Eltanin Casciani
Community Manager
Hayo Zookeepers,
It's almost time for the next instalment of Planet Zoo, the Planet Zoo: North America Animal Pack! Grab a seat and listen closely because today, we're going to hear all about how the sound and music of Planet Zoo is brought to life from the Lead Sound Designer themselves!
So without further ado, let's have them introduce themselves, shall we?
Hayo! Can you introduce yourself and your role on the team, for those who might not know you?
Hello! I’m Benjamin Scholey, the Lead Sound Designer on the Planet Zoo expansions at Frontier Developments. I’m one of the people who finds, creates, and implements all the lovely animal sounds you hear in-game.
First off, let's speak about sound effects. What research do you do before starting work on the animal noises?
My initial work on any Pack and new animals comprises a lot of different research. However, a key part of it includes collecting sources of information attaining to vocalisation and animal behaviour - from research papers, audio recordings, and a whole lot of David Attenborough! Throughout this process, I’m often surprised by the repertoire of some animals and have learnt a lot in the process!
Once you've completed this research, how do you go about creating sounds for such a wide range of animals?
We work with a variety of sound libraries, zoos, recordists and other sources to obtain the actual vocalisations of a specific animal. In some cases, I get the incredible opportunity to go outside and record some of these magnificent creatures myself! Here’s me having difficulty recording an inquisitive Meerkat:
On top of this, I record the foley for animals as well. For those who don't know, foley is the reproduction of sounds via other objects and methods! For the Planet Zoo animals, foley includes elements such as skin movement, footsteps and interactions with enrichment objects. A good example of this is how we created the sound of the Sealion's movement and footsteps - to do this, we recorded diving fins and a big bouncy ball! We tend to exaggerate these elements to make the animals sound more "natural", even if it isn't how it would sound in real life, as we as listeners expect to hear certain aspects which aren't usually audible - this is called "hyperrealism".
What were the most unusual sounds that you've had to create for the North America Animal Pack?
There have been a few! During work on this Pack, Roland Berdo (a member of the sound team) discovered Alligators create an infrasonic mating call to attract mates. We decided to provide a frequency audible to human ears to showcase this behaviour instead! Prairie Dogs make a "yip" sound and jump up when they’ve been taken by surprise, which usually shocks other Prairie Dogs, leading them to "yip" too. However, by far, the most impressive animal for me was the Arctic Fox which has a rich repertoire of squeals and bark vocalisations that can be heard over vast distances.
Which animal from the North America Animal Pack was the most challenging to create sounds for?
In the case of the North America Animal Pack, it was the Moose fighting that required experimentation. Similar to the other animals of the deer family, we made use of movement and antler sounds to show off their ferocious side! Usually, it tends to be the quieter animals that are the most difficult for us. Instead of having a loud roar to sell a specific moment, we instead have to utilise quieter vocalisations and foley elements.
And which was the most fun to create sounds for?
Going back to the California Sea Lion, I had a fantastic time recording different elements of this animal’s movement. For their general skin layer, I ended up using a mixture of a leather jacket, a wet cloth, and a huge bouncy ball. This adds a great sense of weight to the Sea Lion and grounds them in the world of Planet Zoo. We even had a pet cameo, as the mouth smack sounds and eating consists of my cat guzzling down food! She tends to enjoy helping out with food recording sessions.
Next, let's move on and talk about the music! What research do you do before starting to compose the music for a Pack?
I work with our talented composer, J.J Ipsen, to produce our musical backdrop and to ensure we highlight genres and musical identities associated with the area theme of the Packs.
For the first step of the research process, I will do my best to research traditional music found in a given region. What seems like an easy task of listening to music often leads to a cultural rabbit hole of various genres, sub-genres, and elements that spill over from neighbouring countries and cultures. This can seem like a daunting task filtering through all this information, so I try to focus back on a culture's defining musical forms to provide the ideal backdrop for the player, as well as the digital visitors spectating the animals.
What were your biggest influences for the music in the North America Animal Pack?
Our main influences for this Pack were Cajun, Zydeco, Blues, DixieLand Jazz, Bluegrass and American Roots music. Throughout our North America Animal Pack soundtrack, you’ll hear elements of these genres which J.J has incorporated with his unique Planet Zoo style.
Some of the more unique instrumentation includes a Fiddle, Banjo and even a Washboard. Musical genres and cultural identities aside, I drew inspiration from what I’d expect and imagine myself, and what I felt the community would want to create and showcase. I imagined a rustic wooden shack above a swamp biome swarming with Alligators and a crackly radio playing blues. I thought of a Louisiana street with interesting shops and people and a brass band playing in the distance. This is the type of imagery we wanted to convey with the music, and what we tried to capture.
How do you create the music that goes into the game?
After we’ve researched and have an understanding of what our music could sound like for a Pack, that's when we’ll bring our Composer J.J on board. We discuss our ideas and listen to reference tracks. J.J is wonderfully talented and plays a bunch of different instruments you hear in the soundtrack. For anything specific that he doesn't play himself, J.J. sources additional musicians, such as a Fiddle player for our American Pack. Where we can, we’ll always use real instrumentation but in some cases, virtual instruments are a great substitute.
What did you have the most fun with?
The best part of this process for me is listening to the music we get from J.J. He did a wonderful job on the base game and incorporated the “Planet Zoo” sound into the music for the packs. This is our opportunity to feedback off of each other and to get excited about what’s been created. We also get to share this music with the rest of the team and implement these tracks into the game - it’s very rewarding to create one of the influenced scenarios I mentioned earlier, and to see it all come together!
And that's all folks! Thank you for tuning in to this Developer Journal, and we hope you enjoyed this insight into the wonderful sounds you hear throughout Planet Zoo. The Planet Zoo: North America Animal Pack launches 4 October, and you can wishlist it now on Steam.
It's almost time for the next instalment of Planet Zoo, the Planet Zoo: North America Animal Pack! Grab a seat and listen closely because today, we're going to hear all about how the sound and music of Planet Zoo is brought to life from the Lead Sound Designer themselves!
So without further ado, let's have them introduce themselves, shall we?
Hayo! Can you introduce yourself and your role on the team, for those who might not know you?
Hello! I’m Benjamin Scholey, the Lead Sound Designer on the Planet Zoo expansions at Frontier Developments. I’m one of the people who finds, creates, and implements all the lovely animal sounds you hear in-game.
First off, let's speak about sound effects. What research do you do before starting work on the animal noises?
My initial work on any Pack and new animals comprises a lot of different research. However, a key part of it includes collecting sources of information attaining to vocalisation and animal behaviour - from research papers, audio recordings, and a whole lot of David Attenborough! Throughout this process, I’m often surprised by the repertoire of some animals and have learnt a lot in the process!
Once you've completed this research, how do you go about creating sounds for such a wide range of animals?
We work with a variety of sound libraries, zoos, recordists and other sources to obtain the actual vocalisations of a specific animal. In some cases, I get the incredible opportunity to go outside and record some of these magnificent creatures myself! Here’s me having difficulty recording an inquisitive Meerkat:
On top of this, I record the foley for animals as well. For those who don't know, foley is the reproduction of sounds via other objects and methods! For the Planet Zoo animals, foley includes elements such as skin movement, footsteps and interactions with enrichment objects. A good example of this is how we created the sound of the Sealion's movement and footsteps - to do this, we recorded diving fins and a big bouncy ball! We tend to exaggerate these elements to make the animals sound more "natural", even if it isn't how it would sound in real life, as we as listeners expect to hear certain aspects which aren't usually audible - this is called "hyperrealism".
What were the most unusual sounds that you've had to create for the North America Animal Pack?
There have been a few! During work on this Pack, Roland Berdo (a member of the sound team) discovered Alligators create an infrasonic mating call to attract mates. We decided to provide a frequency audible to human ears to showcase this behaviour instead! Prairie Dogs make a "yip" sound and jump up when they’ve been taken by surprise, which usually shocks other Prairie Dogs, leading them to "yip" too. However, by far, the most impressive animal for me was the Arctic Fox which has a rich repertoire of squeals and bark vocalisations that can be heard over vast distances.
Which animal from the North America Animal Pack was the most challenging to create sounds for?
In the case of the North America Animal Pack, it was the Moose fighting that required experimentation. Similar to the other animals of the deer family, we made use of movement and antler sounds to show off their ferocious side! Usually, it tends to be the quieter animals that are the most difficult for us. Instead of having a loud roar to sell a specific moment, we instead have to utilise quieter vocalisations and foley elements.
And which was the most fun to create sounds for?
Going back to the California Sea Lion, I had a fantastic time recording different elements of this animal’s movement. For their general skin layer, I ended up using a mixture of a leather jacket, a wet cloth, and a huge bouncy ball. This adds a great sense of weight to the Sea Lion and grounds them in the world of Planet Zoo. We even had a pet cameo, as the mouth smack sounds and eating consists of my cat guzzling down food! She tends to enjoy helping out with food recording sessions.
Next, let's move on and talk about the music! What research do you do before starting to compose the music for a Pack?
I work with our talented composer, J.J Ipsen, to produce our musical backdrop and to ensure we highlight genres and musical identities associated with the area theme of the Packs.
For the first step of the research process, I will do my best to research traditional music found in a given region. What seems like an easy task of listening to music often leads to a cultural rabbit hole of various genres, sub-genres, and elements that spill over from neighbouring countries and cultures. This can seem like a daunting task filtering through all this information, so I try to focus back on a culture's defining musical forms to provide the ideal backdrop for the player, as well as the digital visitors spectating the animals.
What were your biggest influences for the music in the North America Animal Pack?
Our main influences for this Pack were Cajun, Zydeco, Blues, DixieLand Jazz, Bluegrass and American Roots music. Throughout our North America Animal Pack soundtrack, you’ll hear elements of these genres which J.J has incorporated with his unique Planet Zoo style.
Some of the more unique instrumentation includes a Fiddle, Banjo and even a Washboard. Musical genres and cultural identities aside, I drew inspiration from what I’d expect and imagine myself, and what I felt the community would want to create and showcase. I imagined a rustic wooden shack above a swamp biome swarming with Alligators and a crackly radio playing blues. I thought of a Louisiana street with interesting shops and people and a brass band playing in the distance. This is the type of imagery we wanted to convey with the music, and what we tried to capture.
How do you create the music that goes into the game?
After we’ve researched and have an understanding of what our music could sound like for a Pack, that's when we’ll bring our Composer J.J on board. We discuss our ideas and listen to reference tracks. J.J is wonderfully talented and plays a bunch of different instruments you hear in the soundtrack. For anything specific that he doesn't play himself, J.J. sources additional musicians, such as a Fiddle player for our American Pack. Where we can, we’ll always use real instrumentation but in some cases, virtual instruments are a great substitute.
What did you have the most fun with?
The best part of this process for me is listening to the music we get from J.J. He did a wonderful job on the base game and incorporated the “Planet Zoo” sound into the music for the packs. This is our opportunity to feedback off of each other and to get excited about what’s been created. We also get to share this music with the rest of the team and implement these tracks into the game - it’s very rewarding to create one of the influenced scenarios I mentioned earlier, and to see it all come together!
And that's all folks! Thank you for tuning in to this Developer Journal, and we hope you enjoyed this insight into the wonderful sounds you hear throughout Planet Zoo. The Planet Zoo: North America Animal Pack launches 4 October, and you can wishlist it now on Steam.
