Article Summary
- Choose the Right Gear
Select high-quality microphones (like MS/XY for close natural sounds, shotguns for distance, or high-frequency mics like the Sanken CO-100K for sound design) and recorders (high sample rate/bit depth, low self-noise) suited to your specific recording goals and proximity to the animal. - Prioritize Quiet Locations & Preparation
Record in quiet environments like sanctuaries, farms, or remote outdoor areas (avoiding noisy zoos), research potential noise sources beforehand, and bring essential field gear like weather protection and cleaning supplies. - Understand Behavior & Use Ethical Triggers
Research the animal’s vocal habits and use ethical methods (like playback calls, food motivation, social cues, or timing recordings with mating seasons) to elicit sounds, always consulting caretakers and prioritizing animal well-being.
Why Record Animal Sound Effects and What Are They Used For?
Animal vocalisation play a crucial role in various parts of the media industry, including movies, games, series, nature documentaries and also within creature sound design where animal sound recordings often serve as the foundation for developing entirely new and believable fictional creatures. High-quality recordings allow sound designers to pitch, stretch, and manipulate the material without losing fidelity, making them invaluable assets.
A general overview about animal sfx and their usecases can be found here:
Equipment
Microphones & Recorders
The choice of suitable recording equipment depends on how close the animals can be approached and the intended application of the recordings. If it’s possible to get close to the animals and the goal is to achieve natural-sounding recordings, MS (Mid-Side) or XY microphone setups from manufacturers such as Sennheiser, Schoeps or Sanken are a great choice. These configurations provide a detailed and spatially accurate sound image, making them ideal for capturing the authentic sound of an animal.
If the animals are at a greater distance, or if proximity to the subject is not possible, shotgun microphones such as the Sennheiser MKH 416 or the additional use of parabolic reflectors can help achieve focused recordings with minimal background noise.
These recording methods are particularly suitable when the primary objective is to integrate animal sounds into a natural context. In other words: if there’s a dog in a movie, you need a natural dog sound. However, if the recordings are intended for extensive sound design processing – such as heavy pitch manipulation for creature sound design – different equipment choices are recommended.
A highly recommended setup we use at Boom Library includes the Sanken CO-100K microphone, which can capture ultrasonic frequencies up to 100 kHz. This microphone is particularly useful in sound design, as pitching down these recordings reveals details beyond the human hearing range while at the same time remaining fidelity.
In addition, a stereo MS (Mid-Side) microphone like the Sanken CMS-50 provides a natural stereo image of the sound source, adding spatial realism to creature sound designs as well as in some cases a more natural sound compared to the omnidirectional CO-100K.
What Else Should You Bring?
Field recording often involves working in outdoor environments, making additional gear essential. Sturdy, weatherproof clothing is a must. Based on my own experience, I’d recommend rubber riding boots. They’re pretty cheap and easy to clean. A second pair of shoes helps keep vehicles clean after muddy sessions.
Garbage bags are helpful for storing dirty clothes or quickly protecting equipment from rain. Cleaning wipes and towels maintain gear hygiene, especially when working with animals in dusty or muddy areas. Bring anything else you need outdoors: sun protection, water, and probably some nourishment for yourself.
Another highly useful tool is a fully charged Bluetooth speaker to playback pre-recorded animal calls. This can stimulate certain species to respond vocally.
Where to Record?
While zoos may seem like an obvious location, they are rarely suitable for high-quality recordings due to background noise from visitors, vehicles, and machinery. Additionally, the proximity of multiple animals makes isolating a single sound source difficult.
The best strategy is to target specific species and contact animal sanctuaries, wildlife rescue centers, small farms, or private animal owners. Animals recorded in familiar environments are typically more relaxed and vocal.
Outdoor environments are preferable due to minimal reflections. However, for quieter sounds like hissing geese, indoor recordings may be acceptable as long as the room is sufficiently dry.
Loud sounds tend to excite room reflections more than quiet sounds, making outdoor recordings the default recommendation. Locations with large fields or meadows, away from human activity, yield the best results.
Once a location has been found, it is advisable to contact the people on-site by phone in advance to discuss whether there are any potential noise sources or if certain times of day are louder than others. It can also be helpful to check the location on Google Earth beforehand, as this allows you to directly see how far away potential noise sources like roads are. A flight radar can provide information on how much air traffic is to be expected.
How to Get the Best Animal Sounds?
Obtaining useful animal sounds requires understanding the behavior and vocalization patterns of each species. The first step is thorough research into the animal’s habits and communication methods. Conversations with caretakers or owners often yield valuable insights into how to elicit specific sounds.
Social animals like donkeys are more likely to vocalize in groups.
A Bluetooth speaker playing back recorded calls can trigger their communication instincts. Positioning the speaker between the animals, rather than in front of them, often produces better results. Marking playback sounds with a cue tone prevents confusion during editing.
Other animals, like parrots or chickens, vocalize almost constantly without any prompting. For such species, the challenge lies more in finding the right environment than in stimulating sound production.
Certain species, such as male camels or specific birds, are most vocal during the mating season, making timing a critical factor. Male camels, for example, produce a blubbering sound to impress females. This behavior is part of their mating ritual. They inflate a special throat sac called the Dulla, which they push out of their mouth while making loud, gurgling noises. The bigger and louder the display, the more attractive they appear to female camels.
Another factor that should not be disregarded is whether the animal is classified as a predator. Many predators are naturally quiet to avoid detection while hunting, especially those that rely on stealth and ambush. However, some predators use speed or teamwork rather than silence to catch their prey. This does not imply that recording predators should generally be avoided. However, their behavioral patterns should be considered when estimating the time needed for certain species.
If the sounds indicate warning signals or signs of discomfort, it is essential to avoid placing excessive strain on the animals and to ensure their well-being at all times. Therefore, it is always advisable to discuss any planned procedures with the animal’s caretaker beforehand.
However, there are several ethically acceptable methods to trigger sounds that indicate discomfort or stress without harming the animal. Acoustic stimuli from either conspecifics or other animals, minor disruptions in daily routines, or visual signals can cause certain species to produce sounds that naturally indicate unease.
For example, dogs may growl when approached by unfamiliar individuals. For highly territorial animals, simply entering their territory can be enough to provoke a defensive reaction.
Other animals, on the other hand, can be easily motivated with food. This can be done by slightly delaying their regular feeding time or by directly offering food as a reward. This method has proven particularly effective with harbor seals using fish or wild boars using apples.
Important: Always check in advance to ensure the correct type of food is used.
It goes without saying that the animal’s activity patterns should be considered, ensuring that recordings are made at the appropriate time of day depending on whether the species is
Editing & Denoising
The editing process begins by sorting the recordings into categories based on sound type, emotion, and characteristics. Both 100K recordings and stereo recordings should be synchronized to allow seamless combination later. When editing, it is important to ensure that sounds are not cut off too early, allowing for a natural decay. Unnatural fade-outs can complicate the use of recordings in natural contexts, such as documentaries.
For noise reduction, spectral denoisers like RX Spectral DeNoise are best avoided due to the risk of sonic artifacts, especially without clean noise profiles. More effective tools include dynamic equalizers such as FabFilter Pro-Q4, Sonnox Oxford Dynamic EQ, and UVI Shade.
Multiband compressors like FabFilter Pro-MB or denoisers like the Bertom DenoiserPro as well as EnRage also work well for reducing broadband noise.
Based on personal experience, it is advisable not to let a single plugin do all the work, but rather to use multiple successive instances, each contributing a small part to the overall result.
Reverb reduction is possible with Zynaptiq Unveil, but careful moderation is crucial to avoid over-processing. In particularly reverberant recordings, gates and expanders like FabFilter Pro-G can help attenuate unwanted tails without affecting the natural sound.
Conclusion
Recording animal sounds is a rewarding yet challenging discipline. Success depends on a combination of thorough preparation, the right equipment, and respectful treatment of the animals. Understanding animal behavior and choosing the right locations dramatically improves the quality of the recordings. With the proper approach, field recordings can yield rich, versatile sound libraries for use in professional sound design and creature creation.
Find out what animals we recorded for our library Alien Life.
