Alternatives to white noise, starting with pink.

Why it works

The usual complaint about white noise is that it is harsh, and the cause is its brightness: equal energy at every frequency means a great deal up where hearing is keenest. Pink noise, playing here, tilts the balance toward the low end and sounds like rain. Brown tilts further. Neither one loops on this site.

The other complaint is that it stopped working. Often that means the room was never the problem. If you are awake because your head is busy, a softer noise is a nicer version of the wrong answer. The voice on the second fader is a different answer.

What you are hearing

• Pink noise. Equal energy in every octave, made with Paul Kellet's pinking filter and rolled off above 2,500 Hz. Brighter than brown, softer than white.
• The voice. The first four minutes of Aristotle, the Greatest Philosopher, a Lullable story, in a synthesised voice. It only plays if you bring it in.
• The ending. The preview lasts four minutes. Its last ten seconds are a straight fade to silence, so it never stops abruptly.

For a real recording that runs forty minutes, the Lullable iPhone app has rain, waves, a campfire and plain noise, with no voice and no music.