--- title: "Blankie - Get Started with Blankie" description: "New to Blankie? Turn on your first ambient sound, layer adjustable volumes for sleep or focus and save your mix as a preset on Mac, iPhone or iPad." canonical: "https://blankie.rest/guides/get-started/" --- > For an index of every page on this site, see [llms.txt](https://blankie.rest/llms.txt). Every page also has a Markdown version like this one. [Blankie Basics](https://blankie.rest/guides/) # Get Started with Blankie New to Blankie? Turn on your first ambient sound, layer adjustable volumes for sleep or focus and save your mix as a preset on Mac, iPhone or iPad. 2 min read Updated October 2026 All Platforms Blankie is an ambient sound mixer. Pick the sounds you want (a fan to fall asleep to, rain to focus, a coffee shop for a too-quiet room) and set each to its own volume until the mix is just the way you like it. Getting your first mix set up usually takes about a minute. ## Play your first sound Start by navigating to the **All Blankie Sounds** option in the Library (this is the sidebar on Mac or iPad; on iPhone you may need to press the back icon in the top left first). If no sounds are playing, tap or click any tile to start it. On iPhone, the tiles live in the **Sound Mixer**: tap its button under the volume slider to open it. To stop playing a sound, tap it again. To temporarily stop all sounds, press the pause button. Pausing keeps your mix intact, so when you come back, every sound and volume stays right where you left it. [![Blankie with the Rain tile turned on and playing.](https://blankie.rest/_astro/mac-first-sound.CHCy6vbZ_2mXQDu.webp)](https://blankie.rest/%5Fastro/mac-first-sound.CHCy6vbZ%5F2mXQDu.webp) ## Build a mix Turn on a few more sounds. Each playing sound has its own volume slider for you to balance however you like: * Set your main sound to a comfortable volume and keep the others quieter in the background. * **Two to six sounds is the sweet spot.** Add too many more after that and they can start to blur together. ## Save it as a preset (or keep it casual) Built a mix you like? If you're on the **All Blankie Sounds** preset, you can save your work as its own **preset** so it's one tap away next time. Tap the edit icon in the top right corner of Blankie (on iPhone, the top right of Now Playing or the Sound Mixer). A preset keeps a group of sounds and their volumes together with a name, artwork and an accent color of its own. See [Create and Theme Presets](https://blankie.rest/guides/create-and-manage-presets/) for more information. Don't need a full preset? You can also tap any single sound in the **Sounds** section of your Library to play it on its own, or use **Quick Mix** on iPhone, iPad and CarPlay as a lightweight soundboard. See [Quick Mix, Single Sounds and Presets](https://blankie.rest/guides/quick-mix-and-single-sounds/) for how the three modes fit together. ## Next, learn how to do even more * **[Import your own sounds.](https://blankie.rest/guides/import-sounds-mac/)** Your fan, rain on your own roof, anything. Imported sounds can mix right alongside built-in sounds. * **[Set a sleep timer.](https://blankie.rest/guides/sleep-timer/)** Drift off and Blankie pauses itself. * **[Control it from anywhere.](https://blankie.rest/guides/control-blankie-anywhere/)** Widgets, Siri, Shortcuts, media keys, the Lock Screen, AirPods and CarPlay. ## Keep reading [Blankie BasicsQuick Mix, Single Sounds and PresetsHow Blankie's presets, Quick Mix soundboard and single-sound playback work, and how to switch between them without overwriting your saved mixes.Read the guide ](https://blankie.rest/guides/quick-mix-and-single-sounds/)[Presets & ThemingCreate and Theme PresetsSave your favorite ambient sound mixes as presets in Blankie, then give each one its own artwork and accent color. Create, edit, theme, favorite and switch soundscapes for sleep and focus.Read the guide ](https://blankie.rest/guides/create-and-manage-presets/)[Add Your Own SoundsImport Your Own Sounds on MacAdd your own audio files to Blankie on macOS. Import MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC or OGG and mix them right in with the built-in ambient sounds.Read the guide ](https://blankie.rest/guides/import-sounds-mac/) ## Blankie is free, forever. No ads, no paywalls and no privacy tradeoffs. Mix adjustable ambient sounds into your own soundscapes for sleep, rest and focus on iPhone, iPad, CarPlay and Mac. [![Download on the App Store](https://blankie.rest/_astro/app-store-badge.f_0GEMIJ_1y0B2z.svg)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/blankie/id6740096581?itscg=30200&itsct=apps%5Fbox%5Fbadge&mttnsubad=6740096581) Download Source: https://blankie.rest/guides/get-started/