A tinnitus masking sound is a steady broadband noise played quietly so that the ringing, hissing or buzzing of tinnitus stands out less against it. Because tinnitus differs in pitch from person to person, the most useful masker is one whose color can be adjusted to match, which is what the generator on this page does: it synthesizes noise from deep brown to bright violet with a single slider.
This site is free, has no ads or signup, and is open source. It is a tool, not a treatment, and nothing here is medical advice. Tinnitus that is new, one-sided, pulsing, or accompanied by hearing loss or dizziness should be assessed by an audiologist or doctor. An audiologist can also build a proper sound therapy plan, of which a noise generator is only one part.
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There are two different ways sound is used for tinnitus, and it helps to know which you are doing. Masking means playing a sound loud enough that the tinnitus is partly or fully covered while the sound plays. Relief is immediate but stops when the sound stops. Habituation, the goal of approaches such as tinnitus retraining therapy, means playing a sound quieter than the tinnitus for long periods so that the brain gradually learns to file the tinnitus as unimportant background, the way it already ignores a refrigerator.
Most audiologists now favor the second approach for long-term use, with the sound set at what is sometimes called the mixing point: the level at which the noise and the tinnitus blend and neither dominates. Full masking is still useful at moments when the tinnitus is intrusive, such as falling asleep. Both can be done with the same generator; the difference is the volume.
Tinnitus is most often a high tone, somewhere between 4 and 8 kHz, and sometimes higher. Pink and brown noise have little energy up there, so they may need to be played uncomfortably loud to cover it. Blue noise, white noise and, for very high tones, violet noise put their energy in the right place and can sit under the tinnitus at a much lower level. The Tinnitus Mask preset is a blue-white blend with a perceptual EQ for this common case.
A smaller number of people have a low hum or roar, for which pink or brown noise are the better match. If you do not know your pitch, start with Grey Noise, which is spread evenly across the whole range as the ear hears it, then move the color slider toward violet or brown and listen for where the tinnitus becomes least distinct.
The single most important setting is level, and the usual advice is to keep the noise just below the loudness of the tinnitus, not above it. At that level the noise reduces the contrast between the tinnitus and silence without adding a second thing to be annoyed by, and it gives the brain a chance to habituate rather than simply replacing one sound with another. Turn it up only briefly, when you need full masking to fall asleep or get through a difficult hour.
Never use volume that would be loud for music. Tinnitus is often associated with noise exposure, and a loud masker can make things worse. If you find yourself increasing the level over days, that is a reason to step back and, ideally, to talk to an audiologist. Use the volume control on the site rather than the device volume so the setting is saved in the URL.
Press play to load Tinnitus Mask, or choose one of the presets below. Adjust the color slider slowly while listening for the point at which the ringing is least noticeable; that value, and everything else you set, is stored in the page URL, so bookmark it once you find it. The grey toggle applies an equal-loudness curve, which many people find makes the noise less tiring over hours.
For sleep, the timer fades the noise out after any period. If you want the sound on a bedside device, export a WAV of whatever length you need. The page installs as an app on phones and desktops and works offline, and it runs in Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge. Because the noise is synthesized rather than looped, there is no repeating pattern to fixate on.
A noise generator addresses the experience of tinnitus, not its cause. See a doctor or audiologist promptly if tinnitus started suddenly, is in one ear only, pulses in time with your heartbeat, or comes with hearing loss, ear pain, or dizziness. For ongoing tinnitus, an audiologist can measure your hearing and your tinnitus pitch, rule out treatable causes, fit hearing aids that often reduce tinnitus on their own, and set up counseling and sound therapy with far more structure than a website can offer. This page is meant to sit alongside that care, not replace it.
The one closest in pitch to your tinnitus. For the usual high-pitched ringing, blue or white noise covers it at the lowest volume; for a low hum, pink or brown works better. If you do not know, start with grey noise and move the color slider until the tinnitus is least distinct. An audiologist can measure your tinnitus pitch precisely.
Just below the level of the tinnitus itself, so the two blend rather than the noise winning. This is sometimes called the mixing point and it is the level recommended for habituation. Turn it up only briefly when you need full masking, and never to a level that would be loud for music.
Loud sound of any kind can, so keep the masker quiet. There is also a concern that full masking all the time prevents the brain from habituating, which is why audiologists tend to recommend partial masking at a low level. If your tinnitus seems to be getting louder, stop and see an audiologist.
No. It is a sound generator that some people find makes tinnitus less noticeable. Treatment involves assessment by a doctor or audiologist, treating any underlying cause, and often a structured program that combines counseling with sound. This site is not medical advice and should be used alongside professional care, not in place of it.
Many people do, since tinnitus is often most noticeable in a quiet bedroom. Keep the volume low, use a speaker across the room or headphones designed for sleep rather than earbuds, and consider the fade-out timer if you only need help falling asleep. Discuss overnight use with your audiologist if you are following a sound therapy plan.
Masking covers the tinnitus with a louder sound and works only while the sound plays. Habituation uses a quieter sound, below the tinnitus, for long periods so the brain gradually stops treating the tinnitus as important. Habituation is the longer-term goal of most sound therapy; masking is for moments of acute intrusion.