Writers are no strangers to using sound as creative fuel, whether that means listening to a curated playlist for inspiration or a white noise app to block out distractions. MyNoise.net builds on that familiar writing routine, offering a library of customizable soundscapes that can help you focus and sink more fully into your work.
Sound engineer Dr. Stéphane Pigeon created myNoise in 2013 as a thoughtfully designed audio toolkit built around how sound affects the brain. He records the site’s nature soundscapes himself, and musicians perform others, making the sounds unique to the site and more immersive than generic loops. Pigeon notes on the website that “generative AI is never used to create myNoise soundscapes.”
On the site, there are hundreds of soundscapes, each with ten individual sounds on sliders, allowing you to customize sounds with specific frequencies and layers. “Demolition Site,” for example, isn’t a single recording but a blend of bulldozers, jackhammers, debris, and ambient rumble, while “Irish Coast” offers a combination of wind, waves, and pebbles tumbling along the shore. Each soundscape also includes a description, as well as audio presets and settings for use with speakers or to compensate for hearing loss.
This flexibility is where the site shines for writers, especially those with ADHD or sensory sensitivity. Certain noise profiles can mask background noise, helping your brain ignore distractions like coffee shop chatter or sudden household sounds. MyNoise also offers specialized generators, including binaural beats and focus-oriented channels, for those who find structured sound helpful for concentration. MyNoise can also mask everyday noise or offer tinnitus-friendly background sounds.
In its full index, the site sorts sounds into intuitive categories like “healing,” “ambient,” and “fantasy,” and even includes themed radio stations that stream continuous variations within certain sound types—so you can either fine-tune a specific atmosphere or let it run and keep your creative momentum intact.
For drafting, try atmospheric environments, such as “Medieval Library” or “Port Town,” which may help you slip into a story’s setting. For administrative work, gentler soundscapes like “Japanese Garden” may keep your mind steady, and “Cat Purr” or “Underwater” may help you wind down after a long editing session. The site also allows you to open multiple mini-players and play sounds across multiple soundscapes, creating your own custom background ambience.
MyNoise is free to use, though donations help sustain the project. Contributing unlocks downloads and additional features, including the ability to save your favorite soundscape settings and run up to five generators in a single window. There’s also a free companion app for iOS and Android, with optional in-app purchases to expand the available soundscapes.
If sound is part of your creative process, myNoise may just offer the perfect backdrop to inhabit the world you’re building—but the final sound mix is up to you.
