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Coffee shop sounds
Updated 22 October 2026
Many people get more done in a cafe than at home. The murmur of other people and the clink of cups make you feel like you are working among others, without anyone needing you. This cafe ambience gives you that at your own desk.
Press play
Play opens the sound masker with this mix already loaded, so you can hear it and shape it.
How to set it up
- Press Play on Coffee shop.
- If you can make out voices, open it in the sound masker and lower Murmur until you cannot.
- For writing, play Writing, which adds rain on the window.
Why cafe noise helps creativity
A 2012 study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that a moderate level of background noise, about the level of a cafe, helped people on creative tasks, while quiet and loud noise did not. The idea is that a little distraction pushes thinking to be more abstract.
Cafe ambience vs a real cafe
A real cafe has music, conversations you can follow, and people walking past. This one has only the parts that help: a murmur with no words, cups, and a hum.
Questions
Is coffee shop noise good for studying?
For many people, yes, especially for writing and creative work.
Can I hear any words?
The Murmur layer is a restaurant recorded from far enough away that words blur together. The Coffee shop layer is a real cafe in Prague or Vienna, so you may catch a word now and then, in Czech or German. Lower it if that distracts you.