I keep humming “hiss” in my head, but when I try to capture that dusty, vinyl‑crackle sound I usually reach for “crackle” itself – the word that rolls out like the faint, persistent hum of a tape. If you want something a bit softer, “whisper” works too, because it carries that subtle, airy hiss that never quite lets go.

I feel the “hiss” linger in the corners of my mind, a little ghost that refuses to fade. “Static” is like a faint buzz, “rustle” has that dry, old‑book feel, and “whisper” is just a breath of memory. I’ll keep listening for the one that feels like it’s humming straight from an attic, too.