Reviews
What filmmakers, sound designers, journalists, and institutions say about Quiet Planet recordings.
From Ken Burns to the Smithsonian, from indie filmmakers to museum designers, our recordings have earned the trust of professionals around the world.
Featured Reviews
Essentials is exactly that: essential. These exceptional audio tracks give readers the sense of being inside the story.
Bryan Schatz writer/journalist
You may hear for the first time what has been missing in most other recordings - real rolling and shaking, a genuine edge-of-night boom-and-gloom gluttony of power and subtlety unmatched in the world of audio...
Fanfare
For the researcher in environmental studies, Hempton's offerings are vivid, generous, and diverse. I am especially struck by the volcano recordings.
Max Ritts doctoral candidate, UBC
In these magnificent recordings, clear and mysterious as haiku, Gordon Hempton distills the spirit of the natural world. As wild sound in a movie, they hitch the seen to the invisible. A gift for every filmmaker!
Robert Gerst Author, Make Film History: Rewrite, Reshoot, and Recut the World's Greatest Films
Gordon Hempton brings new meaning to the word purist. He meticulously scouts out sites for his soundscapes... Hempton is totally in touch with his environment as a listener, and he is committed to bringing what he hears to a wider audience.
Smithsonian
There is something about them that makes you want to redefine the words, "truth and beauty." Listening to them through headphones, with your eyes closed, inspires visions as vivid as outright hallucinations.
The Weekly
More Praise
“Ahh… what a treat! The sound is impeccable.”
DDan Kowalski digital filmmaker
“Spot-on. I've never heard like this before. Awesome!”
FFranz Bruckhoff UX designer / iOS app developer
“Brilliant work! I was absorbed by the multiplicity of sounds and voices.”
GGabo Guzzo artist
“An artist who never stopped listening.”
KKen Burns filmmaker
“I'm really humbled by the beauty of these recordings.”
MMarie-Juliette Beer recording artist
“A colossal achievement.”
PPeter Comley Sound Designer
“His recordings will immortalize the few remaining quiet corners of the Earth.”
SSan Francisco Examiner
“I got goose bumps listening. I'm totally in awe.”
SSarah Waller radio producer
“Your ears are caressed by resonant acoustical poetry.”
TThe Seattle Times
“They are so accurate and authentic as a tone poem from heaven.”
VVincent C. Siew Former Minister of Economic Affairs, Republic of China
Featured Collections
Hand-picked sound libraries from our catalog of award-winning field recordings.
Tropical Forests
This diverse and well-balanced collection of jungle ambiences includes insects, frogs, birds, monkeys, and more, recorded on four continents and in varying ecosystems. If you need a lush sounding animal symphony, it’s all here. Dry or wet, low along river basins, or even high on mountainsides. How about a pristine dawn arriving from miles away, a passing breeze, or even a drenching thunderstorm? All 153 sound files (more than ten hours) have smart metadata with geographic location and indicate which animals are audible (SoundMiner® readable). Howler Monkeys, Great Potoos, Red- tailed Black Cockatoos, Trogons, Macaws, Toucans, all in their natural habitats, plus 600 more species are identified. In addition, there are two valuable guides. Sound Designing with Tropical Forests and How to Record Tropical Forests. Learn how to pair sound pyramids with ecological information to confidently design authentic soundscapes and receive helpful tips about how to avoid physical dangers and stay safe and tips on how to keep your equipment running to record the Earth’s living music. View content: Download PDF
Waves
Waves are among the most universally appealing of all nature sounds. They range from the gentle wash of spring tide that gently tinkles coastal seashell shards to winter’s thundering onshore stampede of white-maned giants. This carefully recorded collection of 111 loops is classified by wave size and beach substrate (solid rock, boulder, pebble, sand) for fast and accurate sound design. Lake ripples, wave-tossed boulders, seawater spouting through lava tubes, even the roar of a sandy beach from a mile away—they’re all here. Metadata provides valuable information such as description, geographic location, and helpful tips on how to use a particular file to achieve best results (SoundMiner® readable). Includes two valuable guides: Sound Designing with Waves to unlock the true power of waves for Sound Designers and How to Record Waves for field recordists who are ready to explore. View content: Download PDF
Thunder & Rain
This collection provides everything you need to produce the perfect storm–22 isolated thunders, including close strikes, resonant peels and distant rolls; plus 35 different rain intensities, and nine storm recordings. There’s one entire, hour-long rainstorm (61 min.) and one complete thunderstorm (41 min.) for quickly finding just the sound you need at the length you want. None of these thunder and rain files appear in the Essentials Collection. SoundMiner® readable metadata include: description, type of substrate, and geographic location. View content: Download PDF
Quietudes
Quietudes is the first collection of its kind--habitat ambiences that occur at or near the threshold of human hearing. Verging at the edge of design, these experiences add depth of field and enhance continuity. Quietudes also restore frequencies that may have been lost during audio processing. All of the Quiet Planet® habitat types are covered here, offering a careful selection of 100 ambiences from around the world (Prairies, Tropical Forests, Deciduous Forests, Wetlands, Coniferous Forests, Canyons, Deserts, Riparian, Ocean Shores, and Hawaii). These hard-to-hear but easy-to-listen-to sounds will quickly become your finishing touch coup de grace. Included are two helpful guides: Sound Designing with Quietudes and How to Record Quietudes. Metadata provides valuable information such as habitat type, geographic location, time of day, and usage tips for best results (SoundMiner® readable). View content: Download PDF
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