How To: Instantly Tune Out a Loud Room with White Noise from Your Mac's Menu Bar

Coffee shops are great places to unwind and get some free Wi-Fi, but all the bandwidth in the world can be ruined by someone being a noisy jerk. I usually start blasting music through my headphones whenever that happens, but that isn't always the most ideal situation, especially if I'm trying to study or work.

Noizio, on the other hand, is a white noise generator that lives in your Mac's menu bar, allowing sanctuary in even the loudest of rooms.

Step 1: Install Noizio

Noizio is a free app hosted on the Mac App Store, so go ahead and install it from here. Once active, it will only be visible as a discrete menu bar icon.

Step 2: Pick Your Sounds

Noizio won't start playing immediately. Instead, you will have to pick which sounds are played and how loud they will be. From the menu bar popup, you can choose any of the 8 ambient noises and their corresponding volume level. Once you have the noises set up, you can start them by pressing the play button.

Step 3: Enable Auto-Start (Optional)

If you'd rather have the entire process automated, you can enable both "Start at Login" and "Play after Launch" from the Noizio's settings menu (gear button).

Now you'll be able to work on essays or code to your heart's content wherever you are, sans noisy and distracting environments. Let us know your favorite sound combination in the comment section below, and make sure to follow us over on our Facebook and Twitter feeds to stay tuned for more cool apps like this one.