Why the fire and the rumble suit each other
Brown noise is a deep, even rumble with nothing in it to follow, and it fills the silence between crackles so the fire does not sound like it is coming out of a small box. The two start closer together than in most mixes here, because this one is about atmosphere and not about covering the street. Brown noise does quiet the low end of a room, so a boiler, a distant road or bass through the ceiling gets less obvious. People talking will come through both sounds, and the fire covers nothing at all, since it is a recording of something that happens in bursts.
Good company for a slow evening
Try it while you read, knit, write in a notebook or put the last small jobs of the day away. Keep it at a volume you could hold a conversation over, so it stays part of the room. On a phone speaker the rumble mostly disappears and you are left with crackle, which is worth knowing before you decide the mix is thin; earbuds or a speaker with some bass change it completely. If crackling makes you alert instead of settled, that is common enough, and the ocean and green noise preset is the smoother choice.
More fire, or more rumble
For a heavier, more enclosed feel, nudge brown noise up a few points and leave the fire alone. For something closer to a real hearth, take brown noise down to around 45 and let the crackle sit in front. Do not answer a small speaker by turning everything up, because the depth is not there to be found and the volume only costs you comfort. Listen through a dozen crackles before you judge a setting, since the fire is uneven by nature. Share mix hands you a link to whatever you land on.
Explore the sounds in this mix
Listen to each layer on its own: Brown Noise and Fireplace. Or start from scratch in the free online sound mixer.
Frequently asked questions
Is the fire a real recording?
Yes. The fire is a continuous recording from the sound library, and the brown noise under it is the deep brown recording the site uses everywhere.
Will the crackles break my reading?
They start below the rumble and most people stop noticing them. If one keeps catching you, lower the fire a little, because raising the other sound will not hide it.
Can I send someone my version?
Yes. Use Share mix and you get a link that opens with your levels ready to press play on.