#sound generators

Oh man… I was born for this ask.

I too cannot fall asleep without some sort of white noise generator. I even sleep with a fan on during the winter because I have a hard time falling asleep without noise. I just throw a blanket over it so that it doesn’t blow cold air into my room.

However, there are lots of free “white noise” websites that you can play off of your computer for free that are essentially the same idea. Some of the more popular ones even have iphone apps. Check it:

Sound Generators

1. Simply Noise: If I’m in a hotel or staying over at a friend’s house, this is my go-to generator. Good ole white noise! The website also offers “pink” and “brown” noise, which are different in tambor. They have an app that you can download (also free).

2. Rainy Mood: Possibly the most famous “sound generator” website. It’s a virtual thunderstorm on a thirty minute loop. I personally don’t like this one, because of the loop- there’s a slight pause after the first thunderstorm ends and the next one begins. Super high quality and realistic, and they do have an instrumental tune of the day that you can choose to play over the storm.

3. Simply Rain: From the creators of “Simply Noise”. Simply Rain is highly adjustable (frequency of thunder, etc) and works the same way the sister site does. And no loop! Continuous noise! But it definitely does not sound as realistic as Rainy Mood. They have an app that you can download (also free).

4. Coffitivity: Maybe not the best for sleeping, but this is my favorite “get shit done” website. The creators believe that a certain amount of ambient background noise is helpful to stimulate your brain and get you working. These generators sound like you’re sitting in a college coffee house drinking a nitro cold brew. While not customizable, there are many different “coffee house” recordings for you to choose from.

5. August Ambience: I found this website last winter when I was longing for a little bit of summer. Literally sounds like your parent’s backyard during the summer complete with crickets, cicadas, and tree frogs. Not customizable, but so lovely to fall asleep to. This website is also on a loop, but I’m not sure how long it is.

6. Eco Sounds: I’ve been looking for a good sea generator for a long time, and this is the best one I’ve found so far. Fully customizable in terms of waves, water splash, and seagulls. Relaxing and wonderful, and it does have an app.

Good Smelling Things

1. Scented Beads: I’ve been preaching the word of scented beads for several years now, because they’re so dang cool. Just the look of them is amazing, and I find that they work better than other air fresheners. I would recommend that you avoid buying any Dollar Store scented beads (I’ve had bad experiences) and just spend a couple extra dollars and buy them on Amazon.

2. Pot Pourri: Pot Pourri are essentially dried petals, fake fruit, cinnamon sticks, etc that are lathered in oil and smell AMAZING. While a bit more pricey than some of these other options, I’m recommending them because you can buy a small bag and stash it inside your drawers to save space. They last about as long as typical air fresheners do, but these are somewhat DIY reusable. You can buy an oil of your choice and re-scent them and they’re good to go. 

3. Activated Charcoal: I have not personally used these, but a friend of mine swears by them. He boxes and apparently boxing gloves get pretty rank pretty fast, so he uses these things to control the odor. The more organic option: “Febreze contains 87 different chemicals such as neurotoxins, carcinogens, allergens and skin/eye/lung irritants! Shocked?Activated Bamboo Charcoal Air Purifiers have 1 ingredient: Charcoal, packaged in a beautiful linen bag.This makes it natural, non-toxic, chemical & fragrance-free, reusable, sustainable and entirely “green”.”

4. Febreze: I know, I know. Toxic AF. But these small spaces air fresheners really work, and might be more suitable for sticking in a drawer with clothes. I’ve linked to Amazon, but you may be able to find them cheaper in your local grocery store.

If you want a cat or need a cat or you have a cat but your cat has its own cat business to be getting on with and does not want to sit and purr for you for hours at a time, good news!

https://purrli.com

I got to try this for free on their website. I was sitting in bed listening to the Mediterranean Garden and reading my fics and blocking out the noise of the new neighbour upstairs snoring his damn head off. Then I started to get sleepy. So I put the iPad away, but of course then the sounds stop, so I downloaded the app... and I drifted off to sleep so quickly, even with my big ol' headphones on my head. I really struggle falling asleep, so this was a big deal!

All that to say, read the post I linked above, try the site if you are so inclined and drop the dude some dollars if you can afford it.

I thought I'd share two tracks on mynoise.net that I've customized and really enjoy listening to together when I'm writing. My settings:

Twin Black Lodges

Right now I’m listening to Serenity, but I can’t wait to try out some of the others.  And I’m a patron, so I may try my hand at making my own.

The Fly + Boat

Prefusify + Laundromat