About What Is Noise
What Is Noise started as a simple question scribbled in a notebook: why does one sound soothe us while another drives us to distraction? That question grew into a small website dedicated to untangling the science, psychology, and everyday experience of sound in all its forms, from the hum of a refrigerator to the roar of a crowded street.
Who’s Behind It
The site is edited by Rodney Powell, a longtime writer with a background in acoustics reporting and a stubborn curiosity about why noise affects people so differently. Rodney spent years interviewing engineers, audiologists, and musicians before deciding there was room for a plain-spoken resource that didn’t assume a physics degree or an audio engineering certificate. What Is Noise is the result: a place where technical ideas get translated into language anyone can follow.
Why This Site Exists
Noise is often treated as a nuisance to be eliminated rather than a phenomenon worth understanding. We think that’s a missed opportunity. Sound shapes mood, focus, sleep, and health in ways most people never stop to consider. Our goal is to help readers make sense of that invisible force, whether they’re trying to figure out why open-plan offices feel exhausting, how white noise machines actually work, or what decibel levels really mean in practice.
What You’ll Find Here
Expect plain-language explainers, practical guides, and the occasional deep dive into a specific topic, like tinnitus, soundproofing materials, or the difference between noise and music. We avoid jargon when we can, and when we can’t, we explain it. We’re not interested in fear-mongering about sound; we’re interested in clarity.
Our Approach
This is a small, independent operation. There’s no large editorial team, just a commitment to getting things right, updating pages when understanding changes, and being honest about what is genuinely known versus what is still debated. If you have a question we haven’t answered yet, we want to hear about it.