Pink Noise Generator

Purpose

Generates a pink noise test signal. Pink noise is useful since it has equal energy in each equal fraction of an octave. As a result it looks “flat” when viewed on a common 1/3 or 1 octave band Real Time Analyzer.

Controls

Level

Sets the RMS level of the pink noise generated. The peak level for pink noise is approximately 10dB greater than its RMS level.

Mute

Mutes the output of the generator.

Pink Noise Frequency Response

While pink noise looks “flat” when viewed on a 1/3 octave Real Time Analyzer, it actually has a response which decreases with increasing frequency. The analyzer however, averages an increasingly large bandwidth in each band, so the resulting combination looks flat. This is what the actual response of the pink noise looks like.

Magnitude response of the Pink Noise Generator. The slope is -10dB/Decade or -3dB/Octave.