Rain Sounds

Rain Sounds for Sleeping

1. Choose the Rain for sleeping preset. It mixes gentle rain on a window with steady rain and turns the tone down, which takes the hiss off the top.
2. Set the timer to 60 minutes or 8 hours. The rain fades out over the last two minutes, so it doesn't stop with a jolt.
3. Keep the volume low, and lower still in headphones.

On an iPhone, the rain keeps playing with the screen locked, and you can pause it from the lock screen.

Heavy Rain Sounds

The Heavy rain preset layers steady rain recorded from a Berlin window with rain drumming on a tin roof. Push the Tin roof slider up for more drumming, or add Thunder for a storm. For a full storm with wind, open the thunderstorm sounds mixer.

Why Rain Works as Background Sound

Steady rain covers a wide range of pitches at once, a lot like pink noise. Against it, sudden sounds such as a door closing or a car passing stand out less. That's why rain suits a busy office or a bus as well as a quiet bedroom.

Where Each Sound Was Recorded

• Gentle rain on an indoor window. "RAIN on glass window" by nicoproson, CC0 public domain.
• Rain recorded from a window in Berlin. "Rain_01" by vincefred, CC0 public domain.
• A tin-roofed bicycle shelter at Gatwick, on a warm evening. "Over 2 hours of rainfall on a tin roof" by Simon Spiers, CC0 public domain.
• Inside a tent during a stormy September night in Skradin, Croatia. "Inside a tent with rain" by Bronxio, CC0 public domain.
• A parked car with the engine off, recorded with binaural microphones. "Rain from inside car" by jankooiker, CC0 public domain.
• Rain on the roof of a barn in southern Argentina. "Rain in a barn" by felix.blume, CC0 public domain.
• A soft, steady wind. "Soft Wind Ambience" by cribbler, CC0 public domain.
• Rain and a thunderclap through an open window. "Thunder 2" by davidhrivnak, CC0 public domain.
• The first monsoon rain of the year. "Rain and thunder sound (raw)" by deep_, CC0 public domain.
• An outdoor storm with thunder rolling almost without a break. "Thunder Storm Nonstop Thunder" by hargissssound, CC0 public domain.

We cut each recording into a loop that joins up without a seam and balanced the volumes so the sliders match. Each loop starts at a random point, so a mix of several layers doesn't repeat in step.

How to Make Your Own Mix

1. Pick the preset closest to what you want.
2. Move a slider to bring a sound in or take it out.
3. Turn the tone down for a softer, duller sound.
4. Set a timer, or choose No timer to let it play.

Your last mix is saved in your browser, so it's ready next time.

FAQs

Do the rain sounds loop?

Each sound is a recording between 40 and 90 seconds long, joined so you can't hear where it starts again. Layers start at random points, so a mix doesn't repeat in step. Thunder never loops: it arrives at random.

Will it keep playing with my screen off?

On iPhone and on computers, yes. If your phone ever pauses it, tap play when you come back.

How much data does it use?

Each sound is 1 to 2 MB and downloads once per visit. The default mix uses about 2 to 3 MB.

Can I download the rain sounds?

Not from here. The original recordings are public domain and free to download from Freesound, linked above.