Blue noise
Blue noise is the mirror image of pink noise: its power rises 3 dB every octave, so it sounds bright and thin, like a spray of water.
- Spectrum
- +3 dB per octave (power rises with f)
- Good for
- Masking high-pitched sounds such as whine or tinnitus
- Understanding noise colours
- Short listening, not all-night use
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What is blue noise?
Blue noise has power proportional to frequency. Low frequencies are nearly absent, so there is no body to the sound, just an airy fizz. On the dial its trace climbs steeply to the right.
Outside audio, blue noise is valued in image processing and printing: dithering patterns with blue-noise properties spread dots evenly with no visible clumps, which is why it appears in graphics research.
Is blue noise good for sleep?
Most people find it too sharp to sleep with. It can be useful at low volume to cover a specific high-pitched sound. For sleep, try pink or brown noise instead.
Questions
What does blue noise sound like?
A bright hiss, like a fine water spray, with almost no bass.
Blue noise vs white noise?
Blue noise tilts further toward the treble; white noise is flat per hertz.
Is blue noise related to blue light?
No. The colour name only describes the spectral tilt, borrowed from how blue light sits at the high-frequency end of the visible spectrum.