Stillscape Now Has 16 Ambient Sounds and One-Tap Focus Presets

September 12, 2026 · 8 min read · Product Update

Great news for anyone who has been waiting for Stillscape to catch up with Noisli and other ambient sound apps — we just rolled out a major audio update. We've added 6 brand-new ambient sounds and introduced 4 one-tap focus presets that let you build your perfect soundscape with a single click.

If you haven't tried Stillscape yet, it's a free online pomodoro timer wrapped in a rainy cafe scene that breathes with your focus. No login, no download, no paywall — just open the website and start working. Today's update makes it the most capable free Noisli alternative on the web.

What's New: 6 Ambient Sounds Added

We started with 4 core sounds (rain, cafe, fireplace, forest). Then we added ocean waves, wind, and three noise colors. Now we've doubled down with 6 more procedurally synthesized sounds that require no external audio files — which means they load instantly and work even on slow connections.

Here are the new additions:

• 🦗 Crickets — Gentle nighttime cricket chirping at 4.2 kHz, perfect for sleep mode or summer evening vibes.
• 💧 Stream / Creek — Soft babbling brook with gentle rippling variation. Lighter than ocean waves, great for studying.
• 🍃 Rustling Leaves — Higher-frequency wind through leaves, with a slow frequency modulation that feels like a breeze passing by.
• 🚂 Train Rhythm — Rhythmic chug-chug of a train in motion. Surprising popular for deep work — the steady rhythm creates a sense of momentum.
• 🏙️ City Hum — Low-frequency urban background noise. Masking effect similar to white noise but warmer and less harsh.
• 💦 Waterfall — Dense broadband rushing water sound. Great for masking loud office environments or snoring partners.

That brings our total to 16 mixable ambient sounds — on par with Noisli's free tier (16 sounds) and closing the gap quickly. And unlike Noisli, all of these are completely free, no daily streaming limit, no account required.

One-Tap Focus Presets

We know that building the perfect mix from scratch can be overwhelming — especially if you're new to ambient sound tools. That's why we created four one-tap presets that apply a scientifically tuned soundscape instantly:

You can find these presets in Settings → Quick Presets. One click and your soundscape is set — no need to fiddle with individual sliders.

Stillscape vs Noisli: How We Compare Now

Since we launched, one of the most common questions we get is "how is this different from Noisli?" Let's be honest about where we stand:

What Noisli has that we don't (yet)

• 28 sounds on Pro (we have 16)
• Curated playlists (we have 3 music playlists)
• Advanced text editor with Markdown (we have a basic editor)
• Multi-device sync (we're local-only, which is actually a privacy win)
• iOS and Android apps (we're web-based PWA)

What we have that Noisli doesn't (at any price)

• Built-in pomodoro timer — Noisli's timer is basic; ours integrates with breathing guide, task list, stats, and notifications
• Immersive visual scene — Our rainy cafe is a living, breathing background, not just a solid color
• Picture-in-picture floating timer — Watch your focus ring while you work in other tabs
• Breathing guide — Guided breathing during breaks to reset your nervous system
• Completely free, no limits — Noisli's free tier has a 1.5-hour daily streaming limit. We have no limit, ever.
• No login required — Open the website and start working. No account, no email, nothing.

For most people, the combination of a proper pomodoro timer plus high-quality ambient sound in one free interface is a much better deal than paying $10/month for sound alone.

How to Use the New Mixer

Using the new sound mixer is simple:

1. Open Stillscape in your browser
2. Click the settings gear icon in the bottom bar
3. Scroll down to the Audio Mixer section
4. Use the sliders to adjust each sound's volume independently
5. Try the Quick Presets for a one-tap starting point
6. Toggle Oscillation on if you want the volume to slowly vary naturally
7. Save your favorite mix as a custom preset for next time

Everything is stored locally in your browser — your settings, your presets, your task list, your statistics. Nothing is sent to our servers. We believe your focus data should stay with you.

What's Coming Next

This update is just the beginning. Here's what we're working on next:

• Shuffle mode — Automatically rotate between your favorite mixes every 30 minutes
• More sounds — We're adding birdsong, rain on umbrella, thunder rumble, and a few surprises
• Custom background upload — Already there, but we're adding more visual scenes
• Chrome extension — Start a focus session from any tab
• Mobile app — We know you want it, we're working on it

Try It Now — It's Free

Stillscape is 100% free, no login, no credit card, no catch. Just open the website and start focusing. Whether you're a student cramming for exams, a writer hitting your word count, or a knowledge worker trying to get through your inbox in one piece — we built this for you.

Why presets matter more than you think

When you have 16 different sounds to choose from, it's easy to spend 10 minutes mixing the perfect combination of rain + cafe + brown noise, then another 10 minutes adjusting the sliders. That's 20 minutes you could have been working. Presets solve this problem entirely.

Good presets are more than just "one-click mixes" — they're curated combinations that actually work. The "Deep Focus" preset isn't just rain + brown noise randomly mixed; it's the exact balance that research shows is best for analytical work. The "Creative Writing" preset isn't just cafe + lo-fi; it's the moderate ambient noise level that boosts divergent thinking. You don't have to figure out the science yourself — the presets already do it for you.

Presets also help build the habit faster. When you open Stillscape, you don't have to think "what should I play today?" — you just click the preset you always use for deep work, and your brain immediately switches into focus mode. Over time, the preset itself becomes a cue for focus, which makes it even easier to get started.

And if you do want to fully customize your own perfect custom soundscape mix all by yourself, you can still adjust the sliders after picking a preset. Presets are a starting point, not a hard limitation. Start with the preset, tweak it a little if you need to, and save it as your own custom preset for next time. That way, you get the best of both worlds: one-click convenience when you're in a hurry, and full control when you want to experiment. Most people end up finding one preset they love and sticking with it for months.

P.S. — If you try the new sounds, let us know which one is your favorite. We read every piece of feedback, and your requests directly shape what we build next.