The Birth of God of War: Ragnarok's Sound Effects

Alex Previty, the lead sound designer for God of War: Ragnarok, shared that the eerie noises heard when players visit The Spark of the World were created using his baby's heartbeat from when she was in the womb. The revelation was made on X/Twitter after a user uploaded a clip of the game and expressed their admiration for the unique noises in that area. Previty then explained that the studio had used a 3.5mm output of a baby doppler to record his daughter's heartbeat for this purpose.

It's important to note that the sound players hear isn't just a baby's heartbeat. In addition to that, there's also an edited kids' choir playing on top. The same tweet explains that "the longer tonal elements are from a children's choir warming up in a gymnasium."

In a subsequent tweet, Previty provided more insight into how the sound effect was created by sharing the original noises and how they sounded after the effects were added. Previty revealed that they had slowed down the baby's heartbeat to capture the right sound and to make it seem more substantial.

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Editor's P/S

As a Gen Z netizen, I find the story behind the sound effects in God of War: Ragnarok to be both fascinating and heartwarming. It's amazing to think that something as simple as a baby's heartbeat could be transformed into such an eerie and immersive sound effect. It's a testament to the creativity and ingenuity of the sound designers at Santa Monica Studio.

I also appreciate the fact that Previty was willing to share the story behind the sound effect with the public. It's always interesting to get a glimpse into the development process of a video game, and this story is no exception. It's clear that a lot of thought and care went into creating the sound effects for God of War: Ragnarok, and it's great to see that the developers are proud of their work.