Pure Soundscapes guides
Waves or Stream: choose the water sound that fits your session
Compare two water-based backgrounds by listening to their movement, balancing extra layers, and trying them during your usual activities.
Compare the sounds with the same starting conditions
Open the sound mixer and listen to Waves by itself. Pause, clear the selection, and try Stream. Keep your device volume in the same position while comparing, but adjust each sound to a similarly comfortable perceived level. Matching slider percentages does not necessarily make two different recordings equally loud.
Pay attention to what you notice rather than trying to pick a universal winner. Does one layer keep pulling your attention back to it? Does another disappear into the background in a way you enjoy? Listen during a real activity before deciding which one to keep.
Use one water layer as the foundation
Choose a single water sound first. You may prefer Waves for a seaside atmosphere or Stream for a scene that suggests moving inland water. These are creative choices, not requirements. The picture you imagine does not need to match a particular landscape or a suggested preset.
If you want to hear both together, bring the second layer in quietly. Toggle it off and on to check whether it adds something useful. When you can no longer tell what you like about either sound, simplify the selection and rebuild from the layer you preferred on its own.
Add detail without making every sound prominent
Birds can give a water mix a more detailed atmosphere. Begin with the bird layer low enough that you notice it only occasionally, then listen through several calls. If those moments interrupt your reading or writing, turn Birds down or remove it. The mix should serve your session rather than require constant attention.
Wind is another option when you want a broader outdoor feeling. Compare Water plus Wind with Water plus Birds instead of adding both immediately. Change one layer at a time so you know which adjustment improved the balance.
Make a useful comparison you can repeat
Save the combinations you enjoy in the main mixer with names that identify their differences, such as “Waves alone” and “Stream with birds.” Try each during a similar activity on another day. You are comparing your own experience, so a short note about what distracted you is more useful than rating a sound in isolation.
If you prefer using Gallery, choose from the sounds offered by that scene rather than expecting every mixer sound to appear there. Start the immersive view after selecting the layers. Pause when you want a break, and close the view when you want its sounds cleared.