like providing added sound insulation or walling up the windows to keep the noise out, etc. Eventually, they came up with a cost-effective plan to put a soft background of constant white noise through the office public address system. This soft sound covered the harsh distracting din of the motorway traffic and allowed the computer software developers to continue their important mental concentration in perceived peace and quiet.
How So? In this particular application the white noise was indeed used as a cover up for the traffic noise outside the windows, and here is where the special quality of white noise saved the day for the computer company: White noise may in fact be quite loud, but it doesn't sound loud. It tends to remain sounding soft and gentle. But as it was set loud enough to drown out the random traffic noise, all the software developers ended up hearing was, at first, the (apparently) soft and gentle sound of white noise. Then, white noise being perceived by the brain as a completely non-threatening sound from nature from the moment humans first walked the earth, that perceived "friendly" sound was "tuned out" by the brain and, so far as the software developers perceived it, they were doing their work in perfect natural quietness.
This story is true. It was written up in the Wellington daily newspapers at the time, as an innovative solution to a traffic noise problem. The company was the Sperry computer company - a major international player in those days, and they had a floor in Greenock House, The Terrace, Wellington New Zealand.
This story is true. It was written up in the Wellington daily newspapers at the time, as an innovative solution to a traffic noise problem. The company was the Sperry computer company - a major international player in those days, and they had a floor in Greenock House, The Terrace, Wellington New Zealand.
In my (Stan's) humble opinion, this use of white noise to make "silence" was not magic, and maybe some would say it is merely "tricking" the brain into not hearing the steady white noise by quickly tuning it out - but it made use of a wellknown quirk of the human brain - and it worked! (and as I recall all these years later, the white noise - more accurately they termed it "pink"* noise - was artificially generated by electronics, but I cannot swear to that now).
(* To explain simply, "pink" noise is white noise with a boosted lower register - it sounds a bit "bassier").
(* To explain simply, "pink" noise is white noise with a boosted lower register - it sounds a bit "bassier").
MOTHERS and BABIES:
It so happened years ago, in my research into white noise, I began to hear and read anecdotes from a few mothers who had found a way to solve their distress over their failures to put their babies down to sleep - and the babies in turn, becoming progressively over-tired and grumpy, would also become distressed - until some of those mothers began to use white noise in the nursery at sleep times. That was one reason that originally prompted me to make a white noise CD and market it to mothers.
And, so gratifying for all concerned, every single mother who reported back to me about her use of white noise, told me it helped her baby into happy, peaceful sleep without any fuss. No mother ever told me it did not work. So mothers, while I have no peer-reviewed formal scientific research to prove that white noise is great for putting babies to sleep, I surely did receive some very grateful independent feedback from mothers on the New Zealand Trademe website.
Your baby hard to get to sleep? Email me at hypno4all@nym.hush.com and order a White Noise CD. Either one of the two I offer is good, you just choose your preference of sleeping "by the ocean" (get the "Whisperings of the Pacific" CD or mp3), or sleeping to the sound of "steady, gentle rain" (get the"Aramoho Rain" CD or mp3).
It so happened years ago, in my research into white noise, I began to hear and read anecdotes from a few mothers who had found a way to solve their distress over their failures to put their babies down to sleep - and the babies in turn, becoming progressively over-tired and grumpy, would also become distressed - until some of those mothers began to use white noise in the nursery at sleep times. That was one reason that originally prompted me to make a white noise CD and market it to mothers.
And, so gratifying for all concerned, every single mother who reported back to me about her use of white noise, told me it helped her baby into happy, peaceful sleep without any fuss. No mother ever told me it did not work. So mothers, while I have no peer-reviewed formal scientific research to prove that white noise is great for putting babies to sleep, I surely did receive some very grateful independent feedback from mothers on the New Zealand Trademe website.
Your baby hard to get to sleep? Email me at hypno4all@nym.hush.com and order a White Noise CD. Either one of the two I offer is good, you just choose your preference of sleeping "by the ocean" (get the "Whisperings of the Pacific" CD or mp3), or sleeping to the sound of "steady, gentle rain" (get the"Aramoho Rain" CD or mp3).
The History of the WHISPERINGS OF THE PACIFIC White Noise CD
Although long ago I had built an electronic generator of white noise and turned it on in my own city dwelling, I nevertheless (for no particular reason) wanted to offer a natural source of white noise to the general public.
The ONLY sounds you will hear on my Whisperings of the Pacific CD will be the natural white noise sound of the world's largest ocean, the "Peaceful Ocean" (Pacific). On a cold winter's night in July 2005 in coastal Christchurch New Zealand, I stood near Cave Rock on the beach with my portable recording equipment as dusk fell. I chose winter, and dusk, because I did not want any people, dogs or cars around to make distracting sounds on my recording. Even the seagulls were away somewhere else.
Mother Nature offered up a calm night, not much wind, as the ocean quietly "spoke" to me. The sound was remarkably steady considering that softly lapping waves were making it. The variations in sound level that can be heard, are soft and soothing as the waves ebbed and flowed around Cave Rock ebbed and flowed around Cave Rock. Nothing has been added or changed about the recording. What you or your baby will hear, is exactly what I heard on the night I did the recording.
Mother Nature offered up a calm night, not much wind, as the ocean quietly "spoke" to me. The sound was remarkably steady considering that softly lapping waves were making it. The variations in sound level that can be heard, are soft and soothing as the waves ebbed and flowed around Cave Rock ebbed and flowed around Cave Rock. Nothing has been added or changed about the recording. What you or your baby will hear, is exactly what I heard on the night I did the recording.
The Whisperings of the Pacific CD is one hour long. For baby, that should be plenty of time to pop off to sleep: For you, dear reader, if you like, set your CD player to "repeat" and then you too can "sleep by the ocean all night" (or at least think you are...).
And now, by popular demand. . .
Introducing the "Aramoho Rain" CD.
In 2017, due to popular demand, I introduced a different yet still all-natural genuine White Noise choice. It is one hour of soothing steady rain. Everything that has been said of the Whisperings of the Pacific CD of white noise, can also be said about the Aramoho Rain CD (both of those are available as mp3 downloads, just choose CD or mp3 when you order)
And now, by popular demand. . .
Introducing the "Aramoho Rain" CD.
In 2017, due to popular demand, I introduced a different yet still all-natural genuine White Noise choice. It is one hour of soothing steady rain. Everything that has been said of the Whisperings of the Pacific CD of white noise, can also be said about the Aramoho Rain CD (both of those are available as mp3 downloads, just choose CD or mp3 when you order)
Either of those Natural White Noise CDs will work equally well. Customer feedback suggests that whichever one you use is largely a matter of personal choice, both are very relaxing.
PINK NOISE / WHITE NOISE / HINTS to SETTING UP YOUR CD IN YOUR ROOM
Everything I have written about white noise on this page, also is true for "pink" noise. In the audio profession, both are recognised as being a full spectrum of all sounds that can be heard, all mixed in together. The difference is that pink noise has a bassier sound to it, its energy decreases up through the octaves. White noise by contrast has equal energy all the way up through the octaves.
However, when you play the sound through your own player at home, all you need to do is to adjust the tone of the sound until it is the most pleasant to the ear. In other words, you will be adjusting the tone equally as much for your personal comfort, as for the acoustics of the room you will using the white noise in.
It doesn't matter if someone who knows about these things visits you and tells you that you have set your white noise so now it sounds "pink". If you have set the tone to be pleasant to your own ears, and not too loud, then that is exactly the right sound for you, and the room you are using it in.
However, when you play the sound through your own player at home, all you need to do is to adjust the tone of the sound until it is the most pleasant to the ear. In other words, you will be adjusting the tone equally as much for your personal comfort, as for the acoustics of the room you will using the white noise in.
It doesn't matter if someone who knows about these things visits you and tells you that you have set your white noise so now it sounds "pink". If you have set the tone to be pleasant to your own ears, and not too loud, then that is exactly the right sound for you, and the room you are using it in.
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NOTES, UPDATES & GENERAL INFO FOLLOWS
Stan Hood's Whisperings of the Pacific, and Aramoho Rain white noise CDs contain only white noise sound recorded from Mother Nature. There is approximately one hour of White Noise on the CD.
There is NO SPEECH and NO MUSIC on the white noise CDs. The sound is exactly as recorded from nature, nothing added, nothing taken away.
There is NO SPEECH and NO MUSIC on the white noise CDs. The sound is exactly as recorded from nature, nothing added, nothing taken away.
White Noise CDs are shipped by Standard NZ Post to New Zealand addresses only. The mp3s for the world (including New Zealand) are downloaded from a protected page on this website that only the buyer can access.
